Overview

"MY EIGHT GREATS is a hybrid collection of poetry and prose about family. It could be about anyone's family. It might make you wonder who in your family will preserve and pass along important facts, moments, and special stories to the next generations. Lois Perch Villemaire's eight great grandparents immigrated to the United States from Eastern Europe for safer and better opportunities. They traveled by rail and ship, all settling in the city of Philadelphia between 1885 and 1898. Some were meeting relatives or joining close friends who could provide security and guidance in the new land. Jennie was the unhappy bride in an arranged marriage in Russia but was later reunited with her love, Nathan. Fannie traveled alone to America as a teenager. Sam was a shoemaker with a shop on Girard Avenue, his family of seven lived in an apartment above. What were they like as young people? What were their dreams? What lessons did they teach? Although most of what appears in these pages is true, at times Villemaire uses her imagination. When she begins to tell stories in poetry and prose, her ancestors step out of the old sepia photos and emerge in bright colors. Poems such as ""If You Ask Where I'm From #1"" provide details of the homeland of her greats, as well as their occupations in Philadelphia. Research led to learning more information about her grandparents and parents. Villemaire was especially fascinated with the childhoods of her mother and father. Often, poems and stories were written based on old family photographs. She writes of her own childhood memories growing up in a Philadelphia suburb in the 1950s and 1960s, in ""From the Train, "" I Remember Bobby,"" and ""On Not Choosing Paper Dolls."" Villemaire passes along flashes of these lives- if only through an anecdote, reflections her personal memories, or by sharing what she has learned of the challenges they faced."

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Reviews

"This collection of lyrical poetry and short prose is not only a gift to Lois Villemaire's family but to all of us. She travels back generations into her family imagining their lives as fully-drawn, complex people, and in doing so inspires us with her precise language and insights. -Caroline Bock, author of Carry Her Home What's more meaningful than exploring our own roots and figuring out who we are? These characters and family members came to life before my eyes-I could see the family growing and changing throughout the years, and felt connected to them. -Maggie Benshaw, Poet Laureate of Annapolis Villemaire's book is like the object in ""Ode to an Antique Music Box,"" where a box holds a place for both siblings and parent: We sailed off to follow our own music...,"" and the wonderfully ambiguous What would become of you? She delivers an intimacy that is unshakeable. -Laurel Benjamin, poet, educator, and curator of Ekphrastic Writers Lois Villemaire takes on a journey through time. She introduces her extraordinary family sharing tales of love, laughter, loss, and love again, This book is a treasure. -Barbara Schilling Hurwitz, author of Pandu and Lucky Girl"

Author Information

"Lois Perch Villemaire spent her childhood in a suburb of Philadelphia and moved to Annapolis, MD in 1972. After working for the local library system she enjoyed a career in County government. During retirement, she exchanged technical writing for creative writing and found inspiration in poetry and memoir flash. Her activities in family connections and research merged with writing and the idea for ""My Eight Greats,"" a family history in poetry and prose was conceived. Her work has appeared in literary journals such as The Ekphrastic Review, ONE ART, Blue Mountain Review and anthologies including I Am My Father's Daughter. Lois volunteers at the library, enjoys fun photography, yoga, and dotes over her growing collection of African violets."

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