On July 3rd, 2008, I read at the flywheel reading series at Pages Books, sponsored by filling station Magazine. CJSW’s Writer’s Block attended the event and recently sent me an audio recording of my reading.

The recording begins with me reading some twitter poems.

Enjoy.

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I will read some new poems about people, technology, and tigers at the upcoming flywheel reading series, which will take place Thursday, July 3, at Pages Books in Kensington (1135 Kensington Road NW) at 7:30pm.

I will be reading with Asa Boxer and Dominique Frissard. Asa’s book, The Mechanical Bird (Vehicule 2007) will be available for sale.

This event is free of charge. I hope to see you there!

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
— T. S. Eliot, from “Little Gidding” in Four Quartets

Recently, a reader asked me whether I harbor feelings of inadequacy during the writing process, and, if so, how I manage to escape from writerly paralysis. He correlated the sense of inadequacy with desiring to produce great writing. Artistic ideals and expectations can become impenetrable fortresses.

I was humbled by my conversation with this reader, however, I’m not sure if I answered or avoided his questions. I understand that, since the 1980s, circumnavigating clear meaning has come to be in vogue, however I am not always stylish person. (more…)

Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your correspondence!
Some writers argue that the exclamation mark only serves weak writers who cannot convey what they intend with powerful, clear language. I am not one of those people, but I wary of over-taxing the (motorways and tramlines) exclamation point. If I were to write a novel, I would imagine it would only have three or four instances of punctuated exclaim.
No, I have not received any presents for National Poetry Month. I have, however, written some poems, thereby decorating my mind. Currently, I am working on a good one about marginality and liminality. I am investigating how the intellectual study and understanding of ideals, such as justice and equity, may not translate into ethical behaviour or living. I suppose this is a version of writing about Pharisees (those who are set apart). Maybe I will add that reference in somewhere.
I remember your mother.
I hope you are always ready to cast the first stone. Remember, nothing gets done without a degree of inconsistency.
Take care of yourself,
Leif

The Most Vocal Poetry Society of Lethbridge will be airing the second hour of their recent interview with me at 3:00pm MST on Saturday, April 19th, on the U of L’s campus station CKXU. I’ll eventually post both interviews on my site, but if you’re wanting to hear the first on-air version, tune in online here.

I selected all the music for both shows.

EDIT: Looks like the show didn’t play this week . . . Sorry about that.

Today at 3:00, the CKXU program “Not Your Mother’s Poetry” will feature an hour-long show on my poetry and person. Moreover, I selected the songs for the program, so the tunes will kick and hopefully establish my “indie cred”!

You can tune into the show by listening to the streaming audio here. Once I have a copy of the program, I’ll post it here.

UPDATE: This week’s show is part 1 of 2. The second hour will air next Saturday.

In an effort to have quality poetry inbreak on the daily consciousness of those who would welcome it, I have finally followed through on delivering poems to people via SMS, using twitter. If you want short poems delivered to your mobile phone, please subscribe here.

Twitter is a free service and most mobile phone companies do not charge you to receive text messages. I might not need to shout “FREE POEMS!” but I might as well. Also, if you start twittering poems, please let me know, so I can follow you.

Using SMS text messages to convey poetry, or poetic lines, has inherent constraints (140 characters, no line breaks, ect.). Particularly because I love the long poem, I am not suggesting that SMS poems will replace poetry. Instead, this form offers people a chance to have tiny pieces of art engage them unexpectedly in their day. Like all art, sometime my poems will be read, sometimes not; sometimes they will resonate, sometimes they won’t. Regardless, they exists as potential and possibility.

Since twitter is more than 5 minutes old, I know I am not the first person to imagine this application of the technology. However, I have yet to find any community formed around the idea of poets sharing lines of their work with one another. For myself, I would welcome having a few high quality writers inviting me to pause from the daily routine by sending beautiful words to my phone.

I respect some of the reservations that some people, like Robert Peake, have about technology and poetry. However, I am not looking to replace poetry with Poetry 2.0. Said again, this experiment is simply an augmentation of poetry and an invitation to pause. The power of SMS poems does not lie in the fact that they become instant or commodified, but rather that people encounter poems within their pattern of their day. This idea is not much different from putting poetry on buses or beautiful graffiti art on someone’s walk to work. The difference SMS poems offer is choice to read or not read.

So, here are my self-imposed guidelines for using twitter for poetry:

• Each SMS poem will be treated as a self contained unit. Preceding poems are not required for context.
• I will offer myself up in language. I will strive for beautiful words and for reflective utterances, not simply inconsistent ephemera
• I will offer an sms poem about once a day
• I may include lines from larger works in sms poems. I may also incorporate sms lines in larger works.

Look forward to my lines. I look forward to yours.
L

On March 16th, 2008, Ian Robinson published an article in the Calgary Sun entitled Poet Proposal Lacks Rhyme or Reason, which argues that Calgary should spend tax dollars on practical improvements and maintenance of the city, rather than on a civic poet.

Robinson’s article gives me some degree of amusement, simply because he plays into (and plays up!) stereotypes of the Calgarian male: straight, virile, opinionated, proud, simple, and recalcitrant. I suspect he’s sipping a beer, pleased to know his work has irritated anyone left of far-right! However, he might need something stiffer. His article uncovers a personal desperation for a civic poet who will inspire his imagination.

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I have included an audio file of my poem The Late Teacher for your enjoyment. I’ll be reading again at South Country Fair and I am very much looking forward to it (after missing last year for very understandable reasons).