“Chores is filled with an unflinching directness toward the female body, sexuality, and the familiar rhythms of folk songs that all weave together to create a fascinating experience—one that encourages the reader to confront the beauty, the strangeness, and interconnectedness of the humdrum existence.”
Captivating from the opening lines, with uncomplicated language and vivid, visceral images, Burton revisits the day-to-day events of domestic life and women’s labour that are often overlooked. Bringing tenderness to the struggles of survival, these poems stir up nostalgia for home and beloved grandmothers.
“The precision of sound and vision in Maggie Burton’s debut collection of poems, Chores, is impressive and incisive, as she dissects the body politic across Newfoundland.”
“Chores is Burton’s photo album repurposed as a collection of free-style poems, which welcome the reader into a private, intimate family life upheld by the perseverance of women’s daily routines.”