In This House Are Many Women and Other Poems
Sheree Fitch's best-selling adult poetry collection explores the shadows that never penetrate the sunlit world of her children's books. With over 5,000 copies sold of the first edition, this second edition 10 years later and 13 poems wiser adds depth and texture to the original collection; like a fine cognac, it has become richer with the passing years.
Sheree Fitch's refreshingly direct lyrics explore the harsh realities of women's lives and the many kinds of shelter they create for themselves and give to each other. The title suite is peopled by battered wives, single mothers, women who are poor and perhaps homeless, and exhausted caregivers, with each woman speaking in her own voice. The new poems in "Moonsongs" express a decade's personal development, not in the form of answers, but in the form of more pointed questions.
In This House Are Many Women and Other Poems demonstrates Fitch's poetic depth and versatility. But whether she writes passionately of victims and workers in a woman's shelter, finds epiphanies in family life, or examines the uncertainties of romantic love, Fitch never loses her sense of humour. Who else but the creator of Mable Murple could conjure up Diana, the domestic acrobat who transforms her home into a circus or Eve, the mother of us all, offering child-rearing tips?
Available format(s)
"Language so lush, voices so vibrant, and rhythms so resonant that the poems often seem to read, even perform, themselves." — Canadian Literature
"A moving, challenging exploration of the experience of voiceless people . . . the poems are mediations that explore a mythological landscape beyond the everyday grind. They are a tribute to resilience and, essentially, are about all of us." — Atlantic Books Today
"Her adult poetry delves into the darker side of the human spirit — and finds, not victims, but unsung heroes." — Chronicle Herald
Sheree Fitch burst onto the children's poetry scene with her celebrated book of nonsense verse Toes in My Nose in 1987. Since then, she has written 17 books for children and won numerous awards for her work, including the Mr. Christie Book Award, Marianna Dempster Award, Silver Birch Award, and Hackmatack Award. In 1998, she won the prestigious Vicky Metcalf award for a body of work inspirational to Canadian children. She has been goodwill ambassador for UNICEF since 1994.
