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By Word of Mouth

The Poetry of Dennis Cooley
  • Dennis Cooley
  • Edited by: Nicole Markotic and Nicole Markotic
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2007
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About this book

Dennis Cooley, one of Canada’s most prominent poets, says writing becomes political when you play with certain kinds of voices. His poetry has been influenced and inspired by the prairies and other Canadian poets, but he insists on disturbing the formal poetic inheritance he esteems. His engagement with a variety of speaking voices asks that readers question authority and challenge institutional privilege. In By Word of Mouth, a collection from across his career, readers will discover how Cooley returns to the prairie vernacular and speaks to Canadian identity. Poetry, says Cooley, is about our time and our place.

Nicole Markotić’s introductory essay discusses how Dennis Cooley plays with poetic reference, inspires with syntactical surprises, parodies contemporary writing, and indulges in wild, celebratory puns. This book roams around Dennis Cooley’s poetical world and invites the reader to play along.

Author / Editor information

Contributor: Dennis Cooley

Dennis Cooley grew up in Estevan, Saskatchewan, and attended the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Rochester. He is an active member of the writing community in Winnipeg and teaches at St. John’s College, University of Manitoba. His latest book of poetry is the bentleys (2006).

--- Contributor: Nicole Markotic

Nicole Markotic is a poet and critic who teaches at the University of Windsor and edits the chapbook publication Wrinkle Press. She has published two poetry books, Connect the Dots and Minotaurs & Other Alphabets, as well as a fictional biography of Alexander Graham Bell, Yellow Pages. She is currently completing a novel.

Reviews

``Nicole Markotić, the editor, has done an excellent job of selecting a broad-based representation of Cooley's work. Her introduction is invaluable for understanding Cooley's poetics and for guiding readers through the minefield of Cooleydom. Without it, the uninitiated reader would be lost.'' --- ``The introduction is particularly enjoyable because Markotić does not just stand back and analyze Cooley's poetry; instead, she thoroughly enters into Cooley's playful punning and rule-breaking even as she explores his themes and moods.'' --- ``The quest for a wider audience for poetry may be quixotic, but this series makes a serious attempt to present attractive, affordable selections that speak to contemporary interests and topics that might engage a younger generation of readers. Yet it does not condescend, preferring to provide substantial and sophisticated poets to these new readers. At the very least, these slim volumes will make very useful introductory teaching texts in post-secondary classrooms because they whet the appetite without overwhelming.'' --- ``Besner and the LPS [Laurier Poetry Series] deserve acknowledgement for making and taking such a smart opportunity. Bracketing the selections with a critic's introduction and the poet's reflection offers readers important reminders that beyond being simply texts susceptible to criticism, poems are expressions from the hearts and minds of people.'' --- ``By Word of Mouth and the Laurier Poetry series are a welcome and important contribution to widening the reach and availability of Canadian poetry.''

Topics

  • Publicly Available

    Front Matter

    i
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    Table of Contents

    v
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    Foreword

    vii
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    Biographical Note

    viii
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    Introduction

    ix
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    A Poem for You, Leaving Winnipeg

    1
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    anaeurysm

    3
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    “& we are skinbags of heated water dreaming”

    4
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    in his tangerine skin

    5
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    the love song of j l krafchenko or the trans canada in (trance crypt

    6
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    Sonya Orlowsky

    8
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    Paul sd

    10
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    Exorcism

    11
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    I think “ego”; ergo I am

    13
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    labiarinth

    15
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    anatomy of love

    16
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    prairie romance

    17
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    behind the door

    18
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    moon musings

    20
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    holy cow

    24
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    inner ear

    25
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    my eye

    26
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    melodious rhyme

    27
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    he replies to his critics

    29
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    breathless

    30
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    “In Germany cooley is a migrant labourer”

    31
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    “Wished we had the camera for David”

    32
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    winnipeg in winter

    33
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    a series of shocking pre-positions

    34
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    “mother tongue”

    35
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    “this on remembrance weekend”

    36
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    “bodies are”

    37
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    jack’s dictionary of cunning linguists

    38
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    blood brothers

    42
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    red men ace

    43
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    echolalia

    44
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    the red emption of blood

    45
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    “& not that he’s wrong”

    46
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    “& a crate of apples could i suppose”

    48
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    “& listening to night sticky with sweat”

    49
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    after words

    51
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    Selected Cooley Poems: Sources

    59
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    Books in the Laurier Poetry Series

    62
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
February 8, 2024
eBook ISBN:
9781554581108
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
84
https://doi.org/10.51644/9781554581108
eBook ISBN: 9781554581108
Keywords for this book
Literary Criticism: Canadian Literature; Poetry
Audience(s) for this book
For a non-specialist adult audience
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