Stephen Cain
Encyclopedia
Stephen Cain is a Canadian poet and academic.
In his three books of poetry Cain demonstrates an interest in various poetic forms including sound poetry
and concrete poetry
, as well as constraint-based writing and procedural poetics. Avant-garde
movements, such as Language Poetry and Oulipo
, appear to be influences on his writing and his work is marked by frequent use of alliteration
, pun
, and disjunction. In content, his poetry often mixes pop culture with literary theory and political concerns.
He has been involved with various editorial activities including being a literary editor at the journal Queen Street Quarterly, and a fiction editor at Insomniac Press
.
Cain’s critical work focuses on the small press and experimental poetry and, with Tim Conley, he co-authored an Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages (2006).
He lives in Toronto
where he teaches at York University
.
In his three books of poetry Cain demonstrates an interest in various poetic forms including sound poetry
Sound poetry
Sound poetry is an artistic form bridging between literary and musical composition, in which the phonetic aspects of human speech are foregrounded instead of more conventional semantic and syntactic values; "verse without words"...
and concrete poetry
Concrete poetry
Concrete poetry or shape poetry is poetry in which the typographical arrangement of words is as important in conveying the intended effect as the conventional elements of the poem, such as meaning of words, rhythm, rhyme and so on....
, as well as constraint-based writing and procedural poetics. Avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
movements, such as Language Poetry and Oulipo
Oulipo
Oulipo is a loose gathering of French-speaking writers and mathematicians which seeks to create works using constrained writing techniques. It was founded in 1960 by Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais...
, appear to be influences on his writing and his work is marked by frequent use of alliteration
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
, pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
, and disjunction. In content, his poetry often mixes pop culture with literary theory and political concerns.
He has been involved with various editorial activities including being a literary editor at the journal Queen Street Quarterly, and a fiction editor at Insomniac Press
Insomniac Press
Insomniac Press is a Canadian independent book publisher.Founded in 1992 and based in London, Ontario, Insomniac began as a publisher of poetry chapbooks. The company has since evolved into a publisher of a wide variety of fiction, poetry and non-fiction work by emerging Canadian writers...
.
Cain’s critical work focuses on the small press and experimental poetry and, with Tim Conley, he co-authored an Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages (2006).
He lives in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
where he teaches at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
.
Poetry
- dyslexicon – 1998
- Torontology – 2001
- American Standard/ Canada Dry - 2005