'Unwanted Journey' Explores Grief Through Pen & Paint
Judith Day's debut poetry collection, aided by local artist Anders Shafer, was brought to life following the passing of her high school sweetheart and husband
Barbara Arnold, photos by Andrea Paulseth |
Judith Day’s Unwanted Journey, her debut poetry collection meditating on the ebb and flow of grief, might never have seen the light of day if not for a conversation at downtown Eau Claire's 2 Roots Art & Wine Gallery in April 2024.
Local artists Barbara and Anders Shafer held their dual book launch – for This is My Name and I want to write it down before I forget it and Poems, Written and Painted, respectively – at 2 Roots last spring.
There, Judith spoke with Barb and Andy, as they are known, about some poems she had written after the death of husband – Steve, her high school sweetheart – to whom the book is dedicated. She kept them in a treasured box at the top her closet.
“We were married 46 years when he died,” Judith shared in an email. “The poems in this book were written over a span of years and were not adjusted in thought as time moved on; rather they were savored.”
She later chose to take her poems out of the box and share them with Barb and Andy.
“I thought the poems were beautifully crafted,” Andy wrote in an email. “I went through the collection of watercolors and acrylics I had been doing, mostly from Rod and Gun Park, to see if any matched the feelings evoked by the poems.
“You could see a thought process of color and brush strokes that seemed similar to thinking about grief and aspects of life,” he continued. “I matched the poems with the paintings, and then Judith and I worked together on the final selections for the book.”
Unwanted Journey, a 32-page paperback, is now available for purchase from Inner Peace Press online.
Order your copy of Unwanted Journey by Judith Day ($14.99) from Inner Peace Press online at innerpeacepress.com/products/unwanted-journey. Anders Shafer’s featured paintings are also available for purchase.
