Poet and playwright Shannon Bramer “love[s] listening to people talk; how people express and hide what’s inside. It’s so wonderfully peculiar and specific.” The poems in Climbing Shadows were specifically “inspired by conversations with children and by conversations (overheard!) between children—both my own and those I have spent time with in schools as a visiting artist and kindergarten lunchroom supervisor.” But Shannon reminds us that, gorgeously illustrated though they are, these are not nursery rhymes for children only; they are “poems for human beings of all ages.”

Shannon has published a number of poetry collections and chapbooks, winning the Hamilton and Region Best Book Award for suitcases, and other poems. Her most recent collection, Precious Energy, has also been highly acclaimed. Shannon’s plays include Chloe’s Tiny Heart Is Closed for young audiences, and The Hungriest Woman in the World. She lives with her family in Toronto.

Author Patron: Reiders Book Club

Appearing in: Authors@School, 9. I Love the Beautiful Strange Way You Speak to Me: Playwriting

Website: www.twitter.com/brokencloudco
Book: www.houseofanansi.com/products/climbing-shadows