Tuesday, November 18, 2008

I spend all day on a bus...

...and look what happens. Yes, folks, Jacob Scheier has won the GG. Possibly the most tainted GG win ever. Which is saying something. Let the shaming begin. My suggestion: letters and open letters to Robert Sirman, grand poobah of the Canada Council for the Arts. I seem to remember him saying something about not rewarding mediocre art anymore. Track record thus far: not so hot. Do something about it, Bob.

Anyway, those of us without friends in high places have to do some slogging to find a public, so I'm off to read at UNBC tomorrow morning. Then another night here, then another 12 hour bus ride. I wonder if 12 hours is enough time to write a GG-worthy poetry book...

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I wonder if 12 hours is enough time to write a GG-worthy poetry book..."


rob mclennan thinks so.

Anonymous said...

This kind of goes to show that it's ridiculous to write with the idea of an award in mind. Negates any worth an award might have! Just don't do it, folks!

Anonymous said...

Why don't you get yourself on Q? Gomeshi (?) is an intelligent interviewer, but needs to spend less time on popular music and more on say...poetry!

Anonymous said...

I guess the poem in his collection titled "Di" paid off.

Anonymous said...

wow. maybe the GG's should start being judged by other writers OUTSIDE of out borders. Still wouldn't be perfect, but it'd be better.

But for starters Di Brandt should be blacklisted for judging anything else. how can we make that happen?

daniela elza said...

i agree with Alice Burdick. we need to write what needs to be written. so that is what you should do with your precious 12 hours, Zach. that is all we can have, and give at the end of the day. these "GG" type entities come and go, but we still read Shakespear, and Rilke. as a race we have not figured out how to not corrupt even the most worthy of causes.

Zachariah Wells said...

Oh no, I'm going to tailor my writing to awards juries, come hell or high water. The title of my next book will be "I Love [Jury member X's] Hair."

Di Cicco's almost as guilty as Brandt. Neither one of them should be eligible to judge, or receive, awards from the CC. But given that the CC has never policed their policies in the past, it's probably unfair to start punishing misconduct now. What's needed is new measures to prevent it ever happening again.