Writing a poem

Reading a poem is serious business.
Septentrian Baronial Investiture 2015.
Photo by Master Eirik Andersen.

I have been asked by a few people what my process is when I am writing a poem. Obviously, the first thing I need is a topic. Some of my favourite poems have been praise poems, and there are always people out there who deserve our praise. Has someone been elevated to an order? Did they make an impact on your day in a positive way? Did they engage in some great act of service? Do they amaze you with their artistic skill?

Once I have a topic (usually a person) I then carry out some research on them. I try to find out what their persona is (time and place), as well as what their interests are and specific bits of personal lore that I may be able to draw on (for instance, favourite colours, animals, activities, and so on).

Having determined the topic's time and place in history I then do some more research on the poetic traditions of that time and place. If the person I am going to write about has a 10th century Irish persona, then I will try to write the poem about them in a 10th century Irish style. This can actually take longer than writing the actual poem, as there are numerous poetic genres, forms and devices for every time and place. I began to keep a catalogue of this information (which I displayed at the Spring A&S Faire) so I would always have it easily accessible. I would urge other poets to do the same if they are thinking of writing in various styles.

New book of poetry available

My latest book of poetry, Lion-King of Ealdormere, is now available on Amazon.

Two New Books Available

I've got two new books available, one on the history of Ealdormere, and one on the history of Septentria. Both are available in print or on Kindle.

Florilegium historiarum Septentriae (book)

Florilegium historiarum Septentriae (kindle)

The Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a world-wide living history club with members numbering in the tens of thousands. Within the SCA there are several “kingdoms” and within these kingdoms are local groups known as baronies. One of these baronies, made up of central Ontario, Canada, is known as Septentria. Septentria was the first barony to be formed in Ontario. The people of this barony, who pride themselves as being from “the heart of Ealdormere”, have a long and proud history. The Honourable Laird Colyne Stewart (otherwise known as author Todd H. C. Fischer) has, over the past decade and a half, written several histories of this barony, its peoples and their deeds. From the founding baroness, Gillian d’Uriel, up to the investiture of Dafydd and Mahhild, Colyne has collected many tales of Septentria’s past, presenting them in the form of period chronicles.

The Wolf, the Wilds, and the Will (book)

The Wolf, the Wilds, and the Will (kindle)

The Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a world-wide living history club with members numbering in the tens of thousands. Within the SCA there are several “kingdoms”. One of these kingdoms, made up of most of Ontario, Canada, is known as Ealdormere. The people of this kingdom, who pride themselves as being from “the northlands”, have a long and proud history. This year, the SCA turns fifty years old, and as part of the celebrations, each kingdom was asked to write a history of its lands. In Ealdormere, this task fell to the Honourable Laird Colyne Stewart (otherwise known as author Todd H. C. Fischer). Through study of earlier histories, newsletters and discussions with founding members, Colyne has compiled this chronicle featuring many acts of dedication, service, prowess, valour, and honour.