Shari Andrews
Biography
Shari Andrews - Photo Courtesy of Author
Shari Andrews is a Canadian poet of Danish descent. Her first chapbook, Treason, was published in 1990. Her first full-length collection, The Stone Cloak (1999), was an imaginative retelling of the story of her great-grandparents’ move to New Denmark in 1876. Her second collection, Bones About to Bloom (2001), was awarded a Bailey Prize by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick. Her third work, Crucible (2004), is a series of poems inspired by the life of St. Catherine of Siena. In 2005, Oberon Press published Andrews' most recent work, Walking the Sky.
Andrews is a member of the “Wolf Tree Group”, a community of New Brunswick poets who participate in the Random Acts of Poetry event, funded by the Canadian Council for the Arts. Andrews lives with her husband in New Maryland, New Brunswick.
More information on Shari Andrews can be found in the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia.
Andrews is a member of the “Wolf Tree Group”, a community of New Brunswick poets who participate in the Random Acts of Poetry event, funded by the Canadian Council for the Arts. Andrews lives with her husband in New Maryland, New Brunswick.
More information on Shari Andrews can be found in the New Brunswick Literary Encyclopedia.
The garden that is Denmark
is at risk of being trampled
by soldiers and their weapons.
Taken bit by bit, while we watch,
hands tied behind our backs.
Our flag, the Dannebrog, is banished,
hidden in trunks in the attic
or beneath stones in the yard,
a secret map unfolded
only when doors are locked
and blinds pulled.
Our only legacy, our children
falling exhausted in bed,
not from laughing and skipping
but from the burden, the stone cloak
they must pull over their bodies
in the early-morning darkness:
hay to be pitched,
cows to be milked, rows of
snapping, waddling geese driven to the pond,
mounds of eggs gathered in baskets
and left on doorstoops, each apple and plum,
cabbage and potato –a tooth
we’ve had to pull from our bodies
and hand over to the landlord.
Even in our one, small rebellion,
our pledge of allegiance –
“red and white flags”
of roses and tulips, swaying
beneath the windows of our houses –
in the end, no trace remains
but mere survival.
Published in The Stone Cloak (Oberon Press).
Used with permission of the author.
is at risk of being trampled
by soldiers and their weapons.
Taken bit by bit, while we watch,
hands tied behind our backs.
Our flag, the Dannebrog, is banished,
hidden in trunks in the attic
or beneath stones in the yard,
a secret map unfolded
only when doors are locked
and blinds pulled.
Our only legacy, our children
falling exhausted in bed,
not from laughing and skipping
but from the burden, the stone cloak
they must pull over their bodies
in the early-morning darkness:
hay to be pitched,
cows to be milked, rows of
snapping, waddling geese driven to the pond,
mounds of eggs gathered in baskets
and left on doorstoops, each apple and plum,
cabbage and potato –a tooth
we’ve had to pull from our bodies
and hand over to the landlord.
Even in our one, small rebellion,
our pledge of allegiance –
“red and white flags”
of roses and tulips, swaying
beneath the windows of our houses –
in the end, no trace remains
but mere survival.
Published in The Stone Cloak (Oberon Press).
Used with permission of the author.
Critical Analysis: Emigration and Heritage in Shari Andrews' "No Trace Remains"
Laura Noble (for ENGL 4416: Atlantic Canadian Women Poets)
Shari Andrews’ “No Trace Remains” explores Andrews’ personal connection to her Danish roots, as well as the speaker’s observations on legacy and heritage. Andrews’ 1999 collectionThe Stone Cloak is described as “an imaginative recreation of the lives of the settlers in New Denmark from 1872 to the present time” (Foreword). Detailing her own connection to her history, Andrews notes in a 1999 interview that her “grandmother is Danish. Her great-grandparents came over [to New Denmark] in 1876. A lot of my childhood memories come from New Denmark” (Words Out There 192). The Stone Cloak follows the trials faced in attempting to provide a better life for oneself and one’s family. “No Trace Remains” illustrates the hardships endured while in Denmark, following the annexation of Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia in 1864. Against the backdrop of oppression, Andrews’ speaker finds strength.
In "No Trace Remains," with their home and heritage “at risk of being trampled” (2), the future settlers of New Denmark are helpless to stop the erasure of their culture, with their “hands tied behind [their] backs” (5). Through suffering, the community unites, recognizing the power of their children. With future generations presented as “[their] only legacy” (12), the young of the community become vessels for depositing knowledge of their heritage.
Such knowledge, however, comes with a price. The children of this community are already aware of their oppression, as “the burden, the stone cloak” (15) shrouds them. The weight of a legacy in conjunction with oppression and fear is almost more than the children can bear. Andrews writes of the work to be done for the sake of the family:
hay to be pitched,
cows to be milked, rows of
snapping, waddling geese driven to the pond,
mounds of eggs gathered in baskets
and left on doorsteps, each apple and plum,
cabbage and potato—a tooth
we’ve had to pull from our bodies
and hand over to the landlord. (18-25)
It is not the work itself that is burdensome, but the inability to determine one’s own fate. The work done by the children, rather than going to support their family, is instead owed to the landlord as a tithe. While they put themselves into their work, they are forced to hand over a part of themselves to their oppressors.
The members of this community are focused on preserving their heritage. For Andrews’ speaker, identity is inextricably tied to where one has come from and where one is going, a sense of identity tied to a shared heritage:
even in our one, small rebellion,
our pledge of allegiance –
“red and white flags”
of roses and tulips. (26-29)
As Andrews presents it, it is shared heritage and rebellion which strengthens identity and heritage, as opposed to physical location. As such, seeking a life in a new country becomes an option for her speaker and the community, ultimately culminating in emigration from Denmark to New Brunswick.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Andrews, Shari. Foreword. The Stone Cloak. Canada: Oberon Press, 1999.
---. Interview by Jeanette Lynes. “Shari Andrews, Poet of New Denmark, N.B.” Words Out There: Women Poets in Atlantic Canada. Lockeport, NS: Roseway, 1999. 191-194.
---. “No Trace Remains.” The Stone Cloak. Canada: Oberon Press, 1999. 11-12.
Shari Andrews’ “No Trace Remains” explores Andrews’ personal connection to her Danish roots, as well as the speaker’s observations on legacy and heritage. Andrews’ 1999 collectionThe Stone Cloak is described as “an imaginative recreation of the lives of the settlers in New Denmark from 1872 to the present time” (Foreword). Detailing her own connection to her history, Andrews notes in a 1999 interview that her “grandmother is Danish. Her great-grandparents came over [to New Denmark] in 1876. A lot of my childhood memories come from New Denmark” (Words Out There 192). The Stone Cloak follows the trials faced in attempting to provide a better life for oneself and one’s family. “No Trace Remains” illustrates the hardships endured while in Denmark, following the annexation of Schleswig and Holstein to Prussia in 1864. Against the backdrop of oppression, Andrews’ speaker finds strength.
In "No Trace Remains," with their home and heritage “at risk of being trampled” (2), the future settlers of New Denmark are helpless to stop the erasure of their culture, with their “hands tied behind [their] backs” (5). Through suffering, the community unites, recognizing the power of their children. With future generations presented as “[their] only legacy” (12), the young of the community become vessels for depositing knowledge of their heritage.
Such knowledge, however, comes with a price. The children of this community are already aware of their oppression, as “the burden, the stone cloak” (15) shrouds them. The weight of a legacy in conjunction with oppression and fear is almost more than the children can bear. Andrews writes of the work to be done for the sake of the family:
hay to be pitched,
cows to be milked, rows of
snapping, waddling geese driven to the pond,
mounds of eggs gathered in baskets
and left on doorsteps, each apple and plum,
cabbage and potato—a tooth
we’ve had to pull from our bodies
and hand over to the landlord. (18-25)
It is not the work itself that is burdensome, but the inability to determine one’s own fate. The work done by the children, rather than going to support their family, is instead owed to the landlord as a tithe. While they put themselves into their work, they are forced to hand over a part of themselves to their oppressors.
The members of this community are focused on preserving their heritage. For Andrews’ speaker, identity is inextricably tied to where one has come from and where one is going, a sense of identity tied to a shared heritage:
even in our one, small rebellion,
our pledge of allegiance –
“red and white flags”
of roses and tulips. (26-29)
As Andrews presents it, it is shared heritage and rebellion which strengthens identity and heritage, as opposed to physical location. As such, seeking a life in a new country becomes an option for her speaker and the community, ultimately culminating in emigration from Denmark to New Brunswick.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Andrews, Shari. Foreword. The Stone Cloak. Canada: Oberon Press, 1999.
---. Interview by Jeanette Lynes. “Shari Andrews, Poet of New Denmark, N.B.” Words Out There: Women Poets in Atlantic Canada. Lockeport, NS: Roseway, 1999. 191-194.
---. “No Trace Remains.” The Stone Cloak. Canada: Oberon Press, 1999. 11-12.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Andrews, Shari. "A Strand of Hair.” Prairie Fire (1997): 69. CBCAComplete.
---. "Anchors." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1996): 42. CBCAComplete.
---. "Birth Given." Catholic New Times May 05 2002: 16. CBCAComplete.
---. "Bluebell Road." Poetry Canada (1995): 16. CBCAComplete.
---. Bones About to Bloom. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2001.
---. "Closer to the Possibility.” The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 33. CBCAComplete.
---. "Country of Slow Motion." Prairie Fire (1997): 69. CBCAComplete.
---. Crucible. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2004.
---. "Emptiness." Fiddlehead (2008): 77. CBCAComplete.
---. "Exclamations." Poetry Canada (1995): 16. CBCAComplete.
---. "Finished with Pretending." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 76. CBCAComplete.
---. First Thin Light. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2015.
---. "Footstool of Neptune." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 34. CBCAComplete.
---. "from the Sleeve of a Cloud." Fiddlehead (1996): 12. CBCAComplete.
---. "Homespun Wings." Fiddlehead (1994): 46. CBCAComplete.
---. "In this Picture (After "Annette Assise 1954" by Alberto Giacometti)." Room of One's Own (2008): 55. CBCAComplete.
---. "Instructions to the Intending Emigrant." Canadian Literature 141 (1994): 50-51. CBCAComplete.
---. "Just a Summer Evening." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 32. CBCAComplete.
---. "Snatched Clean." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1996): 43. CBCAComplete.
---. "the Step we Took." Fiddlehead (1994): 45. CBCAComplete.
---. The Stone Cloak. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1999.
---. "Surely this is the Ease." Fiddlehead (1996): 14. CBCAComplete.
---. "This Evening is Without Emptiness." Fiddlehead (2008): 78. CBCAComplete.
---. Treason. Fredericton, NB: Wild East, 1990.
---. Walking the Sky. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2005.
Secondary Sources
Andrews, Shari. Interview by Jeanette Lynes. “Shari Andrews, Poet of New Denmark, N.B.” Words Out There: Women Poets in Atlantic Canada. Lockeport, NS: Roseway, 1999. 191-194.
---. "Shari Andrews [Interview Excerpts]." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 31.CBCAComplete.
Battis, Jes. "Organic Re-Membering." Rev. of Bones About to Bloom, by Shari Andrews. Canadian Literature 183 (2004): 89-90. CBCA Complete.
Hodd, Thomas. “The Stone Cloak.” Rev. of The Stone Cloak, by Shari Andrews. Journal of Canadian Poetry 16 (1999): 11-5. CBCA Complete.
New, W. H. "Re-Collecting 1999." Canadian Literature 167 (2000): 176-87. CBCA Complete.
Reibetanz, Julia. "Poetry." Rev. of Bones About to Bloom, by Shari Andrews. University of Toronto Quarterly 72.1 (2003): 207-55. CBCA Complete.
Andrews, Shari. "A Strand of Hair.” Prairie Fire (1997): 69. CBCAComplete.
---. "Anchors." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1996): 42. CBCAComplete.
---. "Birth Given." Catholic New Times May 05 2002: 16. CBCAComplete.
---. "Bluebell Road." Poetry Canada (1995): 16. CBCAComplete.
---. Bones About to Bloom. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2001.
---. "Closer to the Possibility.” The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 33. CBCAComplete.
---. "Country of Slow Motion." Prairie Fire (1997): 69. CBCAComplete.
---. Crucible. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2004.
---. "Emptiness." Fiddlehead (2008): 77. CBCAComplete.
---. "Exclamations." Poetry Canada (1995): 16. CBCAComplete.
---. "Finished with Pretending." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 76. CBCAComplete.
---. First Thin Light. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2015.
---. "Footstool of Neptune." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 34. CBCAComplete.
---. "from the Sleeve of a Cloud." Fiddlehead (1996): 12. CBCAComplete.
---. "Homespun Wings." Fiddlehead (1994): 46. CBCAComplete.
---. "In this Picture (After "Annette Assise 1954" by Alberto Giacometti)." Room of One's Own (2008): 55. CBCAComplete.
---. "Instructions to the Intending Emigrant." Canadian Literature 141 (1994): 50-51. CBCAComplete.
---. "Just a Summer Evening." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 32. CBCAComplete.
---. "Snatched Clean." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1996): 43. CBCAComplete.
---. "the Step we Took." Fiddlehead (1994): 45. CBCAComplete.
---. The Stone Cloak. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1999.
---. "Surely this is the Ease." Fiddlehead (1996): 14. CBCAComplete.
---. "This Evening is Without Emptiness." Fiddlehead (2008): 78. CBCAComplete.
---. Treason. Fredericton, NB: Wild East, 1990.
---. Walking the Sky. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2005.
Secondary Sources
Andrews, Shari. Interview by Jeanette Lynes. “Shari Andrews, Poet of New Denmark, N.B.” Words Out There: Women Poets in Atlantic Canada. Lockeport, NS: Roseway, 1999. 191-194.
---. "Shari Andrews [Interview Excerpts]." The Pottersfield Portfolio (1998): 31.CBCAComplete.
Battis, Jes. "Organic Re-Membering." Rev. of Bones About to Bloom, by Shari Andrews. Canadian Literature 183 (2004): 89-90. CBCA Complete.
Hodd, Thomas. “The Stone Cloak.” Rev. of The Stone Cloak, by Shari Andrews. Journal of Canadian Poetry 16 (1999): 11-5. CBCA Complete.
New, W. H. "Re-Collecting 1999." Canadian Literature 167 (2000): 176-87. CBCA Complete.
Reibetanz, Julia. "Poetry." Rev. of Bones About to Bloom, by Shari Andrews. University of Toronto Quarterly 72.1 (2003): 207-55. CBCA Complete.
