Bill Bissett

bill bissett was UNB’s sixteenth writer-in-residence for 1998 winter term. Born in Halifax on November 23^rd, 1939, bissett gained his reputation in Vancouver during the 1960s and was known for his countercultural writing which upset standard ideals in the literary community. He had authored over 60 books of radical poetry and artwork by the time he took residency at UNB - and it is important to note about bill bissett that he was not a solely literary talent; the critic Eli Mandel called bissett "a one-man civilization," and by this refered to his broad talent as an artist in the most general sense - bissett was a poet, an expressionist painter, a singer. Initially published by bpNichol's Gongolia (Toronto), and then by Very Stone House (which bissett helped found). After 1967 he published several titles of his under his own imprint, blewointmentpress. He sold blewointmentpress in 1983 to spend more time working on his art. bissett is well established and well known as an experimental poet due to his unique view of writing, punctuation, and capitalization.

While at UNB, bissett had said "I hope to personally learn more about writing, to help other writers by being supportive of their projects, and to complete work on a new manuscript entitled scars on th seehors." His commitment to support writers in the community was not an idle promise, but one that bissett supported with many readings, alongside leading a free poetry workshop at the Fredericton Public Library each Saturday afternoon while writer-in-residence. While he held this position in 1998, bissett did a number of readings: at Memorial Hall on January 21^st; at the Galerie Sans Nom in Moncton on April 2^nd;

bill bissett took over from Carol Malyon, and was succeeded by Richard Sanger.

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Source(s):

UA Case 191; Section 2; bill bissett