Endorsements
“To the western world, the word Thames is a mystery that even a sage cannot solve. In the past, places like the routes of rivers were known to everybody. And language always held a clue, especially in oral culture. The River Thames of London, England leads us back to Sanskrit….To Penn Kemp and the people of Southern Ontario, it reminds them of their heritage in ‘stealing’ a name for their beautiful home.
Poetry also refreshes the dream. So sit by the trees of your Carolinian Forest and make a wish. I will join you in this. Wishes lead to hope. Hope leads to action. So let’s hope that the waters of River Revery can feed the forests of blue ash, Fraxinus quadrangulata, whose blue dye was once used in the popcorn wedding baskets for the First Nations of Canada. Let us all wish and hope together that we can protect this environment for Ula and Kai. Amen.”
- Diana B. Beresford-Kroeger, Author of The Global Forest
“River Revery is a beautiful love song given to the River and the blessed space you call home. How fortunate to live with such Beauty at your doorstep! I particularly like the Gallery discs—Look Closely and Jungle. Whole worlds are there. The Animation section is like an Incantation–—drawing us into the vortex of its being of place. So personal and with vision universal. Your voice—conjuring with transfiguring imagery— — —True Congratulations to you and Mary McDonald.
- Holly Briesmaster, Painter
“River Revery feels like a meandering river with a stream-of-consciousness as if the reader is in the flow of a daydream or watching a movie from long ago. River Revery as a whole has an insistence and urgency in its rhythms, very necessary now.”
- Nina Desjardins, rogue psychiatrist and telemedicine practitioner
“The river as central motif holds both the reassurance of ancient and slow movement as well as the results of the consequence of human folly and greed. The work itself is beautiful. It reminds us that there is always time for beauty and reflection however muddy the waters. River Revery is a beautiful rendition…the artistry of it fits the artistry of the poems…so happy for you and for us all.”
- Margo Ritchie, Congregational Leader, Sisters of St. Joseph
“River Revery pulls us into the natural yet mysterious realm of the water from which we came. River Revery reminds us that the Thames River is integral to what has shaped our regional identity: Indigenous peoples gathered as community at the Forks of the Antler River, renamed the Thames by British explorers. A garrison was established at the Forks to secure the territory for settlement and the City of London grew around the Thames’ muddy, fertile banks. The river stretches back beyond memory and forward into the future. It is a world that has sometimes been forgotten, sometimes despoiled; but must be ever present in our consciousness as we reach to understand who we are and what we can become. The pictures are breath taking. I am so grateful Penn and Mary love our river so much.”
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