I'm going to have to sign off from here for a couple of weeks (most likely
missing a huge amount of interesting 'discussion,' not to mention another
couple of weeks of bios). But pleasant duty calls, as I am off to Ontario
to do a bunch of readings promoting my new book.
May I offer another shameless promo, then?
Breath Takes (Wolsak & Wynn): check their website for information:
www.poets.ca/wolsakwynn/
The ghazal is an ancient Persian form of verse, usually erotic in
nature. There is a strong tradition of this demanding form in English, and
it is in this tradition that Breath Takes, by sound-poet Douglas
Barbour, takes its place.
"Doug Barbour has loosened up the ghazal's formal constraints so he can
breathe more freely and deeply within it. Breath Takes takes breath
as its central focus, inviting the reader to heed the poet's inspired
listening to the worlds of sound, sensation, and sentiment that breath
contains."
-Paul Dutton
"Barbour joins Phyllis Webb, John Thompson and Adrienne Rich in
generating a vital contemporary response to the ghazal form. Breath
Takes sustains the ghazal's traditional impetus, Love, while
introducing the element of Breath, reminding us that the heart and lungs
really do work together. The ghazals, apostrophes and translations
gathered here make bright and keenly palpable what's become automatic-the
mechanix of our reading, the mechanix of our breathing. Breath
Takes is CPR for the poetry lover."
-Susan Holbrook
Thanks for reading...
Doug
Douglas Barbour
Department of English
University of Alberta
Edmonton Alberta Canada T6G 2E5
(h) [780] 436 3320 (b) [780] 492 0521
http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/dbhome.htm
This next poem is about the green fields
Which are to be found in England.
They contain certain small animals
Which have chosen to make their life there.
Bill Manhire
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