Firesmoke

by Sheniz Janmohamed

Sheniz Janmohamed's second collection continues the poet's journey, tracing the inception and annihilation of sacred fire. In a series of highly evocative, personal poems, Firesmoke explores the meaning of truth and the self, finding them both in form and emptiness. In her unorthodox, broadminded quest for understanding, Sheniz evokes the teachings of Sufism, acknowledges the restorative power of the Mother Goddess and honours the alchemy of nature. Life and death do not exist without each other, just as fire produces both ash and smoke, one falling to the ground, the other rising into space.


"Sheniz is a powerful voice with a refreshing resonance among the best new Canadian voices. Her poems espouse a system of love-based faith which celebrates life and revival in the midst of death and decay, and presents a Sufism that looks back and races forward in the age of instant communication."

--Julie Mehta, academic and author of Dance of Life: The Mythology, History and Politics of Cambodian Culture

Praise for Bleeding Light:

"Sheniz Janmohamed is one of a very few new poets who has mastered the form of the ghazal in a way that brings together the emotional aspects of the form and the expectations of the listeners who know the form and its cultural unity: mystic illumination, rhyme, refrains that exude passion, and couplets with wise insights. The couplets in her eloquent and appealing ghazals dazzle one with their precision, sudden turns and brilliant use of the cultural memory of language and imagery."
—The late Dr. Kuldip Gill (Professor, Poet and Mentor)

Genres: Poetry

112 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Sheniz Janmohamed was born and raised in Tkaronto (Toronto) Canada with ancestral ties to Kenya and India. A poet, nature artist and arts educator, Sheniz graduated from the MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Guelph-Humber.

Sheniz has been performing her poetry nationally and internationally for 15 years, including features at the Jaipur Literature Festival, Aga Khan Museum, and Vancouver Writers Fest to name a few.

Her writing has been published in numerous journals including Arc Poetry Magazine, CV2, Descant and Canthius. She is a regular contributor for Quill & Quire. She has three collections of poetry, published by Mawenzi House:  Bleeding Light (2010), Firesmoke (2014) and Reminders on the Path (2021). 

Sheniz served as the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus in 2022, and is the founder and facilitator of Owning our Stories, the first writing circle of its kind for South Asian women in Ontario.

www.shenizjanmohamed.com

Reviews

[SMO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book of poetry that fuses the natural world with mysticism. I feel the author weaving together language and imagery from a variety of cultures to create a collection that speaks to the wonders of the human condition, women and spirit. Great food for the soul here!

[David Anthony Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine poetry collection

Jammohamed weaves biography, faith, love, nature, loss in tapestries shaped by a fine sense of language and its quiet music. Unpretentious, yet strong. Accessible, but complex. Verse to be reread silently, resaid aloud.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to linger over poetry. A beautiful offering.

[Qasim Yad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved following lines and I am using it into a thesis,
"Root yourself in this earth
and it will root itself in you”

[World Literature Today]

This book was featured in the Nota Benes section of the Sept/Oct 2015 issue of World Literature Today Magazine.

[Michelle Olms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book