A renowned local poet is broadening her horizons with her newest release.
Doris Daley of Diamond Valley, known to many in the community as an accomplished cowboy poet with a career spanning over 20 years, expands her writing beyond her renowned poetry in her latest publication, Lucky Me.
"I write in many different styles and many different genres," she said. "This is me sharing other kinds of poetry with the world."
Poetry has always come naturally to Daley.
"I'm a southern Alberta ranch girl, I grew up in a very small town being the kid that liked to write skits and plays and poems and short stories," she said.
"In the same way that some kids are just born to be hockey players or born to be violinists... I loved words right from the get-go."
Cowboy poetry has been an integral part of Daley's life as a creative, one that she's been eager to share with others.
"Cowboy poetry is a oral art form," she explained. "It tells the story of the Old West or the contemporary West... cowboys of a century ago, who maybe weren't literate or maybe didn't have paper and pens at hand would write poems in their head that talked about the cowboy life they were living, and that art form never went away.
"It has enjoyed a resurgence over the past 40 years all over the West, from Texas and California, and Oregon and Arizona, all the way up to northern B.C."
Lucky Me is a departure from the rhymed and metered poetry she's used to.
"People know me for my signature way of writing, often with a witty play on words or descriptive language," said Daley. "They can expect that in these poems, but these won't be rhymed and metered.
"I do that in my cowboy poetry life, but here is where I get to be free to be me in other in other areas of poetry."
Lucky Me readers can expect poetry about a variety of topics, including insomnia, cold weather, gratitude, books, tomatoes, Halloween, and Zorro.
"Anything and everything that fills my life," she said.
Part of Daley's inspiration for the book, which has been in the making for over 12 years, was the poetry club at the Sheep River Library, which she founded.
"It was such a hit that we have been meeting every month now for 12 years," she said. "I love that group for many reasons... it motivates me and inspires me to write poetry in a manner that is not rhymed and metered."
The poetry group meets on the last Thursday of every month at 10:30 am to read the works of various poets and share their own work.
To celebrate Lucky Me's release, copies and autographs will be available at a book launch taking place on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. at the Sheep River Library.
The event will include refreshments, music by singer-songwriter Doc Mehl and remarks about the book.
Learn more about Doris Daley, including other poetry, publications and events, on her website.
