UGLY is an anthology of poems by spoken word artists who performed in Banff, Alberta, at a Spoken Word Arts Network gathering in April 2007. Spoken word poetry changes when it is printed on a page, and I found myself wishing that I could hear the pieces performed so that I could experience them more fully. That said, most of the poems work well in written form, and the writers use slashes, italics and page layout to communicate rhythm and intonation. The excerpt from Ivan E. Coyote’s Down the Two Mile Hill is engaging and left me wanting more, and Billeh Nickerson’s “Haiku Night in Canada” is very entertaining. The only real problem with the anthology is its price. Fifteen dollars seems a little high for the flimsy cover and stapled binding. (Norah Franklin)
anthology chapbook, edited by Joe Blades, $15, Broken Jaw Press, PO Box 596, Station A, Fredericton NB, E3B 5A6, www.brokenjaw.com