Testimonies about Jacquie Buncel’s Readings
from Turning the Corner at Dusk
“We truly are so grateful for you taking the time to join us and to share your poetry and your parents’ story.”
Nalini Graham, Malvern Collegiate Institute
“Jacquie Buncel’s readings from her book Turning the Corner at Dusk captivated my grade eight students. Many students know about the Holocaust, or are at least aware of it in some form, yet after listening (very intently) to these readings, I think it left them with a much clearer understanding of the atrocity of this event. I truly felt they came away with a deeper sense of empathy, compassion, and a clearer sense of the need for tolerance.
Since embarking on my own journey with Power of a Penny, I have had the privilege of listening to a few speakers and Holocaust survivors. And when I do listen, there is always one line that keeps coming back to me…”I never knew where those sounds took you.” (poem Henriette) It always makes me stop, reflect, and renew my vow to ‘Never Forget.’”
Mrs. Karen Horsman, Riverview Middle School, Moncton
“…The book takes us on a journey with her and her Dad as they return to the home he once knew as a boy during the years of the Holocaust, in Presov, Slovakia. It is a moving portrayal of the emotions associated with that return for one who lived there. It is time for “the unveiling”. The few survivors gather in a kind of reunion that transfixes the reader. It is an experience seen through the eyes of his daughter, Jacquie, who reflects on her father’s many years of silence and then pieces together her own sense of that past during this trip of unveiling. She takes us with her on her journey through the then and the now of her family’s holocaust survivorship…” Read More
The Rev. Dr. John D. Hartley
“Jacquie performed two readings in the Halifax community. She has a remarkable ability to connect with the audience and delivers her personal poetry with clarity and sensitivity.”
Edna LeVine, Director of Community Engagement, Atlantic Jewish Council, Halifax
“We had a good turnout for Jacquie Buncel’s poetry reading sponsored by Kolot Mayim, Victoria’s Reform congregation. The audience was both enthralled and moved by the reading. They also found the discussion following the reading, ably facilitated by Jacquie, to be deeply meaningful. Almost everyone in the audience shared their feelings about the poems and their own complex relationship with the Holocaust. It was a wonderful evening for all who attended, and Kolot Mayim was very pleased to act as sponsor.”
Lynne Marks, Former Board member, Kolot Mayim Reform Temple
“Jacquie’s reading at Temple Israel, Ottawa engendered a lively discussion and exchange. Her poems and memories are so clearly expressed in everyday conversational language that participants quickly identified with the stories and spontaneously shared their experiences.”
Margot Montgomery, Co-Chair, Adult Education Committee, Temple Israel, Ottawa.
“Jacquie Buncel’s poetry in “Turning the Corner at Dusk” is extremely moving. Her poetry is intensely personal and yet it quickly draws you in to her world to share her experiences. You are right there with her. She’s able to capture little everyday moments and relate them to her perspective as a child of holocaust survivors. It helps us understand the horror and how it is passed down from one generation to the next.
Jacquie read some of her poetry at our church’s Remembrance Day service and
it was very powerful. It reminds us why we need to remember the past even
when it’s painful.”
Mary Anne Lemm, Beach United Church, Member of Council
“Jacquie Buncel’s reading at Atlantic School of Theology took the audience on a journey that was both subtle and poignant. With the remembrances of her parent’s experience of the Holocaust as the backdrop, Jacquie used her poetry as a medium with which we (the audience) could slip into a place of intimacy. My evening with the poetry of Jacquie Buncel was challenging . . . and I mean that in the best sense of the word.”
Dr. Jody Clarke, Academic Dean, Atlantic School of Theology
“Buncel’s poetry reverberates with the sounds of our tradition and our most
recent history, whilst resonating with the hopes and dreams of our future
generations.”
Dr. Aviva Goldberg, Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities/Religious Studies, York University