“Be careful not to scratch and make too much noise with
that,” said Brian, motioning to the pen and paper I’d removed from my bag. “I
might be trying to commune or something!” Maybe it was due to the fact that I’d
only met him minutes earlier in line to attend Ottawa Independent Writers’
latest discussion but gauging whether Brian was kidding or not proved
difficult. In either case, writers young, old, experienced and curious alike
had convened to soak up the wisdom of two of Ottawa’s foremost poets, robmclennan and Pearl Pirie – scratching away with my pen felt as natural a
reaction as listening in.
It takes a poet-publisher of considerable expertise to
tackle a topic as broad and massive as Contemporary Poetry but, as luck would
have it, this evening delivered two. Calling upon proven skills and noteworthy
anecdotes from careers waist-deep in the literary arts, mclennan and Pirie
discussed some of the many poetic forms (examples being haiku, tanka) that
stream and intersect contemporary verse. Those in attendance were encouraged to
ask questions or even interrupt the flow of conversation, the latter option
proving popular when the introduction of visual poetry came under fire. Make no mistake, the OIW isn’t a group
of starry-eyed pacifists; for some members, the art of arranging letters in a
way that deepens the author’s intent sparked a vocal debate on the merits of
certain poetic styles. A surprising change of pace for the event, perhaps, but
these stubborn viewpoints and insightful defenses provided even the quiet attendees
with some food for thought.
At the very least, no one could refute the effectiveness of
visual poetry any longer with so many convictions flying about! One writer stood and passionately recited
his criteria for good poetry, to which everyone applauded. Another scoffed at
the example of several contemporary forms but took detailed notes on each. Even
my new colleague Brian, who had worried about the sound of my pen on paper,
stood arms-crossed away from the table, peppering the guest speakers with
questions. Now this was unfiltered discussion! And as one of those demure
individuals taking it all in, I found the heated yet respectful exchange life-affirming
to any poetry-lover’s ears.
The immeasurable size of the topic at hand allowed mclennan
and Pirie freedom to dive into certain facets or styles upon the whim of the
audience. Some inquiries had
concrete solutions, such as Pearl Pirie’s insightful breakdown of approaches
that distinguish and shape a writer – a classification that caused the group to
pause and consider their work’s intention. Concentrated dialogues also arose on
the subject of prose poems – and by extension, knowing when to keep poetry and
prose apart – plus ways of promoting one’s work in a changing industry.
Other questions were impossibly pointed; when asked to
define poetry in two or three words, rob mclennan enunciated as though counting
each word: “I don’t know”. It was
one of many refreshing exchanges during an evening dedicated to uncovering the
joy of poetry’s borderless playground. Riffing off of each other’s leads and
shedding light on how the expectations on contemporary poetry have changed from
an editor’s perspective, mclennan and Pirie defied expectations with an
engaging talk that refused to pull punches.
As a non-member, I witnessed many potential perks to
enrolling with the OIW, including notice on inclusive submissions, writer’s
retreats and a whole lot of local support. Get more information here:
www.oiw.ca
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