Wayde Compton : part five

Why is poetry important?

It thrives outside the market, so it can set right the relational distortions of capitalism ungrudgingly.

Wayde Compton : part four

How important is music to your poetry?

Not all of my poetry is based in music, but the most enjoyable part of writing poetry is when I can get it to feel similar to music. Yet I think my concrete poetry appeared as a balance against this.

Wayde Compton : part three

When you require renewal, is there a particular poem or book that you return to? A particular author?

The way Kamau Brathwaite thinks about the Caribbean is startlingly useful to me for thinking about British Columbia. I return every few years to his trilogy The Arrivants.

Wayde Compton : part two

What other poetry books have you been reading lately?

These poets: Dionne Brand, because her books give me a sense of unity in thinking, analyzing, and feeling; Jordan Scott, who, syllable to syllable, gives me the same thrill Albert Ayler’s music does; and Shazia Hafiz Ramji, who is about to publish a first book that makes such lucid work out of this technocratic moment.

Wayde Compton : part one

Three of Wayde Compton’s books have been finalists for the City of Vancouver Book Award, and The Outer Harbour won it in 2015. His book 49^th Parallel Psalm (Arsenal Pulp, 1999) was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Prize. Compton is the Program Director of Creative Writing in Continuing Studies at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, where he administrates the Writer’s Studio.

Photo credit: Ayelet Tsabari

What are you working on?

A graphic novel, a libretto, some essays, a novel, and maybe a book for kids.