The following excerpts are taken from the introduction given by my friend, Cheryl Cebuliak, for the book launch of Singing the Night:

….Joan has the unique skill of being able to “slow time down:” she opens the door to a new world, or awareness, that some of us might have otherwise overlooked. Part of what makes Joan’s work so impactful is her strength as an observer, which she then translates to the page. She looks at the world around her through a “special lens.” Images of sparse detail, essential elements, are held in focus: “Behold, this is noteworthy,” she is saying.

In a poem titled “Found,” Joan describes her very early interest in poetry, declaring, “We are found through words/poems like signposts/ in a junction.”
This description highlights Joan Conway’s essential belief in the power of words:  what we can learn of ourselves, individually and in community; how we can navigate through our lives; and how, ultimately, we are bonded by these shared words and experiences.

Her poems are less of an exposé –– and more of an invitation. We are invited into the room. To acknowledge, share, and pay homage to some of the grit,
the hardship and the uncomfortable realities that bind us. But equally importantly, she creates space and time where we can feel the yearning, the resilience,
and the aspiration of our humanity. Joan Conway’s poetry collection Singing the Night invites us to see and feel others, to build upon the connective tissue
of our community, and to share in a more diverse experience of our collective humanity. And if we can share in this—if we are willing to share in this—
then without a doubt, there is light.

Cheryl Cebuliak