An Interview with Jennifer Yeates Camara - Author of Reduction Fired

2021-07-09

Jennifer Yeates Camara is a poet living in Vancouver, Canada. She is the youngest of 13 children, born to an extremely poor family in Ontario, Canada. She grew up in an old house that someone had paid her father to haul away, albeit without plumbing as the water was never hooked up! Jennifer's early life in the 70s included an outhouse, a well, and a wood-burning fireplace. Jennifer's parents were both avid readers and often recited poems by memory. Reading was ingrained in her siblings, too, and Jennifer learned quickly. At age 9, Jennifer's ...

Jennifer Yeates Camara is a poet living in Vancouver, Canada. She is the youngest of 13 children, born to an extremely poor family in Ontario, Canada. She grew up in an old house that someone had paid her father to haul away, albeit without plumbing as the water was never hooked up! Jennifer's early life in the 70s included an outhouse, a well, and a wood-burning fireplace.

Jennifer's parents were both avid readers and often recited poems by memory. Reading was ingrained in her siblings, too, and Jennifer learned quickly.

At age 9, Jennifer's family still at home moved to the BC coast. Jennifer was encouraged to join a late French immersion program starting from grade 6. It was around that time that Jennifer also started writing her own poetry.

Although Jennifer continued excelling academically, the family's economic situation was still dire, and she turned to poetry to express herself. Once Jennifer started working, she eagerly frequented local bookstores, where the owners introduced her to poetry from many cultures, including Persia, China, Japan and India.

For more information about Jennifer, please visit yeatescamara.com.

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