April 15, 2011: Naomi Beth Waka and Clea Roberts

Naomi Beth Wakan is a poet and personal essayist. She has written over thirty books including the ALA selection, Haiku – one breath poetry. Her recent titles from Wolsak and Wynn include Late Bloomer – on writing later in life, and Book Ends – a year between the covers. Her essays and poetry have appeared in many magazines including Geist, Room, Resurgence and Gusts. She is a member of the League of Canadian Poets, Tanka Canada and Haiku Canada. She lives on Gabriola Island with her husband, the sculptor, Elias Wakan. www.naomiwakan.com

Clea Roberts lives in Whitehorse, Yukon on the Takhini River. Her poems have appeared in The Antigonish Review, CV2, The Dalhousie Review, The International Feminist Journal of Politics, Lake: A Journal of Arts and the Environment, The Malahat Review, Prism International, and Room. Roberts has received fellowships from the Vermont Studio Centre, the Atlantic Centre for the Arts and is a three-time recipient of the Yukon Government Advanced Artist Award. Her work has been nominated for a National Magazine Award and her poem, “When We Begin to Grow Old,” won the After Al Purdy Poetry Contest. Clea co-organizes the Whitehorse Poetry Festival.