VerseFest runs March 25-29. The kickoff was at Saw Gallery, Ottawa. It runs every day. We are so lucky to have access to this and some events are even offered for free.
What a strange thing for this rural hermit to be in a city, teeming like an anthill. More pedestrians per block than I’ve seen in months and months. And in a low-ceilinged room, so many tables and familiar faces. (I was too gobsmacked to be social but a few people hallooed me.)
The welcome by rob introduced the board, thanked the volunteers and venues and Perfect Books for selling the poets’ wares.
Stephen Brockwell MCed after, introducing each poet after a situating poem called “higher intelligence” by David Groulx.
Susan Atkinson’s book I’ve read earlier and seen her perform from it before but she has such poise and skill, it’s a pleasure to hear again, and with sample from her new Anstruther chapbook. Was it from that or the last collection that I jotted “the years that grow around us,”
Can it be almost a decade already since I read, Translating Horses: The line, the thread, the underside, edited by Jessica Heimstra and Gillian Sze (Baseline press, 2015)? How long since Outlasting the Body and Apologetic for Joy? 2009 and 2011. Wow. Goodness. I was curious where she would explore next. It’s interesting to see where she went. She called this work, Blood Root, a reconciling with history (She may have used a better word.). Her grandfathers were ministers, her parents missionaries and it weighs on her the history she inherited of Dutch transgresses and personal culpability for the sins of forefathers. She wrote in this work with turns back and forth among subjects causing both leap and continuity and through line. The idea of the Biblical Talmudic vengeful god became increasingly problematic in her life leading to the piquant lines, “may god drown in the milk of mothers” and “I want god to be in the diminutive”
The third reader of the evening, Em, was relating her sad racist environs as a child as it impacted her. “10-or-11-year-old-me hopes I will be sterile like a mule.” Some people were rushing the book table for this one too.
Overall a strong starting night.
I wasn’t going to take the mantle of thankful posting for the privilege of witnessing the poets this year but this process gives me a chance to reflect.
I’m not going to be obsessive like some years, going to every event, livetweeting, taking hundreds of photos, even with fresh concussion, migraine, meds and hiding in hoodie, cap and sunglasses. That was a mad caper.
I have a library shift in conflict with tonight’s but recently heard and read Laurie and Adrienne’s works. My body can’t do 9pm poet-time start time, an hour’s event and an hour’s commute. I’d be deadwood for days. Maybe Pamela Mosher will table at the small press fair in June and I can see what’s new there.
Friday Eileen Myles does a lecture at Carleton University. I don’t want to miss. Their Saturday workshop essentially fulled up instantly.
If you’re wanting to see Andy Weaver, Phil Hall and Therese Mason Pierre, you might want to get tickets ahead. Word is that event’s pretty popular.
Poetry wise this is my biggest thing until the May Haiku Canada Weekend which I’m probably going to take a stab at going to, and chapbook launches, in June probably. I should get on that.
I figured at the rate I compose poems, and taking the cardinal rule that 90% of everything is shit, with that remaining salvageable 10% I could put out two poetry collections every year, even if with a delay of years for letting them sit, rot down, ripen, grow, go to market and whatnot. There’s already so much out there that I can’t even stay on top of forthcoming titles’ names, let alone read just the Canadian stuff of most interest with due attention. But as usual, I’m going to give it a college try. And I’ve decided that 10% of my reading at least will be held for re-reading. All of which is off-topic of VF I suppose, but not off-topic of more poetry to everyone always.
Thank you, Pearl.