Spoken Word - CHILLY CHILLY by Prairie Chola Ayatollah

Verbal Vol. 1 continues with a spoken word track by Prairie Chola Ayatollah, Calgary's own third-eye word clown and performance artist. As with many of her poems, CHILLY CHILLY employs looping pedals to build sonic emphasis, variation, and intensity. This comic and creative spoken word poem can be heard (and read) on The Blasted Tree, and you can download all of Verbal Vol. 1 as it becomes available, one track per week throughout spring, on Bandcamp.

LISTEN TO CHILLY CHILLY

For a quick introduction to spoken word poetry and the challenge of "publishing" literary audio, check out the Forward to Verbal Vol. 1 by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer.

Spoken Word - #myfavouritepersonintheworld by Ian San Agustin

This week's addition to The Blasted Tree's spoken word anthology Verbal Vol. 1 is performed by Calgary-based poet and sneaker freak, Ian San Agustin. Ian has performed at many open mics and poetry readings around Calgary, and his laid-back delivery of #myfavouritepersonintheworld, an ode to chill times in the best of company, is soothing to listen to. #myfavouritepersonintheworld can be heard (and read) on The Blasted Tree, and you can download all of Verbal Vol. 1 as it becomes available, one track per week throughout spring, on Bandcamp.

LISTEN TO #MYFAVOURITEPERSON-INTHEWORLD

For a quick introduction to spoken word poetry and the challenge of "publishing" literary audio, check out the Forward to Verbal Vol. 1 by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer.

Poetry Leaflet - -19° 54’ · 12h 53m by Kyle Flemmer

-19° 54’ · 12h 53m, a new visual poem by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer, uses randomly generated celestial coordinates to form a composite view of the night sky. Each poem is made from grid spaces excerpted from star charts enclosing the set of 14 coordinates, substituting lines of text for sightlines in the sonnet. A limited edition of fifty 4.25" x 9" folded leaflets have been produced on metallic silver paper, get yours today from The Blasted Tree's Store.

VIEW -19° 54’ · 12h 53m

-19° 54’ · 12h 53m is The Blasted Tree's 50th print publication in just under four years of operation! Thank you to our readers and contributors for all the love and support so far, we look forward to publishing more boundary-pushing Canadian content in the coming years. For a comprehensive list of our publications in print, please see our Publication History.

Spoken Word - Dandelion Snow by Ilona Martonfi

This week in Verbal Vol. 1 we're featuring a spoken word poem by repeat Blasted Tree contributor Ilona Martonfi, an author, performer, and literary event organizer. Ilona has written three books of poetry, and she is the founder and producer of The Yellow Door reading series in Montreal. Her poem "Dandelion Snow," addressed to the unseen Daughter, asks how mental illness and poverty contribute to the erasure of intimacy. Ilona's poem can be heard (and read) on The Blasted Tree, and you can download all of Verbal Vol. 1 as it becomes available, one track per week throughout spring, on Bandcamp.

LISTEN TO DANDELION SNOW

If this is your first listen to Verbal Vol. 1, be sure to read the Forward by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer for a quick introduction to spoken word and the challenge of "publishing" literary audio.

Spoken Word - Filter by Adrien Smart

The second entry in Verbal Vol. 1, a digital anthology of spoken word poetry, is "Filter" by Blasted Tree contributor Adrien Smart.  Adrien a writer of poetry, short fiction, and screenplays living in North Vancouver. "Filter" takes on the cultivation of personas, social hierarchy, and addiction : "I'm the ecstatic truth / The glazing of the facts." Adrien Smart's poem can be heard (and read) on The Blasted Tree, and you can download all of Verbal Vol. 1 as it becomes available, one track per week throughout spring, on Bandcamp.

LISTEN TO FILTER

If this is your first listen to Verbal Vol. 1, be sure to read the Forward by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer for a quick introduction to spoken word and the challenge of "publishing" literary audio.

Spoken Word - ProjectAwake - 3.02 AM by Audrey Lane Cockett

Welcome to the first installment of Verbal Vol. 1, The Blasted Tree's digital spoken word anthology! This week we're featuring the lyrical stylings of Audrey Lane Cockett, a Calgary-based spoken word poet, soundscape artist, arts organizer, and park naturalist. "ProjectAwake - 3.02 AM" is set to soothing music by SHIGETO, and emphasizes breathing and an interconnectivity with the world. Audrey Lane's poem can be heard (and read) on The Blasted Tree, and you can download all of Verbal Vol. 1 as it becomes available, one track per week for the next eight weeks, on Bandcamp.

LISTEN TO PROJECTAWAKE - 3.02 AM

Be sure to read the Forward to Verbal Vol. 1 by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer for a quick introduction to spoken word and the challenge of "publishing" literary audio.

Spoken Word Anthology - Verbal Vol. 1

Tomorrow begins our eight-week series on Canadian spoken word poetry, Verbal Vol. 1, showcasing audio recordings of poetry performances delivered all across the country. Each track is unique, from the topic chosen to the method of recording - some are even set to music! The series forward, penned by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer, provides a quick introduction into spoken word and the challenge of "publishing" literary audio. Verbal Vol. 1 opens on Sunday, March 25, 2018 with a track by Calgary-based artist Audrey Lane Cockett, and will proceed one track per week throughout spring. Be sure to check back every Sunday for a new adventure into spoken word!

LISTEN TO VERBAL VOL. 1

Poetry Booklet - Pushing, pulling by Katerina Sevelka

Katerina Sevelka's second poem on The Blasted Tree continues her exploration of place, tone, image, and perspective. Like the painters invoked in Pushing, pulling, Sevelka employs "subjects at once alien and familiar" like wisps of forgotten memory, "(a Canadian vernacular.)." 4.25" x 2.75" folded booklets were produced in a limited edition of 50 copies, get yours from The Blasted Tree's Store.

READ PUSHING, PULLING

Poetry Leaflet - Our twigs (just in case) by Simon Brown

Our twigs (just in case) is one of two new poems by Simon Brown, both written in a fragmented two-column form which encourages multiple readings. This poem is pointed as a shiv, while Brown's second entry, When fleeing was it, is soft as a cloud. A limited edition of 50 folded leaflets featuring Our twigs (just in case), 4.25" x 5.5" on granite-grey paper, is now available from The Blasted Tree's Store.

READ Our twigs (just in case)

Poetry Longsheet - Lakes and Highways by Katerina Sevelka

Within the contemplative scenery of Katerina Sevelka's poem, encounter the reflexive connections we form between people and places, the memory of a dream, like great lakes in a cup. Lakes and Highways is now available from The Blasted Tree's Store in a limited edition of 4.25" x 11" longsheets, each printed on antique grey Classic Laid paper.

Read Lakes and Highways

A special edition of 100 longsheets was produced to commemorate the inaugural Canzine Calgary, held Saturday, November 4th, and the Memorial Park Library. 50 copies of Lakes and Highways were included in filling Station magazine's small press issue Fall 2017.