As a tool here is a series of links to MA theses and PhD dissertations on bpNichol which are publicly available online. This is by no means exhaustive and will be updated as more information comes available. Suggestions of additional links are more than welcome.

1982. Knight, Alan. Word Order / World Order: A Study of the Poetry of bpNichol (MA Thesis, Concordia)

1982. Niechoda, Irene. A Sourcery for Books 1 and 2 of bpNichol’s The Martyrology. (MA Thesis, UBC)

1992. Lacusta, Arlene. BOOK 6 BOOKS: ON BECOMING IN AN INCHOATE WOR(L)D. (MA Thesis, Simon Fraser University)

1997. Keating, Claire. From icon to alphabet and back, the work of bp Nichol as challenge to typographical and literary convention (MA Thesis, University of Manitoba)

2007. Walschots, Natalie. Tonsil Hockey: After, around, and through bpNichol’s Poetry. (MA Thesis, University of Calgary)

2009. Borkent, Michael. Cognition and the concrete poetry of bpNichol : towards a cohesive methodology. (MA Thesis, UBC)

2012. Stephenson, Justin. The complete works and digitizing bpNichol: staging the written word in digital moving pictures. (MA Thesis, Ryerson University / York University)

2012. Androsova, Natalya. The Feminine, The Poetic, And The Sacred In BPNichol’s The Martyrology And Journal. (MA Thesis, Ryerson)

2013. Wooler, Katherine. Communication Codes and Critical Editing: Recognizing Materiality in the Work of bpNichol. (MA Thesis, Dalhousie University)

2014. McEwan. Andrew. Poetic Play Communities: bpNichol’s Fraggle Rock Screenplays. (MA Thesis, UBC)

2016. Desjarlais, Jeremy Michael. “all alongingly the way”: Ontology and Longing in bpNichol’s The Martyrology (MA Thesis, University of Regina)

2017. Whittaker, Sam. Language, Thought, and bpNichol’s The Martyrology: Whorfian, Feminist, and Marxist Readings (MA Thesis, University of Windsor)

2018. Schmaltz, Eric. THE LANGUAGE REVOLUTION:BORDERBLUR POETICS IN CANADA, 1963-1988 (PhD Dissertation, York University)

2023. McConville, Amelia, Reading Forests, Seeing Trees: Visual Poetry with Neurohumanities. (Trinity College Dublin, School of English, English)

download a free PDF of my 2006 volume fractal economies (Vancouver: talonbooks, 2006) – my first collection of concrete poetry, including the essay “as afterward after words: note towards a concrete poetics” which theorizes a poetics of dirty concrete. Physical copies remain in print and available for order direct from the publisher (it would be lovely if you ordered one…)

In fractal economies, derek beaulieu pushes the limits of poetry and poetics by grinding language through the mill of photocopiers, found material, collage, printmaking, frottage and Letraset—creating a new language for the genre. These “fractal economies,” or series of increasingly complex replications of forms through the repeated application of a fixed set of rules, challenge the status quo of poetry and of the politics of language itself, which is, with respect to any human script yet deciphered, capitalist in its very origin. Letters are freed from their “normal” behaviour, machines are let loose to create on their own and the borders between poetry and artwork are blurred. In an intriguing and well-argued afterword, beaulieu also theorizes ways that concrete poetry—poetry that deals with language in a physical, material way—can move forward into the twenty-first century beyond the limitations of the page, the author and even the poem itself.

“VENT: 8 Abominations for Derek Beaulieu” — CDN Warren beautifully remixes work from my APERTURE (published by Penteract Press). The full series here can be found on Warren’s website

SEVENTEEN SMALL EVENTS, new from No press!

This series of leaflets, gathered together in a paper band, features poetry and fiction by Samuel Andreyev, Gary Barwin, Charles Bernstein & Ted Greenwald, Amaranth Borsuk & Terri Witek, Paul Dutton, Craig Dworkin, Peter Jaeger, Monica Kidd, Daniel Levin Becker, Donato Mancini, Nick Montfort, Eric Schmaltz, Kate Siklosi, Natalie Simpson, Philip Terry, Aaron Tucker, and Suzanne Zelazo.

Produced in an edition of 100 copies, all of which are free; this is a gift to a community of readers and writers — physically distancing but still finding solace and support in writing and sharing.

To order a copy please email derek beaulieu at derek@housepress.ca

The Blasted Tree has just announced a breif visual poem of mine as the winner of their fifth flash haiku contest, held on social media earlier this week,! They have published the haiku into 2.5″ x 2.5″ mini-leaflets in a limited run of 60 copies. Copies are available for order …

Watch as I read bpnichol’s “the long weekend of Louis Riel” (from NIGHTS ON PROSE MOUNTAIN, published by Coach House Books) in the snows of Banff…

I was honoured to read from recent work, and be interviewed on stage by Nasser Hussain, at Sheffield Hallum University’s Performance Lab (Sheffield, UK) on Feb 27, 2020 as part of Poetic Futures: Genres, Concepts, Creativity.

Click here to listen to an audio recording of the event (courtesy Phil Davenport), where, in addition to the interview, i also read from my chapbook Extispicium, bpNichol’s “a small song that is his” and excerpts from Nichol’s Nights on Prose Mountain…

original (letraset on paper) and variations (photocopy manipulation)

AI poems by Pratim Sengupta and I: “asterisk ampersand asterisk: the poetry of the Centennial Planetarium” was unveiled this evening as part Planetary, the premiere exhibition at now at Contemporary Calgary…

more on the exhibition :
“Worlds collide: 36 local artists contemplate the Earth and cosmos for first exhibit at Contemporary Calgary.” Calgary Herald. Jan 23, 2020.

“Contemporary Calgary Launches Inaugural Season.” Avenue. Jan 22, 2020.

“Contemporary Calgary art gallery debuts in former Centennial Planetarium building.” CTV News. Jan 27, 2020.