Laurence Hutchman and Eva Kolacz-Hutchman have brought together some of their finest love poems in this two part book Fire and Water. Working together, they showcase the relationship between man and wife, from first meetings, to quiet moments together, to making love. The first half Fire, features poems by Eva in which she describes with artful clarity the tender moments between a man and a woman. The second half Water, are poems by Laurence which give the reader glimpses of moments where he feels intense love for the woman in his life.
A collaborative effort spanning the years of their love, Fire and Water shows us the unity between a husband and wife through their different interpretations of the relationship they both share together.
Laurence Hutchman grew up in Toronto and graduated from Emery C.I. He finished his B A i n English a t The University of Western Ontario in 1972, received his MA at Concordia University in 1979; and his PhD at the Universite de Montreal in 1988. Hutchman lives with Eva Kolacz, the artist, in Oakville.
Eva Kolacz
is a poet and professional artist who graduated from OCAD University. Her paintings are in the national museums of Poland, the Ontario Government Archives, and many private collections.
"Fire and Water, these love poems, get back to basics, to the elements, to the sacred facts of our bodies and being, that we are souls not meant to be solo; that we are meant to pair off and engender offspring. Eva Kolacz tends the heart-felt fire that is her desire: "She is not afraid of thunder, trying to burn her waves". . . For his part, Laurence Hutchman observes of his love, "You make me dare the night's darkness, / accept the lightning as part of the storm." Here is a couple who give us the couplet of their twin minds, twin selves, their doubled valentines. Who can refuse love poems, "the bird with paper wings / burning in the air," or those ankles, / locked around me, / the clarity of the moment, / that is beyond the measure of metaphor"? Here's fire—earthy, volcanic; here's water that airs roars and sighs. And Eva Kolacz's drawings render naked—and transparent—the heart."
— George Elliott Clarke
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