LIFT OFF: a journey of future tense by Stephen Bett

Canadian poet Stephen Bett has been called a legend internationally. His 24th book, Lift Off: a journey of future tense, like his recent ones, is a serial poem―minimalist in its poetics, and subtle enough to sustain repeated readings. The book concerns painful, but edgy, movement out of chaos and disrepair and into new beginning, into a ‘lifting off’.

Advance Critical Comments for Lift Off

Reading through these poems I felt transported. (Sebastian Frye)

Very taken with Lift Off, finding it emotionally resonant and surprising. (Sarah Ang)

Very excited about Lift Off; the serial poem is a tough thing to pull off and [Stephen Bett’s] done a marvelous job. Lift Off is a smart book, with some lovely moments in it. (Jeramy Dodds)

I do like the minimalist style of Lift Off, and there are ironies and wonderful plays on language here that make the work sing in a fascinating way. The perspective is different, and unique. (Marty Gervais)

Lift Off: a journey of future tense is at once both edgy and subtle in its form. The themes covered in Lift Off are inspirational and captivating…. A successful and talented poet. (Barry Dempster)

Impressive. A voice that rings in volumes and makes a clear cut in the so-called ‘nylon curtain’ dividing Canada from the U.S….. pretty amazing no matter which way you look at it. (Kevin Killian)

Stephen Bett is a widely and internationally published Canadian poet. His earlier work is known for its sassy, edgy, hip, caustic wit―indeed, for the askance look of the serious satirist skewering what he calls the ‘vapid monoculture’ of our times. His more recent books have been called an incredible accomplishment for their authentic minimalist subtlety. Many are tightly sequenced book-length serial poems, which allow for a rich echoing of cadence and image, building a wonderfully subtle, nuanced music.

Bett follows in the avant tradition of Don Allen’s New American Poets. Hence the mandate for Simon Fraser University Library’s “Contemporary Literature Collection” to purchase and archive his “personal papers” for scholarly use. He is recently retired after a 31-year teaching career largely at Langara College in Vancouver, and now lives with his wife Katie in Victoria, BC.

Book Information:

· Paperback: 136 pages

· Binding: Perfect-Bound

· Publisher: BlazeVOX [books] 

· ISBN: 978-1-60964-403-1

$16

Pre-Orders Welcome

LIFT OFF- A Journey of Future Tense by Stephen Bett Book Preview by BlazeVOX [books] on Scribd