Lives of the Poets
Lives of the poets
How (some) authors and publishers get by in the low-profile, low-paying world of Canadian poetry
April 2006
Quill & Quire
By Cheri Hanson
It takes commitment to keep playing when the stakes are low and tumbling lower all the time. In Canadian literature, that game is poetry. It has few readers, sluggish sales, and only the rare star who grabs substantial media coverage or public notice. The financial realities of publishing and writing poetry have inspired more than a few literary punchlines, as well as some sleepless nights for parents of aspiring scribblers.