More about Sui Sin Far

I’ve discovered a new potential friend: Alexandra Abletshauser at the University of Glasgow. I haven’t yet asked her is we could share information with each other, but she did tell me I could repost her guest blog on Transatlantic Literary Women blog, Sui Sin Far and the Making of the Chinese North American Identity, so here it is. Note the description of Alexandra at the end. You can see why our projects need to collaborate…

Alexandra’s research focuses on English- and French-Canadian prose writing from 1880 to 1914. She examines how Canadian women writers use emotions to manipulate readers’ responses to political and social issues, such as women’s suffrage, alcoholism and temperance. Alexandra is also a Hunterian Associate at The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow where she explores the biographies of Native North American artefacts.

Mignonette (1939), by Mia Farquharson Douglas

After her death in 1937, Mia Farquharson Douglas‘s sister, Margaret Farquharson Yale, printed a collection of her poetry. We know very little about either sister, but here at least is a searchable pdf of the chapbook they together created.

 

Overgrown Trails, by “Tanis”

Tanis [Hilda A. Davies]. Overgrown Trails (Calgary, AB: John Dichmont, n.d.).

We know almost nothing about Tanis, except that her real name was Hilda A. Davies. Early on in our project, years and years ago, I stumbled across her chapbook of poetry, Overgrown Trails, so now, finally, I would like to share it with you.

 

The Miracle of Roses (1926), by Alice Winlow

Winlow, Alice. The Miracle of Roses (Vancouver, BC: Chalmers, 1926).

This is quite a long title to post here, but as there is no other digital copy, and I had SFU’s edition in my hand, I couldn’t resist. Some of the pages are blank, so I have not included them (so don’t think that a page number missing means content is missing).

As usual, I have posted page images here as well as the link to a searchable pdf.

 

Vancouver Island and Other Poems (1940), by Annie Ironside Cowan

Again, we don’t know much about Annie Ironside Cowan (1859-1952). She was born in Sault-Ste.-Marie in 1859. She married William John James (1844-1901) of Portage-la-Prairie, with whom she had five children. She was widowed in 1901 and in 1908 married Henry James Cowan (1873-1930). Sometime after that, she moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she died in 1952. Her chapbook of poetry Vancouver Island and Other Poems was published in 1940.

The Lions Gate, and The “Beaver” to the “Empress”, by Lily Alice Lefevre

I was updating Lily Alice Cooke Lefevre‘s entry, having discovered that her titles are all up in the wonderful internet archive, only to discover that the scanned microfilm of The Lions Gate, and The “Beaver” to the “Empress” is unreadable. So I have downloaded it, tidied it up in Photoshop, and am now reposting the page images as well as the searchable pdf I have created.

Enjoy!

L.A. Lefevre, The Lions Gate, and The “Beaver” to the “Empress” (Vancouver, BC: Thomson Stationery, 1903).

The Lions Gate, and The “Beaver” to the “Empress”

Frosty-Moon and Other Poems (1946), by Margot Osborn

Osborn, Margot. Frosty-Moon and Other Poems (Toronto: Ryerson, 1946).

Not to be confused with poet Marian Francis Osborne…

“Marget: A New Years Memory,” by Faith Fenton

Fenton, Faith. “Marget: A New Year’s Memory.” Green Holly: Sing Heigh-ho Unto the Green Holly [Stratford, ON? : s.n., 1895?]: 37-41.

This is a rather morose story for a holiday eve, but I suspect the pathos and sentimentality is intended to make us reflect on our lives at this moment of transition into a new year. I hope your evening is far better than this family’s, especially Marget’s. I really wonder what exactly it was that she felt she had to atone for…

 

“The Old Order Changeth,” by Ida Grindlay Jackson

Jackson, Ida Grindlay. “The Old Order Changeth.” National Home Monthly (November 1932): 4.

“The Hermit’s Christmas,” by Hilda Van Stockum

Van Stockum, Hilda. “The Hermit’s Christmas.” The Ensign (23 December 1950): 18.