Sharon Berg     A life in words …                                                   

 

See Sharon Berg’s reflection on life with  the painter and printmaker William McClure Brown

What Is In The Works

 

a book of poems

 

This book has been ‘in progress’, under one title or another, for 30 years. It is still seeking a publisher brave enough to pick it up.

 

I began to explore parts of the subject matter from this collection through story in 1976. In fact, I had created the first five chapters of a novel by the time I attended the Writing Studio at the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1987. One of the senior editors at a well-respected publishing house (which does not exist any longer) told me to call him whenever I completed the novel. But the work kept calling for other treatments, and even then, the individual poems in this manuscript had been revamped countless times.

 

I believe this manuscript offers my most consistent and accomplished pieces, both in terms of style and in poetic voice. Certainly, I’ve received far more praise for this work at my readings than I have for anything from my first two collections. It is not unusual for someone in the audience to come forward, grasp my hand in theirs and say ‘Thank you. You just said what I could not say for myself.’

On the other hand, it is a difficult book punctuated by moments of insight and beauty. A frank discussion of some of the subject matter it deals with is still wrapped in taboo… not because such things have not been discussed before, but because in this case the children are objectified by both parents. In North America, we still carry the model of family created by popular media, such as the TV shows  ‘Leave it to Beaver’ and ‘The Waltons’. Quite often, these are the ideals that other families are measured against, however impossible it might be to achieve them.

 

Established

January 3, 2006

Some of my readers ask of the events I describe, ‘Is this true? Did this happen?’ followed by, ‘If it did, how did you get through it?’ So, I can appreciate that many press editors are shy of such material. It is not an easy read... but unlike many others in its category this confessional explores the family dynamic and still provides a light at the end of the tunnel… not only by celebrating survival, but by suggesting a fresh way of framing our relationships, including family bonds. The manuscript is now on its rounds, seeking publication. 

 

A narrative history

 

The thesis for my M.Ed degree was a history of the first Native Way School in Canada. It is the story of a determined group of people who planted the seeds of a movement to reclaim identity and cultural Awareness among First Nations people in Canada. A project I expect to begin in the summer of 2009 is the reworking of this story as a narrative history.

 

Youtube

 

Not to put too fine a point on it, it seems writers need to find new ways to promote their work and generally improve the audience numbers, especially for poetry. To that end, I am beginning to explore my own capacity for making video shorts of my work.

 

 

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