Book: Saskatoon author re-releases chapbook promoting peace

SASKATOON – Prolific Saskatoon writer Marion Mutala has re-released her 2015 chapbook The Time for Peace Is Now, a reflection on love, equality and global harmony.

Mutala, who has written 20 books including the children’s series Baba’s Babushka, worked with illustrator Kate Hodgson and calligrapher A. E. Matheson to create a visually striking, 17-page chapbook. A blue dove with an olive branch appears throughout the book.

Each page reads like a prayer, beginning and ending with the line, “The time for peace is now; now is the time for peace.” Mutala highlights the universal desire for peace, noting how people, animals, nature, and the arts all participate in its pursuit. She also lists 104 names of God from various world religions, emphasizing the shared values at the heart of different faiths.

The original edition was handmade, with proceeds going to NASHI, a Saskatoon charity addressing human trafficking. “When I first wrote the Peace book, I didn’t know if it was going to be a story or a poem … Now I reckon it’s my prayer for peace,” Mutala said in a 2015 interview.

The Time for Peace Is Now is available at local bookstores and online at skbooks.com.