Oral Fixation: An Anthology

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island and honorary chief of the Mi’kmaq of Prince
Edward Island.

The Oral Fixation reading series, which first began in Halifax two years
ago, has seen young writers, poets, and playwrights present their work.
This anthology representing some of the latest published and underground
literature on the East Coast has tried to capture the energy and
writings of those authors.

Nonetheless, a reader may be forgiven for having ambivalent feelings
about the anthology. On the positive side, the search for alternatives
to mainstream forms of literature is commendable (for example, a racy,
tavern-table style punctuated with the occasional vulgarism is reflected
in two of the volume’s more successful pieces, “Bessie” and
“Selling Smarts”). But elsewhere, one becomes aware of an
unevenness, even immaturity, of style.

Still, this series is but two years old. In all likelihood, it will
raise its standards as it evolves.