erek beaulieu keeps busy with housepress, "a micropress dedicated to
experimental and unusual forms of poetry and prose" and editing filling Station magazine. he lives in calgary.
cancon
when did you begin to make your own books?
derek beaulieu
i kinda started in 1996 with "artists books" - binding together prints and various other things i had done, but really i wasnt going anywhere with it until i started housepress in 1997 with the publication of "william s. burroughs: ghost of steel" co-published with neil hennessy's Poetic Immolation Press in Brampton, Ont. housepress originally was started as a means of printing poetry and prose by friends and myself. since then i have become a little more picky & have become more interested in more unusual forms of writing - language writing, concrete and visual poetry, haiku, cut-up & collage, sounds poetry scores, etc - and enojy printing and binding these works in small editions (usually under 100)often numbered, hand bound and with other touches as well (like handprinted covers, tip-ins, etc) - i find now that im printing abt 10-12 chapbooks a year as well as abt 30 ephemeral forms (postcards, broadsides, pamphlets, etc) a year as a means of distributing strange poetics around canada (and a bit around the excited states as well...)
cancon
how has your work as a draftsman influenced your writing, or views on writing?
derek beaulieu
i think its just shown me how important lit. really is - i work in an office that certainly doesnt seem to have a public positive view on writing and reading in general & that has certainly prompted me to work harder with housepress - work withink writing communities to make aware of its own strengths...
cancon
which books or events 'inspired' you to get involved in the canadian literary scene?
derek beaulieu
thats easy - the work of bpNichol and his visual poetry (and his ganglia and grOnk imprints, as well as stories of his literary community involvment), damian lopes' press "fingerprinting inkoperated" and ottawa small press guy jwcurry - who has been doing incredible work for several decades - works of unequal quality & amazing handwork. on top of all that, my wife Courtney Thompson was editor of filling Station before i was and really encouraged me to take an active role in fS & be involved in that magazine (as well as encouraging housepress and for me to push myself)
cancon
what do you think will be the effect of big-box mega-bookstores such as 'chapters' in canada?
derek beaulieu
homogenization *unless* some sort of alternative is suggested - but only for the larger publishing houses. the small press scene isnt even touched by those giants b/c they refuse to carry anything without a spine, with out ISBN or CIp information, or anything not distributed by a big distribution house. i think a lot of the solution lies online - the increased circulation of resources, information, etc - the ability to publish and expose your work, or the work of others to an interested reading/writing community without having to depend on INDIGO or CHAPTERS or COLES, etc
cancon
is there any ways that the government or other organizations / media / people could help small/micro presses?
derek beaulieu
im of 2 minds abt this- on one hand if the government loosened up their definitions of "publishing" a lot more could be done - especially online (the Canada Council doesnt recognize online publishing as "publishing"). in terms of small press however - while many publishers would benefit from increased funding from local, provincial and national granting bodies, those same granting bodies would be quick to regulate and control - so it runs both ways for small pressers i think
cancon
does language let you express yourself fully?
derek beaulieu
of course not, if you define language as our 26 letter alphabet & the typical combinations within it. add on visuals, photographs, body language, paint, ink, pencils, and you get closer but i dont think that its anywhere near "fully" - thersz always some breakdown between intention and message recieved, no?
cancon
we all need to read more - what are a few recent picks you would suggest people pick up?
derek beaulieu
thats a big one - a few recent highlights to me have been Rajinderpal S. Pal's "pappaji wrote poetry in a language i cannot read" (TSAR press, '98), the entireity of the Coach House Books catalogue especially Darren Wershler-Henry's NICHOLODEON and the accompanying NICOLODEONLINE (Coach House Books, 1997). and i think the other thing i would recommend is keeping up with some of the small magazines and presses - like filling Station ( a little selfpromotion), the queen street quarterly, [sic] magazine, etc etc
cancon
besides writing and publishing, what other things keep you sane?
derek beaulieu
in no particluar order: printmaking (linocut), chatting with courteny, reading, strongbow cider, working on my house (we bought an old house that needs some TLC), early morning quiet and my cat, ulysses.
cancon
what's something you've always wanted to be asked, but never were?
derek beaulieu
cant think of nayting off the top of my head - this interview is covering a lot...
cancon
are there any sites, your own other others, you'd like to plug?
derek beaulieu
you bet:
certainly:
- the filling Station magazine site: (soon to be developed in a much larger and more interesting kind of way)
- [sic] magazine - the best online lit. magazine out there in my opinion - dedicated solely to concrete and visual poetry updated seasonally and worth the wait!
- coach house books - THE publisher in my opinion of finely crafted and interesting books of poetry and prose - has been publishing for over 30 years and is the best in canada - hands down - now publishes both online and on paper (and dont forget to tip the author!)
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