Poetry
Unapologetic, and shot through with lore, Virga investigates the tensions, inner and outer, that work to shape identity. Sensual, driven, and pragmatic, the poems insist that we “fall to rise,” and address the desires - romantic, erotic, familial, and socio-political - that transform us.
"Full of witchcraft and mesmerizing artistry. . ."
- Kerry-Lee Powell
The largely Acadian culture depicted in these poems may still be influenced by the past, caught in its own reflected image, but it moves, as do the poems, to a steady, if moody, rhythm determined to find meaning and purpose in spite of difficulties, flux, and a seemingly pervasive cynicism.
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New Brunswick's Alfred G. Bailey Prize for best poetry manuscript
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Shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award
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Winner of the J.M. Abraham Poetry Award
For Children / Pour Enfants
Les habitants du fond de la baie sont découragés. Tantet tant de détritus s’y accumulent. Pas un jour ne passe sans que l’un d’eux se retrouve coincé dans un objet de plastique. Molly et Frédou, deux homards, et leur amie Céleste le crabe décident de passer à l’acti on, d’autant plus que Molly va bientôt muer et qu’elle doit songer à protéger ses oeufs. Ils retournent donc tous ces déchets là d’où ils viennent. Puis, coup de théâtre, les pêcheurs interviennent à leur tour.
The inhabitants of the bottom of the bay are discouraged. So much waste accumulates there. Not a day goes by without one of them getting stuck in a piece of plastic. Molly and Fred, two lobsters, and their friend Celeste, a crab, decide to take action, especially as Molly is about to moult and must think about protecting her eggs. So, they return all the waste to where it came from. Then, in a sudden turn of events, the fishermen intervene.
Anthologies and Collections
SHY
An Anthology
Robert Kroetsch Series
Edited by Naomi K. Lewis and Rona Altrows
(University of Alberta Press, 2013)
GNAW & GNARL
Sue Sinclair & Shane Neilson, editors
Photograph by James Wilson
New Brunswick Chapbook Series #9
PARALLEL UNIVERSE: THE POETRIES OF NEW BRUNSWICK
Literary Criticism Monograph: number seven
Sue Sinclair and Shane Neilson, editors
A co-production of Frog Hollow Press and Hamilton Arts & Letters
REVERSING FALLS — BOOK 2: ENGLISH LANGUAGE POEMS OF NEW BRUNSWICK TRANSLATED INTO FRENCH
CHUTES RÉVERSIBLES — LIVRE 2: POÈMES EN LANGUE ANGLAIS DU NOUVEAU- BRUNSWICK TRADUIT EN FRANÇAIS
Other Publications
Online
Hamilton Arts and Letters Review
Essay: "A Broken Alpine Path: Notes from a Woman Poet in New Brunswick"
Hamilton Arts and Letters Review:
Two Poems - Derivative and Shortcut
"Alaska Highway" in the Northern Review, Issue 46
Two poems in The Puritan - check 'em out.
Literary Journals
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“Traditions,” “Tim’s”and “Tepid” – Lichen, Fall/Winter 2005 (Tracking a Serial Poet contest winner)
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“In Parrsboro” - The Antigonish Review Spring 2006.
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“True Love” – Arc Summer 2006.
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“Weak Force” and “What we Believe”(2nd place winner in 2-day Poetry Contest) – CV2 Summer 2006
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“The Rub”-Carousel Fall 2006.
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“Acadie Noir” and “Pteridology”- The Fiddlehead, Fall 2007
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“Peel” - Room Magazine Volume 30:4, 2007
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“Syndication” – Prairie Fire, Winter 2007-2008
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“Heavy Metal” – CV2, Fall 2009
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“Talk of Mermaids,” “Bois Jolie,” “Night in the Old House” and “On Mingling” – The Antigonish Review, Fall 2009 (Great Blue Heron Poetry Contest winner)
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“Business Class” – Room Magazine 33:2, 2010
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“Accident 1,” “Accident 2,”and “Accident 3” – Dandelion, Volume 36: i/ii, 2011
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“Handshakes” - Arts East Blogspot, Spring 2012
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“The Past,” “School” and “Gathering” - Galleon, 2015
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“The Point,” “Staying,” “First Trimester,” “Crops” -The Fiddlehead, Winter 2016
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“Luck,” “Leave,” - The Antigonish Review Issue 184, Winter 2016
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“Straight to Video” - The Malahat Review Issue 192, Fall 2015
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“Blueberries,” “The Back Channels”, “A Speculative Bird,” - Riddle Fence Issue 23, 2016
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“Urban Development Poles” - The Dalhousie Review, Fall 2015
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"Witch of Brookdale" in Poetry is Dead, Coven Issue (17)
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"Porifera" and "Cladorhizidae" in The Antigonish Review