Spectral Lines

Spectral Lines cover

Spectral Lines is an anthology of visual poetry I edited on behalf of the League of Canadian Poets for their ongoing chapbook series. I selected work from an impressive pool of submissions and prepared an introduction for the chapbook, which includes poetry by Christian Bök, Moni Brar, Benjamin C. Dugdale, Sarah Imrisek, Daze Jefferies, Samantha Jones, Eimear Laffan, Mark Laliberte, Carol L. MacKay, Colin Morton, Cassandra Myers, katie o'brien, Nikki Reimer, Rasiqra Revulva, Dani Spinosa, Kate Sutherland, and Grant Wilkins, with special thanks to Geoffrey Nilson for his work as editorial assistant.

Chapbook
League of Canadian Poets
2022
$12

LCP Chapbook Series

Chapbook
League of Canadian Poets
2022
$12

LCP Chapbook Series

Introduction

Originally published in Spectral Lines


"How far away from poetry can we get and still be writing and reading poetry?"

— derek beaulieu, Surface Tension

What is the difference between looking and reading? Between image and text? Between writing and drawing?

To me, questions about the difference between visual art and visual poetry are more productive than definitive answers. Visual poetry isn't any one thing. It doesn't look any one kind of way.

What are the limits of legibility? Of interpretation? Of language?

"What reader emerges from her study simplified?"

— Lisa Robertson, Nilling

Language is a field with overlapping strata of signification. The visual aspect of language is entangled with its sound, just as the method of inscription impacts its meaning.

Visual poetry radiates outward in all directions from the question: What does language look like?

Here, you will find poems that make you ask: What am I looking at? Is this a poem? How should I read it? What does writing do? What is it for?

"What do the words tell us that the image can't and what does the image tell us that the words can't?"

— Effie Jessop, Judith: Women Making Visual Poetry

In the end, I hope these poems leave you wondering how many ways there are to play with the visible features of language.