The writing of poetry is most often a calling of youth — passionate, distracted, purblind — rather than that of age, with its clarity, credible regret, and wisdom. What we may need more of is a senior poetry, a poetry of genuine felt experience that is for everybody, not just 'Seniors.' Lamonte Palmer's work fits this description eloquently.In All I Want Is a Walk-On Part, Palmer, in his seventies, faces full-on the big questions — of Love, of the difficulty and rewards of relationships with others, of work — and seeks the answers and the redemption that prove available.
Born in 1924 in Lethbridge, Alberta, raised in the cattle and irrigation country around nearby Raymond, Lamonte Palmer joined the RCAF during World War II. After the war, he enrolled in and graduated from the medical school at the University of Alberta. Subsequently he served as a medical officer at various overseas Canadian embassies retiring in 1989. He now lives with his wife, Jean, in Ottawa where he continues to write poems.
'Jeannie In Athens' was selected for publication in Vintage 96 published by The Canadian League of Poets. 'Prairie Scene 1968' won third prize in the Hope, B.C. Poetry Contest. Many of these poems have been published in sundry Canadian magazines.
"...subtle tragedy of couples, rejoicing in the face of death, as in When You're Gone. I admit to having cried."
— Julie Genet, Hour
"Rueful, sardonic, coming to grips with the ridiculous comedy of old age..."
— New Edinburgh News
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