Dennis Cooley, one of Canada's most prominent poets, says writing
becomes political when you play with certain kinds of voices. His poetry
has been influenced and inspired by the prairies and other Canadian
poets, but he insists on disturbing the formal poetic inheritance he
esteems. His engagement with a variety of speaking voices asks that
readers question authority and challenge institutional privilege. In By
Word of Mouth, a collection from across his career, readers will
discover how Cooley returns to the prairie vernacular and speaks to
Canadian identity. Poetry, says Cooley, is about our time and our
place.
Nicole Markotic's introductory essay discusses how Dennis Cooley plays
with poetic reference, inspires with syntactical surprises, parodies
contemporary writing, and indulges in wild, celebratory puns. This book
roams around Dennis Cooley's poetical world and invites the reader to
play along.