Supplemental Links

Outro

“CanLit is a Raging Dumpster Fire” Alicia Elliott, Open Book (Essay)

Guelph Jazz Festival (Website)

Discussion Questions

1. The outro emphasizes engaged listening as both a social responsibility and an act of resistance. How does the concept of "deep listening" (in the tradition of Oliveros, Baldwin, the poets in the book, and others) shape the role of Black poetry and music in articulating identity, community, and citizenship? How can listening become a tool for change in contemporary Canada?

2. The book presents Black Canadian literature as a necessary intervention in the historical narrative of CanLit, challenging its exclusionary tendencies. How does the idea of remixing—a concept borrowed from music—serve as both a literary and political strategy in reshaping the future of Canadian literature?

3. Drawing from Jean-Luc Nancy’s concept of an unfinished, ever-evolving community, Soundin’ Canaan envisions a more just and inclusive future: a community to come. What role does poetry—and more broadly, the arts—play in imagining and realizing a future of true equity and first-class citizenship? How do the poets discussed in the book contribute to this vision?