About the Book

    Notes from Oblivion will appeal to an adult readership that enjoys hard-hitting, thought-provoking poetry. Themes explored include unsophisticated populism, media saturation, freedom and censorship, isolation, and the angst of love. They are written in classic lyric style with an emphasis on rhythm and look at modern life from unexpected and sometimes humorous perspectives. Each poem is accompanied by a full color image.

    

Notes from Oblivion at Friesen Press Bookstore

 Thank you for visiting! I am thrilled to announce that my revised edition of Notes from Oblivion has been published! (May 9th, 2025)  You can purchase it from the Friesen Press Bookstore online, and at all major online bookstores. I've added some new poems, removed a few, and included a culinary appendix. Here is the new table of contents:
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     The Poems

1. Loitering in Limbo
2. At the Parasite's
3. Observation
4. Contemplating Flotsam
5. Another Token for My Chain
6. The Beckoning Dumpster
7. We are the Blockheads
8. The Debutante
9.  Systems
10. I, Monk
11. The Beat of Life Goes On
12. Mao Would Be Proud
13. Giraffes
14. Beyond the Softest Touch
15. Not We, But Me
16. Fragments
17. A Single Copy
18. Probably, Not Necessarily
19. I Still Put Another Log atop The Fire
20. On Guard!
21. Timecard
22. May They Forever Frolic
23. The Birds of Courtenay
24. My Girlfriend?
25. You Need a Heart to See
26. Literary Goons

     Reading Night at the Library
 
     Culinary Supplement 
      An Assortment of Canapés
  27. Herbed Cream Cheese on Ritz Cracker
  28. Buzhenina with Cornichons and Marinated Peppers
  29. Shaved Serrano Ham with Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
  30. Beef Carpaccio with Asiago Petals
  31. Duck and Mango Tartlets 
 
​        The Images

About the Author

     I am a retired chef living on Vancouver Island and Notes from Oblivion is my first published work. Toronto is my hometown, where I lived until 1990. I attended the University of Toronto for three years in the program Russian and Eastern European Studies, and obtained a minor degree in Russian Language. I then set out on a 23-year adventure working as a chef in Russia and Ukraine. I love music and have recorded many of these poems as songs. Currently, they are rough home studio demos, but it would be great one day to produce an excellent studio album, giving the "notes" in the title an added dimension. 

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