04-15-2005, 06:59 AM
Edmonton teacher wins Poetry Face-Off
Last Updated Thu, 14 Apr 2005 16:36:56 EDT
CBC Arts
TORONTO - Edmonton high school teacher Timothy Cusack is this year's winner of CBC Radio's fourth annual Poetry Face-Off.
RELATED: CBC Radio: Poetry Face-Off
Edmonton teacher and poet Tim Cusack, winner of the 2005 Poetry Face-Off
"It's quite humbling to say the least ... the competition was tough," Cusack told CBC Thursday afternoon, shortly after his win was announced. All the finalists presented major competition for his entry, Play Tag with the Moon (Five Acts of Play), he said.
Cusack's poem progresses from a man recalling childhood memories to his suffering through life tied to a desk to the raising of his own children, all the while referencing pop culture, including Star Wars and Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
This year's theme – "play" – was a wonderful topic, said Cusack, who teaches at Louis St. Laurent Catholic School in Edmonton. "It gave me a lot of latitude as a writer."
For his winning entry, Cusack enlisted the help and advice of his students, who went through the poetry writing process along with him and will share in his celebrations. Fellow poets around the Edmonton area also lent their support. The region is "a hotbed of poetry writing in Alberta," he said.
Though Cusack called Play Tag with the Moon "a challenging piece to work on" and something which he "sweated and fretted" about, he believes that everyone should try writing a poem and getting up in front of others to share it.
"Poetry is ... giving and sharing of oneself. Every time you get up on a [microphone] in front of people, you are putting yourself out there," he said. Poets "give of ourselves, our thoughts, our feelings."
Now that he's the 2005 Poetry Face-Off champion, Cusack said his next goal is to read poetry with Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, who completed Coke Machine Glow – a solo album/poetry project – in 2001.
Cusack himself released a poetry collection entitled Just West of East in 2001.
Held from January through March, the Poetry Face-Off is a national competition that hosts poetry slams in bars, coffee shops, bookstores and halls across the country. This year, 60 poets from 13 cities across Canada faced off with their poems before live audiences, who voted for the winners via phone or on the official website. The regional winners went on to compete in the national finals.
Moncton poet and journalism student Jesse Robichaud placed second in the annual event and Charlottetown poet Tanya Davis placed third. Other finalists included Christian Bök, the Griffin Poetry Prize-winner and author of the experimental Eunoia collection.
"It's so important for spoken word to get out there," Cusack said. "Come out of that poetry closet."
Last Updated Thu, 14 Apr 2005 16:36:56 EDT
CBC Arts
TORONTO - Edmonton high school teacher Timothy Cusack is this year's winner of CBC Radio's fourth annual Poetry Face-Off.
RELATED: CBC Radio: Poetry Face-Off
Edmonton teacher and poet Tim Cusack, winner of the 2005 Poetry Face-Off
"It's quite humbling to say the least ... the competition was tough," Cusack told CBC Thursday afternoon, shortly after his win was announced. All the finalists presented major competition for his entry, Play Tag with the Moon (Five Acts of Play), he said.
Cusack's poem progresses from a man recalling childhood memories to his suffering through life tied to a desk to the raising of his own children, all the while referencing pop culture, including Star Wars and Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
This year's theme – "play" – was a wonderful topic, said Cusack, who teaches at Louis St. Laurent Catholic School in Edmonton. "It gave me a lot of latitude as a writer."
For his winning entry, Cusack enlisted the help and advice of his students, who went through the poetry writing process along with him and will share in his celebrations. Fellow poets around the Edmonton area also lent their support. The region is "a hotbed of poetry writing in Alberta," he said.
Though Cusack called Play Tag with the Moon "a challenging piece to work on" and something which he "sweated and fretted" about, he believes that everyone should try writing a poem and getting up in front of others to share it.
"Poetry is ... giving and sharing of oneself. Every time you get up on a [microphone] in front of people, you are putting yourself out there," he said. Poets "give of ourselves, our thoughts, our feelings."
Now that he's the 2005 Poetry Face-Off champion, Cusack said his next goal is to read poetry with Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie, who completed Coke Machine Glow – a solo album/poetry project – in 2001.
Cusack himself released a poetry collection entitled Just West of East in 2001.
Held from January through March, the Poetry Face-Off is a national competition that hosts poetry slams in bars, coffee shops, bookstores and halls across the country. This year, 60 poets from 13 cities across Canada faced off with their poems before live audiences, who voted for the winners via phone or on the official website. The regional winners went on to compete in the national finals.
Moncton poet and journalism student Jesse Robichaud placed second in the annual event and Charlottetown poet Tanya Davis placed third. Other finalists included Christian Bök, the Griffin Poetry Prize-winner and author of the experimental Eunoia collection.
"It's so important for spoken word to get out there," Cusack said. "Come out of that poetry closet."