Victoria poet Ali Blythe will be a part of Canzine Vancouver this fall, reading on an engaging panel entitled, "Pain is Intimacy is Pain". Canzine, organized by our friends at Broken Pencil magazine, is a magical one-day zine fair and creative symposium full of compelling performers, unique vendors selling everything from socks to zines to limited-edition art to books and beyond!
What inspired you to write the poems in Hymnswitch?
I spent four months in a recovery program, looking at all the good solid boots of the people in the circle. One of those months I wrote a poem a day, dragging myself to the desk, feeling new sober edges. In the program we were asked to imagine a future for ourselves. All I could ever muster was lying in the desert at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with my shirt off. So when I was through, I packed up my pup and those first thirty poems and drove to Taos. I stayed for six months.
It was there I wrote Hymnswitch.
Listen to Ali Blythe read "More Reasons".
Read the rest of this great interview with Ali about his upcoming appearance.
When: September 21st, 11am-5pm
Where: Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch (350 W Georgia Street)