Brian Purdy's work has appeared in more than fifty periodicals, including Prism International; Cat Fancy; Canadian Forum; Prism International; Dalhousie Review; Quarry; Waves; Laomedon Review; Tamarack Review; Arc Magazine, Big Pond Rumours, and Antigonish Review. He also has poetry included in Under the Mulberry Tree (edited by James Deahl), a tribute volume to Canadian poet Raymond Souster.

He is the author of Interloper and To Feed the Sun as well as three chapbooks: Black Ink: Portraits, A Poet's Garden of Pointers, and Strips.