Impure: Reinventing the Word: The Theory, Practice, and Oral History of 'Spoken Word' in Montreal

The authors compiled interviews with seventy-five English and French Montreal artists (and New York performance poet John Giorno) into a comprehensive examination of the theory and practice of "spoken word." The book is divided into three sections: the first discusses the theory of spoken word, the second, the practice, and the third is an oral history of spoken word in Montreal from the 1960s to the 1990s. The authors examine the similarities, differences, and connections between Anglophone and Francophone poets and performers, and the connections between the earliest artist run centres (such as Véhicule Art, Powerhouse, PRIM), the political undertakings of Francophone activist poets such as Gaston Miron and Michel Garneau, and the bourgeoning interdisciplinary arts milieu where writers, dancers, video-makers, and musicians came together to contribute to the foundation of a performance art community.

Montreal

Conundrum Press

2001

xxiii-262p.

en

0-9689496-1-4