Fuelled by a cause close to them, artists can create a call to action in their own unique way. It can be soothing, thought provoking, entertaining. It can take many forms and is limited only by imagination. It is a true gift when an artist can share their voice, their gifts, and inspire positive change in their community.
In a recent project benefiting the Barrie Women and Children’s Shelter, Barrie’s own poet laureate, Victoria Butler, released Hollow Tongue, a new collection of literary work that makes space for stories that are close to home, whether we know it or not. Every page of Hollow Tongue honours women in our community who have been victims of abuse and even murdered.
Now, a few weeks after its release, I had the opportunity to ask Victoria Butler a few questions about Hollow Tongue, her role as poet laureate, and what advice she has for the next person to carry the title.
RV: As poet laureate for Barrie over the last four years, and the first woman to carry the title, what does the position mean to you? And how has it changed you as an artist?
VB: It was a huge honour to be nominated and then elected when I was only 22. I was just a kid. It’s bizarre to think about how much has changed in the past four years to now.
I owe my laureateship quite a bit. I received so many opportunities to travel and read my poetry all over Ontario, which was quite literally a dream come true. The role itself was a key player in me realizing I could pursue writing as a career. Writing was something I loved my whole life but assumed I could only do as a hobby.
In 2019, I was a featured speaker at Poetry at the Manor in Windsor when someone asked me something on the topic of ensuring I was the best poet I could be. For some reason I blurted out, “Oh, I’m going to go back to school,” to a room full of over a hundred people. In my head I was like, “Uh, there’s no way. I dropped out for a reason,” but lo and behold, I re-enrolled at the University of Toronto in 2020 and am a year away from completing my undergrad in creative writing.
It is because I have had the Barrie community supporting me all these years, believing in me and encouraging me, that I have been able to be so successful. I owe so much to the laureateship program and I would not be where I am today, or who I am today, without the city taking a chance on that wide-eyed 22-year-old back in 2018.
RV: It was recently announced that Tyneisha Ternent (a.k.a. Ty the Poetess) is running to be Barrie’s next poet laureate, giving thanks to you for her nomination. Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for her?
VB: I’ve been watching Ty for a while in the community and I’ve known since I met her that she would make an amazing poet laureate. Ty excels at community engagement and bringing poetry to the people. In the last year or two, she’s done countless readings, workshops, live performances, and received grant funding to bring poetry concerts to Barrie. She has amazing ideas on how to elevate the literary scene in Barrie and I can’t wait to see her bring them to fruition.
The advice I have for her is to not be afraid. The job of the poet laureate is to speak on the issues of the city through poetry. There were multiple times throughout my laureateship I felt silenced, where people were worried about me saying something that could be controversial. Poet laureates are supposed to be controversial. They are supposed to offer insight on issues and speak to topics that could make people uncomfortable in order to inspire discussion or provoke new, critical insights. If Ty becomes our next PL, I encourage her to never shy away from controversy and never feel she needs to censor herself to make other people comfortable. She has an incredible gift, one that can change lives and influence policy, and I don’t want to see her fall victim to those who will stand in her way like I did.
RV: Your latest collection, titled Hollow Tongue, honours victims of violence, with all proceeds going to the Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie. What inspired this project and what was your process to create the works we see in the published copy?
VB: I got the idea for Hollow Tongue in 2020, when the (alleged) murderer of Katherine Janeiro was caught and arrested. I had never heard of Katherine or her story, and began to question why that was. I started poking around in the Barrie police cold cases section on their website and found so many more women whose stories have been lost to the years and news cycles.
To write each poem, I researched as much as I could about each woman. I spent a lot of hours watching the Simcoe County Case Files videos on YouTube and going through old scans of newspaper clippings. I attempted to reach out to a few family members and friends, but they were difficult to get in touch with. I wanted to write about their lives, more so than their deaths. Their tragedies had been covered quite extensively by the media, and I wanted them to be remembered for who they were during their lives rather than the sensationalized headlines they had become.
I’m also grateful to Mary Fletcher Harris, who works with the Barrie Historical Archive and helped me find information on a few different women. Her work on Elizabeth Meyer was essential in helping me write that poem, and it was her personal anecdotes about Michelle Basson that allowed me to write her poem as well.
The other pieces that are not named are poems about women who are still alive who have experienced abuse. These poems, I wrote based on the experiences these women so bravely shared with me and allowed me to write about.
RV: Hollow Tongue was released on Oct. 14. What has been the response so far and what do you hope people take away after reading it?
VB: So far it’s been a great response. At the launch we raised just over $1,000 between the auction and selling copies of the collection. There are still a ton of copies left, so lots of potential for more funds for the shelter as well. My grandma personally bought six copies and has been handing them out at her church, so that is my greatest barometer for success.
I want people to remember the women I wrote about. I want them to read these stories and understand that violence against women is, unfortunately, sewn into the fabric of our world. There are very few women in my life who have not experienced it, and there are none who haven’t felt the ever-present threat. The more we talk about it, the less women feel we have to hide these experiences for other people’s comfort.
RV: If you had to choose one poem in the collection that encapsulates the essence of Hollow Tongue, which poem is it and why?
VB: The opening poem, Untitled, would be the definitive poem. I put it first as a means of setting the scene, to embody the fear I’ve previously mentioned that women live with and the subtle ways we have been conditioned to deal with it. It also includes the title of the collection in the line, “It is a hollow tongue / carved in stone.” The idea is that women have a shared language when we discuss things like this. We don’t need to be overly explicit for other women to know exactly what we are talking about.
RV: A line that stood out to me, among many, is from Staff Report HRS002-20 that ends with, “I am not surprised by your actions, simply relieved at the consequences.” Could you expand on the piece and what it means to you?
VB: The expectation of violence is inherent when you walk through the world as a woman. It isn’t shocking when that fear comes to fruition as it’s something you’re briefed on since girlhood. What is surprising, however, is when these acts of violence have consequences, because they so rarely do.
The poem follows the idea of, what if I was just a human, not a woman? (Because those two are arguably not the same thing within a society where women are oppressed.) How would my mistreatment be considered if I was not considered lesser? The poem plays on the idea of women’s bodies as objects, but in this situation the object is literal. It is beautiful decor at an event and when the perpetrator touches it, people are angry and the man must leave the event, almost as if an unruly child has broken something precious. There is nothing shocking about this person’s abusive behaviour. It is expected, but it is a relief to know they are reprimanded for it. Consequences exist: a relaxing thought which most women do not have, and it’s why we choose to very rarely report instances of abuse or assault.
RV: Are there any local artists that inspire you and who are they?
VB: Each poem in Hollow Tongue is paired with artwork, and I can easily say that all of the artists I approached to ask to create something for these poems are artists that inspire me, but here are some more.
Forgather Floral Co. creates breathtaking floral arrangements and installations. I work with them part time and it genuinely helps calm my anxiety when I am surrounded by their gorgeous work.
Caitlin Helinski is one of my favourite poets right now. You can read her work on Instagram @therememberingroom. She captures everyday moments in such stunning detail that you could never forget them even if you tried.
Leandra Almeida and Angela Aujla. I joked with them both at the launch of Hollow Tongue that I can never do anything arts related without them. I admire them both so much and it’s an honour to be able to work with them both.
Katie Green and Mar Lewis. They both run Spare Room in downtown Barrie and create infinite opportunities for artists across Barrie. They are both established artists in their own right but the work they do has helped the Barrie arts community flourish.
Angela Francis from AFFA Studio is another incredible community builder. She is also an amazing painter and I am hoping to see a large-scale mural done by her in the future.
Monica Loney, Petra Victoria, Tiff Syzmanski and Ryley James just put on their Hues show at the aforementioned Spare Room, which was a gorgeous collection of their different arts styles. All of them are so talented and I’m waiting with bated breath to see what they do next.
Rebekah Hawker is one of my favourite singer-songwriters and I couldn’t be happier she’s back in Simcoe County for the next little while.
There are probably countless more I am forgetting but I could go on forever. Barrie is simply overwhelmed with incredible talent and I am honoured to be a part of the community.
RV: If someone were to want a soundtrack to be on in the background while reading Hollow Tongue, what would be on the playlist?
VB: Candle in the Wind by Elton John, followed by a lot of Fiona Apple, or the part of Mitski’s Drunk Walk Home or Phoebe Bridgers’s I Know the End, where they scream.
To purchase a copy of Hollow Tongue, visit Victoria Butler’s website here.
To donate to the Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie, click here.
