Poetry from the Canadian North compiled in a collection

Friday, it will be the turn of the public in Whitehorse, Yukon, to discover this book edited by the Franco-Manitoban poet Roger Léveillé and published by Éditions du Blé.

It was the latter who approached Amber O’Reillya multidisciplinary artist, slammer and poet from Yellowknifeso that she can meet poets from the three northern territories. mrs O’Reilly said it was not a simple task.

It’s really a bit of a junk research methodology.she explains.

I did a lot of research to meet these voices, since they are artists who have worked on the margins, who have not necessarily published collections through traditional publishing channels.

The book features the works of 71 poets from the West and North. In the Northwest Territories, the poems of nine authors were chosen for this book, such as, for example, the late René Fumoleau, Denis Lord, Apollo Jenna and Mélanie Genest.

Batiste Foisy is also among them. He read two of his creations at the launch Thursday at the Visitor Center Yellowknife.

I started writing poetry when I was maybe 17he says. It’s been almost 25 years.

These are things that I wrote a long time ago, that I will have to take responsibility forhe said, laughing.

I generally write to read on stage, for stage performance. […] My work will use a lot of figures of speech that are rhythmic, rhyme being the one that people know besthe said.

Batiste Foisy delivered two poems during the launch in Yellowknife of the book Poésie franco-ouestrienne 1974-2024. Photo: -/Julie Plourde

But I don’t do a lot of rhymes, I do more other types of rhythmic figures of speechexplains Batiste Foisy, a few minutes before delivering his first poem in front of the twenty people gathered for this launch.

More freedom

The collection does not necessarily offer works anchored in Nordic geography, but the North still leaves its mark, according to Amber O’Reilly.

We wanted to dig a little deepershe said. But by the very fact that the people who wrote them passed through here, I find that it brings a certain color to the writing, a certain marginality, a daring perhaps to try new things, to experiment at the level of style.

Around twenty people attended the launch organized in collaboration with the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife at the Yellowknife Welcome Centre. Photo: -/Julie Plourde

Mme O’Reilly believes that the absence of a publishing house in the North for many years probably gave authors more freedom.

We weren’t necessarily confined to predefined styles that pleased publishers. Everything has to be built hereshe adds.

Discover yourself through writing

Since 2017, a small publishing house has been established in Yellowknife. Les Éditions Présence francophone, under the direction of Isidore Guy Makaya. The latter also saw some of his poems published in the anthology of Franco-Western poetry.

The thing that I find that’s quite interesting about writing is like a kind of psychoanalysis, it’s like a kind of cure for boredom. Maybe if I hadn’t been a writer, maybe I would have gone crazysays the one who is mainly inspired by his dreams.

Isidore Guy Makaya presented three poems at the launch of the book Poésie franco-ouestrienne 1974-2024. Photo: -/Julie Plourde

I like to write and I write according to inspiration […] It’s really authentic. These are dreams at nighthe said.

Mr. Makaya believes that writing allows him to discover himself.

It’s part of life, a process. I discover myself every day […]it’s like a commitment that I made in my life to seek to know myself.

The calm of the North also helps him find inspiration.

The fact that I live all the time in calm, perhaps in solitude, perhaps allows my mind to createhe concludes.