Canada’s National Poetry Organization VOLUME 23, NUMBER 01. Summer 2008
Canadian Poetry Association association canadienne de la poesie
IN THIS ISSUE: AL PURDY tribute POEM of the Year 2007 Contest Winners
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‘Free Sample Preview’ This issue can be purchased online atthe Official CPA Website: "War Path” Robert Fowlow, www.fowlow.com http://www.canadianpoetryassoc.com Thank you for supportng the CPA! IN THIS ISSUE: *AL PURDY tribute *POEM of the Year *2007winners *Articles *Reviews
Contents POEMATA
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NEW MEMBERS Douglas Anderson, Heather Angka, Paige Bristow, Jeremy Clark, Dean Christy, Nancy Crossman, Warren T. Dudar, Kathleen Durham, Here On Earth, Trisia Eddy, Katheryn Ferrazzo, Kara Flamond, Gillian Foss, Edward Gates, Regan Gillespie, Nathalie Hall, Calvin Harasemchuk, John Harrod, Mahmoud Khaled, Patricia Letourneau, Hugh MacDonald, Maria Marchelletta, Vusi Moloi, Heather Y. Myhew, Derek Peach PhD., Safranet, Ben Nuttall-Smith, Play with your Food Dinner Theatre, Harriet Sonne de Torrens, David Wilson, Nancy Williamson, Brian R. Wood ISSN 12036595 Poemata is published by the Canadian Poetry Association. Canadian Poetry Association 331 Elmwood Dr. Suite 4-212 Moncton, N.B. Canada E1A 1X6
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When I love I love her I transform her to a bird I keep in my thoracic cage I call her a sweetheart I cover every second with blood syrup Khaled Kamal Eldin Mahmoud Squeezing Meaning from Your Words I grab your poem, esoteric rip foolscap it’s written on dissect, peel it like a banana yellow journalism of words white mush, your sentiment squeezed between my fingers I did not realize how I hungered for meaning until I bit hard and tasted nothing Debbie Okun Hill
Tribute to Al Purdy James Deahl 03, Chris Faiers 05 Robert Whiteley 06, John B. Lee 17 CBC archives 05 & Purdy Fest 21 Acorn-Plantos Award info 05 Cover Art Gogue 06 Editor’s Note 07 Purdy Fest-James Deahl Shaunt Basmajian Award POEMATA Poem of the Year 08 Articles Sharing my thoughts 09 What is it that motivates writers to wrestle with language? 10 The Poetry Event 27 Featured Poets 11-14 CPA Contest Winners 15-16 CRA Contest Winners 18-19 Poetry 20, 22 & 26 Members Buzz 23-25 Reviews 28-30 Call for Submissions 31 CPA Contest 2008 32 SkyWing Press 33 Workshops 34 News 35 CPA Bookstore 36-37 CPA Information 38-39 ~POEMATA~ 02
In this issue: In this issue on ISSUU.com: 39 pages Articles by: Barbara E. Mercer worked with the Canadian Opera Company, the CBC, the National Ballet of Canada, the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and TV Ontario. She is also an accomplished printmaker, sculptor, music composer, writer and poet. Tony Angastiniotis Night Eagle is a Photojournalist, currently teaching at EMU, Famagusta and writes for "Afrika" newspaper. His Work includes the promotion of peace and reconciliation in Cyprus and awareness about the Genocide of 50,000 native children murdered in the Residential schools of Canada. He became well know in Cyprus with his documentary "Voice of Blood" and book "Trapped in the Green Line".
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In October 2007 he was appointed as a Clan Chief and Ambassador in Europe for the United Cherokee Nation (UCN). On April 10 2008 he was appointed as a judge for “The International Human Rights Tribunal into Genocide in Canada” (IHRTGC). His spiritual beliefs are rooted in the Cherokee spiritual ways known as the White Path. His native name, Night Eagle, was given to him by an elder of the Cree nation, Morning Star. Robert Whiteley While owning and operating a used bookstore in a part of Oakville with strong ties to its fishing & nautical heritage I noticed there are very few buildings linking its past to this bygone era… Annual Poetry Contest information… Reviews….Markets….Bzzzzzzz…. More inside…
Buy your copy of POEMATA today! Available at the CPA Official Website http://www.canadianpoetryassoc.com/ and at River Bones Press http://riverbonespress.ning.com
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Continued...
For Al Purdy
While owning and operating
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a used bookstore in a part of Oakville with strong ties to its fishing & nautical heritage I noticed there are very few buildings linking its past to this bygone era. This, I am afraid is nothing new. Look around and you will see that the Golden Horseshoe is in a period of great transition, a terrible upheaval. We are destroying farmlands at a record pace, evicting wildlife from its natural habitats, and building communities where none should be built. We as Canadians are a reactive, not proactive bunch; we fly across the pond to soak in “the culture”, but do very little when our cultural heritage is threatened and subsequently destroyed because nobody stood up and said enough is enough. So when I read about Al Purdy’s cottage in Ameliasburgh, Ontario, having to be sold because his widow, Eurithe, could no longer manage its upkeep, I decided to stand up and be heard. Like great poetry, this cottage transcends the crooked nails and roughly hewn planks Al and his friend and fellow poet Milton Acorn laid down almost fifty years ago. This cottage must be saved. It has to be preserved for future generations. I am in awe whenever I think about all the great poems penned on the shores of Roblin Lake and of all the bottles of beer passed between Al, Eurithe, and their guests like Michael Ondaatje, Dennis Lee, and Margaret Atwood. Not long ago, I was interviewed for a newspaper article about the store, and when asked about my future plans I mentioned one day about wanting to build a museum dedicated to Canadian literature and poetry. Not knowing about Mrs. Purdy’s situation, I envisioned purchasing the cottage myself and salvaging the artifacts from some of our finest writers; plucking them from the dusty basements of our universities and showcasing them where everyone, not only academics can appreciate them. Having worked in museums I know that the cottage is not feasible for what I envision,; however, it would make a wonderful writer’s retreat. How can you not get inspired standing on the shores of Roblin Lake knowing who slept in the cottage before you! Robert Whiteley Poet's Pulpit" poetspulpit@bellnet.ca
Cover Art Gogue was born and still lives in O Grove (Galicia) Spain. He currently works as an artist for Faro de Vigo daily newspaper. He collaborated in The Bush Blade(Alaska), The Greenwich Village Gazette(New York), The Earth Times (New York). And for the On Line Magazines Strategy Week in San Francisco-California (USA), Clever Magazine in Silycom Valley-California (USA), American Politics Journal (New York), Humor in the News (Los Angeles-US), Gotham Gazette (New York-US). Collaborator in the print Magazines: MovieMaker Magazine (Hollywood-CA) and Caricature Magazine (Chicago-IllinoisUS), Collaborator in Image Edit Art (Digital Custom) from San Francisco-California-US, Collaborator for New York Move Magazine from New York with your Character “Carlotta”, Collaborator for Ghetto Fabulous. California, Black Agenda Report-California, Collaborator for EastSide Sun Magazine- Seattle-US and Collaborator for Fantasy Sports Magazine-New York.
He is the author of the "Presidential Debates 2000" short animations for the XOOP Corporation in Los Angeles-US. He is the author of the “Gorda” clay character for a “Unwated Fat” film directed by Matthew Ballen from New York 2003. Member of the AWN-Showcase (Animation World Network) USA. Member of the European Cartoonist Society CARTOONET. He is the creator of the Galician characters, Floreano, Monchiña and Epifanio. He has published the following books: Personaxes Vigueses, Goguerias, Cen Tolos da Ria, Floreano, Floreano & Broncas Floreano is included in James G. Skinner’s book, published in London in 1997. Exhibitions over the World: Bienal da Caricatura de Ourense, 1993,94,96,98, 2000,2002,2004;Graphic Humor Congress, Philadelphia(USA)1995; Tolerance and Intolerance in Humaniti,Copenhagen and Lisbon, Jammin Java, Virginia-USA 2003; Art Windows, Washington-USA 2003; Dille Center (Fargo-North Dakota) 2005; Club Nautico de San Vicente do Mar-O Grove 2007; Asador Galatea-Vigo 2007 and A Taperia - O Grove 2007; more on website. ~POEMATA~ 06
Annual Poetry Competition Deadline January 30th, 2009 Open Theme How to enter: The Canadian Poetry Association: annual poetry competition is open to CPA members only. If you wish to submit to this contest please join the Canadian Poetry Association online at www.canadianpoetryassoc.com/pg15.html. Canadians who live abroad and who write in English qualify as well if they are CPA members. We offer 3 cash prizes or equivalent, 1st 2nd & 3rd (amount dependent upon quantity of submissions; view ‘FAQ’ on website) with up to 10 honourable mentions. Winning poets will have their work published in POEMATA on the Internet on the CPA official website. Entries will be blind-judged. Judges are to be determined; all judges are CPA Members in Good Standing. Entry fee: $25 & 5 poems – (Canadian poets, please pay in Canadian dollars. U.S. and International poets, please pay in U.S. funds.) Deadline: Submissions must be postmarked by January 30th 2009. Competition rules:
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a. Please submit your best 5 poems. b. Poems must be in English; original and unpublished; typed, single space, on 8-1/2 x 11 white paper; no more than 48 lines in length. c. Your name must not appear on your entry. Please include a separate page that contains your name, address, e-mail, titles of entries, line length of entries, and a brief two-sentence biography. d. Poetry submitted by CPA: annual poetry competition judge(s) are not eligible. e. All entries are to be mailed in. No electronic submissions will be accepted. Entries will not be returned. f. The CPA along with River Bones Press requests first electronic and print rights to publish winning poets' works on the Internet and in an anthology. Copyright will revert back to the poets after publication. g. A list of winners will be posted on the CPA Official Website www.canadianpoetryassoc.com. h. Winners will be notified by April 2009.. 9. Please send your poem(s), cover letter, and a cheque or money order, payable in Canadian or U.S. funds and made out to "Canadian Poetry Association," to: Canadian Poetry Association 311 Elmwood Dr. Suite 4-212 Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada E1A1X6 Go to website for ‘FAQ’. RULES-must be followed for qualification Open to CPA Members Only! Join today online at www.canadianpoetryassoc.com/pg15. html
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booksPOEMATA
If you have a published book of poetry in canada.. send us the info and we will add it to a future POEMATA. issue of P OEMATA.
Blue Pyramids: New and Selected Poems by Robert Priest One of our most readable, challenging, and important poets From his first book, The Visible Man ("as fine a first volume of poetry as one is ever likely to read" -- the Dalhousie Review), to his most recent, Resurrection In the Cartoon ("passionate, humourous, worldly-wise, kick-ass poetry" -The Vancouver Sun), Robert Priest's poetry has been the delight of critics and readers alike. Blue Pyramids: New and Selected Poems brings together the best of Robert Priest's six books of lyric poems, spells, psalms, aphorisms, koans, diatribes, and prose poems along with an exciting new group of poems and aphorisms. Also included is a selection of never-beforepublished song lyrics. Relentless in their assessment of contemporary culture, the mordant irony, brutal honesty, and remarkable sensitivity of Priest's works create a poetic crucible in which the Canadian "melting-pot" is purified of its hypocrisies and reclaimed, ultimately, in the joy of language. "Poetry full of flashes of insight. Imaginative in a strange way, he takes inordinate chances with logic, countering absurdity with absurdity, and expanding our sense of human emotional possibilities." -- The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature This book is in print and available at Chapters.ca More on this book: http://www.poempainter.com/index.php?article= 33 Poetry Collection at the
For more information contact Sophia Kaszuba U.C. Librarian B ooks donated by the C anad ian P oetry A ssociation http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/ucl_poetry3.htm
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POEMATA DISCLAIMER: We would like to thank the participating poets and writers, the proofreaders and all those who work to make this magazine possible. While all care has been taken to ensure accuracy, no guarantee is implied or given by the Editor and/or publisher, the poets, the writers or the proofreaders. If you want to unsubscribe: email us.
CPA 2008 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name:__________________________________ _______________________________________
2008 CPA Executive Board of Directors and Coordinators
Address: ________________________________ _______________________________________ City/Town: ______________________________
CPA Life Member Award Committee: No award this year. CPA Poetry Competitions: Coordinator Brian Stevens NB Poemata: Editor-in-chief Donna Allard NB Assistant Editor Pierre Beaumier ON Book Review Coordinator (open) Manager B. Stevens NB Publisher River Bones Press NB Internet Committee: Webmaster Donna Allard Official Site & Extended Sites Paypal Manager Brian Stevens Blog/Lit-Serv Manager Donna Allard CPA Official Bookstore: Manager Donna Allard Continuity Coordinator: Brian Stevens NB CPA Facebook officers: Creator Donna Allard, Executive & selected members http://www.facebook.com CPA PARTICIPOET Ning.com: Creator Donna Allard, Executive & selected members http://canadianpoetryassociation.ning.com
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President Donna Allard NB Vice President Liz Rolls-Holmes MB Secretary Open Treasurer Brian Stevens NB National Coordinator Pierre Beaumier ON Media Coordinator Ronda Eller ON
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