Whore in the Eddy, a poem by Heather Haley, was chosen to appear in two different anthologies. It was written in 2008 and dedicated to Vancouver's missing women. Haley knew it was a powerful piece and had long planned to adapt it for video. But after applying for a few grants that didn't pan out, the Bowen Island poet "stopped waiting for the perfect circumstances" and went ahead to produce the video poem "without a budget," in her own backyard.
"I bought a dress for $50," she said and adds that she enlisted the help of friends and family, including her son Lucas. "We did the shooting together and then we sat down to edit it." Whore in the Eddy was used as track on Princess Nut, one of Haley's CDs. Poetry is Haley's passion yet she is hesitant to say she's a poet when she is asked about her profession.
"I tell them I'm an author," she says. "That sounds somehow more legit." Haley says that she is "a stickler for working on the page" and wants her poems to have true literary merit. Then she adapts them for the stage and the screen. Haley has been published in a number of anthologies and has two collections of her poetry. She's also written a novel titled The Town's Slut's Daughter.
In addition to writing poetry, Haley has a blog called One Life where she hones her discipline of writing to a deadline. "I use it and my website as promotion tools," she says, adding that promotion can take up a lot of time. And Haley is very good at that. This year, she won the Pandora Literary Award for best promoter and organizer for "being an innovative programmer with a history of a staunch commitment to the arts community and cultural awareness."
Haley's main passion is being a poet but she's also a seasoned promoter and organizer. She curates the Visible Verse Festival and, in 1994, she started the Edgewise ElectoLit Centre. "When I started the electronic magazine Edgewise Café, it was one of the first electronic literary magazines in Canada," Haley says, adding that she strives to not only promote her own writing bit also provide a forum for other artists. "I've been doing this for a long time," she laughs. "I also organized the Vancouver Videopoem Festival."
Writing can be a solitary pursuit, according to Haley, and since she is a gregarious person, she finds making contact with other artists and exploring avenues for collaborations very gratifying. "I meet people who inspire me and they inform my work as an artist. It's all about balance. I want to get my writing done," says Haley who strives to produce a poem per week. "But I also get lonely and need to be part of a community."
In response to the question whether she makes a living as a poet, she laughs and shakes her head. "Making a living? No. When I was the executive director at Edgewise, I almost earned a living. Being a cultural worker doesn't pay well but it's nice to get an award once in a while." Haley will pick up her prize at the Summer Dreams Literary Festival this August and concedes that the award, and the publicity surrounding it, can lead to new opportunities and help her find gigs. But it's not going to be enough to be her main source of income. "All poets need day gigs," she laughs and adds jokingly, "I always say that [writing poetry] is a dirty job but someone has to do it."
"I work a lot with video poems and create a fusion of poetry and music," Haley says. "If I was relying on print, it would be very frustrating as it's becoming more difficult to be published in print." Haley has produced video poems since 1999 and often takes them "on the road." She is thrilled that she has gotten interest from as far away as Argentina and Berlin.
She is pleased to have come into contact with the "stellar Canadian poets" who have been featured in Edgewise Café. "I'm proud of the things we have done," she says. "At Edgewise, we were trailblazers and used technologies in new ways."
