JISCMail - BRITISH-IRISH-POETS Archives

About ten of these poets, actually, have appeared already in Dispatches from the Poetry Wars, which I edit with Mike Boughn.

If Mike B. passes as Canadian, then another longtime expatriate Yank, George Stanley, should be added. The late David Bromige, as well, though he went the opposite way of Stanley.

The amazing First Nation poet Garry Thomas Morse, also published at Dispatches, should be on the list.

Steven Ross Smith
Norma Cole
Michael Boughn
Sharon Thesen
Colin Browne
Steve McCaffery
Lissa Wolsak
Pete Smith
M. NourbeSe Philip
Brian Henderson
Lary Timewell (Bremner)
Meredith Quartermain
Richard Truhlar
Anne Carson
Christopher Dewdney
Phil Hall
Dorothy Trujillo Lusk
Susan Clark
David Dowker
Lise Downe
Erin Moure
Karen Mac Cormack
Camille Martin
Peter Culley
Kevin Davies
Jeff Derksen
Sylvia Legris
Steve Venright
Lisa Robertson
Christine Stewart
Nancy Shaw
Deanna Ferguson
Margaret Christakos
Dan Farrell
Sina Queyras
Louis Cabri
Adeena Karasick
Catriona Strang
Darren Wershler
Christian Bok

* There are the usual grey areas re: national identification, but I attempted to err on the side of inclusivity -- for example, Norma Cole was born in Canada but has lived in the U.S. for decades, and the opposite for Lissa Wolsak and Michael Boughn (also, Pete Smith from England and Camille Martin from the U.S.).

On 2016-10-28, at 7:33 AM, Tony Frazer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

It was late, and I was tired and I didnt actually say clearly what I meant. Not the first time.

To be clear: Im not dismissing any of the other Canadian poets listed by several list-members. Of the names mentioned, Ive read all of them bar 2, I think, and then one of those 2 (Karen Solie) turned up in my copy of the LRB this morning. Anne Carson arrived in the UK via her US publishers; David Wevill (whose Selected I published by the way) was a British poet for his first 4 volumes by virtue of residence here; his first Canadian volume (other than those published/distributed by Macmillans Canadian subsidiary) was in 1985. Margaret Atwood arrived likewise via her US publishers. Ondaatje I was thinking of as a novelist but, yes, I read a volume of his poems about 30 years ago. I should be taken to task for having forgotten Lisa Robertson who definitely arrived here without intermediation, but I plead long keyboard hours in mitigation and a horrendous bout of proofreading that was making me wish Id shot myself earlier yesterday.

BUT, my larger point was that all those splendid Canadian poets listed with very few exceptions didnt break through into wider UK recognition, from Canada. How many books by Canadian poets have been published over here? The contrast with the Australians (for instance) is marked. Shearsman has a lot of antipodean poets on the list and Ive worked with Aussie and NZ publishers on co-edtiions. Canadians? Zip. And the rather protectionist aura surrounding Canadian publishing means I find it really hard to get books by Canadians into the Canadian distribution system. And, if those are handled by a US distributor, the Canadians wont accept them as submissions for Canadian prizes. (I know, I know, prizes, schmizes, but nearly everyone wants a shot at several thousand bucks of prize-money, even when the chances are less than a snowballs in Hell.) Its got so I turn down otherwise acceptable Canadian manuscripts because I cant see how to sell them to anyone.

So, I was grumpy at 1 a.m. this morning. Sorry, folks.

Tony

On 28 Oct 2016, at 01:58, Kent Johnson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

George Bowering?

Can anyone provide a list of the Kootenay School?

Tony, this is a surprisingly dismissive post from someone like you!

Kent

>>> Jamie McKendrick <[log in to unmask]> 10/27/16 7:39 PM >>>

Tony, you're leaving out Anne Carson and the splendid Karen Solie. Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, though more famous for their prose, are still known over here as poets.
Jamie

On 28 Oct 2016, at 00:44, Tony Frazer <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Definitely not, Kent.

British OUGHT to mean English, Welsh and Scottish only; Northern Irish being added sometimes as in British-and-Irish, and sometimes lumped in with the Republic. Ex-colonies / dominions that happen to be in the Commonwealth and have the British monarch as Head of State are not included.

As for Canada, its one of the great mysteries. Almost no-one knows anything about Canadian poets, although a couple do slip through the net now and again, but only rarely if theyre still Canada-based. Bök and Mouré would be the only two of the latter variety that come to mind.

BUT, there again, when poets from those lands move over here they seem to become British for classification purposes, or hyphenated British. I should add that Ive no problem at all with that. Seems right to me.

Tony

On 28 Oct 2016, at 00:37, Kent Johnson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

This is probably a naïve question, but so what.

When one says British poetry, does that also include Canada and whatever remaining lands that are yet legally "linked" to Britain?

I am asking because the poetry of these places never seems to be discussed on this List, most noticeably the poetry of non-Caucasian lands still connected to Britain.

Kent