For most of her life, Nanaimo’s poet laureate collected quotations that “struck deep.”
Those quotes, Kamal Parmar said, contained “seeds of poetry” that quickly became the foundation of her writing. Compiled since high school, she’s routinely returned to her commonplace book to reflect on life. The poet is now ready to share her inspiration with the world.
Scattered Snowdrops contains thought-provoking quotes by poets, writers and philosophers such as Nelson Mandela, Aristotle and Bernard Shaw.
“There are some quotes that talk about life as a celebration and about how love is an act of faith,” Parmar said. “It makes you better understand who you are, and gives you an innate sense of being in sync with life and self-reflection and quiet appreciation.”
Although what started as handwritten notes, self-published Scattered Snowdrops has been arranged to be a self-contained coffee book – easy to pick up and put down at a moment’s notice.
Parmar said the book opens to words by French philosopher René Descartes; “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
Interspersed between the texts are nature photographs reminiscent of Nanaimo and the Island that poet and printer worked consciously to select. On the cover of the book are snowdrop flowers.
“Snowdrops are such a beautiful flower, hanging like a lamp,” Parmar said. “And then when it opens up, it’s beauty which breathes and inspires. Like these proverbs, scattered throughout tons of books and encyclopedias.”
The poet said since the compilation will be available around mid-January in Nanaimo to purchase at bookstores and borrow at libraries, snowdrops were a fitting choice since it’s also the month’s birth flower.
Scattered Snowdrops can also be purchased online at www.amazon.ca.
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