The Chrome Chair is Newfoundland, feminist environmentalist poetry at its finest. Devereaux’s sharp, humorous writing cuts to the heart of contemporary concerns around feminism and climate change through playful re-imaginings of the life of historical figure Rachel Carson, and wry critiques of Newfoundland politics.

The chrome kitchen chair, as an object, is a poor second cousin to the stately wooden dining chair – it is vintage, but not antique. And yet, there is something appealing about its shiny silver legs, the brightly coloured floral or starburst patterns on its padded back and seat. If, when promised a seat at the table of nations, Newfoundland was handed a chrome chair, so too was a chrome chair kicked in the direction of women promised equality.

Divided into two sections, these poems are about fear and feminists and Barbie and hearts that won’t behave. And they are about Rachel Carson, what her life might have looked like without the confines of white female respectability, and what she might think of us now. Rooted on the island of Newfoundland, cut through with humour and anxiety, the poems in this collection are serious, irreverent and reverent by turns, feminist, sexy and sometimes a little bit wacky

Danielle Devereaux grew up in St. John’s, Newfoundland where she lives now with her partner, their two children and two cats. Her poetry has appeared in Riddle Fence, Arc Poetry Magazine, The Fiddlehead, Newfoundland Quarterly and The Best Canadian Poetry in English 2011. Her chapbook, Cardiogram, was published in 2011 by Baseline Press. “Quelle Affaire,” a poem from the chapbook, was made into a short film by director Ruth Lawrence. An earlier draft of The Chrome Chair was shortlisted for the NLCU Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers. Danielle is an alumnus of the Banff Centre for the Arts Writing Studio, holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Women’s Studies from Memorial University, and has done doctoral work in Communications Studies at Concordia University. She has worked as a freelance writer and editor, and currently works in communications at Memorial University’s School of Social Work.

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