About Select Manuscripts
God/he
a collection of short, imagist poems that is both love song and shouting match between the human and Divine. The work is written in the spiritual tradition of wisdom literature and paradox and is framed by the stories of Job and Jacob who wrestled with God. Themes the collection examines are the power and force of words, the risk of love, and the inevitable suffering of man and God as they live and interact with each other.
Through the collection the subject, he, faces the agony and insanity of human existence as he starts to become unfamiliar with the God he thinks he knows so well, a God who is a trickster and green-thumb, a bloodhound on the trail, a doctor who treats Chlamydia before lunch. Selected poems from this manuscript published in Rock and Sling (2004) and chosen for the annual Utmost Poetry contest (2004).
Joseph
a work of short fiction and verse, and a discourse on the biblical name. The book is centred on a modern day telling of Joseph and explores his journey with schizophrenia from childhood to the point of his electro-shock therapy during Bible College. Throughout his life Joseph blends narratives - fairy tales and Bible stories - and is haunted by a Cinderella figure who teaches him to listen to his dreams. The Joseph narratives are connected by the graphic, prophetic dream sequences the characters share through the centuries.
Nazar
a short story and winner of the 2004 Hobson Prize for fiction.
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30 Days
14 fictional stories that bring real issues of gender-based injustice to life. Among the topics the stories explore are Child Prostitution, Incest, Domestic Violence, The Plight of Refugees, and others. Published 2006 in the photogenX booklet 30 Days of Prayer for the Voiceless.
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Ten Silver Coins
the first of three stories about Jill Strong who flees the city of Vendor at the risk of her own life, to the Forest, a frightful place the Council of Vendor condemns to be filled with superstition and black magic. Inside the Forest Jill finds a priceless treasure, ten silver coins, which she quickly misplaces.
Jill sets out to find the treasure with Simon, a boy she meets in the Forest. On that journey the children encounter a mysterious race known as the Drylings who tell Jill stories about her mother. Jill and the Drylings soon learn they share a common enemy named the Rashtakar, a cruel being who chases Jill in her dreams and holds all the Drylings under a terrible curse. Jill discovers friendship and courage as she steps into the unknown for a journey that is full of wonder, risk, and adventure.
The Gospel Writers Meet
A series of conversations with the Gospel writers in the present day,
featuring some of their contemporary writing. Among other subjects,
the Gospel writers discuss suffering, the f-word, meaning, cyborgs,
the Gospel, and the apocalypse. "Saint John Discusses the Eighth
Chapter," an original poem by St. John from this work, was published in Rock and Sling (2006).
So Far
A collection of poems that considers geographic locations and the
locations of the heart. Written in Canada, Mongolia, Malaysia,
Singapore, The United States, and Israel. "Say it to the Dying," a
poem from this work, was chosen for the 2003 Utmost contest.