About JC
JC Sulzenko’s award-winning poetry appears in anthologies and journals in print and online either under her own name or her pen name, A. Garnett Weiss.
Bricolage: A Gathering of Centos (Aeolus House), her second book of poetry, was named a finalist for the Canadian Authors Association’s 2022 national Fred Kerner Award. Her centos had won the 2023 and 2019 Wind & Water Contests (County Arts.) Point Petre Publishing issued her debut collection of narrative and lyric poetry, South Shore Suite…POEMS, in 2017.
A full member of the League of Canadian Poets, JC serves on the Board of the Ontario Poetry Society. JC writes poetry on commission and creates impromptu poems as fundraisers for charitable causes. She welcomes opportunities to introduce her work to community groups.
What’s New
-
JC’s New Website (2025)
Welcome to JC Sulzenko’s new website, which retained and updated the most important information from her 2012 site.
-
New book review: John Steinbeck’s “Travels with Charley: In Search of America”
JC returns to sharing short reviews of books particularly those which she scores high. Go to Bookends on this site to read about Steinbeck’s 1962 memoir or click on this direct link. JC finds it prescient and gives it a rating of 8/10.
-
January 20, 2025—A Lament
A poem for today, January 20, 2025, written in 2017 and published in A. Garnett Weiss’s 2024 poetry collection, Life, after life—from epitaph to epilogue.
Trumped
Underhanded ways, shortcuts
wallpaper incorrigible pranksters
who thought nothing of hiding things,
weaving an unfiltered outlook, a myriad
of erratic logistics into action around the world.
Found poem sources: words and phrases drawn unaltered from obituary articles and death notices published in the April 29, 2017, Toronto Globe and Mail.
-
Chris Fanning reviews LIFE, AFTER LIFE in the December 11 PICTON GAZETTE
Here’s the link to the review written by Chris Fanning, literary maven and co-publisher of the Picton Gazette, Canada’s oldest community newspaper.
https://pictongazette.ca/post/poems-of-many-voices
“I welcome this serious and in depth consideration of my new poetry collection, the second one published by Aeolus House under my pen name, A. Garnett Weiss, ” JC noted.
The 60+ five-line, found poems each take words and phrases unaltered from death notices and obituary articles published in the Globe and Mail over a six year period.
“These poems are more about life than about death, even though the words originate with notices about people no longer with us, ” JC explained.
“When I know that a reviewer is focusing on my work, I await the comments with bated breath. The response to poetry is idiosyncratic, so personal to each reader. I recognize that what may appeal to one reviewer may not appeal to another.”
Chris Fanning’s take on Life, after life offers substantive analysis of and perceptive insights into the collection as whole as well as highlights his reaction to a number of poems, in particular.
“I thank Chris Fanning for his words which honour my work. I am grateful to The Gazette for giving Life, after life–from epitaph to epilogue such a fine reception.”
Copies of the book are available for purchase from this website and from these wonderful, independent bookstores: Books & Company (Picton), Perfect Books and Octopus Books (Ottawa) and Book City in the Beach (Toronto.)
Poetry
See Order Books.
Latest Book Reviews
See Bookends for all reviews.
For Young Readers
See Order Books.