Feature Friday - IF The Poet
Name
IF
Pronouns
He / Him
Bio
As a kid, my ADHD ran the show. Couldn’t sit still, couldn’t do the drill, didn’t fit the bill, never would, never will. As a result, I despised school—every goddamn second of it. Every subject felt like trying to learn an extinct language: geography, history, math, science—fuck ’em. I couldn’t conjure up enough interest to pay attention.
However, I could understand almost everything I read, and I could express myself through writing. It’s not an exaggeration to say that words saved me.
In high school and university, I did a bit of theatre and became a pretty good songwriter. Then, at age fifty, I discovered spoken word and slam poetry, and that changed everything. Here was an art form that combined writing and performance. After my first slam, I was hooked. Despite being twice as old as almost every other poet, I spent the next seven years using all my free time to learn the craft and to write and perform spoken word. I would go anywhere that had a microphone and an audience.
I was fortunate to be mentored by Canadian and World Slam Champion Ian Keteku, who taught me the intricacies of the craft and how to express my particular worldview through it. Under his tutelage, I became a two-time Canadian Slam Champion and the subject of the CBC documentary IF THE POET.
After winning two national championships and placing third at the World Cup of Slam in Paris, France, I was burnt out physically and emotionally. Around that time, I retired from work and my wife wanted to return to Quebec, where our son was already living, so I put poetry on the back burner and we moved to Montreal.
For the first few years, I kept a low profile. Most of my effort went into learning French. Eventually, however, my love of poetry and performance returned, and I began writing again—spoken word, flash fiction and page poetry.
The last few years have been productive culminating in the publication of my first full length poetry book entitled In The Palace Of The Present Moment and published by Montreal’s Cactus Press. I also perform regularly when I’m in town.
Instagram
@ifthepoet
Website
ifthepoet.com
Where in Montreal are you located?
Our little paradise is the north end of the Plateau, near Gilford and Papineau. A great place to live if you’re trying to improve your French!
What do you love about your neighborhood?
Its arty, great parks, cool bars and funky restaurants. As a walker, I love the fact that I can get pretty much everywhere on foot. Both Marché Jean-Talon and downtown are about an hour’s walk away.
What’s your favourite art space in Montreal and why?
My prejudices are clear- Bar le record in Villeray, home of Accent Open Mic and St. Henri for THROW SLAM and the wonderful Lectures Logos Reading series.
Describe your art in your own words.
Contrary to the ethos of the times, my art celebrates the beauty and complexity of being alive. Even when a poem courts grief, anger or fear, it remains at heart a shout-out to the sacredness of our days—a three-chord party jam and a tribute to the triumph of love over fear.
What drew you to writing?
The desperate need to express my inner world and the joy or creation.
What have you been working on recently?
I just released my first full length poetry book, In The Palace Of The Present Moment with Montreal based, Cactus Press. I’m also teaching myself how to edit so I can turn poems into videos-poems.
How would you describe your voice?
Compassionate. Passionate. Funny. Angry. Joyous.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I'm inspired by the world and the beauty and detritus of my life; friends, family and lived experience.
Describe your writing process.
I don’t need perfect conditions in order to write. I work anytime and anywhere, usually in short bursts, which suits my ADHD. I may return to a poem sixty or seventy times over the course of a month before I consider it finished.
Who are some of your favorite writers?
With a few notable exceptions, most of my favourite poets are women. The work I’m drawn to often seems especially attentive to the subtleties and contradictions that shape our lives. I adore the poetry of Barbara Crooker, the late, great Mary Oliver, and Montreal’s own Carolyne Van Der Meer.
I’m also a huge fan of my fellow Montreal poet Simon Occulis, who is also published by Cactus Press. His work is exhilarating, fascinating and intoxicating—a surreal journey through mythology, politics, history and the terrors of our time.
Outside poetry, I deeply admire Montreal novelist and poet H. Nigel Thomas. He explores growing up under the iron heel of colonialism, as well as the experiences of being Black, queer and an immigrant, with remarkable nuance and sensitivity.
In spoken word, there are none better than my mentor, Ian Keteku. All killer, no filler: imaginative, meticulously crafted...poetic perfection.
What do you love about Montreal's literary scene?
What I appreciate most about Montreal’s English-language literary scene is how little anyone seems to care about labels or territorial boundaries—the kind of divisions I often encountered in Toronto. Here, page poets and spoken-word artists and comedians mix easily, share stages and audiences, and seem genuinely interested in one another’s work. Refreshing!!
