Vancouver's Poet Laureate
Did you know Vancouver has a Poet Laureate?
Neither did I, until a few months ago when, trolling through the city's website, I found a reference to George McWhirter, a former professor of Creative Writing at UBC who was crowned inaugural Poet Laureate in 2007. Now, two years later, he's turning over the reins to Brad Cran, a poet, photographer and publisher. Cran will be inducted into his new role today at city hall.
From writersfest.bc.ca
What do Poet Laureates do? According to the city website, the Poet Laureate acts as "a champion for poetry, language and the arts, and create a unique artistic legacy through public readings and civic interactions," with a mandate "to raise the status of poetry in the everyday consciousness of Vancouverites."
Sadly, my knowledge and appreciation of poetry is pretty much limited to Greek epics, Shakespeare, and the Romantics. Nobody modern; I can't even name a single contemporary poet. That's pretty pathetic. So it's time I stretch my literary horizons and give poetry that doesn't rhyme a chance. I don't know how I'm gonna do without my iambic pentameters but let's give it a try. Here is something Cran wrote for Geist:
Reading Wittgenstein
I was reading Wittgenstein when
all three were killed on the viaduct.
A picture shrine and flowers on three of the four corners
at the intersection by my house.
Hmm. This might take a couple days of pondering to understand.
In the meantime, here is an interesting interview (in prose) of Cran by Youngpoets.ca. When asked what is the single most important piece of advice he can give young poets, he answered:
"Read. Read as much as you can and from as many sources as you can. Do not limit yourself. Learn from the masters, the poets you love, whether they are narrative lyric poets or avant garde experimental poets. Always be loyal to the poets you learn from. You may stray from different aesthetics but always remember where you came from and who taught you, who helped you progress. And take it slow. Do not be in a rush to make it. Be in a rush not to make it, to live with poetry in all its wonderful aspects that are separate from the public side of the art. Share with your friends. Share books and ideas. Simply enjoy the act of writing. It is never more exciting than in the first stages of discovering the craft. You may have dreams of one day publishing a book-that's a good dream to have-but remember that once you have achieved that goal (or any other goal that you might set for yourself), then all that will be left for you is the act of writing or a shallow misery. The quicker you just settle into your own writing, your own process with words, the better off you will be."
Neither did I, until a few months ago when, trolling through the city's website, I found a reference to George McWhirter, a former professor of Creative Writing at UBC who was crowned inaugural Poet Laureate in 2007. Now, two years later, he's turning over the reins to Brad Cran, a poet, photographer and publisher. Cran will be inducted into his new role today at city hall.
From writersfest.bc.ca
What do Poet Laureates do? According to the city website, the Poet Laureate acts as "a champion for poetry, language and the arts, and create a unique artistic legacy through public readings and civic interactions," with a mandate "to raise the status of poetry in the everyday consciousness of Vancouverites."
Sadly, my knowledge and appreciation of poetry is pretty much limited to Greek epics, Shakespeare, and the Romantics. Nobody modern; I can't even name a single contemporary poet. That's pretty pathetic. So it's time I stretch my literary horizons and give poetry that doesn't rhyme a chance. I don't know how I'm gonna do without my iambic pentameters but let's give it a try. Here is something Cran wrote for Geist:
Reading Wittgenstein
I was reading Wittgenstein when
all three were killed on the viaduct.
A picture shrine and flowers on three of the four corners
at the intersection by my house.
Hmm. This might take a couple days of pondering to understand.
In the meantime, here is an interesting interview (in prose) of Cran by Youngpoets.ca. When asked what is the single most important piece of advice he can give young poets, he answered:
"Read. Read as much as you can and from as many sources as you can. Do not limit yourself. Learn from the masters, the poets you love, whether they are narrative lyric poets or avant garde experimental poets. Always be loyal to the poets you learn from. You may stray from different aesthetics but always remember where you came from and who taught you, who helped you progress. And take it slow. Do not be in a rush to make it. Be in a rush not to make it, to live with poetry in all its wonderful aspects that are separate from the public side of the art. Share with your friends. Share books and ideas. Simply enjoy the act of writing. It is never more exciting than in the first stages of discovering the craft. You may have dreams of one day publishing a book-that's a good dream to have-but remember that once you have achieved that goal (or any other goal that you might set for yourself), then all that will be left for you is the act of writing or a shallow misery. The quicker you just settle into your own writing, your own process with words, the better off you will be."