Grief is the willingness to be claimed by a story bigger than ourselves. Susan Musgrave’s most recent book of poetry, Exculpatory Lilies, is her response to the death of her partner, Stephen Reid, in 2018, and their daughter, Sophie, in September 2021, of an accidental overdose of Fentanyl and Benzos. Exculpatory Lilies was a finalist for the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Governor General’s Award for Poetry, 2023, and the Derek Walcott Poetry Prize.
Susan Musgrave has published more than 35 books and received awards in six categories — poetry, novels, non-fiction, food writing, editing and books for children. She teaches poetry in UBC’s School of Poetry (online) and lives on Haida Gwaii where she owns and manages Copper Beech House.
“Her artistic presence over the past 40 years has helped create who we are,” wrote Patrick Lane. “She is as important to us as Emily Carr.”
Events with Susan Musgrave
Write from Your HeartMay 16 - 21, 2025
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional” – attributed to the Dalai Lama. It is hard work, when we are grieving, not to suffer; suffering — personal and universal — has become a condition of how we live. Writing, especially poetry, fiction, journaling and memoir, has always been a place where…