On November 6th, 2022, former Arthur editor and Trent University alumnus PJ Thomas hosted a book launch for her second poetry collection Waves. The event itself was hosted at Gordon Best Theatre and it featured two local poets, Justin Million and Jon Hedderwick, who shared some of their poems. Then to close out the event PJ Thomas performed a few of the poems from Waves. 

Before the poetry there was a live music performance by Dennis O’Toole and his cousin Michael O’Toole. If you ever have a chance to listen to these two perform live, I highly recommend you take advantage of the opportunity. There was also plenty of food and refreshments available at the event, including some home baked cookies by Thomas and her sister. 

The presentations from the poets were engaging and energetic. Million expressed his gratitude to be performing in front of people since the last time it was possible was pre-COVID. He shared some poems from a series he has been working on for fifteen years titled Supernatural. Hedderwick, who is the Artistic Director for the Peterborough Poetry Slam collective, demonstrated his spoken word prowess by delivering his poems with strong conviction and emotion. When Thomas took the stage to deliver her poems you could feel the energy in the room rise. One of my favourite poems she performed is Everflowing which talks about the friendliness and kindness of the people who live in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong. All three of these poets are locally based so I would highly recommend you seek out any performances they may have. Also, read their poems. They are outstanding!

After the book launch, I had the opportunity to interview Thomas about mental health and poetry. She does not keep it a secret that she has struggled with her mental health, she talked about it at the book launch, and it is written on the front page of her website. One of the questions I asked Thomas was about how her mental health interacted with her poetry. “I like to think my mental health issues improve my writing” she said then continued to explain that she has Delusional Disorder which allows her imagination to have “a little more free range”.

For many people, mental health can be difficult to deal with. In my experience I have found that writing helps to release many of the emotions that are present when someone is struggling with mental health. I know peers who also use writing to express the feelings that are often bottled up inside. This is not to say that simply writing about your mental health is the solution to the problem, but instead an opportunity for me to share that it has helped me in being able to express myself better. 

I also asked Thomas if she had any advice to give to aspiring poets. I would say that her advice is fitting for anyone who is looking at a career in writing. She says that when you are writing you need to think of your readers, because “when you put poetry out into the world, you are trying to communicate with others”. You need to ask yourself “how will they take your writing?” When I heard this response, I took a moment to reflect on the writing I have done. Subconsciously I was always doing this whether it was creative writing, academic writing, or journalism. Now that I have heard this question posed by Thomas, I have been using it to help guide my writing to make sure that it is received in the way I intended.

Thomas further suggests that as a writer you must “trust your heart” to guide your work “and then edit like hell!” Her second piece of this advice is just as valuable as the first. Often artists will tell people to follow their heart and the piece will create itself. While this is good advice, the addition of “edit like hell” insinuates that your first draft will not be the final draft. It is important to convey this message, especially to aspiring poets, since it often feels as though your first attempt must be perfect. In my opinion, perfection will never be achieved, but I could write a whole article on that. For this piece it is important to remember that revising your work will help you to understand it better. When you have a fuller understanding of your own work, you can then share it with the world, so it is received in the way you intend. 

Additionally, Thomas advises people to be honest and true to themselves in their work. “Honesty gives the funniest, most poignant, and most tragic portrayal of humanity” she told me, and I could not agree more. As much fun as it is to imagine a world with no problems, it is not a realistic portrayal of human existence. When there is an aspect of the real world expressed in any form of media, it is much more therapeutic to react to. 

Thomas expresses a similar sentiment to the idea that perfection can never truly be achieved. I asked her how long she had been writing poetry for, and she said, “I have been writing poetry since I was ten years old” though she noted that she had only been “writing poetry in earnest for just over four years”. In these four years she is extremely accomplished having written over 1000 poems and published two collections. After mentioning these incredible accomplishments, she immediately followed up with “am I there yet? Are any of us?” The way she is questioning herself is a human response to success, but more importantly it demonstrates there is always something more to strive for. 

If you ever get the chance to chat with PJ Thomas, I suggest doing so. She is a charismatic, funny, and wise individual. Should you not find the opportunity to meet her in person though, check out her poetry collections. They present an honest reflection of the lived human experience.