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editor
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 Posted: Wed Oct 29, 2008 9:50 am Post subject: |
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From Losing Streak:
What the Living Won't Let Go
Paperback
By Fellow Frostback Lorna Crozier
| Quote: | WILDFLOWERS
Wild Western Bergamot, Larkspur,
Closed Gentian near the Manitoba border,
Windflowers in the Cypress Hills.
I read the names out loud,
flip page after page as if the past were
a botanist with whom I've made a pact.
Evening Primrose, Yarrow, Wild Flax -
what would Sorrow look like, what fruit
would it bear? I have in mind no colour.
Yellow, red, or blue it would bloom
in rich abundance this July, its flowers
a burden, a fragrant heaviness,
between my fingers its leaves softely
furred, the fine hairs of a lover's wrist.
If I touched the sepals with my tongue
I'd say anise and then repeat it, an aftertaste,
a hint of time. Wild near the marsh
I find a kind of Rue where only yesterday
leopard-spotted frogs leapt in imitation
of the heart's strange fondness
for what is lost.
(-- p. 96) |
Link to this entry
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Last edited by editor on Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:42 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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editor
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| Posted: Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:38 pm Post subject: |
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The New Yorker
Magazine Subscription
Works on Paper
The letters of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell
By Dan Chiasson
Nov. 3/08
| Quote: | Bad childhoods are a human misfortune, but for writers they are often a stroke of luck. Both Lowell and Bishop were aware that growing up lonely sponsored their imaginative lives. In the seventies, Lowell, in his great poem “Ulysses and Circe,” chose a baffled and emasculated Ulysses for his self-portrait. A few years earlier, Bishop, in “Crusoe in England,” had picked, for hers, a retired Robinson Crusoe nostalgic for his island days.
Both were ways of representing an essential strandedness that had its origins in childhood. Lowell was the unwanted only child of a belittling mother and a father who grew, in Lowell’s eyes, “apathetic and soured.” Bishop’s father had died when she was eight months old. When she was five, her mother was placed permanently in a sanitarium. Bishop never saw her again, though her mother lived nearly twenty more years. Bishop was then subjected to several experiments in child rearing. She was happy in Nova Scotia with her mother’s parents, but her father’s parents, burghers in Worcester, Massachusetts, felt they could provide better for her. That arrangement soon failed, and she was sent to live with her aunt Maud, in Revere, Massachusetts. Maud nursed her back from the ailments she suffered in Worcester: asthma, bronchitis, eczema, symptoms of St. Vitus’ dance, and allergies to practically everything in her grandparents’ house. (Later, reading Proust, she discovered a voluble fellow asthma sufferer and decided wryly that she hadn’t “capitalized” enough on her condition.) Aunt Maud had pet canaries and Italian neighbors with beautiful surnames that Bishop never forgot.
Poets live on two tracks: on one, life chugs along in the usual ways. On the other, art, which starts late but soon catches up, has its own landmarks and significant episodes. Interiority isn’t mapped by biographical fact; that happens on the other track. And so “life” is an exceedingly difficult and unpromising subject for art. Bishop aimed for a dispassionate, even eerie objectivity, an effect that was incompatible with autobiographical writing. Lowell, the gifted parodist of persons and manners, found it comparatively easy to turn to his own person and manners, but in doing so he risked giving up the dazzling special effects of his early, Miltonic poems.
Compared with all the grand things that people have done with poems—justifying the ways of God to men, shoring fragments against their ruins, and so on—telling one’s life story in more or less factual terms might seem to be a very modest goal. But Lowell was obsessed by the idea that this could be done without sacrificing poetry’s ambition, its power and sweep. “Confessional” poetry—a brand inadvertently launched by Lowell’s groundbreaking 1959 book, “Life Studies”—is in his practice really self-satire with the sadness left in. Bishop had a distaste for the “suffering business” of confessional poetry, but she loved “Life Studies,” and thinking about why she loved it helped her define her own, very different method:
I am green with envy of your kind of assurance. I feel that I could write in as much detail about my Uncle Artie, say—but what would be the significance? Nothing at all. He became a drunkard, fought with his wife, and spent most of his time fishing . . . and was ignorant as sin. . . . Whereas all you have to do is put down the names! And the fact that it seems significant, illustrative, American, etc., gives you, I think, the confidence you display about tackling any idea or theme, seriously, in both writing and conversation. In some ways you are the luckiest poet I know!
No poet wants to hear that he is lucky, and Lowell never responded to this rather damning praise. What makes him a great poet isn’t confidence about his own centrality but his yearning, brilliantly expressed throughout his work, for rest, for peace, for an integrated life. “I am tired,” he wrote. “Everyone’s tired of my turmoil.” (-- p. 108) |
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editor
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:55 am Post subject: |
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From Losing Streak:
B.C. 'BILLIES 'jack' afresh over Olympics 2010:
Whistler Blackcomb's costly new Peak 2 Peak redubbed 'Peak to Creek' after leaky gondola tower's collapse
cbc.ca
Freezing water cracked gondola tower joint: Whistler staff
'Ice-jacking' caused failure, says official
Dec. 17/08
| Quote: | Officials at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort north of Vancouver say the collapse of a gondola tower was caused by water seeping into a welded and bolted joint and cracking the metal as it froze. (emphasis added) Doug Forseth, the senior vice-president of operations at Whistler Blackcomb, said experts inspected the damaged tower overnight. The support towers on similar Doppelmayr brand lifts, including the Wizard and Solar chairlifts, were checked and found without any problems. Provincial safety official were expected to conduct a second safety inspection with resort staff Wednesday morning before those lifts were reopened. ...
The damaged tower was constructed from two large pieces of metal tubing that were welded and bolted together, but somehow water managed to get inside the joint, said Forseth. The ice build-up caused the tower splice to rupture, an extremely unusual situation referred to as "ice-jacking," he said.
Thirteen people suffered minor injuries on Tuesday when one of the towers that supports the cables on the Excalibur Gondola near Fitzsimmons Creek partially collapsed, leaving three gondola cars dangling in mid-air. People were left stranded in the cold for about three hours while fire crews went gondola to gondola removing the 53 passengers from the 30 trapped cars.
The gondola undergoes an extensive safety check every year by the B.C. Safety Authority, and the last check was done within the past six months, according to a statement issued by Blackcomb.
The Excalibur Gondola, which runs from Whistler Village up Blackcomb Mountain, was built in 1994. It has an upper and lower section. The upper section of the gondola, which is independent of the lower section, was unaffected by the incident but was cleared immediately of guests. |
The Georgia Strait
Earnest Corporate Tabloid
Ice-jacking cited for failure of Excalibur Gondola at Blackcomb Mountain
By Charlie Smith
Dec. 17/08
| Quote: | ... The accident comes at a terrible time for Whistler Blackcomb, which is owned by Intrawest Corp. Last week, the resort opened its new $52-million Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which transports skiers over a 4.4-kilometre span between the tops of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. At its highest point, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola is more than 400 metres above the valley floor.
The resort was preparing for the lucrative Christmas skiing season. However, if the Excalibur Gondola remains out of service, it will have an impact on the number of skiers that can be brought into the alpine areas of Blackcomb Mountain.
In addition, Whistler is cohosting the 2010 Winter Olympics with Vancouver, and this incident brings bad publicity just as the resort is trying to capitalize on increased global media interest in its facilities.
Finally, Intrawest’s parent company, hedge-fund manager Fortress Investment Group, has had a terrible year as a result of the global financial meltdown. On December 16, the New York-based investment company's stock closed at US$1.22, down from a 52-week high of US$17.32.
Fortress has been the lender for the billion-dollar Olympic Village project in Vancouver. The local city council recently provided a $100-million loan guarantee to try to ensure that the development will be completed in time for the 2010 Games. City officials have estimated that the project is $70 million over budget. |
Link to this entry
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editor
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Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Posts: 2940
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:55 am Post subject: |
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From Losing Streak:
B.C. 'BILLIES 'jack' afresh over Olympics 2010:
Whistler Blackcomb's costly new Peak 2 Peak redubbed 'Peak to Creek' after leaky gondola tower's collapse
cbc.ca
Freezing water cracked gondola tower joint: Whistler staff
'Ice-jacking' caused failure, says official
Dec. 17/08
| Quote: | Officials at the Whistler Blackcomb ski resort north of Vancouver say the collapse of a gondola tower was caused by water seeping into a welded and bolted joint and cracking the metal as it froze. (emphasis added) Doug Forseth, the senior vice-president of operations at Whistler Blackcomb, said experts inspected the damaged tower overnight. The support towers on similar Doppelmayr brand lifts, including the Wizard and Solar chairlifts, were checked and found without any problems. Provincial safety official were expected to conduct a second safety inspection with resort staff Wednesday morning before those lifts were reopened. ...
The damaged tower was constructed from two large pieces of metal tubing that were welded and bolted together, but somehow water managed to get inside the joint, said Forseth. The ice build-up caused the tower splice to rupture, an extremely unusual situation referred to as "ice-jacking," he said.
Thirteen people suffered minor injuries on Tuesday when one of the towers that supports the cables on the Excalibur Gondola near Fitzsimmons Creek partially collapsed, leaving three gondola cars dangling in mid-air. People were left stranded in the cold for about three hours while fire crews went gondola to gondola removing the 53 passengers from the 30 trapped cars.
The gondola undergoes an extensive safety check every year by the B.C. Safety Authority, and the last check was done within the past six months, according to a statement issued by Blackcomb.
The Excalibur Gondola, which runs from Whistler Village up Blackcomb Mountain, was built in 1994. It has an upper and lower section. The upper section of the gondola, which is independent of the lower section, was unaffected by the incident but was cleared immediately of guests. |
The Georgia Strait
Earnest Corporate Tabloid
Ice-jacking cited for failure of Excalibur Gondola at Blackcomb Mountain
By Charlie Smith
Dec. 17/08
| Quote: | ... The accident comes at a terrible time for Whistler Blackcomb, which is owned by Intrawest Corp. Last week, the resort opened its new $52-million Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which transports skiers over a 4.4-kilometre span between the tops of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. At its highest point, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola is more than 400 metres above the valley floor.
The resort was preparing for the lucrative Christmas skiing season. However, if the Excalibur Gondola remains out of service, it will have an impact on the number of skiers that can be brought into the alpine areas of Blackcomb Mountain.
In addition, Whistler is cohosting the 2010 Winter Olympics with Vancouver, and this incident brings bad publicity just as the resort is trying to capitalize on increased global media interest in its facilities.
Finally, Intrawest’s parent company, hedge-fund manager Fortress Investment Group, has had a terrible year as a result of the global financial meltdown. On December 16, the New York-based investment company's stock closed at US$1.22, down from a 52-week high of US$17.32.
Fortress has been the lender for the billion-dollar Olympic Village project in Vancouver. The local city council recently provided a $100-million loan guarantee to try to ensure that the development will be completed in time for the 2010 Games. City officials have estimated that the project is $70 million over budget. |
Link to this entry
http://pokerpulse.com/news/viewtopic.php?p=4054#4054 |
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editor
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Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Posts: 2940
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| Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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From the Ultimate High-Stakes Gamble (Romantic Love, of course):
The New Yorker
Magazine Subscription
Fiction
Some Women
By Alice Munro
Dec. 22 & 29/08
| Quote: | Meanwhile, Roxanne's sister had so many boyfriends that she'd flip a coin to see whom she'd go out with almost every night, and she employed Roxanne to meet the rejects regretfully at the front door of the rooming house where they lived, while she herself and her pick of the night sneaked out the back. Roxanne said that maybe that was how she developed such a gift of gab. And pretty soon some of the boys she had met this way were taking her out, instead of her sister. They did not know her real age.
"I had me a ball," she said. ...
I understood pretty well the winning and losing that had taken place between Sylvia And Roxanne, but it was strange to think of the almost obliterated prize, Mr. Crozier - and to think that he could have had the will to make a decision, even to deprive himself, so late in his life. The carnality at death's door - or the true love, for that matter - was something I wanted to shake off back then, just as I would shake caterpillars off my sleeve. (From a new collection due in late 2009, Too Much Happiness, pgs. 73, 76) |
Link to this entry
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editor
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Posts: 2940
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| Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2009 11:15 am Post subject: |
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Wednesday Noon Hours
Jan. 21/09
UBC School of Music
Recital Hall
12 p.m.
Tickets $4 at the door
Featuring Van Django
| Quote: | Cameron Wilson - violin,
Budge Schachte guitar
Finn Manniche - guitar/cello
Laurence Mollerup - double bass
Van Django is an acoustic string ensemble made up of four extremely talented and eclectic musicians. Their music is well-rooted in the gypsy jazz of 1930s Paris, France but, beyond that, it's all pure blue skying: flights of dazzling fancy, driving rhythms and boundless creativity. Experience this foursome as they play their original compositions and quirky arrangements in an action packed musical universe they call acoustic string hot jazz. (From the Programme)
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Here's why the group sounds as good as the Programme promises:
| Quote: | Cameron Wilson was a member of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the CBC Radio Orchestra. ...
Budge collaborates with a stellar cast of diverse artists, including playwrite Tompson Highway, Tango Paradiso, Victoria Symphony ...
Finn ... can be heard playing live and on CD with the Armadillo String Quartet, Ensemble Symposium, the Jazzmanian Devils, Soul Crib, the Paperboys ...
Laurence Mollerup ... also performs in musical theatre and records for radio, television and feature film soundtracks, including The French Guy, Emile, Live Bait and A Place Called Chiapas. (From the Programme) |
Here's what they played:
Link to this entry
http://pokerpulse.com/news/viewtopic.php?p=4141#4141 |
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editor
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Posts: 2940
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| Posted: Sun Apr 05, 2009 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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Prepositions for Remembrance Day
Paperback
By Jon Furberg, a formidable English instructor at Vancouver Community College (VCC), Langara Campus, who contended, alas, in vain against the milk-fed presses of the wintry east grown fatuous, lazy on Canada Council grants while western poets languished. Yet another who left too soon.
| Quote: | Down
down in history
through layers of bones,
shells of feasting, and also
rifle shells, casings from
heavy artillery - history
a succession of wars, their causes
and means, and the manner
of their ends - in bodies
twisted beyond number
but down on the street
two old men meet and embrace.
How excellent! their bodies
rocking in bent arms -
hats, canes, shoes askew
in a little jig of recognition,
gratitutde, even love,
you've seen it, tough sinew
of legs rocking down
to knotted feet
down the street in peace
to the beer parlour,
down on nothing but luck,
essentials - enough cash
for more of what we need.
Food, drink, talk - it is
one another's company they keep
in passing: We must have
a long talk right now,
very long and lively.
old men drinking the evening
down, drinking down history.
And very old women
who still laugh
passing on. passing down.
the old warriors wink
and smile, then they cry
and don't know why,
but the ladies do, they know
why they cry, old flowers
along the wall wearing red hats
and so resemble poppies, sacred
flower of this day's lapel -
glasses full of amber emptied
down the holy tube
(-- pgs. 36-37) |
Link to this entry
http://pokerpulse.com/news/viewtopic.php?p=4251#4251 |
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editor
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Posts: 2940
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| Posted: Tue Apr 21, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject: |
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From Losing Streak:
Changing on the Fly
The Best Lyric Poems of George Bowering
Paperback
| Quote: | JUST AS WE LOSE
Just as we lose the last innocence
one comes to tell us there's more;
her date of birth is unimaginable,
no one has seen her before.
Goodness and mercy are such temptations,
love is a bear in the street;
all our old friends are resting their angers,
shuffling their cards and their feet,
shuffling their hands and their feet -
calling off war with the last of our innocence
one swaggers down to defeat.
(-- p. 82) |
| Quote: | ... When you are a young poet you might not be clear about what a lyric poem is, except that it has something to do with sounding good accompanied by the poet's fingers on a lyre. M.H. Abrams, who assigned himself the task of defining literary terms for undergrads, said that a lyric poem is "any short poem presenting a single speaker (not necessarily the poet himself) who expresses a state of mind involving thought and feeling." That's not bad for a description that values a combination of terseness and clarity. In fact, I would argue only with the very "expresses." I hold to the ancient fancy that my poems are permitted from elsewhere, not squeezed from inside.
So here follows a collection of my lyric poems. They have dates on them - that's how it works. Time receives our signatures, and leaves its own on us and our work. These were occasions, as Rilke put it, when the poet was lucky enough to see the visible and the invisible at once.
George Bowering, 2004 (From Preface: Years of Lyrics) |
Link to this entry
http://pokerpulse.com/news/viewtopic.php?p=4276#4276 |
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editor
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Joined: 09 Nov 2003
Posts: 2940
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| Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:53 am Post subject: |
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