University of the Air is an asemic exploration of rubber stamps of the Varsity typeface primarily. The initial message encoded has now been forgotten, as per sigil work. Three images from Billy Mavreas' exploration can be viewed on The Blasted Tree, and we've made a limited edition of folded leaflets from his triptych of visual poetry. Each of the fifty leaflets comes in a decorative envelopewith a descriptive card, available now from The Blasted Tree's Store.
Poetry Chapbook - job site by Zane Koss
A long poem simulating the tear-out and replacement of an old deck, or a celebration of manual labour, process, and materials. Zane Koss' verse demands work on behalf of his readers, requiring they repair his disjointed lines as they move through the poem, and rewarding us with satisfaction in a job well done. Filled with the language of labour, job site has been made to look like the invoices and packing slips which accumulate on a foreman's clipboard, all bound in familiar construction site materials like vapour barrier, sheathing tape, and house paint. A limited edition of forty numbered chapbooks is available for purchase from The Blasted Tree Store.
READ JOB SITE
Poetry Leaflet - Spoiled Milk + Wet Specimen by Erin Emily Ann Vance
Two witchy poems by Calgary-based author Erin Emily Ann Vance. Spellbinding, incantatory, and downright creepy, these poems invoke candlelit rituals read in the dead of night, "blossoming / worship at the alter of your own skin." Vance's work can be read online (if you dare), and 4" x 6.25" fold-out leaflets featuring the pair of poems have been produced in a limited run of 50, available now from The Blasted Tree's Store.
READ SPOILED MILK + WET SPECIMEN
Poetry Chapbook - con/tig/u/us by Kevin Heslop
Selected from a series of brief poems well over one hundred parts long, con/tig/u/us strings together ephemeral, non sequitur thoughts into a fragmentary and ever-shifting stream of poetic consciousness. With only a handful of words, Kevin Heslop writes tiny poems opening upon a world of possibility, and with that in mind we've produced a limited edition of tiny hand-bound chapbooks, a mere 2" by 5.25", opening a window into Helsop's larger poetic practice. Fifty copies of con/tig/u/us have been published, now available from The Blasted Tree Store, and you can preview the collection in the online gallery.
READ CON/TIG/U/US
Spoken Word - Complete Verbal Vol. 1 Anthology
The Blasted Tree's first foray into the publication of spoken word recordings, Verbal Vol. 1, is complete! Each of the eight tracks can be listened to and read on our website, plus now you can download the entire anthology from our Bandcamp. Thanks for listening, and thanks especially to the poets, musicians, and recording experts who contributed to putting this thing together: Audrey Lane Cockett, Anthony J. Gavin, Ilona Martonfi, Laine Pineo, Prairie Chola Ayatollah, Ian San Agustin, Adrien Smart, Michael Smilovitch, Alec Panikian, SHIGETO, and Josh Cunningham.
Download Verbal Vol. 1
Poetry Chapbook - ̶c̶o̶u̶p̶ by Kate Siklosi
̶c̶o̶u̶p̶ is a collection of visual poems made from the destruction of a vintage book, The Famous Men and Great Events of the 19th Century (1899). Using a variety of techniques and materials, Toronto-based author Kate Siklosi dismantles and reconstructs the narratives propping up the 'great man' theory and European patriarchal ascendancy, documenting each experiment in historical revisionism with colour photographs. The Blasted Tree has produced a limited edition of 40 hand-bound chapbooks incorporating the materials used in the making of ̶c̶o̶u̶p̶ : torn up maps, pages from a book, red string, and transparent tape. ̶c̶o̶u̶p̶ can be viewed online, and copies of the chapbook, each one unique, can be purchased from The Blasted Tree Store.
READ ̶C̶O̶U̶P̶
Spoken Word - Chased by Bears Across Marshmallow Bluffs
The eighth and final entry in Verbal Vol. 1 was written and performed by poet, musician, and scientist, Michael Smilovitch. Chased by Bears Across Marshmallow Bluffs, which previously appeared in Smilovitch's chapbook obscuritysquared, has now been expanded upon and set to music by Alec Panikian. The poem is one hell of a romp, and Smilovitch makes full use of the vocal talents he's developed singing for the progressive metal band Bird Problems. Chased by Bears Across Marshmallow Bluffs 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 CHASED BY BEARS ACROSS MARSHMALLOW BLUFFS
We recommend beginning with the Forward by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer if this is your first exposure to Verbal Vol. 1, or are interested in the documentation of spoken word.
Spoken Word - They don't want you to talk about it by Laine Pineo
The penultimate track in Verbal Vol. 1, our digital spoken word anthology, is a seriously moving poem about surviving domestic abuse. "They don't want you to talk about it" comes to us from Laine Pineo, a Calgary-based poet, aromatherapist, and wonder-mom, who has lit up stages all around town with her empowering words. This poem challenges us to believe and support victims of abuse, to discuss these issue more open and honestly. "They don't want you to talk about it" 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 THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT IT
If you have recently become acquainted with spoken word poetry, we recommend you begin with the Forward to Verbal Vol. 1 by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer.
Spoken Word - Hello Hollow Sunrise by Anthony J. Gavin
Today we unveil the sixth track in Verbal Vol. 1, our ongoing digital spoken word anthology! hello hollow sunrise was written and recorded by poet, academic, and repeat Blasted Tree contributor Anthony J. Gavin. In turns political screed, rant against the daily grind, and reminder for self care, hello hollow sunrise is a roller coaster of a performance. Anthony'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 HELLO HOLLOW SUNRISE
If this is your first listen to Verbal Vol. 1, or to spoken word poetry in general, check out the Forward to the anthology by Blasted Tree editor Kyle Flemmer.
Poetry Chapbook - CRYPTOPOEMS by mwpm
Encoded within unique and structurally challenging forms lie mwpm's "cryptopoems," puzzle-like arrangements of letters concealing lines of poetic meaning that unfold to careful readers. These poems function like a riddle or a joke, comical little brain-teasers which require you to read in unfamiliar ways, to use memory and pattern recognition in deciphering the message, but which reward those who get it. Surveying a variety of mwpm's signature forms, each built on a simple set of constraints, CRYPTOPOEMS can by read online, and a limited edition of hand-bound chapbooks are available from The Blasted Tree Store.