Poetry Quebec a ‘virtual salon' for Anglo poets
MONTREAL (CUP) — A new online magazine is aiming to shake up the anglophone poetry scene in Canada's francophone province. The magazine, Poetry Quebec, caters to English readers with a mix of poetry, essays and articles.
“I like the idea of the electronic salon, of the virtual salon,” says magazine co-founder Endre Farkas, a poet and retired John Abbott College professor. “We want to have a conversation with people about poetry, about English language poetry here in Quebec.”
The idea for the magazine came from Elias Letelier, a Chilean poet who was exiled under the Pinochet government and immigrated to Montreal in the early 1980s.
“He educated me about the importance of political literary magazines and literature because he came from a country where you could get tortured and killed for putting poems out,” said Farkas. “He had a much different perspective on what [poetry] is, that it's a responsibility and a political act.”
Although Farkas, a self-described Luddite, was somewhat reluctant to start a website, Letelier wouldn't let go of the idea.
“He kept coming over [to my home] and putting things on my computer, things like Photoshop,” Farkas says.
Letelier finally won him over and upon Farkas' retirement, the duo began working on the magazine with the editorial help of Carolyn Marie Souaid, poetry editor of Signature Editions.
The inaugural issue focuses on the work of famed Montreal poet Louis Dudek, who passed away in 2001.
“He was an important modernist in Canada, not just as a poet but as a public intellectual,” Farkas says. “He was always engaging people in ideas and debate.”
Farkas laments the current state of Montreal's poetry community.
“There's a lively scene in the sense that there are a lot of people writing, but there's not a lively scene in the sense of poets getting together. It's sort of a ‘me, myself and I' attitude, you know? ‘I want to get published. I want to be heard. I want to be read. But what are you going to do for me?'”
Poetry Quebec hopes to help create a sense of community amongst Anglo poets by using the Internet to offer them a more visible platform.
“It might affect the way the writers think of themselves. You're no longer part of a small ghetto. Now, you're a part of a global ghetto,” Farkas laughs.
Judging by the magazine's initial reception — which received 61,000 hits from as far as Europe and Asia — that's not overstating the case.
“I figured 25 [hits] would really be doing well,” he notes.
The magazine also serves up a sly poke in the ribs to certain mythologies surrounding Quebec's famous language tensions, aside from sharing the same initials as the Parti Québécois.
Poetry Quebec's motto, “I remember,” directly translates Quebec's provincial slogan, “Je me souviens.” As Farkas points out, most Quebecois have no idea that the text of the poem from which the quote derives reads as: “I remember that / born under the lily [the symbol of France] / I grew under the rose [the symbol of England].”
The magazine has an open submission policy, but would-be applicants beware: the magazine's editors say that their response time is similar to Quebec's infamous language law, Bill 101.
“It may take us 101 days to respond,” he jokes.
The second edition of Poetry Quebec is now available online at poetry-quebec.com. Submission guidelines can be found on the website.
“I like the idea of the electronic salon, of the virtual salon,” says magazine co-founder Endre Farkas, a poet and retired John Abbott College professor. “We want to have a conversation with people about poetry, about English language poetry here in Quebec.”
The idea for the magazine came from Elias Letelier, a Chilean poet who was exiled under the Pinochet government and immigrated to Montreal in the early 1980s.
“He educated me about the importance of political literary magazines and literature because he came from a country where you could get tortured and killed for putting poems out,” said Farkas. “He had a much different perspective on what [poetry] is, that it's a responsibility and a political act.”
Although Farkas, a self-described Luddite, was somewhat reluctant to start a website, Letelier wouldn't let go of the idea.
“He kept coming over [to my home] and putting things on my computer, things like Photoshop,” Farkas says.
Letelier finally won him over and upon Farkas' retirement, the duo began working on the magazine with the editorial help of Carolyn Marie Souaid, poetry editor of Signature Editions.
The inaugural issue focuses on the work of famed Montreal poet Louis Dudek, who passed away in 2001.
“He was an important modernist in Canada, not just as a poet but as a public intellectual,” Farkas says. “He was always engaging people in ideas and debate.”
Farkas laments the current state of Montreal's poetry community.
“There's a lively scene in the sense that there are a lot of people writing, but there's not a lively scene in the sense of poets getting together. It's sort of a ‘me, myself and I' attitude, you know? ‘I want to get published. I want to be heard. I want to be read. But what are you going to do for me?'”
Poetry Quebec hopes to help create a sense of community amongst Anglo poets by using the Internet to offer them a more visible platform.
“It might affect the way the writers think of themselves. You're no longer part of a small ghetto. Now, you're a part of a global ghetto,” Farkas laughs.
Judging by the magazine's initial reception — which received 61,000 hits from as far as Europe and Asia — that's not overstating the case.
“I figured 25 [hits] would really be doing well,” he notes.
The magazine also serves up a sly poke in the ribs to certain mythologies surrounding Quebec's famous language tensions, aside from sharing the same initials as the Parti Québécois.
Poetry Quebec's motto, “I remember,” directly translates Quebec's provincial slogan, “Je me souviens.” As Farkas points out, most Quebecois have no idea that the text of the poem from which the quote derives reads as: “I remember that / born under the lily [the symbol of France] / I grew under the rose [the symbol of England].”
The magazine has an open submission policy, but would-be applicants beware: the magazine's editors say that their response time is similar to Quebec's infamous language law, Bill 101.
“It may take us 101 days to respond,” he jokes.
The second edition of Poetry Quebec is now available online at poetry-quebec.com. Submission guidelines can be found on the website.
