High on verse. High on life and staying out of trouble (for the most part), occupied with events and performance, recently honoured to participate in a tribute to bill bissett with Daniel Zomparelli, Elizabeth Bachinsky and host Billeh Nickerson at the Vancouver Queer Film Festival. I read the powerful burning up oblivion and at th first breath of life we stir and rise from a bill collection, pass th food release the sprit book published by Talon right around the time I was beginning to get serious about writing poetry. As I said at the festival, bill may not know this but bill saved my ass, my depressed, suicidal teenaged ass. I was very fortunate to have an excellent English teacher in high school, Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter, who happened to be gay, didn’t just hand out text books and assignments but turned me on to bill bissett and Canadian poetry, an exotic thing out in Cloverdale, which describes bill well and explains why I was so immediately affected by his imagery and imagination. bill is a gem, bill is a gift and I swear by now embedded in our national psyche. To me, bill is a poetical Peter Pan and whenever I’ve had the great privilege of seeing and hearing him in performance, have always wished I was Wendy and could fly away with him. For bill is winged. bill soars! Above and beyond. And thank you Mr. Carter, wherever you are. For I too soar, whenever possible. The film, Strange Grey Day This was fascinating, depicting a long ago Vancouver, in the rain naturally and a beguiling, waifish, rather melancholy boy bill.

Hear me roar today at 2 PM on Wax Poetic on Coop Radio and tomorrow night I’m a featured reader at the Twisted Poets Literary Salon, at the Prophouse Cafe. I’ll be screening some videopoems as well, hope to see all your raging high flying selves there.