Sippy Cup

a journal of other writing

sippysippysippy.tumblr.com

chapbook series 1.1 june 2015

a light shed
DEREK BEAULIEU a light shed
MICHAEL FARRELL roughly proofed
LUKE PATTERSON over the suns disc
GEORGIA GOODNOW turn your to-do lists inside

out when you wash them

DEREK BEAULIEU

a light shed

essay & poems

a light shed

Concrete poetry, as Steve McCaffery argues in regard to bill bissetts writing, embodies an
interplay of forces and intensities, both through + yet quite frequently despite, language in a flow
of non-verbal energy (93). This flow, McCaffery argues, is composed of forces oppositionally
related to the signifying graphism of writing (94) which struggles against the constraint
mechanisms of grammar (93). This oppsoitonality in bissetts writing is indicative of a larger
movement in concrete poetry. I believe this movement rejects the valorization of the
representational (McCaffery 202) in favour of an economic interplay of meaning + eruption. I
propose a poetic where the author-function is fulfilled both by the biological author of the text +

the technology
by which it is
created.
Business
machines &
tools the
printer,
photocopier,
shredder,
scanner, threehole punch,
Letraset (drytransfer)
move beyond
the role of
device in
concrete poetry
through a
poetics of waste
& refuse into
a role closer to
that of
author/reader.
If Capitlism

begins when
you / open the
Dictionary
(McCaffery
178), then
concrete poetry
is a means of
political &
economic
critique upon
both reading +
writing practice
& the capitalist
means of
exchange.
I recognise that

I recognise that

theorizing a
language outside
of capitalist
exchange is
problematic, but
what I am
concerned with
proposing is a
writing that
articulates a

as the other,
poetics troubling that
economic master reinforcing
narrative. its grip
on representational
language. The best
Because [a]ll that
we can strive for
signifies can be sold
(Nichol, Catalogue 161),
I am intrigued by the

are momentary eruptions of non-meaning which

are then co-opted back into representation by
the very act of identification, pointing and

possibility of a
(briefly) nonsignifying
poetic. The 26letter alphabet
has been
completely coopted by the
capitalist
hegemony as a
system of
materialist
exchange. As a
rule of grammar
is a power
a
power
marker
marker before it
before it is a syntactic
is a syntactic
marker (Deleuze and
marker
Guattari 76), syntax
(Deleuze and
and grammar both
Guattari 76),
reinforce the master
syntax and
narrative.
Any
grammar both
movement to refuse
reinforce the
or oppose capitalism
master
in writing only serves
narrative. Any
to reify it

I propose a poetic where the author-function is fulfilled both by the biological

author
of thea text
andwhere
the technology
by which itisisfulfilled
created.both
Business
I propose
poetic
the author-function
by the biological
machines
and
tools
the
printer,
photocopier,
shredder,
scanner,
three-hole
author
of the
andwhere
the technology
by which
itisisfulfilled
created.
Business
I propose
a text
poetic
the
author-function
both
by the biological
punch,
Letraset
move
beyondby
thewhich
role
of
in concrete
machines
and
toolstext
the
photocopier,
shredder,
scanner,
three-hole
author
of(dry-transfer)
the
andprinter,
the
technology
it device
is created.
Business
poetry
through
a and
poetics
and
refuse
intothe
a role
closer
to
that
of three-hole
punch,
Letraset
(dry-transfer)
move
beyond
role
of device
in concrete
machines
toolsofwaste
the printer,
photocopier,
shredder,
scanner,
author/reader.
If Capitlism
begins
youbeyond
/ open
Dictionary
poetry
through
a poetics
of
wastewhen
and
refuse
intothe
a role
to that
of
punch,
Letraset
(dry-transfer)
move
the
rolecloser
of device
in concrete
(McCaffery,
178),
then
concrete
is
means
of political
author/reader.
If Larynx
Capitlism
begins
youpoetry
/ open
the
Dictionary
poetryLyrics
through
a poetics
of
wastewhen
and refuse
into
aa role
closer
to that of
and(McCaffery,
economic
critique
both
reading
writing
theof political
LyricsIfupon
Larynx
178),
thenand
concrete
a and
means
author/reader.
Capitlism
begins
when
youpoetry
/ practice
open is
the
Dictionary
capitalist
means ofcritique
and(McCaffery,
economic
both
reading
writing
practice
theof political
Lyricsupon
Larynx
178),
thenand
concrete
poetry
is aand
means
capitalist
means ofcritique upon both reading and writing practice and the
and economic
capitalist means of

movement to
refuse or
oppose
capitalism in
writing only

serves to reify it
as the other,
reinforcing its

the biological author of the text and the technology by which it is

created. Business machines and tools the printer, photocopier,
shredder, scanner, three-hole punch, Letraset (dry-transfer) move
beyond the role of device in concrete poetry through a poetics of
waste and refuse into a role closer to that of
Concrete poetry, as Steve McCaffery
argues in regard to bill bissetts writing,
embodies an interplay of forces and
intensities, both through and yet quite
frequently despite, language in a flow of
non-verbal energy (93). This flow,
McCaffery argues, is composed of forces
oppositionally related to the signifying
graphism of writing (94) which struggles
against the constraint mechanisms of
grammar (93). This oppsoitonality in
bissetts writing is not only seen in his
letter-based work, but also in his body of
concrete poetry and is indicative of a
larger
grip on
representatio
nal language.
The best we
can strive for
are
momentary
eruptions of
non-meaning
which are
then co-opted
back into
representatio
n by the very
act of
identification,
pointing and
naming.

movement in concrete poetry. I believe this movement

rejects the valorization of the representational
(McCaffery 202) in favour of an economic interplay of
meaning and eruption. I propose a poetic where the
author-function is fulfilled both by the biological author
of the text and the technology by which it is created.
Business machines and tools the printer, photocopier,
shredder, scanner, three-hole punch, Letraset (drytransfer) move beyond the role of device in concrete
poetry through a poetics of waste and refuse into a role
closer to that of author/reader. If Capitlism begins
when you / open the Dictionary (McCaffery 178), then
concrete poetry is a means of political and economic
critique upon both reading and writing practice and the
capitalist means of I recognise that theorizing a language
outside of capitalist exchange is problematic, but what I
am concerned with proposing is a writing tht articulates
a poetics troubling that economic master narrative.
Because [a]ll that signifies can be sold (Nichol 161), I
am intrigued by the possibility of a (briefly) nonsignifying poetic. The 26-letter alphabet has been
completely co-opted by the capitalist hegemony as a
system of materialist exchange. As a rule of grammar is

a power marker
before it is a
syntactic
marker
(Deleuze and
Guattari 76),
syntax and
grammar both
reinforce the
master
narrative. Any
movement to
refuse or
oppose
capitalism in
writing only
serves to reify it
as the other,
reinforcing its
grip on
representationa
l language.

As the other, reinforcing its grip on

The best we
can strive for

are momentary eruptions of non-meaning which are then coopted back into representation by the very are momentary
eruptions of non-meaning which are act of identification,
pointing and naming. then co-opted back into representation by
the very act of identification, pointing and naming.

Works cited
Deleuze, G + F Guattari (1987). A thousand plateaus. Trans B Massumi. Minneapolis: U of
Minnesota P.
Nichol, bp (1994). Catalogue of the Pataphysical Hardware Company An H in the Heart: a reader.
Toronto, McClelland + Stewart.
McCaffery, Steve (1986). North of intention. New York, Roof.

Dr. derek beaulieu is the author or editor of 16 books, the most recent of which are Please, No more
poetry: the poetry of derek beaulieu (Wilfrid Laurier UP, 2013) and kern (Les Figues, 2014). He is the
publisher of the acclaimed no press and is the visual poetry editor at UBUWeb. Beaulieu has exhibited
his work across Canada, the United States and Europe and is an award-winning instructor at the
Alberta College of Art + Design. He is the 2014-2016 Poet Laureate of Calgary, Canada.
derek@housepress.ca


Sippy Cup
a journal of other writing
sippysippysippy.tumblr.com
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