nineteen years ago

nineteen years ago i took my new girlfriend to the last really exciting book launch i have ever been to. there was food and booze and lots and lots of people. the book was the Visitations published by the then relevant Underwhich Editions. the fine young writer was Steve Venright. nineteen years late, Venright is still fine writing but not particularly better known (that is him in the photo). despite having a handful of quite wonderful collections come out. click here to see them. Steve is still working away writing and working and printing and publishing and making the stuff he wants to make. Underwhich Editions has disappeared and hasn’t really published anything of importance since David UU’s High C in 1990. in the last 19 years i have seen the fall of experimental poetry in this city. the passion and excitement of the 60’s and 70’s was moving underground by the late 80’s. and by the 90’s the body snatchers moved in, took over, and fucked the corpse.

the best and most relevant experimental press in this country is run by a guy in room with a Gestetner and no computer, regardless what your lame ass writing teacher tells you.

so rejoice and assume your position as a experimental poetry publisher – print your own fucking magazine. do not wait for the pod press to give you the nod. just say no. and steal the printing from your job and print up your magazine and give it away. do not sell it. give it away. make the best books you can. the canada council, the ontario art council, and the toronto art council, will not fund the revolutionary. you do not need a grant to be poor. work, steal, print. what are you waiting for, no one will ever recognize your fucking genius and they certainly will not publish your shitty little poems. do it now.

love

dfb