A familiar local poet’s works have at long last been compiled into a book.
Joseph Miles’ “Words from Woodside: Narratives in Rhyme” combines poems on a variety of subjects from the late Mount Woodside resident Joseph Miles, published posthumously 10 years after his passing in 2012.
What inspired this local poet?
“Me,” said Sheila, his wife, with a laugh. “Joe and I met in ‘75 and he just kind of started writing a few years later. He was just inspired meeting me in later life.”
Joseph’s poems were published in a variety of publications in Ontario before the couple moved to B.C. His work as even appeared in The Observer in the 2007 holiday edition.
Poems from “Words from Woodside” cover a variety of subjects, including paragliders on Mount Woodside (who Joseph lovingly called his “friends with wings”), injustice, hardships, life’s little joys and much more.
Sheila said Joseph always wanted to have his poetry properly published in a collection. However, collecting his poetry for publication proved challenging for Sheila.
“He was the most disorganized man I’ve ever met in my entire life,” she laughed. “I had probably an eight-foot table that I filled with his poetry. It took me over a year to organize it.”
Joseph was a social man, frequently striking up conversations with paragliders he’d drive up the mountain and making countless friends with the locals. While Sheila has lost contact with many people for whom Joseph wrote poetry, she hopes they will find enjoyment in the newly released collection.
“Words from Woodside” is 354 pages long and available via Amazon in paperback, hardcover and on Kindle. Proceeds from the book will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Society, per Joseph’s wishes; he was diagnosed with early onset Alzehimer’s three years before he died.
“There are friends, there are family and there are friends who become family,” reads part of the description of “Words from Woodside.” “So, come on in to his welcoming circle of friends and family.”
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