Animal companions, animal doctors, animal people - in this anthology of poems, stories, essays, a dramatic monologue, and one charming graphic story, you will read about and experience the sometimes unexpected, always touching, and powerful connections among them. Blending a mix of writers including poets Lorna Crozier, Mark Doty, Patrick Lane, and Molly Peacock with stories from everyday veterinarians and their clients, ranging from heartbreaking to laugh-out-loud funny, Animal Companions, Animal Doctors, Animal People explores the complex relationships that exist between us and animals. It touches on such topics as the invisible bond connecting veterinarians and animals, the never-ending "jobs" of the animals in our lives, and the role of animals in our imagination.
"Animal Companions, Animal Doctors, Animal People is for all those who understand that animal companions preserve for us the universe within. When an Afghan hound bounds down a dune, ears flying; or when a Calico cat springs off a fence; or even when an African grey parrot suddenly sings an aria, our pets become surprise answers to the question, What am I like inside? They help us reach into ourselves, to contact the core we can lose in quotidian pursuits."- Molly Peacock"I loved the canine/feline balance and focus of this book, but it delighted me to see a poem of the equine sort, especially one that concentrates on a rarely noted characteristic of the species - its ocular peculiarities. Imagine being able to see the way a horse sees!"- Lorna Crozier
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An anthology published by the Ontario Veterinary College to mark its 150th anniversary! Edited by Elizabeth Arnold Stone and Hilde Weisert. The anthology is divided into four sections:
• The Work of the Animal - Introduction by Hilde Weisert
• Animal Doctors - Introduction by Elizabeth Arnold Stone
• Passages - Introduction by Molly Peacock
• Imagination Itself - Introduction by Lorna Crozier
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Part of our vision for this anthology was to provide readings that would inspire, console, and energize veterinarians in their daily interactions with animals and people. These interactions can be complex and multi-layered: as a veterinarian, you have not one, or even two, but three clients - the patient, the owner, and the relationships between the patient and the owner, often throughout the animal's lifespan. As Mark Doty writes in Dog Years:
"But it isn't unusual for an animal to have one doctor, and for that doctor to stand with the pet's owner from start to finish. The vet's work is to usher human and animal all the way along the arc..."
The anthology includes invited contributions, for which we are most grateful, and pieces contributed in answer to our open call for submissions, read with authors' names masked. We are delighted with the range of authors and their diverse interests - psychologist, veterinarian, teacher, broadcaster, social worker, park ranger, actor, therapist, minister, scientist, dancer, pianist, linguist - making the anthology a lively conversation among a fascinating group of people!
Contributors and Competition Winners
From those submissions, Lorna Crozier selected her five favourites. Read about them here.
