War Poet.ca - A CFAP Project by Suzanne Steele

About the Author

sms/2009/james r page copyright

smsteele is an award-winning poet/writer (diploma for excellence, Scottish International Poetry Award, short-list Robert Louis Stevenson Award for Literature, National Library of Scotland/Scottish Arts Council), member of the Scottish School of Poets, Edinburgh, Banff Writers Studio 2006, St. Peter’s Artist Colony, 2009 Leighton Artist Colony, and guest Raving Poet. she is widely published and has read in Canada and the U.K., on the BBC World Service, the CBC and other radio stations.

smsteele is one of five artists nationwide to participate as a war artist in the 2008-2009 Canadian Forces Artist Program (CFAP). she is the first poet to be chosen for the program. in the course of research for her “deployment”, smsteele has spent hundreds of hours interviewing military personnel, visiting military bases and training centres, armouries and military functions. she went on Ex (exercise) with the 1st Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry several times over the past 18 months and visited them at the front in Afghanistan in November, 2009.

smsteele with Officers of 1CMBG, Edmonton Feb.6,2009

smsteele on Chinook getting ready to fly outside the wire/Afghanistan/Nov.09

new tans/may day project are the first two projects smsteele is working on as a result of her involvement with CFAP.

new tans is a record of the Canadian experience in Afghanistan.

may day is a series of letters in prose, poem, txt, email, of a young woman to her infantryman lover serving in Afghanistan.

smsteele has lived and worked in Canada, Denmark and Scotland. she went to Afghanistan with the infantry in 2009.

this work is dedicated to all who have shared their lives with me, especially the young Afghan veteran, Cpl. D., who started me on this journey, and to MCpl. S., 3 time Afghan vet, who has shared so much, both of whom are serving in Afghanistan with Task Force 3-09. Michael Gravel for helping me get my words and images out, Stewart MacLellan for sound. special thanks to John MacFarlane for telling me about CFAP, and for opening so many doors, LCol. J. Walsh for inviting me, Brig. Gen Gollner, Lt. E., Captain St.-D., Captain W. and thousands more. and of course, my family who believe in me.

— smsteele

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