Reading to launch alumna’s book of poetry

A free public reception Thursday will celebrate the release of I Am That Woman, a collection of poetry by UWindsor alumna Vanessa Shields (BA 2002).

It’s a first volume of poetry for Shields, whose memoir Laughing Through a Second Pregnancy was published in 2011.

Reviewer Vanessa Grillone called Shields’ poetry “strong, sexy, seductive, and raw.”

“She lives on the page, she breathes life into her words, and bleeds until she makes you cry,” she wrote. “Her words and poems are imaginative, feminist, and so real they will give you goosebumps.”

At Thursday’s launch, Shields will read from her work along with two other authors published by Black Moss Press: April Bulmer, Women of the Cloth; and John B. Lee, Doing It! How to Write the Perfect Poem. All three will have books for sale and will sign copies.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. January 23 at Villains Bistro, 256 Pelissier Street, and will also feature live music by Karen Morand and Bosco.