12/27/2010

one asks for bread and is given a plethora of sounds

With only a few exceptions - Lawrence, Rimbaud - the modern poet has been an empty windbag and a chatterer. No wonder anguished people turn from him in amusement, boredom, or pity. He has nothing to say worth listening to. One asks for bread and is given a plethora of sounds. The major poets are children lost in a painted forest, making as much noise as they can to attract attention; the lesser ones absent-mindedly continue bringing their posies into the swept courtyards of Auschwitz and Belsen; all of them intent on proving to the world how sensitive they are, how perceptive, how erudite and archetype-crammed. The truth is this: instead of remembering they are prophets and the descendants of prophets, the poets have swapped roles with entertainers and culture-peddlers.


- Irving Layton, from the foreword to Balls for a One-Armed Juggler, 1963

12/23/2010

christmas-cellanea

1. Cormorant Books' Spring 2011 Catalogue is online! See Mom? I told you I wasn't make the whole book thing up... (If you click the link, give the catalogue a second to load before scrolling through).

2. One Ghana, One Voice is now on Twitter. Follow along on all things Ghanaian + poetry at http://twitter.com/ghanapoetry. While on the subject of OGOV, don't forget to vote for your favourite poem of 2010.

3. The second issue of The Incongruous Quarterly is now online. You can read it here. If you're feeling nostalgic, you can read my poem from the first issue here.

4. Merry Christmas to you and yours, lovely readers!

To celebrate, here's a winter scene designed by Daniela Elza's uber-talented 10 year old son, Azlen:


 
I think silaron is now on vacation until the New Year. If so, Happy New Year and see you in 2011!

12/13/2010

vote for your favourite OGOV poems

As we do every year at One Ghana, One Voice, we're collecting readers' votes in order to determine our favourite poems of 2010. If you've kept an eye on the site over the year, you can get the info on voting here. If you're out of the loop, you can catch up via our archives.

Favourites from past years can be read here.

12/08/2010

rainy-day readings

It's pouring rain in December. That's more like it, Vancouver weather. Snow? In November? That was crazy, dude.

Four readings coming up over the next three days - and there are probably more that I don't know about. I'm reading at one of the Thursday readings, but Anna Swanson's new book, The Nights Also, is darn good, so I wouldn't blame you if you took that in instead (esp. if she reads "The Logic of Trains").

Anyway, here they be:


Leaf Press Reading
Wednesday, December 8th, 6:30- 8:30 PM
Sitka Books & Art
2025 W 4th Avenue, Vancouver
Featuring: Bibiana Tomasic and Sandy Shreve
Free!


TWS Reading Series
Thursday, December 9th, 7:00 PM
Rhizome Cafe
317 East Broadway, Vancouver
Featuring: Grant Lawrence, Renee Saklikar, Melissa Sawatsky, myself and more!
Free!


Robson Reading Series
Thursday, December 9th, 7:00 PM
UBC Bookstore, Robson Square
800 Robson St, Vancouver
Featuring: Anna Swanson and Deborah Willis
Free!


Anvil Press Reading/Launch Party
Friday, December 10th, 7:00 PM
Cafe Montmartre
4362 Main St, Vancouver
Featuring: Kerry Ryan, Tony Burgess, Bonnie Bowman, and more!
Free!

12/06/2010

five christmas ideas #2

A reliable source has informed me that my "Five Last Minute Christmas Ideas" post from last year generated at least one purchase of a book of Canadian poetry. A less-reliable source has informed me that my pick of Karen Solie's Pigeon as the first of my five recommendations was the deciding factor in last year's Griffin Prize jury deliberation. My sources, reliable or not, agreed that I should do it again this year.

Here, then, are some more suggestions of new-ish poetry books for poetry fans and maybe-possibly-soon-to-become poetry fans alike:



Who’s Damian Rogers? A poet. A Canadian one. Well, if you consider Detroit to be "North Windsor", in the Journey-lyrics sense. And she's living in Toronto now, which makes her slightly more Canadian. The internet can tell you more.

What’s this book? Sell it to me like it's a Canadian movie. Hmmm... how about "Poems about Shakers. Wait, don't leave! They're really good. I promise!"

I'm a bargain hunter. Is this book a bargain? Well, there are 48 poems and the book costs $16.95, so you pay a mere $0.35 a poem. You tell me. (p.s. The answer is "Yes!")

When I'm in the bookstore considering my purchase, which poem should I read to seal the deal? “New House”, pg. 23.

Ok, I was lying in that last question. My plan was to Google the poem, then buy the book on Amazon. But I couldn't find that poem online! Got another one? "Dream of the Last Shaker", pg. 55. And also here, lazy.




Living Things by Matt Rader, Nightwood Editions, 2008

Who’s Matt Rader? A poet. A Canadian one, even if he lived in Oregon for a while. Still, Oregon's more Canadian than Toronto, so we shouldn't hold it against him. He's on Vancouver Island now. The internet can tell you more.

What’s this book? Sell it to me like it's a Canadian movie. Hmmm... how about "Poems about trees and plants. Wait, don't leave! They're really good. I promise!"

I'm a bargain hunter. Is this book a bargain? Well, there are 46 poems and the book costs $16.95, so you pay a mere $0.37 a poem. Yes, a bargain once again, it seems.

When I'm in the bookstore considering my purchase, which poem should I read to seal the deal? “Emergency Broadcast System”, pg. 49.

Ok, I was lying in that last question. My plan was to Google the poem, then buy the book on Amazon. But I couldn't find that poem online! Got another one? "The Great Mink", pg. 63. And also here.
But seriously, you should get out more.




Chameleon Hours by Elise Partridge, House of Anansi Press, 2008
Who’s Elise Partridge? A poet. A Canadian one, though I read somewhere that she's a Canadian-American dual citizen. Can't we just keep things simple, people? Anyway, she lives in Vancouver. The internet can tell you more.

What’s this book? Sell it to me like it's a Canadian movie. Hmmm... how about "Poems about chemotherapy treatment. Wait, don't leave! They're really good. I promise!" Man, no one is making this easy on me...

I'm a bargain hunter. Is this book a bargain? Well, there are 38 poems and the book costs $18.95, so you pay a mere $0.50 a poem. That's the cost of a local phone call from a pay phone (remember those?) - a pretty good bargain, if you ask me.

When I'm in the bookstore considering my purchase, which poem should I read to seal the deal? "Chemo Side Effects: Vision", pg. 22.

Ok, I was lying in that last question. My plan was to Google the poem, then buy the book on Amazon. But I couldn't find that poem online! Got another one? "Chemo Side Effects: Memory", pg. 20. And also here.
You're ruining your eyes staring at that monitor all day, you know?



The Essential Don Coles by Don Coles, The Porcupine's Quill, 2009

Who’s Don Coles? A poet. A Canadian one, though he's lived in London, Stockholm, Florence, Munich, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Zurich... oh I give up with this "Canadian" thing. Let's just say he lives in Toronto and move on with it. The internet can tell you more. And more about his "selector", too.

What’s this book? Sell it to me like it's a Canadian movie. Hmmm... how about "Poems about people, some of whom are Canadian. Wait, don't leave! They're really good. I promise!"

I'm a bargain hunter. Is this book a bargain? Well, there are 30 poems and the book costs $12.95, so you pay a mere $0.43 a poem. Plus the poems are selected from six earlier collections. There's no weak stuff here in Bargain City!

When I'm in the bookstore considering my purchase, which poem should I read to seal the deal? "Somewhere Far from This Comfort", pg. 40.

Ok, I was lying in that last question. My plan was to Google the poem, then buy the book on Amazon. But I couldn't find that poem online! Got another one? "Sampling from a Dialogue", pg. 15. You can also read it here.
How about first, though, you take a little walk around the block? You know, just to get the circulation going.


A Short History of Forgetting by Paul Tyler, Gaspereau Press, 2010

Who’s Paul Tyler? A poet. A Canadian one. Ottawa, even (he's not messing around). A number of his poems are set in Baltimore, but that might only mean that he's been watching The Wire... The internet can't really tell you more, though you're welcome to give it a shot yourself.
What’s this book? Sell it to me like it's a Canadian movie. Hmmm... how about "Poems about trees and plants. Oh, and old people. Wait, don't leave! They're really good. I promise!"

I'm a bargain hunter. Is this book a bargain? Well, there are 49 poems and the book costs $19.95, so you pay a mere $0.41 a poem. Don Coles, you've just been undersold. Gordy Dodd is ashamed of you, Don.
When I'm in the bookstore considering my purchase, which poem should I read to seal the deal? "Adam Naming the Animals", pg. 9.

Ok, I was lying in that last question. My plan was to Google the poem, then buy the book on Amazon. But I couldn't find that poem online! Got another one? "Hungry", pg. 23. And also here.
Hopefully, though, you're already on your way out to the book store. I'd hate to think I was enabling your sedentary lifestyle by providing all these links. Don't disappoint me, lazy reader!


Want more recommendations? Vox Populist and Lemon Hound just offered some up as well. OR YOU CAN ALWAYS THINK FOR YOURSELF.

12/04/2010

more actual content?

Unauthorized this time, but yes!

Good ol' Statcounter, like a reliable hunting dog, tracked down ilikepoetry for me today. It's a "tumblr" - Jesus, the kids these days and their newfangled toys - run by "Mitch Mitchells" (pseudonym or cruel parents?), where he posts poems, by others, that he likes.

He's got some great poems up there, like Karen Solie's "Tractor" and Jeff Latosik's "Piñata". I'm quite flattered to have a couple of my poems up there as well, "The Same Thing" and "After the Game". Any day I find out someone read (and liked!) a poem of mine (or two!), is a very, very good day.

Clearly, Mr. Mitchells reads a lot of CanPo, as those poems of mine appeared in CV2 and Poetry is Dead, respectively, and I suspect the overlap in readership between the two is... well... me and Mr. Mitchells. You can view his full archive of poems here.

I'm torn about how to feel about sites like this one. I don't post others' poems on this site (though I'm often tempted) - if a poet wants to hoard their poems, that's their business, and their right. I often wonder, though, why poets are resistant to putting their poems online after they've sold the first-publishing rights (for the standard rate of a fist full of pocket change). Do they know of some lucrative second-publishing rights venue, and are keeping it a secret? Or do poets think that hoarding their poems will increase the value of their books? That's a model that's been proven wrong enough times, no? Don't make me bring up Radiohead, people!

All that said, when an unauthorized "tumbl" of one of your poems leads to it getting picked up and "tumbld" on a page as awesome as this, how can anyone complain?


Gonzalo Higuain gets all weak
in the knees around poetry.


12/03/2010

actual content?

Hard to believe, I know, but I've posted two poems and the afterword to Lyric on my website.

The poems are "The Party" and "Early Rain". Thanks go to Riddle Fence and subTerrain, respectively, for publishing the poems previously.

The afterword can be read here. Thanks, of course, goes to The Alfred Gustav Press for publishing both the poem "Lyric" and its afterword in my recent chapbook.

Afterwords are a required feature of each chapbook in the Alfred Gustav series. If that wasn't the case, I wouldn't have written one. That said, I'm glad I did. The poem is an extended glosa "about the loss of a father and the lessons on love and language that follow" (thank you, back-page bumf!), and the afterword continues working on those themes, if in a slightly more technical fashion.

Hope you enjoy!

12/02/2010

just when you thought you were safe from the hype...

First off, I'm reading next week as part of what looks to be a great line-up of readers for the TWS Reading Series:

TWS Reading Series
Thursday, December 9th, 7:00 PM
Rhizome Cafe
317 East Broadway, Vancouver
Featuring: Grant Lawrence, Renee Saklikar, Melissa Sawatsky, myself and more!
Free!
Second, and as you'll have found if you clicked the link above and read my bio, I've got a book coming out in the Spring! It's entitled The Other Side of Ourselves and will be published by Cormorant Books.

I wanted to hold off on hyping it until Lyric came out, so that I could maximize the chap-hype. Now that that lovely beast is in my hands (and hopefully arriving in the hands of subscribers shortly), and this playbill is being sent around the internet, it seemed about time to let spill the worst-kept secret in silaron history.

I don't have much to say at this point, other than that the book is finished and I'm very, very pleased with it. But I will have more to say soon enough, to be sure.

For now, though, dear reader, I recommend that you start saving your shekels, as I expect you to buy fifty copies in the Spring. Also, here's a handy seasonal tip: give everyone on your Christmas list IOUs for The Other Side of Ourselves. Bam! Christmas shopping done.

You can thank me later. In the form of additional book purchases.

I'm out of control and it's only December...

12/01/2010

chapbooks!


They've arrived! And it turns out (SPOILER ALERT) that the set includes a bonus mini-chapbook (chap-chap? half-chap?) by Richard Therrien.  Lots of good December reading ahead!

I think my copies came a little before general subscribers, but if you ordered a set it should be arriving soon.