Carolyne Van Der Meer : part one

Carolyne Van Der Meer is a journalist, public relations professional and university lecturer whose articles, essays, short stories and poems have been featured in journals internationally. Her first book, Motherlode: A Mosaic of Dutch Wartime Experience, was published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press in 2014, while her second book, a collection of poetry entitled Journeywoman, was published in 2017 by Toronto-based Inanna Publications. Her third book, Heart of Goodness: The Life of Marguerite Bourgeoys in 30 Poems | Du coeur à l’âme : La Vie de Marguerite Bougeoys en 30 poèmes, for which she translated her original English poems into French, was published by Guernica in 2020. Another collection of poetry, Sensorial, is forthcoming from Inanna in 2021. Carolyne lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Photo credit: Bassam Sabbagh

How did you first engage with poetry?

I first engaged with poetry as a child. I remember reading a long poem version of the story of Pegasus and Bellerophon, which has always stuck with me. Then, as a teenager, I started writing poems about horses because I rode regularly. Images from my riding and dressage work melded with mythology and other influences. And then I started writing love poetry. It was terrible! I got over this phase and left poetry for a long while, to pursue journalism and then short fiction. I came back to poetry as an adult with a small child—and then became very committed, using it to explore the experiences of illness and motherhood. My practice grew from there.