Man, that was brutal! After much laborious and painstaking work previewing a record number of entries, I’ve completed this year’s Visible Verse Festival program. I always worry I won’t receive enough viable submissions. As I begin viewing must worry I have too many. As the program fills, I am forced to cut works I favour but that will not make the grade for various reasons. With only one night of screenings, length is always an issue and some poets don’t know when to quit. Quit while you’re ahead! They repeat themselves, each one of their brilliant ideas. Fortunately, the trend seems to be moving toward clarity and succinctness. My favorite videopoems are usually under five minutes. Short and sweet. Less is more.

Then I must cull a plethora of experimental films. I like experimental film but it ain’t what I’m looking for, part of the criteria. Read the submission guidelines. Please. Don’t waste your time, or mine. As for videopoetry, the level of sophistication has certainly risen, not surprisingly, considering the evolution of technology, the accessibility of poets to it. Heaps of nature themes. As J.D. Salinger said, “Poets are always taking the weather so personally.” And tons of death naturally. Are poets more aware of mortality? It’s always a challenge to find enough humorous pieces of high quality to mix in with all the angst, death and despair, no matter how beautiful the execution. I’ve noticed too that we poets favour time-lapse photography; rushing toward oblivion?

My process; first I catalogue, then select, time each piece and program, each step time intensive, exacting. Wish I could screen it all. As populist as I am, I often feel pressured to include things that are popular or hipster approved. I’m no arbiter but know what I like, understand my audience. Some work gives me goosebumps but I must bear in mind that the fiddle doesn’t affect everyone the way it affects me. I stage a mock screening in my office, windows draped. I am proud of my artists, selections. It’s not all about production values. I can be be a sucker for eye candy, certainly, and slick production values might blow me away but as I said at the Pandora Awards Gala, it all comes down to voice. Claiming. Cultivating. Projecting. Voice in all its guises. As gratifying as it is to provide a venue, facilitate other artists, I enjoy the great privilege of working with vital visionaries, authentic and powerful voices.

Ironically, I am finishing up this labour of love on Labour Day.

So, here it be. Kudos and congratulations! You may find more information about tickets and such at Pacific Cinematheque’s website.

VISIBLE VERSE 2012 PROGRAM

–Profile 2012 R.W. Perkins                        Fort Collins, CO

– The Lammas Hireling 2010  Paul Casey. Ian Duhig poem             Cork, Ireland

–Whoever You Are 2012            Machine Libertine            St. Petersburg, Russia

–Song for Elliott Jacques 2012            Tommy Becker            San Francisco, CA

– Portrait of a Listener 2012  Sonority Turner  London, UK

–Sky Canoe 2012                  Al Rempel, Phil Morrison, Steph St. Laurent, Jeremy Stewart    Prince George, BC

–Road Not Taken     2012 Swoon Bildo/Robert Frost poem             Mechelen, Belgium

– Inverting the Deer 2012            Gary Barwin                        Hamiliton, Ontario           

– Inner Shrine 2011             Jing Zhou                        Ocean, NJ

–Cioran     2012       Swoon Bildos              Mechelen, Belgium

– Right Side Up 2012   Ian Keteku            Toronto, ON

– Song for Disobedient Youth 2011   Tommy Becker   San Francisco, CA

– Mr. Lucky’s Jackpot 2012            Martha Mccollough                        Boston, MA

–Speleology 2011   Duriel Harris/Scott Rankin            Chicago, IL

–Dear Pluto 2012    Joanna Priestly/Taylor Mali                        Portland, OR

INTERMISSION

-Just Don’t Not Do it 2011             Machine Libertine/John Giorno             St. Petersburg, Russia

– Flowers 2011        Tim Cumming                                    Sydney, Australia           

– The Junicho Video Renku Series-#2             2011 Eve Luckring             San Francisco, CA

– Make Me A Doorway 2012                        Jesse Russell Brooks            Los Angeles, CA

– First Death in Nova Scotia 2012             John D. Scott/Elizabeth Bishop            Ithaca, NY

– Norandgsdalen              2010 Kristian Pedersen            Oslo, Norway

–Whore In The Eddy 2012      Visible Verse Productions            Vancouver, BC

– Saltwater 2011                        Glenn-emlyn Richards            Normandy, France

–Viva Zombatista    2010 Kristian Pedersen            Oslo, Norway

–Everywhere and Inside    2008 Mia Degner                         Copenhagen, Denmark

–Bonfire 2011    Daniel Mark Patterson            Vancouver, BC

Everybody 2012      Dennis E. Bolen            Vancouver, BC

–Pez Eduardo Romaguera,  Spain- selection from VideoBardo Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina

– little black strap 2012     Pam Bentley/George Bowering            Vancouver, BC

-Stazen Of The Lost 2012             Phillip A Jagger                        Edmonton, AB

–Omelet 2012       Fiona Tinwei Lam            Vancouver, BC

–Seldomly Transgender Anymore     2011 Josie Boyce (nee Joe Boyce Burgess)            Vancouver, BC

–Terrorsounds Jakob Kirchheim & Teresa Delgado-Germany, selection from VideoBardo Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina

–Evolution of Love 2012            Jeremy Loveday/Elliott Hearte                        Victoria, BC

–Colours of Bullshit 2000          Robert Priest                        Toronto, ON

– Chanson d’automme 2011      Rachel Laine/ Paul Verlaine poem            Vancouver, BC           

– My Daddy Loves Me 2012             Habib Asfar/Julien Phillipe            Islamabad, Pakistan

– Odds and Ends 2012            Swoon Bildos               Mechelen, Belgium