Fib Carver

2011-01-28T07:24:00.003-05:00

Another Pushcart Nomination

2011-01-23T20:32:00.002-05:00

Muse-Pie Press very kindly nominated "This is What Happens When That Happens" for a 2010 Pushcart Prize.

I also appear as a Featured Poet at Muse-Pie: http://www.musepiepress.com/donna_gagnon.html

recently on the web

2009-12-12T13:22:00.003-05:00

Ilker Drennan at Every Day Fiction

and an unsolicited critique of the story (which I find myself agreeing with, for the most part):

Stuff Gets in the Way at Every Day Poets

one-act play Deception to be produced by Borelians Community Theatre, Port Perry, ON

Festival of Canadian One-Act Plays

May 7 to 15, 2010

"Deception" written by Donna Gagnon
"7/10 Split" written by Michael Wilmot
"Cowboy Boots and a Corsage"
written by Katherine Koller

2009-12-07T16:45:00.001-05:00

Muse-Pie Press is Pleased to Announce the 2009 Pushcart Prize

Nominations from Muse-Pie Press

Donna Gagnon

Mary-Jane Grandinetti

Mel Kenne

Christine redman waldeyer

The PUSHCART PRIZE: BEST OF THE SMALL PRESSES is an award winning series in its 35^th year of publication. It is an honor for poets to be nominated for the annual collection, since they are representative of the most outstanding work a press has published over the course of a year. Muse-Pie Press is proud and honored to have these four poets represent the kind of work Muse-Pie publishes in all of its formats (The Fib Review online journal, Featured Poet page online, chapbooks, and book publications).

"Lost in the Cold"

2009-11-21T09:38:00.001-05:00

final day at Mnemosyne:

Day 6

(click on text above)

a rant about housework

2009-11-19T19:43:00.000-05:00

on Mnemosyne Literary Journal:

Day 5

(click on text above)

more Mnemoysne

2009-11-18T18:44:00.003-05:00

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

(click text above to view)

Mnemosyne Literary Journal

2009-11-15T20:15:00.002-05:00

Some of my work is featured at *Mnemosyne* Literary Journal the week of November 15-20, 2009. Thanks to the editor, Jen Pezzo.

Day 1
(click text above to view)

The Fib Review

2009-10-10T13:45:00.002-04:00

Excerpts of my work in progress Imagine appear in Issue 4.

Got Talent

2009-04-17T19:28:00.003-04:00

dreams
sleep
sometimes
until they
startle wide, waking
to stir millions of hearts with awe

(Susan Boyle of Blackburn, Scotland ...
bless you!)

2009-02-08T19:09:00.001-05:00

My story Winging to Nowhere appears at Short Story Library.

Duality, Part I

2009-02-05T20:35:00.003-05:00

he
was
white then
black, blue eyes
notwithstanding, a
geologist in search of stone

one
man
two shades
five children
Clarence King/James Todd
thirteen years in a double life

his story here

A Use For

2009-01-29T20:46:00.003-05:00

herbs
mess
with brain
tingle tongue
spurge, hemp, mint and thyme
feed the urges, quell the hatred

Gone

2009-01-25T17:54:00.001-05:00

I'm
so

absent

been working
for other people

forgot where I put my own self

Metropolis

2009-01-05T21:29:00.003-05:00

there's
this
game on
Facebook and
I'm hooked like a fish
perhaps I should go watch a film?

Gorelston Sea

2009-01-04T19:26:00.005-05:00

God's
hand
pointed
to the sea
broke the clouds, sending
sweet smiles to a sad camera

(Photo by James Bernthal)

One More Day and Then All Is New Again

2008-12-30T19:25:00.003-05:00

do
not
grow old

keep wonder
close to the surface,
beside your wisdom, dancing free

Christmas Passed

2008-12-27T06:06:00.004-05:00

Grinch,
not
Grumpy,
I can be
filled with happy
it just might take another year

No Need for Lots of Words

2008-12-23T22:25:00.005-05:00

Happy Christmas
(click for a tune)

this
is
about
as mellow
as things can get when
the year hasn't gone all that well

(blogging takes a back seat for a few days Fib Carver spends some time with family)

Blinded by the White

2008-12-19T18:29:00.004-05:00

gone
for
sugar

returning
from a trip, perhaps

in whiteouts, no one can be sure

Some Critters Think They're SO Smart

2008-12-18T18:44:00.005-05:00

that's
it
go, rat!
smash those walls
ignore what that greed
damages in your thoughtless haste

Wake Up Call

2008-12-17T21:29:00.003-05:00

white
crap
won't stop
while I sleep
it sabotages
any hope of a gentle start

For SD

2008-12-16T19:03:00.004-05:00

he
lies
you cry
words ensue
screaming doesn't help
men are slugs and will never change

Newfoundland

2008-12-15T18:29:00.003-05:00

there
was
so much
hope here once

all the children left

and clapboards crushed their ancestors

And It's Not Even Officially Winter Yet!

2008-12-14T13:47:00.005-05:00

I
read
by flame
last night 'cause
the power went out
found lots in Blackstrap Hawco* though!

*by Kenneth J. Harvey
find it at Random House

snow
falls
roof creaks
men climb up
with shovels and push

six foot drift in front of door now

Scratching at Cardboard -- IT'S HERE!

2008-12-12T19:52:00.001-05:00

http://stores.lulu.com/therighteyeddeer

That cover design's already creating a stir:
http://nytimesbooks.blogspot.com/

Rock and Tree

2008-12-12T19:37:00.004-05:00

oh
tree
cut down
in your prime
so you can fill our
home with majesty and warm light
oh
tree
sorry
for all this
but it's Christmas, right?
and we all do what we have to

found
rock
in yard
yes, Santa
shaped just like a heart!
why is it that you don't believe?

Scratching at Cardboard

2008-12-10T19:08:00.003-05:00

it's
been
lots of
work and now
'Scratching at Cardboard'
is ready to be published ... yay!

'Scratching at Cardboard: Short Stories & Poetry
Selected as The Best of The Whittaker Prize 2008'
edited by Donna Gagnon Pugh with Doug Pugh and Rachel Green
cover & book design by Five Seventeen of PicaPica.ca

(coming soon to an Amazon.com near you ... details TBA announced here ASAP)

Tomb of the Unknown Shoveller

2008-12-09T19:12:00.003-05:00

I'm
sure
we'll find
his body
once all the snow melts
until then, I'm taking his hat

Before the Word Storm

2008-12-08T18:51:00.003-05:00

this
is
my brain
empty space
waiting to be filled
with a brilliant idea ... soon

Old Friend, Dear Man

2008-12-07T19:37:00.002-05:00

years
pass
mistakes
haunt our nights
but nothing can stop
our laughter when we're together

Going Back #6 - Batman

2008-12-06T18:40:00.004-05:00

there
is
something
très sexy
about this trio

still trying to figure it out

Mouse Love

2008-12-05T20:06:00.003-05:00

give
me
a kiss
Eddie, this
mouse must go to sleep
tomorrow I meet Jack Benny

Rant and Drool

2008-12-04T19:27:00.004-05:00

he's
no
leader

just a guy
who learned to bully
now on a two-month vacation

dough
face
scrummy
sweetly done
out of the oven
licky crumbs on floor by morning

Pet Peeve #1

2008-12-02T20:56:00.002-05:00

why
do
morons
dump these poor
shopping carts where they
sit for days feeling so lonely?

Going Back #5 - The House on the Hill

2008-12-01T21:18:00.003-05:00

it
was
a dream
house on hill

a big storm broke it

and I'm still picking up pieces

Notable Books

2008-11-30T11:01:00.003-05:00

Q
is
for Queen
hand gently
caressing the soft
wonder of all Canadians

this way to the book

New
York
faeries
and Shakespeare
in Central Park make
whoopee at Hallowe'en's gate

this way to the book

Aurora Borealis

2008-11-28T19:27:00.003-05:00

dance
our
spirits
with green light
forgetting science
our hearts marvel at mystery

This Needlepoint Planet

2008-11-27T18:22:00.004-05:00

we're
bound
to cross
at some point
this world gets smaller
and we're all moving much too fast

Oxtongue Rapids

2008-11-26T19:08:00.003-05:00

his
words
drowned
in the rush
of random water
thinking now of starting again

Search for the Golden Fib

2008-11-25T19:37:00.001-05:00

As a lead-up to the London Word Festival, the organizers are celebrating the Fibonacci form of poetry. Mosey on over to http://www.londonwordfestival.com/?page_id=283
and enter your best Fib!

Winter Road

2008-11-25T18:46:00.001-05:00

this
path
can be
treacherous
but leading home, it
must be travelled no matter what

thanks to Hilary of Fort Irwin, ON for the photo!

That Time of Year Again

2008-11-24T18:30:00.002-05:00

can't
find
my car

there's no light
in this winter's morn

no work today, I'm back to bed

Going Back #4 - Science Fiction

2008-11-23T10:33:00.004-05:00

who
is
this girl?
young, quiet
with her red badge of
courage and that very shy smile

I'm
not
this girl
now aged, worn,
cynical and scared
of how some things just disappear

photo by Elessar Tetramariner

Going Back #3 - Euchre

2008-11-22T14:38:00.003-05:00

cards
on
table
Friday night
Dad & I partners
now that he's gone, I never win

Going Back #2 - Riverdale Zoo and Blood on the Tracks

2008-11-21T18:36:00.003-05:00

small
steps
over
mossy stones
brought me to the zoo
only place that felt like home then

Bob
had
answers
to questions
no one else would hear

I wore that album out one day

Going Back #1 - St. Martin de Porres Catholic School

2008-11-19T19:25:00.001-05:00

there's
no
colour
no rosy hue

in my memory
it's as black as the nuns' habits

The Book Cell

2008-11-18T18:12:00.006-05:00

we
all
fall down
past titles,
through pages, wrapped up
in the author's blanket of words

http://www.matejkren.cz/cs/book-cell/

A Few Words About Fibs

2008-11-17T18:23:00.006-05:00

One
Small,
Precise,
Poetic,
Spiraling mixture:
Math plus poetry yields the Fib. — Pincus, Gregory K

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/print.html?id=180219
http://www.musepiepress.com/fibreview/issue1/writers.html
http://www.musepiepress.com/fibreview/issue2/writers.html
http://www.musepiepress.com/fibreview/editor.html
http://www.musepiepress.com/fibreview/gagnon_poetry.html

Urban Event

2008-11-17T18:06:00.002-05:00

up
there
somewhere
dripping tears
behind a white shade
she watches the taxi drive off

Canada, Shropshire, England

2008-11-16T20:00:00.001-05:00

we
fly
these flags
faithfully
to honour where we
are and the places that made us

Tiff

2008-11-15T18:05:00.002-05:00

two
words
are all
I hear now
"Pay attention," Tiff
smiled, and then we drank Wolf Blass

Smokin'

2008-11-14T17:52:00.001-05:00

once
this
girl wrote
a few words
well chosen, tight words
and some good people published them

(thanks, Dave!)

Sick Puppy

2008-11-13T18:16:00.003-05:00

she
hates
snow, rain,
fireworks

50 bladder stones
removed today, home tomorrow

Late Autumn Black

2008-11-12T20:17:00.001-05:00

cry
for
sunlight
when work's done
drive home in the dark
nowhere near prepared for winter

Remembrance Day 2008

2008-11-11T07:03:00.001-05:00

we
can't
find you
anymore
too absorbed in our
own pain to even remember

My Uncle in a Lancaster Bomber

2008-11-10T20:09:00.004-05:00

he
flew
knowing
nothing much
about life except
protecting the world was duty

there was no room for tomorrow
inside that tight green uniform

sweet boy, soldier boy
who lied about his age

you'll never be that old

pity

RIP Frank J. 'Bud' Gallagher
who left this world on September 11, 1942
somewhere over the English Channel ...
his body has never been found

Stitch

2008-11-08T18:02:00.004-05:00

knit
me
a scarf
blood red soft
wrap it 'round my neck
so no one ever sees the scars

money money money

2008-11-07T18:58:00.002-05:00

get
it
lose it
make some more

what happens when it
can no longer be found or earned?

Tree Man

2008-11-06T20:19:00.002-05:00

chain-
sawed
dug out
from heartwood
cracking in the sun
pondering his new existence

Off the Edge (Fib for a Bully)

2008-11-05T17:51:00.002-05:00

when
you
yell at
everyone
when you are panicked
anything you have will be lost

History. Bravery. Hope.

2008-11-04T21:37:00.003-05:00

if
one
word is
powerful
tonight may see it
become embedded in our hearts

(I am not a political animal. But I have hope.)

Fire and a Fibonacci curve

2008-11-03T19:21:00.005-05:00

house
burns
faster
than the wind
blows through the maples
occupants fine, the past is gone

(my across-the-street neighbours' house burned down this afternoon ... all well but the depth of shock is astounding)

one
then
two scraps
building blocks
colour and stitch
by calloused hands intent on art

"Bargello", handquilted by Sharon Middlehurst
Minden, Ontario

Caution: May Contain Nuts

2008-11-01T19:21:00.001-04:00

fruit
cremes
truffles
chocolate
gingers, milk Brazils
let me die in a Thorntons shop

Jack O'Lantern

2008-10-31T21:27:00.001-04:00

oh
you
can smile
gap toothed glow
ruler of the night
after Halloween, you're just squash

Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury

2008-10-30T22:21:00.002-04:00

brick
by
border
moving edge
of England and Wales
we stand in the middle and watch

February 14, 1942

2008-10-29T18:56:00.002-04:00

ten
cards
with no
signature

I tuck them under
my pillow at night dreaming slow

2008-10-28T19:27:00.001-04:00

light
streams
snow drops
it's nearly
25 below
I can't feel my toes anymore

High School Heat

2008-10-27T18:33:00.002-04:00

plaid
on
paisley
worked back then
now we dress in black
and don't smile nearly as often

Twofer

2008-10-26T15:02:00.004-04:00

scare
me
once more
with excess
I will scrape you off
doorsteps again this Halloween

you
hide
behind
leaning walls
cloaked in sepia
attempting regression to youth

October 2005

2008-10-24T17:46:00.002-04:00

when
words
run dry
remember
that pub in Ely

yes, you were late but just in time

Inukshuk

2008-10-23T19:09:00.003-04:00

heat
light
rock hard
hands never
touching ground until
monster winds blow sideways in spring

1928 Olympics

2008-10-22T18:54:00.005-04:00

Frank
was
dapper

Canada's
boxing coach that year

in Amsterdam smiling so broad

Frank
was
punch drunk
by the time
I called him Grandpa

now all I've got is this photo

Shanghai 1969

2008-10-21T18:05:00.001-04:00

I
don’t
recall
much beyond
heat, smells, temples, parks
dripping blood on The Bund one night
John’s
eyes
went dark
he dragged me
across a bridge, threw
me into the Huangpu River
gone
just
like that
disappeared
because now I was
not-child, not-loved, not Sally Scott
John-
o-
boy please
not my fault
come back, I cannot
swim, I have lost my coolie hat

The Dylanish 70s

2008-10-20T18:14:00.004-04:00

beer
in
Paris
serious
books and a bad perm
the world was my oyster back then

Hypnos

2008-10-19T16:05:00.002-04:00

can't
sleep

there's frost
on the ground
so I take photos

hibernation has its assets