Week of Nov. 11-18, 2002
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Best friends earn poetic honours…Becoming Canada’s first poet laureate is a little like crossing uncharted land, but George Bowering is up for the journey. "We are all a little in the dark," says Bowering of his new post. "My role has really yet to be determined. I like that. It’s the way poetry should be; nothing is for certain when you set out to write it." The SFU professor emeritus, currently in Toronto, will learn more when he meets with parliamentary officials next week in Ottawa. Besides his new appointment, Bowering is currently working a history of Canada and has just launched a new literary book called Cars, co-written with recent SFU graduate Ryan Knighton. Bowering will be back in Vancouver on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 20. While Bowering settles into his new role, his best friend, SFU English professor Roy Miki, will be honoured with a prestigious governor-general literary award at a ceremony in Ottawa Nov. 19. Miki won the award for his book of poetry, Surrender, which is described as a response to this century through political, intellectual and emotional word play. "I was completely stunned," says Miki, noting that poets "even at the best of times, don’t often get a lot of attention." He adds: "When you think of poetry, you don’t think of big awards. Writing poetry is an end in itself, and it can be a highly personal act." A poet and teacher for three decades, Miki, who can talk about the craft and its place in literary circles, says the award is particularly sweet because it is culturally based, not driven by marketplace appeal. "It’s nice to see through these recent announcements that poetry coming out of the West Coast is being recognized," he adds. George Bowering, (cell phone) 905.788.4838 Roy Miki, 604.732.7215 White Christmas for retailers?…A slow but steady rise in consumer confidence could brighten Christmas for Canadian retailers, according to some marketing analysts. SFU business professor Lindsay Meredith says Canada has had a much stronger consumer outlook than the US because it has been better at avoiding an economic slump, despite the US being our biggest trading partner. But he cautions stronger consumer demand won’t necessarily be the case in many regions beyond the Lower Mainland, particularly those hit by the softwood lumber dispute and other economic issues. Meanwhile, Meredith expects volatility at the gas pumps to continue through the end of the year. Lindsay Meredith, 604.291.3653 Foe or friend: the new Turkish government…While Iraq's pending answer to a United Nations ultimatum is at the forefront of international politics, there's another burning question in the minds of many American leaders. If Iraq refuses to comply with an ultimatum that forces it to disarm and if UN troops decide to launch an offensive attack, will Turkey be on-side? The chair of Hellenic studies at SFU, professor Andre Gerolymatos, says that has become an important issue since a party with Islamic roots won a rare absolute majority in Turkey's national election earlier this month. Turkey is a key NATO ally of the US and the Americans would like to use Turkish air bases in the event of an attack on neighbouring Iraq. As a result of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) coming to power in Turkey, "it will be more difficult for the US to use Turkey in a war against Iraq," says Gerolymatos. "If the pro-Muslim party survives it will not go along with a war. If it is overthrown by the army, the military will also be in a tough spot and may not wish to antagonize the traditional Muslim element in Turkish society by going along with the US" Andre Gerolymatos, 604-291-5597, mailto:agerolym@sfu.ca (agerolym@sfu.ca)