Painted Voices: Sudbury writers publish chapbook about St. Joseph's hospital

What started as a simple writing prompt in early 2020 turned into a "labour of love'' dedicated to St. Joseph's Health Centre (formerly the Sudbury General Hospital of the Immaculate Heart of Mary). Featuring the prose, poetry, and photography of nearly 20 local authors, the Sudbury Writers' Guild's new chapbook takes a look at the historical significance of the hospital and its transformation into a unique and controversial mural landmark, loved and hated by residents in equal measure. The guild launched "Painted Voices'' in the public parking lot adjacent to the old hospital on Paris Street on Saturday. At the launch, contributors will get the chance to hold a hard copy of the book for the first time and reflect on a creative project that brought the Sudbury community together to explore the role of the hospital in shaping the lives of locals for generations. "Sudbury is pretty nostalgic for its monuments and its places. We feel deeply and strongly about our city, and everybody has strong opinions about what should happen here,'' said guild president Thomas Leduc. "It was interesting to see the stories that came back about the hospital and the experiences that people had there.'' The idea for the chapbook was first proposed by the guild's project manager, Bernie Hughes. "He kept noticing people taking pictures of the building, and when he looked into it, he found out that over 30,000 people drive by the hospital every day,'' said Leduc said. "He talked to me about it, and I thought it was a great idea to use the old hospital as a prompt because of everything that went on there. The hospital and the mural are really a metaphor for the idea of change.'' The guild published an anthology featuring prose and poetry written by guild members in 2017, but this is the first time it put out a call for submissions to the whole community, added Leduc. Guild members then curated a collection of pieces selected from more than 60 submitted poems and stories to publish "a little snapshot of what the hospital was, what it meant to all of us, and where it's going.'' "We have a bit of history in the chapbook, including stories from past employees and patients of the hospital, and some photos from the Sisters (of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie),'' said Leduc. "We also included poems about the mural—all varied, because there were some pretty strong opinions about that.'' In July 2019, Up Here Festival invited the artist RISK to paint Canada's largest mural on the hospital's walls. While some locals welcomed the transformation, others—including "Painted Voices'' contributor and Sudbury's poet laureate Vera Constantineau, who described it as "this bruise on the face of Paris Street''—disagreed. Local teacher and author Liisa Kovala, who contributed a short story titled "Metamorphosis'' to the chapbook, said it was this tension that inspired her piece. "My story is about the inevitability of change in our lives, and how we need to find a way to accept that. It was inspired by the mural and the butterflies that are floating upon this old structure that has basically been abandoned,'' she said. "The building already had a life and was decaying, and the artwork was sort of a revival. Now, we see after a few years even the artwork is starting to decay. We know that building will be transformed again into something else, much like our lives which continue to evolve.'' Kovala teaches English at Lockerby Composite School and published Surviving Stutthof, the story of her father's experiences as a Finnish merchant marine imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp in Poland, in 2017. Her short story in "Painted Voices'' explores her personal experiences at St. Joseph's Health Centre, including her birth in 1972, and the death of her grandmother a year later. "Writing the story really reminded me that all of our major life events happen in structures like these. A building is just a building, but how many people have gone through those doors?'' said Kovala, who also gave birth to her son at St. Joseph's in 2003. "Pretty soon, the building is going to become something else, and I think that's OK. That's the transformative nature of living. The hospital will become something new, and it's going to be meaningful to other people for other reasons. I think that's pretty cool.'' The "Painted Voices'' chapbook was made possible with the financial support of The Arts and Culture program of the City of Greater Sudbury and Panoramic Properties. It is the first release in a two-phase project; in the future, excerpts from the book will be printed on posters and placed around the hospital site and the city. "We also thank the Sisters of St. Joseph of Sault Ste. Marie, Bennett Malcolmson, Jason Innis, Paul Truskoski and members of the Sudbury Writers' Guild for providing photos,'' said an SGW press release. "We had help from many other community sources: a volunteer committee of Guild members, the current poet laureate Vera Constantineau, editing by former poet laureates Kim Fahner and Daniel Aubin, design by former poet laureate Chloe Laduchesse and Bennett Malcolmson, advice and mentorship from Up Here Festival, Latitude 46, Sudbury Arts Council and so many more.'' A virtual launch of the chapbook for members of the public will be held at a later date. Anyone who wishes to purchase a chapbook for $15 can contact the guild on Facebook or on its website at www.sudburywritersguild.com or contact Leduc at (705) 618-9557.

Painted Voices: Sudbury writers publish chapbook about St. Joseph's hospital

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