There are few things as satisfying as finding a bulky package in the mailbox, opening it, and finding a book in there with your name in it. This is what happened to me just a few days ago, and I wanted to share the experience with you as soon as possible.

On the cover is the title – Memory Weaving, with the by-line An Anthology of Dementia Journeys.

And from the back cover, what’s it about?

If you have or care for someone with dementia, you will find your own experiences in this anthology. If you want family and friends to understand the journey you and the one you love are making, give them this book!

My small contribution is titled Memories of Him, pages 86-87. Written a few years back for an online poetry word prompt, on the theme of ‘envision’. Struggling to find something for the prompt, I turned to the Merriam-Webster dictionary and found this very helpful:

to think of (something that you believe might exist or happen in the future) : to picture (something) in your mind

And so something I had seen a few days before became come to the surface – a man in his sixties, and the way he was looking at a group of 20 year olds. Perhaps he recognised his circle of life in that moment, saw the inevitability for those nearer to the end than those at the beginning. I wondered (envisioned even!) what his life had been and would be, and started typing.

The poem then subsequently found a way into my own book – The Unintended Consequences Of, published last year. In fact, it is available as an ebook from Amazon and iTunes! Come on it’s less than the price of a coffee for Peet’s sake.

Now back to Memory Weaving, the editor (Carolyn Vimpani), suggested some changes between the versions, and I am very pleased with this shorter and slightly sharper copy. This version joins poems from dozens of contributors, forming 158 pages of a publication I’m proud to be a part of.

Having seen the horrible impacts of dementia first hand, if we can help others in this situation, even in a small way, then it is the right thing to do.

So if you would like to own a copy of this excellent anthology, send an email to poetica@iprimus.com.au, or check out the publisher’s website here.