Montague Library Writers Guild

Prince Edward Island Tales - Montague Library Writers Guild

Nine writers, nine lives and fifty ways to view the Island and its inhabitants: this is what Prince Edward Island Tales, by the Montague Library Writers Guild, offers its readers. The newly released collection is filled with stories, poems and prose dwelling on various aspects of life on the Island—everything from moving a house down a road and across a bridge to an early morning ferry crossing, to the study, hunt and killing of cluster flies.

In September 2008 librarian Swarna Chandresekera’s suggestion to form a writers guild at the Montague Library was taken up with a lot of enthusiasm by a small group of dedicated writers. The main purpose of the group was to motivate and inspire its member to produce the best works they were capable of. To further stimulate the creative process they decided it would be a good idea to work towards publishing an anthology. The result is Prince Edward Island Tales.

Joanne Collicott McGuigan writes about being awakened at the crack of dawn by her beloved cats, CC and Angel in “Waiting Impatiently.” “In A Beautiful Day to Be Born” Gary Gray chronicles the day he was assisted into the world by his grandmother/midwife while his father hunted down the doctor and his grandfather did a couple of rounds in the back forty “just to say he had ploughed a field on December 4th.”

A “murderer mass and serial…shining, beguiling, jewel-like divine” tosses his victims to the shore in Wendy Jones’ haunting poem “The Sea.” Laura-Jane Koers’ piece “The Inevitable Question” talks about how she came to find a suitable answer to the unavoidable query posed to newcomers. “What brought you to Prince Edward Island?”

Will the father in guest contributor Hugh Macdonald’s poem “And Gretsky and Me” help his son become the greatest hockey player ever—or will he turn his boy off Canada’s greatest game forever?

Marie MacIntyre’s poem “The Old Gray Net” speaks of the eternal hope that drives Island fishers’ to gamble on another season of hard work that might not put enough food on the table to last them through the winter. In his poem “Red Plaid Vest” Tom Rath writes about a father who passes on musical traditions to his son in more ways than one. “Early Crossing on the Ferry” by Tom Schultz’ describes a pre-dawn trip from Wood Islands to Caribou on The Confederation.

In his prose piece “Good Times Hard Times” Leslie Stewart writes of Maritime labourers longing to be home with their wives, making babies and plans, plans that don’t include leaving family and friends in Atlantic Canada ever again.

Prince Edward Island Tales is currently being distributed to retail outlets and book stores across the Island. The anthology may also be purchased from members of the Montague Library Writers Guild. Anyone interested in finding out more about Guild meetings may call the Montague Public Library.