The Weather and the Words: The Selected Letters of John Newlove, 1963-2003

The Weather and the Words: The Selected Letters of John Newlove, 1963-2003, gathers hundreds of never-before-seen letters from the poet John Newlove’s archives and sheds light on an author who was, to many Canadian writers, a literary master. Despite his stature during his lifetime, Newlove has been largely forgotten, and these letters remind readers of what an influential, compelling, and combative figure he was in Canadian literary history.

Newlove lived and wrote during a time when Canadian writers were well-funded, widely read, and members of thriving literary communities. By the time he died in 2003, that culturally prosperous era had ended. Something else had changed, too: the practice of letter writing began to disappear as email replaced mailed correspondence. Telling the story of Newlove’s life, The Weather and the Words pays tribute not just to this one remarkable poet, but also to a remarkable era in Canadian history and the lost art of letter writing, the medium through which writers, politicians, and other public figures fought, collaborated, conferred, and philosophized about art and culture throughout the twentieth century.

In Newlove’s correspondence readers will find a compelling story about the incredible difficulty of establishing a literary career and raising a family while struggling with poverty, addiction, and mental health issues. Through colourful letters Newlove exchanged with Canadian writers such as Margaret Atwood, Susan Musgrave, Michael Ondaatje, Al Purdy, and numerous others, The Weather and the Words gives readers a ground-level view of Newlove’s life and era. The book includes a foreword by Lorna Crozier, an introduction by editor J.A. Weingarten, and an afterword by Laura Cameron.

J.A. Weingarten is a Professor at Fanshawe College and the author of Sharing the Past (2019) and the co-editor of Unpacking the Personal Library (2022). He has also published numerous articles and papers on Canadian literature and culture. He lives with his family in Guelph, Ontario, where he can be found carefully tending to his tomato garden.