Description
Infused with the language of place, the poems in this collection are stepping-stones from the author’s past to her present, from forgetfulness to remembrance, from unknowing to a deep knowing found only through direct experience. Here, the poet is wayfarer: at each step she sees reminders of the ephemeral and the indelible. All serve as guideposts to cross the threshold of the self.
Poetry.
“Lyrics of longing and surrender float down the pages of Sheniz Janmohamed’s startling third collection REMINDERS ON THE PATH. Here, ghazals are not just couplets of emotion, free verse is not without form, these are the precise political unravelings of a human being living on Turtle Island with a heart that beats in Sufic Persia. The poet asks, What is the motherland? What is the land? Who am I in diaspora? And then, the garden enters the poet to show the way. “As the burnt forest of the world smoulders, I bring my charred heart to your cool steps. You: a reflection pool in the midst of flames. Your healing gaze is the water and the wine.”
–Tawhida Tanya Evanson, author of Book of Wings
Author Bio
Sheniz Janmohamed (MFA) is a firm believer in fostering community through collaboration, compassion and creativity. In her own practice, she strives to embody words through performance, land art and writing in the ghazal form. A poet, artist educator and land artist, Sheniz has performed her work in venues across the world, including the Jaipur Literature Festival, Alliance Française de Nairobi and the Aga Khan Museum. Sheniz is also the author of two collections of poetry: BLEEDING LIGHT (Mawenzi House, 2010) and FIRESMOKE (Mawenzi House, 2014), both of which have been taught at the University of Toronto. Her writing has been published in a variety of publications, including Quill & Quire, Arc Poetry Magazine, and Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers (Caitlin Press, 2019).
Author City: TORONTO, ON CAN