In this seminar we will read the work of a wide variety of Canadian poets, critics and theorists who since the 1960s have been influential in challenging conservative models of poetic practice inherited from Britain. We will begin by trying to develop ways of approaching poetry which doesn’t lend itself to conventional ways of reading. Our starting point will be Robert Kroetsch ‘Sketches of a Lemon’, George Bowering Errata 65, 71, 75, Fred Wah ‘One Makes (the) Difference’ and Dennis Cooley’s essay, ‘Breaking and Entering’ in The Vernacular Muse. We will go on to read selections from the work of the following writers, literary magazines and types of poetry: bp Nichol; Steve McCaffery; The Toronto Research Group; the Journal Open Letter; Fred Wah; George Bowering; Frank Davey; Erin Moure; Marlene Nourbese Philip; The Kootenay School of Writing; Jeff Derksen; Marie Annharte Baker; Sound Poetry; Visual Poetry; the poets included in the anthology Shift and Switch: New Canadian Poetry.
As well as the texts below, I would highly recommend exploring the sound files of Canadian poets at the websites ubuweb.com and epc.buffalo.edu.
bp Nichol
B. Nash, bp Pushing the Boundaries (video)
“blues” ; ‘4 Moods’ in An H in the Heart
“Translating Translating Appolinaire” see http://www.thing.net/~grist/l&d/bpnichol/lnichol1.htm
Pauline Butling, bp Nichol and a Gift Economy: the Play of a Value and the Value of Play” in Writing in Our Time: Canada’s Radical Poetries in English (1957-2003)
Toronto Research Group
‘Research Report 1: Translation’; ‘Device for Generating A Contemporary Essay Title’ in Rational Geomancy.
Steve McCaffery
A Coach House Books Beguiler Guide to Steve McCaffery
Extracts from Lag
“The Syllogistic Cinema”
The Scenarios
Extracts from The Entries
‘Pictures at an Exhibition,’ ‘The Dangers of Poetry’ in Slightly Left of Thinking
‘Lastworda’ in Theory of sediment
An interview with SteveMcCaffery http://www.raintaxi.com/online/2007winter/mccaffery.shtml
Jed Rasula and Steve McCaffery (eds.) Imagining Language
Marjorie Perloff, ‘”Inner Tension/ In Attention”: Steve McCaffery’s Book Art’ in Poetry On & Off the Page
McCaffery performs a section of Carnival http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5sB_YvvSS4
Sound Poetry
Inuit games and songs http://www.ubu.com/ethno/soundings/inuit.html
Steve McCaffery, ‘Voice in Extremis’ in Prior to Meaning
The 4 Horsemen , Ron Mann Poetry in Motion
Steve McCaffery, “White Pages” and “Wot We Wukkers Want”
Carnivocal: a Celebration of Sound Poetry
Susan Holbrook
Interview
“misling the laureate”
“Insert”
“News Sudoku #19, Level: Lowest”
in Kate Eichhorn and Heather Milne (eds.) Prismatic Publics: Innovative Canadian Women’s Poetry and Poetics
M. Nourbese Philip
Interview, ‘ Discourse on the Logic of Language,’ from Looking for Livingstone, from Zong! in Kate Eichhorn and Heather Milne (eds.) Prismatic Publics: Innovative Canadian Women’s Poetry and Poetics
Erin Moure
Interview in Pauline Butling and Susan Rudy, Poets Talk
Interview in Kate Eichhorn and Heather Milne (eds.) Prismatic Publics: Innovative Canadian Women’s Poetry and Poetics
‘Reading Never Ceases to Amaze Me’ and ‘Breaking Boundaries: Writing as Social Practice, or Attentiveness’ in My Beloved Wager: Essays from a Writing Practice
Little Theatres
‘Immense Structures’ and ‘(My Fellow Americans)’ in Search Procedues
‘What , me, guard sheep?’ in Sheep’s Vigil by a Fervent Person
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaxnv4RwCQE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXVtVkyW7K8&feature=related
Christian Bök
Eunoia
Reading at the Atwater Library Montreal
http://www.atwaterlibrary.ca/en/node/694~
Reading extracts of Eunoia http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wso-SJBgJlc
Darren Werschler-Henry
Nicholodeon: a book of lowerglyphs
Darren Werschler-Henry, The Tapeworm Foundry http://lemonhound.blogspot.com/2008/09/christian-bk-reads-darren-wershler.ht ml
http://www.ubu.com/ubu/pdf/wershler_tapeworm.pdf
Christian Bök, ‘Nickel Linoleum’ http://epc.buffalo.edu/authors/bok/nickel.html
Fred Wah
http://fredwah.artmob.ca/
Interview in Pauline Butling and Susan Rudy, Poets Talk
Louis Cabri, ‘The False Laws of Narrative: Fred Wah’s Poetics’ and ‘Ripraps (Louis Cabri) and Afterwords (Fred Wah)’ in The False Laws of Narrative: the Poetry of Fred Wah
‘Elite’ in Waiting for Saskatchewan
Music at the Heart of Thinking 3 and 10
‘One Makes (the) Difference’ in Alley Alley Home Free
‘Discount Me In’ in is a door
Jeff Derksen
Interview in Pauline Butling and Susan Rudy, Poets Talk
Selections from Transnational Muscle Cars and Dwell
Readings at KSW
The Kootenay School of Writing
Andrew Lobucar and Michael Barnholden (eds.) Writing: the Kootenay School of Writing Anthology
Marie Annharte Baker
Interview in Pauline Butling and Susan Rudy, Poets Talk
‘Raced Out to Write This Up’; ‘A Woman’s Fish-Hook Story’
Derek Beaulieu, Jason Christie & Angela Rawlings (eds.) Shift and Switch: New Canadian Poetry
Docente: M. A. John Henry Havelda
