Sharon Berg
Biography
Sharon Berg’s poetry and short fiction appears internationally (Canada, USA, Mexico, Chile, England, Wales, Amsterdam, Germany, Siberia, Romania, India, Persia, Singapore, and Australia). She’s released four chapbooks with BPR Press and three poetry books (Borealis Press, 1979 Coach House 1984, and Cyberwit 2020). Stars in the Junkyard was a 2022 International Book Award Finalist for Poetry. Her short fiction appears with Porcupine’s Quill and her nonfiction, The Name Unspoken: Wandering Spirit Survival School (BPR Press) won a 2020 IPPY Award for Regional Nonfiction. She became a popular interviewer during her work with Artisinal Writer (2021-2023), The tEmz Review (2023-2026), and is current Resident Interviewer for The Seaboard Review of Books July 2026-continuous). She lives in Charlottetown, Newfoundland and operates Big Pond Rumours Chapbook Press. Sharon taught elementary school for many years, and conducted education seminars at the university level. She can adapt her observations and comments about writing to a variety of grade levels. She connects with students of all ages and abilities and knows students learn best when a) they're having fun, and b) they are using multiple skills. Sharon believes poetry is not a staid old art but a relevant and exciting opportunity for self-expression. She enjoys asking students to create 3D poetry, wherein art, geometry, and poetry are combined on one geometric shape (e.g., an illustrated haiku on a tetrahedron - a triangle-based pyramid).
Micro-interview
My half-brother, Brian Purdy, is the son of Al Purdy. He is six years older and my first mentor for developing my skills as he began writing before I did. Other than attending writing workshops, I'm self-taught. I read and write extensively. I edit and consult with friends, often adjusting or rewriting several times. I read a lot of American, British, and Canadian authors. I love Earle Birney, Gwendolyn MacEwen, e.e. cummings, Kenneth Patchen, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Diane Wokoski, Robert Frost, Leonard Cohen, Bronwen Wallace, and James Reaney. I've never picked out one favourite poem as I was always falling in love with a new poem. My perspective on the world, and therefore my favourite insights on the world, have changed as I matured and discovered different authors, but I still draw deeply on my own experiences. I believe the purpose of writing is related to its purpose to communicate, sharing insights and emotional responses to our experiences in the world.
I started writing poetry and story at the same time, in Grade 3. By grade 4 I had published a poem in The Telegram (a popular national newspaper which no longer exists). I also wrote reviews of high school performances that were published in my hometown newspaper. Later, three friends and I founded a student newspaper at my high school. At the same time, my brother introduced me to oil painting, and the imagery of visual art became entangled with the imagery of word scapes in my mind. It helped me to visualize myself as an “artist,” whatever the genre was.
I did a lot of drawing and watercolours, wrote poetry, stories, and song lyrics in my teens and early 20s. I also sang in a group with my brother during high school because the combination of image and sound seemed vitally important to me. I visualized myself in all of these roles, and my dreams were sparked.
However, when I had children I got so busy taking care of them I couldn't focus on all of my talents. I decided I needed to chose one. I chose poetry because my pieces were fairly short at the time. I figured I could write poems while the baby napped. I decided to set myself a year to get a major publication, and if that didn't work out I'd try move on to painting and drawing. As it turned out, I got three poems published in The Malahat Review in that first year, which decided my focus. But the truth is that I've never stopped writing stories, which are also important to good poetry.
The function of poetry is to share and express ideas and emotions. Poetry uses various techniques to leave its imprint on the reader, but its main purpose is to express an idea, feeling or insight. Poetry is like shorthand because it is compact. What it expresses can be expanded upon with reflection. Good poetry can look simple, but it is also very deep and meaningful.
It is difficult to choose just one poem from the anthology as different poems will meet different contexts better than another poem does. I have picked out three: Dennis Lee’s “400: Coming Home”; P.K. Page’s “The Blue Guitar”; and Bronwen Wallace’s “Common Magic.”
