Vernon James Mooers

1951-2021

Vernon James Mooers (novelist, journalist, photographer, editor, and teacher) was born on 21 September 1951 in Dauphin, Manitoba, but grew up east of Fredericton in what was then the town of Devon. Mooers received his early education at South Devon Elementary School and Devon Junior High and then moved to Fredericton High School. After graduation he went to the University of New Brunswick and after finishing his degree, he moved to western Canada. He moved back to Fredericton to attend St. Thomas University for a two-year BEd. Once completed, he moved to Africa to teach English in secondary schools in Nigeria for four years. He returned to Fredericton to complete his MEd. Mooers was a member of various organizations, including the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick, the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland, and the Seoul Artistic Group. Vernon wrote articles printed in The Daily Gleaner, Fredericton This Week, Fat City Music Magazine, Books in Canada, and Cross Canada Writers’ Quarterly. He published over 200 poems and 19 short stories in journals, such as Descant, Poetry Australia, the Antigonish Review, Nashwaak Review, Pottersfield Portfolio, Nfld Quarterly, Tickleace, and San Fernando Poetry Journal. He published several collections of poetry, including Gypsy Hymns, Nests on the Cliffs, Inside a Mosquito Net, and Crying Mountain: Korea Poems, and a novel, Briefly a Candle (1999). He won prizes for writing, including from the New Brunswick Writers’ Federation competitions, Newfoundland Arts and Letters competitions, Cross Canada Writers’ quarterly competition, the Atlantic writing competitions, and Metro Seoul Essay Competition, in which he also won the Grand Prize for Poetry. Mooers later lived in South Korea, where he taught English at a Korean university. He died 21 December 2021.

Predominant New Brunswick Residences:

Fredericton