Home

The Fred Wah Digital Archive

Compiled and with an Introduction by Susan Rudy

Fred Wah is one of the most innovative, engaged, and politically astute writers and critics to have emerged from western Canada in the second half of the twentieth century. In December 2011, he was named Canada's fifth Parliamentary Poet Laureate, a position he will hold for two years.

Since 1965, Wah has published twenty-four books of poetry, the first entitled Lardeau (1965), the most recent, is a door (2009). Waiting For Saskatchewan (1985) won him a Governor General's Literary Award in 1986 and So Far was awarded the Stephanson Award for Poetry in 1992.

This is the beta version of The Fred Wah Digital Archive, the primary purpose of which is to make the complete work of Fred Wah available. The site also publicizes information what Fred Wah is doing right now. Look here for announcements about upcoming and recent readings, as well as audio, video and image files of and textual information about those readings.

Whenever possible, the site includes scanned full-text digital images of Fred Wah's texts. In the case of recently published and available work, portions of the text will be available here with a link to the publisher. Annotated bibliographical information has been included for all works. The site will soon include a wide range of secondary and critical material published from the 1960s to the present. A sample of both very early (MacCallum 1966) and very recent (Jaeger 2010) scholarship on Wah has been downloaded. Much more will follow.

New digitized works are being uploaded daily. The texts below have been added recently. To see all material currently available, please click on the "Audio," "Digitized Works," "Images," or "Video" links (above left) or simply click on "browse" (above right).

An announcement will be made here when the site is to be officially launched.

Recently Added

Showing items 1–6 of 18

"Music at the Heart of Thinking 62" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Music at the Heart of Thinking (1987). citation: Wah, Fred. "Music at the Heart of Thinking 62." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 73. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:53.	"The Seancers at Deaneshaven" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Lardeau (1965). citation: Wah, Fred. "The Seancers at Deaneshaven." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 71-72. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:49.
"How to Hunt" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Loki is Buried at Smoky Creek: Selected Poems (1980) and Owner's Manual (1981). citation: Wah, Fred. "How to Hunt." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 70. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:43.	Untitled - "How does she know that" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Pictograms from the Interior of B.C. (1975) and Loki is Buried at Smoky Creek: Selected Poems (1980). citation: Wah, Fred. "How does she know that." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 69. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:37.
Untitled - "the build-up" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Loki is Buried at Smoky Creek: Selected Poems (1980) and Breathin' my name with a sigh (1981). citation: Wah, Fred. "the build-up." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 69. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:32.	Untitled - "stomach" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Breathin/ my name with a sigh (1981). citation: Wah, Fred. "stomach." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 68. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:27.

Showing items 7–12 of 18

"How To Do This" (2004) One of seven poems in Open Letter 12.2 selected by Louis Cabri for a reading at the Alley Alley Home Free conference. Also published in Owner's Manual (1981). citation: Wah, Fred. "How To Do This." Open Letter 12.2 (2004): 67. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:19.	"Meals of Fortune / Chinoiseriz" (2002) Poem (w/ French Translation) in En Route November 2002. citation: Wah, Fred. "Meals of Fortune." En Route Nov. 2002: 76-77. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:10.
"High (Bridi) Tea" (2001) With Haruko Okano. Poem in West Coast Line 33. citation: Wah, Fred. "High ~~(Bridi)~~ Tea." West Coast Line 33 (2001): 101-04. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 02:04.	"Lullaby and Sea" (2001) Poem in Open Letter 11.1. citation: Wah, Fred. "Lullaby and Sea." Open Letter 11.1 (2001): 66-71. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 00:13.
"(Monk scroll)" (2001) One of three poems in Prairie Fire 21.4. citation: Wah, Fred. "(Monk scroll)." Prairie Fire 21.4 (2001): 122. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 00:05.	"(Beg to be)" (2001) One of three poems in Prairie Fire 21.4. citation: Wah, Fred. "(Beg to be)." Prairie Fire 21.4 (2001): 121. Print. Submitted by srudy on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 00:00.

Showing items 13–18 of 18

"(Opaque)" (2001) One of three poems in Prairie Fire 21.4. citation: Wah, Fred. "(Opaque)." Prairie Fire 21.4 (2001): 120. Print. Submitted by srudy on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 23:54.	"Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three Four" (2001) One of five poems in Prairie Fire 22.1. citation: Wah, Fred. "Music at the Heart of THinking One Three Four." Prairie Fire 22.1 (2001): 144. Print. Submitted by srudy on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 23:44.
"Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three Three" (2001) One of five poems in Prairie Fire 22.1. citation: Wah, Fred. "Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three Three." Prairie Fire 22.1 (2001): 143. Print. Submitted by srudy on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 23:32.	"Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three Two" (2001) One of five poems in Prairie Fire 22.1. citation: Wah, Fred. "Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three Two." Prairie Fire 22.1 (2001): 142. Print. Submitted by srudy on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 23:28.
"Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three One" (2001) One of five poems in Prairie Fire 22.1. citation: Wah, Fred. "Music at the Heart of Thinking One Three One." Prairie Fire 22.1 (2001): 141. Print. Submitted by srudy on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 23:19.	"Music at the Heart of Thinking One Thirty" (2001) One of five poems in Prairie Fire 22.1. citation: Wah, Fred. "Music at the Heart of Thinking One Thirty." Prairie Fire 22.1 (2001): 140. Print. Submitted by srudy on Sun, 08/28/2011 - 23:14.