Meet Roy Lewis

Roy Lewis was born in West Bromwich, Birmingham, UK. He has been drawing pictures and writing poetry for as far back as he can remember. He is a Stratford Festival Award winner. He has a BA from McMaster University in Painting Sculpture and Art History and a Master of Fine Arts (Acting) from York University, Toronto. He is a founding member of Shakespeare in the Rough and the Obsidian Theatre in Toronto.

He is a published author and his recent book of prose and poetry, With You The Moments of My Life Are Fading, was published by Blaurock Press. He has worked in television film and radio. He has been a guest lecturer at Universities in Southern Ontario and taught at Acting and Elizabethan Texts at York and Concordia Universities. He has played Claudius in Hamlet, the Stage Manager in Our Town, and Prospero in the Tempest and has directed ten plays professionally. Roy has been a long time member of the Stratford Festival Acting Company. He lives in a house the size of a postage stamp somewhere in Southern Ontario farm country.

Welcome, Roy! Tell us a little about your book.

With You the Moments of My Life are Fading (Blaurock Press) is poetic fiction, or a novel envisioned as prose poems and verse. In thirty-seven short movements of mixed verse, prose and dialogue, the poem chronicles the death of a love, and the ensuing struggles for understanding and dignity. A modern Psalm, an elegy or lamentation, it is steeped in the Bible, the ancient and modern classics, in rich West Indian-inflected cadences. Interlocutors hound the speaker, in the manner of Job’s friends. Bitter reminders of other days, of the extent of his loss, tempt him to self-pity, despair, violence. Then, unexpectedly, a provisional calm descends as the speaker, reflecting on the lives of his immigrant parents, learns something of grace and stoicism, survival and redemption.

Was there a specific incident, inspiration or concern that prompted the writing of this book?

There wasn’t a specific incident that inspired the creation of the work. Pieces of the text were written at various periods of my life and during a voice class at the Stratford Festival I would conclude the lesson by reading the individual pieces of poetry to Janine Pearson, the head of the voice department. I later had an idea to knit the various poems together. I had a notion of building bridges to connect the pieces. That bridge was rewritten numerous times and even read publicly before it evolved into its current form.

Did the writing of this book surprise you in any way?

The response to the work surprised me. I knew it contained moments of humour and I expected the laughter.  What I wasn’t expecting were the tears during public readings of the work. I was overwhelmed by that response.

What’s next for you and your writing?

Next for me in writing, I’ve been writing very odd Haiku. What compels me to write these short three lined poems? I’m absolutely fascinated by the power of them. In a single burst they can capture a feeling. Once spoken the listener is left with an image to ponder very quickly and very deeply. Then, as the speaker, I am humbled to watch the words like seeds land on the ear and instantly become flowers in the heart of those who hear them. A series of connected sonnets that tell an alternate story of a loan shark and a play of mine has been undergoing a series of rewrites and readings before small invited audiences but this year The Blue God, a romance of painting, love, voodoo and resurrection will be presented to the public as a reading.

Is there a local connection for your book(s)?

I think writers connect with other writers. I was always a fan of Timothy Findley and met him during the rehearsal for The Trials of Ezra Pound. He came to every rehearsal and even rewrote the text to suit the actors playing characters he created. He was so generous to the company and afterward he would always take the time to talk to me. Douglas Campbell, while he lived here, read my work and read my poetry to me. I was flattered and honoured and awed — they inspired me.

Where can readers buy your book locally?

The book can be purchased in Stratford at The Book Stage and at Fanfare Books. It can also be bought on line directly from Blaurock Press.

Is there a particular place in Stratford you like to write? Why?

I like to write in restaurants and did a tour of them while writing two books. I’d get up in the morning, walk to a restaurant and write — the house is too distracting — too many shiny things, too many projects or chores to consider. If the place is noisy it helps as well. I find I’m able to shut out the world and focus on the page and my own imagination with a fierce intensity.

Do you belong to a writers’ group, locally or elsewhere?

I’m not a part of a writing group, but at one point in time, I was. It was organized by Paul Dunn, an actor in the Stratford Festival. We came together once a week and read anything that we may have been scribbling. It was a bit like walking a tight rope. People wrote through the week and read the results at the meeting. Yes, a bit like walking a tightrope but the group was the safety net, a very good and very protective net. It was always a pleasure to read to them.

**You can see Roy as part of this year’s SpringWorks Festival, offering a reading of his play The Blue God (mentioned above) and holding a free poetry coffeehouse night at Revel Caffe at 7 pm on both Friday, May 10 and Sunday, May 12.**