Margaret Van Every

Margaret Van Every, one of Lakeside's preeminent poets, will read from her new book Saying Her Name, on December 12. The book is a collection of poems about the author's finding her way in life after the death of her mother, which occurred when Margaret was a child of 10. The book describes the various stages through which all women pass in their life's journey toward the wisdom that comes with age and experience.

Margaret is best known in these parts for her light hearted tanka on the mingling of cultures where we live, A Pillow Stuffed with Diamonds.

What others say

Samuel Taylor Coleridge once defined prose as words in their best order and poetry as the best words in their best order. In her new book, Saying Her Name, Margaret Van Every gives us both the example and the proof of what Coleridge said. The book is a collection of poems that tell the story of her mother’s death and the impact it had on Margaret’s life. Each poem is a tapestry of words woven together so as to create multiple layers of meaning. The words chosen speak to each other in ways that at once cause both laughter and sorrow. Many women will identify with and understand the journey described. Most men need to.
--Michael Mcgrath, Professor Emeritus of English Language and Literature Arts, Oakland Community College and University of Michigan

In this collection, Margaret Van Every reaches plenitude in the highest sense of the word, plenty of everything: pain, joy, friendship, loss, love, death, sadness, in a word, life! How can one not identify with her experience and the wisdom that comes from it?
--Ilsa Picazo, author of Mujeres de Trece Lunas