The Long Arc of Hope

This collection of poems focuses on the moments of grace that are always present if we but look for them. It is in part a reflection on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic – a time that reminds us that we are often, in his words, like “a feather without a wing,” loose, drifting, and in part the result of lessons gleaned from his own life – growing up in tough times, feeling all too keenly the ache of absence. Honest, thought-provoking, and sensitive, this collection reflects Clarke’s belief in the need to embrace life with faith, hope, and an ever-gentle spirit of love: that’s where the child in us is constantly reborn in joy and gratitude.

Clarke is the award-winning author of 12 collections of poetry – eight published by Exile Editions – as well as three memoirs: The Kid from Simcoe Street, A Mourner’s Kaddish: Suicide and the Rediscovery of Hope, and L’Arche Journal, a Family’s Experience in Jean Vanier’s Community. The Legal Studies Forum of the University of West Virginia College of Law has published nine collections of James Clarke’s law poems. His work has been widely anthologized both in Canada and the United States.

James Clarke was born in Peterborough, Ontario. He attended McGill University and Osgoode Hall, then practiced law in Cobourg, Ontario. In 1983, he was appointed to the Bench and served as a judge of the Superior Court of Ontario. He is now retired and resides with his second wife, Kathy, in Guelph, Ontario.