Poetry has been one of the traditional ways of sharing our oral history for thousands of years. Now, some of the poets in the Okanagan are being celebrated in a new documentary that focuses on what moves them to continue to create in our modern-day world.
“There was just such a wealth of talent of wonderful poets here in Vernon that we wanted to, first of all, find out why that’s really why we started, was why this small city has given us so many great writers and specifically poets,” said Curtis Emde, co-director and producer at The Orange Lamphouse Studio.
The upcoming documentary titled Why We Write follows a dozen poets and explores their passion for words.
John Lent, one of the poets featured, is a well-known Okanagan poet, writer and musician. He says he finds inspiration in the ordinary.
“I write because I can’t help it, it just occurs to me when I’m standing at a gas station or sitting down in a coffee shop,” said Lent.
The poetry shares different perspectives on the natural world, one of the many muses that poet Michelle Doege finds herself returning to.
Of course, the documentary isn’t short on poems.
“I think poetry allows us to think about things we might not normally think about, to see things that we might not normally see. So, when we read a poem, we can all relate to it … and the feelings that the poet is having,” said Hannah Calder, co-director and producer of the documentary.
The final touches are being put on the documentary and it should be ready in time to make its rounds through festivals in Spring 2022.