Daphne Marlatt, and IMPULSE magazine

I've been discovering even more little pieces of Daphne Marlatt's work found in old lit journals I've purchased here and there, all spanning from the 60's to present day. A recent purchase of the periodical Impulse, or (Imp)ulse Im(pulse) etc., that had its day in the 70's (founded in 1971 by Peter Such, also founding member of The Writers' Union of Canada, among other things), was a particularly rare gem to find. In it, I was pleased to hit upon the work of those I greatly admire, as well as some new identies, those of David UU (David "W"), bpNichol, Maxine Gadd, Frank Davey, Judith Copithorne, bill bissett, Nelson Ball, Victor Coleman, Joe Rosenblatt, Gerry Gilbert, David Dawson (one of the Vancouver "Tish" magazine boys), David Cull, and Daphne Marlatt.

Judith Copithorne blends the word and the stylized line, which looks something like taking a black ink callagraphic-type pen, cultivating a design, and inserting words, phrases, poems, within and beyond that structure. Unfortunately I can't locate any such designs on the web, but you should see what I'm seeing.

David UU wrote some dreamy stuff. Publisher jwcurry has printed some of his things and in fact I happen to have one of them, entitled "Elemental Journey", a 4-part series consisting of "I The Undines", "II The Gnomes", "III The Salamanders", "IV The Sylphs": excellently crafted little booklet too, of course, created with his publication "CURVD H&Z".

Well, I can't write about everyone. I have places to go, things to do, cake to make. So let me wrap up this post quickly, to return to it one day. A part of one of Daphne's Impulse poems:

Excerpt from FRAMES:

II shadows door are


morning's broken
ice wind a rap at the
window signals

I should get up to look at the
glassed-in tree

whose story begins
or mine) where

under quiescent leaves festered
things made new in the new year
shivers up to start does it?

winter
angels are
made in snow with
flying arms, icicles
broken off shrouds

windows steam up

girls grow
sausages & pie
shape skirts, the boys
all sprout electric hair

....


While I'm here, you should all read some Lisa Robertson.