Do It Wrong

“Do It Wrong rearranged the furniture in my head regarding poetry and what it means to be a poet. Beaulieu is a professor (and a PhD), but there’s no ivory tower here: just real, honest talk about the work—and joy—of writing poetry. This book is a balm for my soul, and I hope other poets find it the same.—Lori White, Oblong Books

“Derek Beaulieu’s Do It Wrong gathers tactics for reclaiming creative agency from the throes of late-stage capitalism. Mapping how North American art institutions impact poetry, this book links poetic possibility to formal diversification as much as the collective, revolutionary act of sharing work. My favourite insight is his call for poets to relinquish the fantasy of being paid for our craft. By divesting our writing from capital, Beaulieu argues, poets abandon aesthetic fidelity to a collapsing, bankrupt system and unlock a richer field of experimentation—opening space to imagine and construct forms of art that can survive a dying world.”—Holly Melgard, author of Read Me and Fetal Position

“With Do It Wrong: How to be a Poet in the Twenty-First Century, Derek Beaulieu will shove you off the diving board of stasis into the great sea of possibility called Poetry. But don’t worry, he’ll be sure you know how to swim first, or at least convince you that you already can. With irreverently wise and generative thoughts on listening, reading, academia, publishing, and much more along the way, Do It Wrong may just be the cold water plunge you need to fully become yourself as a poet.”—Jeffrey Lependorf, Executive Director, John Cage Trust

“Do It Wrong belongs at the top of the reading list for aspiring poets. For poetry professors—first book, first class. It is both a welcome and a warning, attuned equally to the pleasures and problems of the life of a poet. Unlike most craft books, it does not sidestep the material needs of poets or the capitalist pressures to compete. Instead, it situates poets as creative people in a capacious community. With an experienced and reassuring voice, Beaulieu is the perfect guide to accompany poets as they navigate. He is smart but not stuffy, realistic but not discouraging, inspiring but not glib, provocative but never gratuitously so. Beaulieu is the community-building champion that poetry needs in these dark times.”—Ian Williams, author of You’ve Changed

“Derek Beaulieu shares his generous, frank, and occasionally contentious insights into the world of poetry, many of which will also be enlightening—and actionable—for artists, students, and teachers of all kinds.”—Matt Madden, author of 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style

Derek Beaulieu is the author/editor of over twenty-five collections of poetry, prose, and criticism. His most recent volume of fiction, Silence: Lectures and Writings, was published by Sweden’s Timglaset Editions, his most recent volume of poetry, Surface Tension, was published by Toronto’s Coach House Books. Beaulieu has received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for his dedication to Albertan literature. He is the only graduate from the University of Calgary’s Department of English to receive the Faculty of Arts ‘Celebrated Alumni Award’ and the only graduate in creative writing to receive Roehampton University’s Chancellor’s Alumni Award. Beaulieu has served as Poet Laureate of both Calgary and Banff and is the Director of Literary Arts at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.