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 Markotić'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.

Dennis Cooley grew up in Estevan, Saskatchewan, and attended the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Rochester. He is an active member of the writing community in Winnipeg and teaches at St. John's College, University of Manitoba. His latest book of poetry is the bentleys (2006).

Table of Contents for
By Word of Mouth: The Poetry of Dennis Cooley, selected with an introduction by Nicole Markotic

Foreword | Neil Besner

Biographical Note

Introduction: By Word of Mouth: An Introduction to Dennis Cooley's Poetry | Nicole Markotic

A Poem for You, Leaving Winnipeg

anaeurysm

"& we are skinbags of heated water    dreaming"

in his tangerine skin

the love song of j l krafchenko or the trans canada in (trance crypt

Sonya Orlowsky

Paul sd

Exorcism

I think "ego"; ergo I am

labiarinth

anatomy of love

prairie romance

behind the door

moon musings

holy cow

inner ear

my eye

melodious rhyme

he replies to his critics

breathless

"In Germany cooley is a migrant labourer"

"Wished we had the camera for David"

winnipeg in winter

a series of shocking pre-positions

"mother tongue"

"this on remembrance weekend"

"bodies are"

jack's dictionary of cunning linguists

blood brothers

red men ace

echolalia

the red /emption of blood

"& not that he's wrong"

"& a crate of apples could i suppose"

"& listening to night sticky with sweat"

after words | Dennis Cooley

Selected Cooley Poems: Sources