Geoffrey Cook Geoffrey Cook has published poetry and essays in many Canadian journals, including Descant, Fiddlehead, Pottersfield Portfolio, and The Canadian Journal of Comparative Literature. He teaches English at John Abbott College outside Montreal, where he lives.

What do you like and dislike about contemporary Canadian poetry? (Name names.) 

I like Richard Sanger, Ken Babstock and Stephanie Bolster - which is as contemporary as I get. I admire the intelligence, energy, sensitivity and craftsmanship of these poets. Before them - but still 'contemporary' - I like Bringhurst, MacPherson and Nowlan (as well as the songs of Leonard Cohen). I dislike Susan Musgrave and Al Purdy; I particularly dislike their imitators. What is admirable about "Canadian" poetry is its range and diversity, however problematic that makes Canadian politics, cultural policies or academic dissertations on a Canadian sensibility. A revealing confession: I don't like the mania of 'poetry slams' or 'spoken-word poetry', though I admit it raises the profile of the art. And I don't think that the future belongs to the suburbs. 

Describe the types of poems you'd like to see in TDR. 

Generalities are the best guide, otherwise one gets prescriptive, and I have no intention of becoming partisan or promulgating a manifesto. So I would like to see poetry that is free of cliche - intellectually, emotionally, spiritually and technically. In particular I would like to see conscientious craftsmanship; I don't mean only traditional forms, but I certainly mean purposeful use of line breaks based on rhythm instead of, at best, visual puns. It is self-conscious craftsmanship which reveals the soul's uniqueness, not vice versa. 

Name a favorite poet, and say why. 

I think Canadian artists are well past the anxiety of assuming the world stage, so I can say my 'favourite poet' is not Canadian or singular: Seamus Heaney because of his lyricism and rural imagery; Derek Walcott because of his narrative and epic impulse and his sea imagery; and Joseph Brodsky because of his irony, intelligence and formal sophistication. 

What do you like and dislike about contemporary Canadian poetry? (Name names.) 

I like the work of Al Moritz- a poetry of lush energies, a dark and cerebral vision. I like -who doesn't- Ken Babstock's tough, harsh poetry. An enduring enthusiasm: poets with last names beginning with the letter Z. I return to the work of Alden Nowlan frequently; the lyrics of Milton Acorn also.

I dislike the lazy multitudinousness of rob mclennan and his legions. He's the only Canadian poet I'll bother citing as bad, mainly because he deserves it: a prodigious non-talent, his influence on young poets is inexplicably pernicious and therefore must be combated. For a more complete list of my dislikes, I suggest DR readers refer to my reviews.

Describe the types of poems you'd like to see in TDR. 

I abhor anecdote for its own sake. Poetry that's rigorous, genuine, and ambitious suits my taste; but the former qualities, I admit, suffer from my subjectivity and also sound hopelessly vague. In essence, I know what I want when I see it. So show me. 

Name a favorite poet, and say why. 

I find I'm constantly revising my pantheon. As a young man I both loved and hated Al Purdy's work. I admired his fusing of anecdote and lyric; I despised his flatulent ramblings. After a few years I broadened my horizons and Purdy bowed to Anna Akhmatova; she fell, and wry Philip Larkin became ascendant. There have been many more infatuations since. Right now I'm wallowing -again- in Shakespeare's sonnets. But my education is perpetual and I will continue to profess serial lust. Each affair is remembered, though, and I'm grateful for the tutelage. From Purdy I learned the hybrid; from Akhmatova, the elegy; from Larkin, the sublime understatement. I'm afraid I'll sound like Harold Bloom if I explain why I'm enthralled by Shakespeare.