Huckleberries and HEPA Filters

Talking Place with Fred Wah

Abstract

Fred Wah is a distinguished Canadian poet and critic, and a former Parliamentary Poet Laureate. In this interview, conducted in late 2020, Wah describes the personal and poetic importance of place—in particular, the Kootenay region of British Columbia—and the local or regional sensibilities of early peers and mentors, including Charles Olson. He discusses the expanded edition of his Music at the Heart of Thinking (2020), and the approach to poetic improvisation taken in that book. Wah also reflects upon the republication of his early works, and on recent projects, including beholden (2018), a poetic collaboration with Rita Wong.