A Poetic High at the VPL

The combination of Vancouver's new smoking bylaws and Amsterdam's recent crowning as literature capital of the world presents our citizens with an opportunity to create a new Vansterdam; one based on the on the strength of our of poetry, not our pot. I'm mostly joking, but regardless of whether or not you've contemplated visiting the Amsterdam Cafe, you should skip it tonight and head down to the Vancouver Public Library for some caffeine (pizza, sushi, whatever...) and some local versification.

The 'City Poets' series present an evening of readings with three hot local poets: Jordan Scott, Donato Mancini, and Stephen Collis. These are writers who are working right on the fringe of contemporary verse, and hearing their exciting work read live could be a great cap-off to National Poetry Month. Things begin at the central branch of the VPL at 7:30, free of charge. Some words on the work, some sample poems, and all the details after the jump...

Thank god no one over here is trying to say that poems need to be rhyming and metered, cause I'd be without a term for a lot of my favorite writers. Not to mention describing the work of the poets who'll be reading tonight downtown would be that much harder. While today the library is arbitrarily announcing the one book to rule Vancouver bookstores, I'm far more interested in seeing how these young artists adapt their singular work to the live environment.

Now living in Toronto but originally from Coquitlam, Jordan Scott's acclaimed first collection of poetry, Silt was nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Award, and April has brought the publication of his second volume, Blert. I haven't yet had a chance to read too much of his work, but the unique poems of "Blert" use stuttering as their launching pad. Scott, born with the speech disorder, attempts to present what he calls "a spelunk into the mouth of the stutterer"; an analysis of what it means live with this impediment. Take this excerpt from "What is the Utterance":

What is the utterance.

Dewlap syllables Mesozoic. The billabong passes as gunho through scaffolded throats,
blotches lobule curves until Mesozoic ricochets cochlea, at a slow freight. The palate
thermoregulates, camouflages, the antelope roll.

[...]

blort jamb rejoice

"Blert", in its attempt to represent 'the actual anatomy of stuttering,' denies literary convention by crafting often awkward lines, sometimes deliberately hard to pronounce in their reflection of both the form and effect of the stutter. Consistently described as entertaining, his lines deliberately break the 'flow' of traditional verse, not to mention speech in general. Renowned for his readings as 'J-Blert', It'll be interesting to see how he presents the poems live, as I sometimes find his words just a little too uncomfortable on page... though I suppose that is the point. I'll reserve proper judgment 'till I've had more time with the book, but how's this for a review:

"Blert is set to become a signal post collection; discovering the middle ground between the pathologically-avant-garde and the post-vulnerable-unguarded in Canadian poetry. Jordan Scott is seeking a truth and clarity. In the process he is sharing moments of glistening pathos (in both condensed and elaborate forms) pronounced perfectly or not, asking for our 'plankton number'(s) and getting it. Wildly recommended."

Gulp. To see Scott read and view an interview excerpt, check out this clip up on youtube.

The Toronto-born, Vancouver-based writer and artist Donato Mancini has exhibited and published worldwide, and is creating work that really dances the border between visual art and poetry. Check out one piece by Mancini available online, ligature, to get a sense of how he's pushing the boundaries.

His new collection, Aethel, uses typographical ligature, the physical connection of two or more letters within a printed word, as it's primary inspiration. The resultant pieces blur the line between poetry and typography (look right for an example), and have been the target of broiled debate in the local book world. While Rob Taylor seems to think that these poems "provide no point of entry", I think it's merely another case of language and expectations getting in the way... you just need to approach this kind of book with the proper frame of mind. Words, genres, labels, and assumptions so often get in the way of true artistic engagement, and I'm intrigued to see how Mancini will read these exciting ________s.

Stephen Collis will also be reading from his brand new book The Commons, a collection of socio-historical poetry which analyzes the interplay between language, society, freedom, and belief. You can read a nice interview with him here, but I'm all outta' time -- and the event is tonight. Hope some of you are able to make it out, giving these writers the attention the warrant...

The readings are free of charge, at the Vancouver Public Library's Central Branch tonight starting at 7:30.

Mancini image courtesy of bachelor machines

header image by t-dot-s-dot of the BR flickr group