Maleea Acker is the McLoughlin Gardens Society’s 2019 writer-in-residence.
Like previous writers at the McLoughlin Gardens - Anne Simpson and Arleen Paré - Acker’s work reveals a profound attentiveness to the natural world. As a teacher and scholar, she invites her students to explore their own relationship to place.
Acker is the author of two books of poetry, The Reflecting Pool (2009) and Air-Proof Green (2013), and a collection of essays, Gardens Aflame: Garry Oak Meadows of BC’s South Coast (2012). Acker is also an award-winning geography lecturer at the University of Victoria, where she is a PhD candidate, focusing on geopoetics.
As part of the Writer-in-Residence Program, Acker will be available to consult with writers – published and unpublished – about their writing projects. To find out about scheduling a consultation with Acker, visit mcloughlingardens.org
Acker will also be offering two workshops during her residency: Landscapes of the Heart, Sunday, July 14, 1 - 4 p.m. to be held on site at the McLoughlin Gardens in Merville (814 Tasman Rd.), and Poetry and Place, July 28, 1 - 4 p.m., to be held at the Courtenay Museum. Registration is limited to 12 participants for both workshops. Fees are $35 for society members and $45 for non-members. Information about how to register can be found at mcloughlingardens.org.
Mark your calendars for Acker’s poetry reading on July 30 at 6:30 p.m. at the Courtenay library. This hour-long event will be a chance for writers and non-writers to experience the performative aspect of Maleea’s poetry. Come early to get a seat.