Poet Victoria Butler’s website describes her debut collection, Little Miracles, in the following manner: “[It] explores a myriad of human emotions through the eyes of a young woman who is fiercely dedicated to where she comes from, all while trying to figure out where she’s going.” However, if you were to ask Butler herself about her work, her answer would be strikingly different: “[It’s essentially] everything I’ve written that isn’t complete garbage in the [last] three years.”
The 25-year-old poet’s collection was published through Black Moss Press with the help of her mentor, poet Bruce Meyer. In an interview with The Varsity, Butler opened up about her experience writing and publishing her work, her future goals, and her other creative endeavours.
Butler’s writing journey
Although Butler now uses writing as a method of self-expression, the poet originally used the art form as a way of dealing with the loneliness she experienced as a child. Though she was raised alongside her older brother, Butler oftentimes went without companionship because her sibling was working. Butler elaborated that she felt like “basically [an] only child” and that “writing was a really handy way to… deal with that.”
Butler was further inspired by poetry at the age of 13, when her eighth grade class was assigned a poetry project. After reading her work, Butler’s teacher encouraged her to continue writing by joining her school’s creative writing circle. “I was always around other writers [and] exploring different genres, but poetry just kind of stuck with me,” Butler explained.
Now a creative writing major at UTSC, Butler’s talent continues to be fostered by her teachers. Last semester, as part of an independent study class with Associate Professor Daniel Tysdal, Butler wrote poetry about women who have experienced violence in Barrie, her hometown.
“Barrie’s been a city [where women] have experienced gender-based violence or have been murdered,” Butler said. “I’m spending a lot of time watching YouTube videos, and… reading articles and picking up on little details… that I can use [to] translate the story into a poetic way instead of [just] a news article, or [a] sad story.”
Writing Little Miracles
Though many approach creative writing with a preplanned concept or idea, Butler wrote much of Little Miracles without knowing it would translate into a cohesive project. “I had all this work and I put it all together and realized they were all [definite] themes that flowed really well and made up a collection,” Butler described.
Butler partially attributes her book’s publication to Meyer, who brought her manuscript to Marty Gervais, a representative from Black Moss Press. She stressed the importance of having a connection within the writing world, “as crappy as that can be.”
“[Gervais] really liked my work. And he knew me from before… because I’ve done gigs in Windsor, where he lives,” Butler explained. “So he decided to put it out, which I was super grateful for. [Meyer] had already edited it into [a] nice, cohesive piece. And then I just skimmed it to make sure that I liked how everything looked. They had a designer who made it pretty.”
Poet Laureate of Barrie
Aside from becoming a published author for the first time, Butler is also the third Poet Laureate of Barrie. The title, which is given to a new writer every four years, is accompanied by the task of sharing community stories through poetry and advocating for arts and literature within the community.
“I’m the first woman and I’m also the youngest [Poet Laureate in Barrie], but [they’re] all over Canada,” Butler shared. Butler explained that the title traced back to the 1600s, when its holder wrote verse for court and significant national occasions in the United Kingdom.
For Butler, the role carries the same social responsibility as it did when it came with significant social status. Butler explained that, because Barrie is a conservative town, she feels that advocacy through artistic work is especially needed. “We run into a lot of issues [with] policy [and] services that we need that we can’t get. So that’s… where it’s like, okay, [let’s] stop seeing these people as ‘other’ and [put] them on the same level as everyone else.”
Butler, who’s four years into her term, added that she is especially interested in publishing poems that detail people in her community who have experienced addiction or homelessness. “Not for me, but [so I can] use my gifts to give them a platform,” Butler explained.
Little Miracles can be found at the Chapters story in Barrie. It can also be purchased through Black Moss Press’ or Victoria Butler’s website.
