Thursday, January 29, 2015

Reprint: Writer's Block

Back in September, I was in Calgary, attending the Under Western Skies conference at Mount Royal.

In addition to the two poetry panels I was invited to participate in, there were panel discussions and keynotes filling the days and then performances most evenings. And there had been a massive and unseasonable snowfall the first day of the conference, which was overwhelming most of Calgary's trees, which were still in leaf.

I would drive my rental car every morning and every evening through all this snow, around the curbside downed trees, whilst attempting Calgary's freeways.

All of which was good but tiring.

I'd set up the interview with Calgary poet Emily Ursuliak for her CJSW radio show Writers' Block, which meant driving to an entirely new area of town. And boomtown Calgary traffic as well as my shock that it would take more than a half hour to get anywhere (which is a very Winnipeg idea...) almost made me late.

Once I got there, once I'd found parking and also the building where I was meant to meet Emily, it was lovely to have a chance to think on the ways Stowaways moved. To describe it but also think on what I was trying to do in the poems.

It was interesting, as always, to see the book from the point of view of another person. But it was especially nice to see it from Emily's POV. She's bright and bold and even though she's fairly young, she's spent a lot of time in Calgary's literary community.


Fun!

1 comment:

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