The bust of a historical figure. The street that led a local writer to great success. A bridge. 

These are just some of the landmarks that appear in Géographies du présent, the latest collection of French poems by poet, slam poet, singer, actor, and painter Seream.

“Landmarks are important to me. I need them because I easily get lost,” says the author.

Seream is both the pen name and the stage name of Sébastien Gaillard. He used it in France well before he moved to Manitoba in 2018.

“This year, I am celebrating 30 years of poetic agitation. Taking my first breath in the morning, my first breath of fresh air, I am inspired. I watch for the right moment. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it misses,” he says. 

“I want to share everything that comes to mind, at a harmless closeness.”

He describes his book as “a collection of poems, some short, some long, one very long, in four different geographies, in the present tense.”

In these poems, a migrant poet explores poetic fields and discovers Winnipeg and Manitoba. Through his poetry and his writing and spoken workshops,  Seream continues to work at placing poetry at the heart of people’s lives.

Among the poems is a love letter with 94 cons – 94 lines that begin with con. 

In the poem “Pont Provencher,” he compares France and St. Boniface, noting how the Seine River runs under the Mirabeau Bridge in Paris (quoting French poet Apollinaire), and the Red River runs under the Provencher Bridge in St. Boniface. 

“Le jardin des sculptures” puts him on a first-name basis with Georges Forest, the French language rights activist who is honoured with a bust in Provencher Park.

Seream reflects on Rue Deschambault, the street where Gabrielle Roy grew up, and the title of one of her great books. This street led her to the ends of the earth, he writes. Coincidentally, he also works at the museum that was once her childhood home, Maison Gabrielle-Roy. 

“Serving as director of this heritage building and following its cultural programming takes a lot of energy,” he says. “It is a passionate mission.”

Last summer, he gave tours as Gabrielle’s father, Léon.

“I played Léon in a one-man play written to be performed in the house. We did 17 performances from June to August. It was a great success. I really enjoyed sharing this work by Suzanne Kennelly with the public.” 

Seream hopes many people will read his book. “Adventurers, acrobats, tightrope walkers, contortionists, and I am sure I forgot a few.”

He invites them to share his moments of inspiration like “the sweet memory of the scent of jasmine in the garden.”