Iguanas of El Ray

Iguanas of El Ray is an account of a scene shaped by changing influences. The book is also a collection of poems that reflect on how we all have adapted or failed to adapt to them in our lives and in our world. The poems are about growing up and growing outward, common experiences, and experiencing highs and lows. They are about discovering the beauty and value of love for ourselves and within that world we share with others to build a caring and just community. So it is also about lifestyle choices and the lifestyle of the iguanas has also always seemed rather appealing to me.

I was originally born in Australia but came to Alberta, Canada with my folks at a very early age, grew up in Calgary primarily and finished high school there. Growing up in that part of the province I developed a love of skiing, hiking, camping, horseback riding and pretty well anything outdoors, especially if it was in the Rockies. I came to Edmonton in 1973 to attend university and I am still living here today due mainly to the people of the city. I have married twice during those years and my wife, Leslie, and I raised our blended family in this community. Along the way I have also developed interests in scuba diving, traveling, social justice, and volunteering. I remain as active as possible in all these activities and writing about them and sharing them has also grown more important now that I have retired. When introduced to the sounds and imagery of poetry I began to write my first poems and entered a contest during high school. To my surprise I finished well but only continued to write sporadically for years about my feelings and experiences but always especially loved to work with the sounds of language. Becoming more involved with social justice issues has opened my heart as well as new desires to write about these injustices, events and people in the hope of promoting a more global community.