Encore Poetry Project - The Poetics of Community
NDG is in my blood. Yes, I've lived in a lot of places, and yes, I'm currently pretending I've always lived in the Plateau, but NDG is where my core history happened. My pre-school still stands there, though my first elementary school closed long ago. The Fraser Hickson library - also shuttered - is where I attended Da Vinci Day Camp, and took an origami class where I learned to make a paper cup that holds water. My daughter's first home was in NDG, and those were the streets I waddled, overly pregnant and eager to meet her.
Things have changed in the neighbourhood. A few years ago they lost the Co-Op Vert, a wonderful community based store that provided everything from coffee, to connecting city folks with farmers for more ethical meats. Strolling down Sherbrooke in my 20s, a pocket full of barely any money and willing to spend it all, I would pop in there for compostable pens made of corn silk, and raw hemp cord for macrame. The next notable stop along my path would be Encore Books & Records, a still-standing local legend. The smell of used books makes me happy, and I would pop in as often as I could. I even bought the T-shirt. Thankfully, Encore remains unchanged. I long for it regularly from my current digs, where the pre-loved literary offerings are mostly French. What I remember specifically about Encore, that not everyone does, is the poetry in their window.
'Twas the early aughts, and I was not yet an essayist. Nay, I was still a dedicated (read: narrowly focused) fiction writer and poet. My fiction slaps. I say this as a perpetually self-doubting mentally ill person, so I assure you I don't say it lightly. My poetry, well, there were glimmers here and there, but very few pieces that gave me faith to continue. At that time however, I was convinced it was in me and I just had to finesse it into shape. The internet was fairly useless at the time, and in an effort to be read, I printed poems, taping them up in mall bathroom stalls to surprise captive audiences. At that same time, Encore Books was posting poems in its front window. Not done-to-death famous poems, but poems by actual living people who had slipped their submissions through the mail slot. Not only were they lovely, the concept was heartwarming. Local writers or locals who wrote once, could have their moment as the writer in the window, showcased for all to see. It was a joy, and in my typical fashion, I was too intimidated to ever put a page through that mail slot.
I moved away, the poems stopped appearing, and it all faded into a lovely memory of walking along Sherbrooke through autumn leaves (I don't know why it's a fall memory, but it is). Now, carried by the winds of time, the seed of this idea has found its place and taken root in the form of the Encore Poetry Project, headed by Inuya Schultz.
I met Sean [Madden], the owner, through the Music Program at Concordia. We got to talking and he mentioned how Encore used to have poetry in the store display. But… too many people were submitting stuff, and they couldn't keep up with it. Over the years, it sort of just fell away…I was like, “That is such a cool idea…I will come and volunteer and go through all of that if we start that again,” and [Sean said] “absolutely, if you want to do that,” and from there, that initial nugget of an idea grew it into what it is…[I thought] “that is such a lovely and beautiful way to kind of connect the local community through writing and reading."
In March of this year, submissions opened for the rebooted project.
I made an Instagram account, networked a bunch, and posted an open call. There was an option to either be posted at the store, on Instagram, or in print…I really wanted to focus on the connection between readers and writers and how reading a poem in a store window changes your interpretation versus reading it on your phone, on Instagram or in print. And that's really what the Encore Poetry Project stands for: different ways of consuming art and media…I had two other people come on board, Alex O'Neill and Sophie Dufresne who were contributors…and who expressed interest in joining the project. Working with the team on this project…people who care about representing the artistic style of this island just as much as I do -- was such an invaluable experience. Honestly, I couldn't have done it without them.
Following the original concept, there was no need for an artistic CV or artist bio. In fact, while Inuya is in the English and Creative Writing Program at Concordia, she wanted to hear the voices that exist outside those limited circles.
I didn't just want writers to be submitting. I wanted people who are teachers to submit. I wanted people who are accountants to submit, people who write in their spare time and [wondered], “oh, can I submit to this place? I feel like I won't get accepted”…It's sort of a different approach to literary reading and approval and that kind of stuff. It's not meant to be the most polished pieces, it's meant to represent what it means to be a local and live in Montreal…that experience…I grew up in all the different boroughs. I'm very familiar with the East and West End, so I see how much this island has to offer…I love this island so very much, and I love how artistic it is.
The first collection of these poems is now being released as an anthology, aptly titled Polyphonic.
Polyphonic is the layering of different voices, different mediums, so on and so forth. I wanted to highlight that as much as possible…to give everyone an opportunity, to not hold any bias. That's why for the initial rounds, we did a blind submission…I wasn't able to see anyone's names. [The selection] was solely based on, “Do I think this will work? Will it have a nice home in this project?".
The overarching feel of the process and Polyphonic itself is meant to reflect the ethos and vibe of Encore Books & Records.
Sean was very insistent on not putting pressure on this and letting it be organic. I really appreciated that…My goal with this project is to always have poetry at the store again. This inaugural launch is going to be, “this is Encore Poetry Project. This is what we are, this is what we want to do. [This is] the way we want to connect local artists and platform diverse voices.” This is very much focused on readership and writership. While there will still be an ongoing submission period for the next round, I might want to incorporate music and poetry. “How do those media interact?” And then following that, visual arts, multidisciplinary arts and poetry, and kind of just keep going from there…I get very overwhelmed because I have those dream big or ambitious ideas, but I really want this project to feel and to look the same as when you walk into Encore. There's 1000s of books, 1000s of records. It's lived-in and beautiful, and you just want to spend all your time there. There's so much to look at, and that's what I want. And it's all from inside the community, because it's all donated.
Now thanks to Inuya's vision and dedication, the magic that has grown around Encore Books & Records over the years has itself become a book in homage and offering to the very scene that has supported it thus far. And if that doesn't add a little poetry to your day, I don't know what will.
Join the celebration for Polyphonic's release this Thursday, November 9, at Cardinal Cocktails & Vins, 5326 St. Laurent, H2T 1S1. Doors @ 7 PM, Reading begins @ 830 PM. Tickets @ Eventbrite.
For more on Encore Books & Records, check out our feature HERE!
