JW Curry
Encyclopedia
jwcurry (born 1959) is an avant-garde Canadian poet
, publisher, and bookseller.
, that Canadian author who most represented twentieth-century avant-garde
. He began reading Nichol’s micropress GrOnk when he was about 15, and that experience appears to have influenced both curry’s writing and his publishing.
, sound poetry
, and minimalist textual poetry with a definite avant-garde streak. This work mirrors, but also extends, the adventurous creativity of Nichol himself. Curry has worked in many different modes of poetry (textual, visual, and aural). His visual poetry itself has appeared in many different styles: as collage poems, hand-drawn poems, typewriter poems, serigraph poems, all manner of poems—save for any created with computers. His visual poetry, no matter the form it takes, is always carefully executed. One of his most productive, but little recognized, literary forms has been the personal letter. For many years, curry was a prolific letter writer who corresponded with dozens of poets across the globe. In these letters, he shared his demanding criteria for good poetry and his views on the endeavor of micropublishing
.
Curry formally began publishing
in Toronto in 1979 under a wide variety of imprints, but most of his micropublications form part of the Curved H&z publishing venture. Curvd H&z is well known for its 1cent series, which includes leaflets, cards, and sometimes small booklets—each for sale for only a cent. His Industrial Sabotage publishes all manner of experimental poetry in wildly imaginative formats. Each issue is somehow thematic, though curry develops the theme based on the material he receives (which he might hold for years until he finds the right issue for a particular piece). His rarely seen Spudburn is a magazine that consists of individual works handwritten by the authors and released in tiny editions.
Curry’s publishing focuses on extravagantly ambitious and impeccably produced micropublications. Most of these publications he prints with small rubberstamp kits, forcing himself to focus usually on tiny poems, but he also has used silkscreening, photocopying, mimeography, and even photo-offset printing to varying degrees. One of his most famous publications is Headz & H&z, a boxed anthology of poetry he edited with Michael Dean and released in 1985. The cover of the box is silkscreened, and the contents consist of a vast array of individual pieces (one a paper plate) upon which curry has printed individual poems. In this way, curry provides just the right environment for the presentation of each poem.
As a bookseller, curry releases occasionally catalogs through his Room 302 imprint. A determined collector of experimental Canadiana
, curry uses his catalogs to highlight the works of individual writers. Taken together, curry’s publishing and his bookselling operations serve as serious documentation of underground experimental literature, especially in Canada.
For the past number of years, curry has focused almost all of his energy on producing a complete bibliography of the work of bpNichol. Exhibiting the obsessive tendencies of all of curry’s work, this bibliography has as a goal to include all the published work of Nichol (books, articles, and ephemera) and all published mentions of Nichol. This project represents curry’s respect for Nichol’s work as an artist and his love for him as a friend.
from either of their parents. In the 1990s, curry spent a few years in the romantic pursuit of riding the rails as a modern-day hobo on Canada’s intercontinental rail system. In 1996, he and lefler split up, and curry moved to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa
, where he continues to publish and to give often dramatic poetry readings.
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...
, publisher, and bookseller.
Influences
Curry literally grew up under the influence of bpNicholBpNichol
Barrie 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...
, that Canadian author who most represented twentieth-century avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
. He began reading Nichol’s micropress GrOnk when he was about 15, and that experience appears to have influenced both curry’s writing and his publishing.
Work
Curry’s literary output includes visual poetryVisual poetry
Visual poetry is poetry or art in which the visual arrangement of text, images and symbols is important in conveying the intended effect of the work. It is sometimes referred to as concrete poetry, a term that predates visual poetry, and at one time was synonymous with it.Visual poetry was heavily...
, sound poetry
Sound poetry
Sound poetry is an artistic form bridging between literary and musical composition, in which the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded instead of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; "verse without words"...
, and minimalist textual poetry with a definite avant-garde streak. This work mirrors, but also extends, the adventurous creativity of Nichol himself. Curry has worked in many different modes of poetry (textual, visual, and aural). His visual poetry itself has appeared in many different styles: as collage poems, hand-drawn poems, typewriter poems, serigraph poems, all manner of poems—save for any created with computers. His visual poetry, no matter the form it takes, is always carefully executed. One of his most productive, but little recognized, literary forms has been the personal letter. For many years, curry was a prolific letter writer who corresponded with dozens of poets across the globe. In these letters, he shared his demanding criteria for good poetry and his views on the endeavor of micropublishing
Micropublishing
Micropublishing is when an individual or group use efficient publishing and distribution techniques to publish a work intended for a specific micromarket...
.
Curry formally began publishing
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
in Toronto in 1979 under a wide variety of imprints, but most of his micropublications form part of the Curved H&z publishing venture. Curvd H&z is well known for its 1cent series, which includes leaflets, cards, and sometimes small booklets—each for sale for only a cent. His Industrial Sabotage publishes all manner of experimental poetry in wildly imaginative formats. Each issue is somehow thematic, though curry develops the theme based on the material he receives (which he might hold for years until he finds the right issue for a particular piece). His rarely seen Spudburn is a magazine that consists of individual works handwritten by the authors and released in tiny editions.
Curry’s publishing focuses on extravagantly ambitious and impeccably produced micropublications. Most of these publications he prints with small rubberstamp kits, forcing himself to focus usually on tiny poems, but he also has used silkscreening, photocopying, mimeography, and even photo-offset printing to varying degrees. One of his most famous publications is Headz & H&z, a boxed anthology of poetry he edited with Michael Dean and released in 1985. The cover of the box is silkscreened, and the contents consist of a vast array of individual pieces (one a paper plate) upon which curry has printed individual poems. In this way, curry provides just the right environment for the presentation of each poem.
As a bookseller, curry releases occasionally catalogs through his Room 302 imprint. A determined collector of experimental Canadiana
Canadiana
Canadiana is a term referring to things related to the country of Canada. It is most often used to refer to a class of books somewhat wider than Canadian Literature because it also includes books about Canada as well as Canadian non-fiction works....
, curry uses his catalogs to highlight the works of individual writers. Taken together, curry’s publishing and his bookselling operations serve as serious documentation of underground experimental literature, especially in Canada.
For the past number of years, curry has focused almost all of his energy on producing a complete bibliography of the work of bpNichol. Exhibiting the obsessive tendencies of all of curry’s work, this bibliography has as a goal to include all the published work of Nichol (books, articles, and ephemera) and all published mentions of Nichol. This project represents curry’s respect for Nichol’s work as an artist and his love for him as a friend.
Alter ego
One form of curry’s artmaking takes is that of an invented alter ego named Wharton Hood, putatively a Canadian poet who lived near curry. Hood had his own set of correspondents, used a completely different handwriting than curry, and appeared in curry’s letters as a local character curry could not quite control. This alter ego was the supposed editor of Utopic Furnace Press—a press that published only found work—even though curry served as the publisher of the venture. Curry has produced a limited edition of Hood’s incoming and outgoing correspondence, in which Hood often criticizes many other writers, including some of his frequent correspondents. This collection serves as documentation of the art being named Wharton Hood and as glimpse into curry’s thinking. In recent years, curry has revealed the truth about Wharton Hood, even giving the occasional reading in which he alternates between curry and Hood.Life
Curry had three children with the poet Peggy lefler: qaani, jana, and mlina lore, the children bearing a separate surnameSurname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
from either of their parents. In the 1990s, curry spent a few years in the romantic pursuit of riding the rails as a modern-day hobo on Canada’s intercontinental rail system. In 1996, he and lefler split up, and curry moved to Canada’s capital city, Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, where he continues to publish and to give often dramatic poetry readings.
Publications
- curry, jw and Michael Dean, eds. "Headz & H&z." Toronto, Curvd H&z, 1985.
- "& Points in between." [Weston, Ont. : CURVD H&Z], 1980.
- "THESE." Toronto: Underwhich Editions, 1981.
- "DEVELOPING LANGUAG." Toronto: Utopic Furnace P, 1982.
- "EXPOSURE." Toronto: Ganglia P, 1982.
- "logical sequence #16." Toronto: ComaGoats P, 1982.
- "Reflecting on the war." Toronto: Curvd H&z, 1982.
- "The Science and Technology Department is located on the second level." Toronto: Utopic Furnace P, 1982.
- "body OF DOG." Toronto: Curvd H&z, 1984.
- "CHOSHK." Toronto: Utopic Furnace P, 1984.
- "THE CONCRETE TELL." Toronto: Dancing Mandible P, 1984.
- "curryafterlabaafterspicer." Toronto: NO GUFF STUFF, 1984.
- "44." San Francisco: Score, 1985.
- "Qaani lore." Toronto : Unfinished Monument PressUnfinished Monument PressUnfinished Monument Press was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1978 by Chris Faiers. It is presently operating out of Hamilton, Ontario under the editorship of James Deahl.Books it has published include:*Dominion Day in Jail, Chris Faiers...
, 1985. - "0123." np: Guardian Angel P, 1986.
- "ill airport." np: Guardian Angel P, 1986.
- "in the portrait of her." North Vancouver: Silver Birch P, 1987.
- "jack Nr.729a." Toronto: Guardian Angel P, 1987.
- "a mo(nu)ment for bp Nichol." Toronto: 1cent, November 1988. Oakland: Score, 1989.
- "Nelinski in Toronto." Toronto: Guardian Angel P, 1988.
- "a node to d.a." North Vancouver: Silver Birch P, 1988.
- "House of Cards." Port Charlotte: Runaway Spoon P, 1989.
- "LAND IS DOWN." Toronto: Curvd H&z, 1989.
- "PLEASE HELP JOHNNY COAX THE COWS HOME." Toronto: Room 302, 1989.
- "8th tower circuit evolving 8." Toronto: Nietzsche's Brolly, 1990.
- "Advertisement." Toronto: 1cent, 1990.
- "The Basmajian Variations in A (minors)." Toronto: 1cent, 1990.
- "FRAGMENT." Trans. Lillian Necakov. Toronto: Curvd H&z, 1990.
- "jobotem fortl raken." Toronto: Nietzsche's Brolly, 1990.
- "night freight." Stratford: 1cent, 1990.
- "STIGATION." Toronto: Nietzsche's Brolly, 1990.
- "THE STORY OF O." Toronto: Nietzsche's Brolly, 1990.
- "warm drizzle." Schenectady: dbqp, 1990.
- "THE CARDBOARD JUNCO." Toronto: Contra Mundo P, 1991.
- "GUITAR." Victoria: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1991.
- "light is slight." Victoria: fingerprinting inkoperated, June 1991. & Montréal: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1991.
- RE: VIEWS RE: SPONCES. Port Charlotte: Runaway Spoon P, 1991.
- "saying nothing." Montréal: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1991.
- "untitled." Toronto: Nietzsche's Brolly, 1991.
- "VIDEO HELL." Montréal: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1991. Victoria: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1991.
- "WINN." Victoria: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1991.
- "two poems." Toronto: fingerprinting inkoperated, 1993.
- "a photograph for Lance." Toronto: 1cent, 1994.
See also
- List of Canadian writers
- List of Canadian poets
- Concrete poetryConcrete poetryConcrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
- Sound poetrySound poetrySound poetry is an artistic form bridging between literary and musical composition, in which the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded instead of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; "verse without words"...
- Visual poetryVisual poetryVisual poetry is poetry or art in which the visual arrangement of text, images and symbols is important in conveying the intended effect of the work. It is sometimes referred to as concrete poetry, a term that predates visual poetry, and at one time was synonymous with it.Visual poetry was heavily...