Author Archives: Barry Pomeroy

About Barry Pomeroy

I had an English teacher in high school many years ago who talked about writing as something that people do, rather than something that died with Shakespeare. I began writing soon after, maudlin poetry followed by short prose pieces, but finally, after years of academic training, I learned something about the magic of the manipulated word.

The Boatyards of the Azores and Hawaii

Posted on January 26, 2020 by Barry Pomeroy

He’d heard rumours about the boatyards of the Azores and Hawaii. Some said that retirees who’d spent their working life dreaming of sailing away would sit at their desks gazing a wooden yacht until the fantasy became a certainty and … Continue reading →

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Winnipeg Bus Conversations

Posted on January 12, 2020 by Barry Pomeroy

Conversations on public transit are less frequent with each passing year. Although print media in the form of books and newspapers have always protected the less socialized from interaction, that has been exacerbated by the use of smart phones. Normally … Continue reading →

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Dinosaurs and Asteroids

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

There is much said about the dinosaurs’ lack of information about the asteroid which largely wiped them from the earth. Ostensibly, they had no idea what happened, although, to be fair, in every visual representation of the scene, the brightly … Continue reading →

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The Dream of the Found Object

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

When I told my friend that I have a recurring dream in which I find stuff, she found it endlessly funny. In the dream, I am usually in a rush to go somewhere, and that rush has an extra push … Continue reading →

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Racist Rob and Corrupt Politicians

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

I’d only been teaching a few years when I had a student who was so racist that I was forced to confront several of his statements in class. As anyone knows who has dealt with such behaviour, this demands a … Continue reading →

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Found Sentences: The Environmental Movement and Going Back to Green

Posted on November 16, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

When Cousin Nick wanted to make a documentary about me he wasn’t that impressed when he interviewed my friend Mento Wong. Mento was a biker friend of mine who’d spent his life railing against conformity and worked as an operator … Continue reading →

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Superman and Columbus as Heros

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

Stories of origin are where we get our ideas about good and evil, discover how we should conduct themselves in the world, and find out where we fit into our cultural lineage. That the United States celebrates Columbus Day despite … Continue reading →

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Cultural Codes Case Study – Tom Waits’ “Small Change”

Posted on October 9, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

Much of the interpretative work that the reader is asked to do with this short text is in reference to their knowledge of cultural codes. One of the examples I continually return to when it comes to understanding cultural coding … Continue reading →

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Fiddleheads in the Spring 2019

Posted on May 25, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

Traditionally, one of the earliest foods of the season for Indigenous people in New Brunswick was fiddleheads. They are the first green which appears and are high in vitamin C. Therefore, they are an excellent supplement to a diet which … Continue reading →

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Opening up the Cabin

Posted on May 6, 2019 by Barry Pomeroy

I thought I would have time enough to eat and sleep at the cabin, so I didn’t have any breakfast before I went out to pack up the car. That may have been a mistake, for I noticed my front … Continue reading →

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