Joel Robert Ferguson : part one

Joel Robert Ferguson is a Canadian poet of working-class settler origins who lives in Winnipeg, Treaty One Territory. His poetry has recently appeared in The Columbia Review, EVENT, Riddle Fence, and Wells Street Journal. His debut collection, The Lost Cafeteria (Signature Editions 2020), was nominated for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award.

What are you working on?

Just now I’m editing the manuscript for what I hope will become my second book, called Cold Pastorals. Having grown up in a village in Nova Scotia, I’m interested in the ways that rural and small-town life are (mis)represented in literature, art, and film, especially now, as the pandemic and urban housing crisis seems to be sending plenty of young urbanites “back” to “the land”. I was fortunate enough to receive a grant with the Winnipeg Arts Council to work on Cold Pastorals with a professional editor, which has been a great experience.