Frank Davey
Encyclopedia
Frankland Wilmot Davey is a Canadian
poet
and scholar.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia
, he grew up in the Fraser Valley village of Abbotsford
. In 1957 he enrolled at the University of British Columbia
where, in 1961, shortly after receiving his BA, he became one of the founding editors of the influential and contentious poetry newsletter TISH
. In the spring of 1962 he won the university's Macmillan Prize for poetry, and published the poetry collection D-Day and After, the first of the Tish group's numerous publications. He married Helen Simmons, also of Abbotsford, in December of 1962, and completed an MA the following spring. That fall he began teaching at Canadian Services College Royal Roads Military College
in Victoria
, where in 1965 he founded Open Letter, a journal of writing and theory which he has continued to edit and publish. He began doctoral studies at the University of Southern California
in the summer of 1965, which in 1966-67 he took advantage of a one-year leave from Royal Roads and a Canada Council fellowship to complete. Shortly after he and his wife separated in 1969, he left Victoria to become Writer-in-Residence at Sir George Williams University in Montreal
, where he married Linda McCartney. He joined the English Department of York University
in Toronto
in 1970, and became department chair in 1985. He was appointed in 1990 to the Carl F. Klinck Chair of Canadian Literature at the University of Western Ontario
in London
. From 1975-1992 he was one of the most active editors of the Coach House Press. He currently lives in Strathroy, Ontario
.
, British Columbia
, but raised in nearby Abbotsford
. He was the son Wilmot Elmer Davey and Doris Brown. Much of his childhood in Abbotsford is pseudonymously recounted in his 2005 poetry volume Back to the War. He enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 1957 where he met the influential poetry theorist Warren Tallman
and student writers George Bowering
, Daphne Marlatt
, Carol Bolt
, and Fred Wah
, and in 1960 the charismatic San Francisco poet Robert Duncan
. With Wah and Bowering, and the advice of Tallman and Duncan, he founded the poetry newsletter Tish in 1961.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and scholar.
Born in Vancouver, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, he grew up in the Fraser Valley village of Abbotsford
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
. In 1957 he enrolled at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
where, in 1961, shortly after receiving his BA, he became one of the founding editors of the influential and contentious poetry newsletter TISH
TISH
TISH was a Canadian poetry newsletter, founded by student-poets at the University of British Columbia in 1961 and edited by a number of Vancouver poets until 1969...
. In the spring of 1962 he won the university's Macmillan Prize for poetry, and published the poetry collection D-Day and After, the first of the Tish group's numerous publications. He married Helen Simmons, also of Abbotsford, in December of 1962, and completed an MA the following spring. That fall he began teaching at Canadian Services College Royal Roads Military College
Royal Roads Military College
Royal Roads Military College was a Canadian military college located in Hatley Park, Colwood, British Columbia near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The facility is currently being used as the campus for Royal Roads University, a public university that offers applied and professional academic...
in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, where in 1965 he founded Open Letter, a journal of writing and theory which he has continued to edit and publish. He began doctoral studies at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in the summer of 1965, which in 1966-67 he took advantage of a one-year leave from Royal Roads and a Canada Council fellowship to complete. Shortly after he and his wife separated in 1969, he left Victoria to become Writer-in-Residence at Sir George Williams University in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, where he married Linda McCartney. He joined the English Department of York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in 1970, and became department chair in 1985. He was appointed in 1990 to the Carl F. Klinck Chair of Canadian Literature at the University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...
in London
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. From 1975-1992 he was one of the most active editors of the Coach House Press. He currently lives in Strathroy, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Early Life and Education
Frank Davey was born in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, but raised in nearby Abbotsford
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a Canadian city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, adjacent to Greater Vancouver. It is the fifth largest municipality in British Columbia, home to 123,864 people . Its Census Metropolitan Area, which includes the District of Mission, is the 23rd largest in Canada,...
. He was the son Wilmot Elmer Davey and Doris Brown. Much of his childhood in Abbotsford is pseudonymously recounted in his 2005 poetry volume Back to the War. He enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 1957 where he met the influential poetry theorist Warren Tallman
Warren Tallman
Warren Tallman was an American-born poetry professor who inspired the Canadian Tish movement and influenced the mid-20th century poetry scene in Canada.- History :...
and student writers George Bowering
George Bowering
George Harry Bowering, OC, OBC is a prolific Canadian novelist, poet, historian, and biographer. He has served as Canada's Parliamentary Poet Laureate....
, Daphne Marlatt
Daphne Marlatt
Daphne Marlatt, née Buckle, CM , is a Canadian poet who lives in Vancouver, British Columbia....
, Carol Bolt
Carol Bolt
Carol Bolt was a Canadian playwright. She was a founding member and, for several years, president of the Playwrights Union of Canada....
, and Fred Wah
Fred Wah
Frederick James Wah is a Canadian poet, novelist, and scholar.Wah was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but grew up in the interior of British Columbia. His Canadian-born father was raised in China, the son of a Chinese father and a Scots-Irish mother. Fred Wah's mother was a Swedish-born...
, and in 1960 the charismatic San Francisco poet Robert Duncan
Robert Duncan (poet)
Robert Duncan was an American poet and a student of H.D. and the Western esoteric tradition who spent most of his career in and around San Francisco. Though associated with any number of literary traditions and schools, Duncan is often identified with the poets of the New American Poetry and Black...
. With Wah and Bowering, and the advice of Tallman and Duncan, he founded the poetry newsletter Tish in 1961.
Poetry
- D-day and After - 1962
- City of the Gulls and Sea - 1964
- The Scarred Hull - 1965,
- Bridge Force - 1965
- Weeds - 1970
- Four Myths for Sam Perry - 1970
- Griffon - 1972
- King of Swords - 1972
- L'An Trentiesme: Selected Poems, 1961-70 - 1972
- Arcana - 1973
- The Clallam, or, Old Glory in Juan de Fuca - 1973
- Selected Poems: The Arches - 1980 (edited by bpNicholBpNicholBarrie Phillip Nichol , who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces , was a Canadian poet. He became widely known for his concrete poetry while living there in the 1960s...
) ISBN 0-88922-174-X - Capitalistic Affection! - 1982 ISBN 0-88910-244-9
- Edward and Patricia - 1984 ISBN 0-88910-274-0
- The Louis RielLouis RielLouis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
Organ and Piano Company - 1985 ISBN 0-88801-096-6 - The Abbotsford Guide to India - 1986 ISBN 0-88878-262-4
- Popular Narratives - 1994 ISBN 0-88922-285-1
- Cultural Mischief - 1996 ISBN 0-88922-364-5
- Back to the War - 2005 ISBN 0-88922-514-1
- Lack On! - 2009 ISBN 978-0-9813548-0-4
- How We Won the War in Iraq - 2009 ISBN 978-0-9813548-1-1
- Bardy Google - 2010 ISBN 978-0-88922-636-4
- Afghanistan War: True, False -- or Not - 2010 ISBN 978-0-9813548-2-8
Non-Fiction
- Five Readings of Olson's Maximus - 1970
- Earle BirneyEarle BirneyEarle Alfred Birney, OC, FRSC was a distinguished Canadian poet and novelist, who twice won the Governor General's Award, Canada's top literary honor, for his poetry.-Life:...
- 1971 - From There to Here: A Guide to English-Canadian Literature Since 1960 - 1974 ISBN 0-88878-036-2
- Louis Dudek and Raymond Souster - 1980 ISBN 0-88894-264-8
- Surviving the Paraphrase - 1983 ISBN 0-88801-075-3
- Margaret AtwoodMargaret AtwoodMargaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
: A Feminist Poetics - 1984 ISBN 0-88922-217-7 - Reading Canadian Reading - 1985 ISBN 0-88801-130-X
- Post-National Arguments: The Politics of the Anglophone-Canadian Novel since 1967 - 1993 ISBN 0-8020-2785-7
- Reading 'Kim' Right - 1993 ISBN 0-88922-342-4
- Canadian Literary Power - 1994 ISBN 0-920897-57-6
- Karla's Web: A Cultural Investigation of the Mahaffy-French Murders - 1994 ISBN 0-67086-153-7
- How Linda Died - 2002 ISBN 1-55022-497-2
- Mr & Mrs G.G - 2003 ISBN 1-55022-565-0
- When TISH Happens - 2011 ISBN 978-1-55022-958-5
Anthologies Edited
- TishTishTish may refer to:* Tish , a Hasidic gathering of Hassidim around their Rebbe* Tish Jones, a recurring fictional character in the television series Doctor Who...
Nos. 1-19 - 1975 ISBN 0-88922-077-8 - The SwiftCurrent Anthology - 1986 (edited with Fred WahFred WahFrederick James Wah is a Canadian poet, novelist, and scholar.Wah was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but grew up in the interior of British Columbia. His Canadian-born father was raised in China, the son of a Chinese father and a Scots-Irish mother. Fred Wah's mother was a Swedish-born...
) ISBN 0-88910-317-8