You’ll want to get your hands on a copy of Edward Charles Jamieson Jr.’s first chapbook somewhere south of los angeles and north of san diego. I must admit, it has a binding quality (perfectly bound) I only dream of having for my first chapbook! Even upon my first reading of Jamieson’s collection of poems, I found this work to have achieved a quality of honesty and immediacy that I find quite commendable. Several of the poems speak of the search we have all undertaken at one point or another: the search for appreciation, belonging and a welcoming space. We hear this desperate search in “A Poem Written When I Was Fifteen” (pg.12) through the voice of a young boy alienated in his own home. A similar search is found in the voice of “SASE” (pg.7) in which a poet’s numerous attempts to have his work accepted for publication are met with unending rejection. An echo of this spirit is also sensed in the unrewarding job search of “Sunday Paper” (pg.19). The sense of cynicism found in these poems is magnified, however, when set against the backdrop of fear and entrapment that is sketched in “An Episode In A Boy’s Life” (pg.9), “The Night Lady” (pg.10) and “Beach” (pg.11), poems which leave the reader with a sense of horror and disgust. Although the poetry sports a somewhat bleak and cynical reflection of daily life, it finds occasional instances of humour in human idiosyncrasies. Readers will undoubtedly snicker nervously at the nose-picking scene in “The Beautiful Girl In Her White Jeep” (pg.13) and at the frank mentions of defecating, butt-wiping, masturbating, hand-washing, whisky-drinking activities in “Just Another Night” (pg.16) and “Too Much Masterbating” (pg.18). These two poems alone would have sent Freud on a joy-ride! Even given this jot of humour, these poems have a razor-sharp edge. The only suggestion I have to make about Jamieson’s chapbook is that it requires another careful proofreading. A vigilant editor might have caught the manuscript’s numerous typos before it went to press. This would have provided somewhere south of los angeles and north of san diego with the polished touch Jamieson’s collection so well deserves. I hope to see more of Jamieson’s work in the future.

-review by Christal Steck

unfortunately for us here at graffito this is christals’ first and last review. due to a heavy work load, and busily trying to find a teaching job. christal has decided to leave us. i will certainly miss her sensitivity for poetry and commitment to the publication. fortunately for us she’s only leaving the group, but will still be around for our frequent chats over coffee, at least for the time being. thanks for everything christal.

windward: st. lucia poems by ken norris, published by above/ground press ( rr # 1 maxville ontario koc 1to). printed in a limited edition of 100 for the tree reading series, this collection is a travelogue of norris’ time spent on the caribbean island of st. lucia. in this collection norris captures what any writer would like to find; a place where time is on vacation and everything has a vivid vitality or like living most of one’s life in platos’ cave of shadows, having found a way out you marvel at the brilliance of everything.

though st. lucia is the place originating these poems, they carry in them several themes. the exploration of self, brought on by the freshness of the environment, as seen in morning, “so many mornings i’ve awoken/ to interpret the cut of a wave,/ and what have i done/ but describe myself?” In soursop, time, dreaming, and sunset at tapion reef, you find that metaphors which attempt to describe or engage the reader in the experience which is uniquely caribbean. from soursop, “to write about soursop/ is to never lose its sweet taste,/ its octopus texture./ with delight we spit out the hard brown seeds”, this is like living in the caribbean, you never stop savouring the texture and feel of the place and its’ people. in dreaming, the allure is the island its’ self and such is it that, “she was casting a silver bridge/ upon the shimmering sea/ by which i could almost reach her....i went back to my bed,/ dazed tired, aroused: in love....”, having spent some years as a child growing up in port of spain, trinidad, and having a fiancee from the very same island i related to this collection with great affinity. these poems are well written and i enjoy everyone of them. this was my first reading of mr. norris’ poetry and it has left me with a definite craving for more. $4.00

poems from the blue horizon, by rob mclennan, published by broken jaw press (box 596 stn a, fredericton nb e3b 5a6), starts out with a melancholy poem called marilyn monroe lookalike turns her head & smiles, which has good movement and feel. it had me remembering everything i’d ever seen about norma jean, and every movie i’d seen her in, and causing my reflecting to be as melancholy as the poem.

this poem is however distinctly different from the rest of the chapbook, which is a rambling dissertation on the trials of travel, air-conditioning, destinations and women. mclennans’ writing gives one the feeling that he’s experimenting with free flow or stream of consciousness writing. however, most of his poems have a central focus, such as dying, poem, and recognizing faces. this is quintessentially vintage mclennan. if you enjoy this style of poetry i recommend that you send your $4.00 to broken jaw press and get a copy.

the arts faculty’s writing centre (university of ottawa) offers you: reading and writing about poetry - fundamental of prosody by james parsons, february 12, 3:00 - 4:00pm., rm 003 (basement) simard hall. for more information call 562-5800 ext. 1111. this workshop is free.