An anthology of poetry, prose and visual art is being compiled in support of ending homelessness.
Timmins writer-editor-agent Pat Gadoury is spearheading the project.
Hearing how Cochrane District has the highest percentage of homeless people in Ontario, he began a discussion with artists – many of whom have been or almost been homeless.
He says it’s a tough subject for a lot of people.
“Then when I started approaching leaders in the community, leaders in the North, increasingly people were saying well, there’s nothing we can do,” he relates. “It has to be legislated in Ottawa, or in Toronto. There’s nothing we can do at the ground level. I found that very difficult, so that’s where this started.”
The resulting book, “Homefull Country” will be released on National Housing Day, November 22nd.
“We’ve got poet laureates on the team,” Gadoury says, “we’ve got tons of writers and artists that have joined, that have lived on the streets of L.A., on the streets of Vancouver, on the streets of Toronto, St. John’s. This morning I was talking to three artists in Québec.”
Some of the participants will be at the Tamarack Festival in Timmins this weekend.
Proceeds from book sales will go to a charity that deals with homelessness.
