Lionel's Essay Idea

From: Lionel Kearns, Vancouver, BC
Sent: Monday, August 13, 2007 5:16:38 PM
Subject: Postcards

Poem Posters,

Iʼm learning a lot from this project. There is a nice reciprocal balance here, sending and receiving, in this spontaneous community of the attentive and productive. Suddenly I have a whole new set of friends, with a closeness brought on by the intimacy of the form of exchange. The pcp is open, but contained, an opportunity to say/make/express/ whatever the moment, or the personal occasion, suggests, as long as we do it within the confines of the two small 2-dimensional surfaces. And, of course, the damn thing has to fly, unless you come up with some alternative (non digital) means of getting it to your target on time. (My personal preference would be carrier-pigeon).

So, we have now generated a cohesive body of active writers and readers, and it is working well as a non-hierarchical participatory community. My suggestion is that we also begin to act as editors. When the dust settles next month, each of us will have a fascinating collection of 30 or more pcps. Each of our individual collections will be unique and valuable in itself. The value, however, will reside in the hands, and the experience, of the individual who holds that specific collection. What to do with it will be up to the individual who has it. The combined collections, however, will be overwhelming because of the numbers, but that should not be a problem if each of us selects the most interesting piece contained in her or his pile, and writes about it. With each of us participating, a collection of these responses, along with the chosen pcps, would make a fitting legacy for the project, whether it winds up as a publication, exhibition, or something else.

I feel privileged to be part of this project. Thanks Paul for including me, and thanks to all of you who are keeping my mailbox full of surprises.

Lionel Kearns