matt robinson
Biography
matt robinson - Photo Courtesy of Author
matt robinson was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He remained in his home province for much of his early adult life where he completed his undergrad in arts and science at St. Mary’s University, followed by his Bachelor of Education at Mount Saint Vincent University. In the year 2000, matt moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick to attend the University of New Brunswick where he received his Creative Writing/English Masters. His first book of poetry, A Ruckus of Awkward Stacking, was a revision of his Masters thesis. Published in 2001, it was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial and ReLit Poetry Awards. While working towards his masters, matt also received the New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts Emerging Artist of the Year Award.
Upon realizing that his passion was not teaching, but being involved with student’s lives, robinson decided against pursuing a PhD and instead began working in a UNB residence. During his time there, he also worked as an editor for The Fiddlehead literary magazine.
In 2007, robinson returned to Halifax where he currently lives and works as the Director of Housing & Conference Services at Saint Mary’s University. matt’s passion for young people has lead him to mentor as part of the WFNS’s Mentorship Program and the Writers in the Schools programs in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. robinson served as the President of The League of Canadian Poets.
Upon realizing that his passion was not teaching, but being involved with student’s lives, robinson decided against pursuing a PhD and instead began working in a UNB residence. During his time there, he also worked as an editor for The Fiddlehead literary magazine.
In 2007, robinson returned to Halifax where he currently lives and works as the Director of Housing & Conference Services at Saint Mary’s University. matt’s passion for young people has lead him to mentor as part of the WFNS’s Mentorship Program and the Writers in the Schools programs in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. robinson served as the President of The League of Canadian Poets.
one more beer, you think. and
through the nearest pane of glass
the buildings, now torn
down, salt their silhouettes across what would’ve been
adjoining walls like catches of fish once fresh
slapped onto the docks
but left to rot their way into
the memory’s salt-sketched version of impermanence,
the sickly sweet paradox. she’s gone,
you know that now, and not
likely coming back. so you throw that worn fact down your throat
and work your neck; finger
the newly minted map of this,
your sweat-stained shirt, and trace you way through
time. brick by sun-scarred brick
you hack and swallow,
run your tongue along this cobble.
Published in Against the Hard Angle (Greenhouseboat Press, 2014).
Used with permission of the author.
through the nearest pane of glass
the buildings, now torn
down, salt their silhouettes across what would’ve been
adjoining walls like catches of fish once fresh
slapped onto the docks
but left to rot their way into
the memory’s salt-sketched version of impermanence,
the sickly sweet paradox. she’s gone,
you know that now, and not
likely coming back. so you throw that worn fact down your throat
and work your neck; finger
the newly minted map of this,
your sweat-stained shirt, and trace you way through
time. brick by sun-scarred brick
you hack and swallow,
run your tongue along this cobble.
Published in Against the Hard Angle (Greenhouseboat Press, 2014).
Used with permission of the author.
Critical Analysis: Memory evocation in "HISTORIC PROPERTIES & THE LIKE"
Sharisse LeBrun (ENGL 4426, Contemporary Atlantic Canadian Poetry)
In his 2009 book Against a Hard Angle, matt robinson (lowercase deliberate) begins by focusing on the everyday realities through attention to particular objects within his home: spoiled milk, tools, utensils, and the like. However, these images do not remain literal when robinson quickly and effortlessly turns them into metaphors for more universal experiences: the gradual decay of a relationship, leading to loss. The decaying household metaphor is countered in the second portion of robinson’s book where he attempts to reconnect and once again love his home through a poetic exploration of his hometown of Halifax.
robinson paints a vivid picture of downtown Halifax throughout his book. In his poem “Historic Properties & The Like,” he immediately places the speaker in a local pub staring out the window at the various historic buildings that can be found in the area (1). He also brings in the brick, cobblestone, and Halifax harbor to complete the image as the speaker leaves the bar and walks through the downtown of the city (15, 17, 5-6).
While this portion of the book is about healing after an ended relationship, it is still very melancholy due to its focus on the difficulties of healing due to memory. Silhouettes haunt the buildings the speaker speaks of; to add further melancholy, robinson likens the silhouettes to “catches of fish once fresh/and slapped onto the docks/but left to rot their way into/the memory’s salt-sketched version of impermanence” (5-7). The speaker then notes the paradox of these two images—that despite death, decay, and destruction, the memory of both the buildings and fish remain, and even haunt and stain, the objects that are left behind. In these images of memory, the speaker sees and better understands his own loss: that of a relationship. He now understands that—like the buildings and the rotting fish—his partner is gone and “not likely coming back,” revealing the speaker’s awareness that he to come to terms with this new fact of life.
In the same way that the memory of the buildings and fish make themselves manifest in the form of salt stains, the speaker’s loss and memory of his partner result in salt stains in the form of his “sweat-stained shirt” as he “traces his way through time” recalling the memories of her (4, 8, 14-15). The salt silhouettes of the buildings then become bricks scarred by the sun, allowing readers see not only the remains of bad memories caused by salt and violent ocean weather, but also good memories being caused by sun rays (15). In the final line, “run your tongue along this cobble,” the speaker seems to be completely debased and weighed down by his memories. It is no longer the bricks of the historic properties that he attempts to swallow, but he is now licking the cobblestones of the ground he walks on. This movement from the pub, buildings, harbor dock, and cobblestone suggests that no matter where the speaker goes, he is unable to escape his haunting memories.
robinson’s use of language throughout this poem is the skill he is most often recognized and praised for by critics. While parts of his poem include long liquid vowels that slow the reader down – “run your tongue along this cobble” – the melancholic tone and task of the poem is emphasized. In contrast to these liquid vowels, robinson frequently uses alliteration and explosive, hard consonants like “sweat-stained shirt” and “so you throw that worn fact down your throat and work your neck” (11-12, 14). These are difficult to get through, yet adds to the frustration of the task at hand, including the violence of attempting to suppress the memories that haunt you on the road to healing.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Flinn, Sean. “Rev. Against a Hard Angle by matt robinson.” The Coast: Arts and Culture, 2010.
Robinson, Matt. Against the Hard Angle. Vernon: Greenboathouse Press, 2009.
In his 2009 book Against a Hard Angle, matt robinson (lowercase deliberate) begins by focusing on the everyday realities through attention to particular objects within his home: spoiled milk, tools, utensils, and the like. However, these images do not remain literal when robinson quickly and effortlessly turns them into metaphors for more universal experiences: the gradual decay of a relationship, leading to loss. The decaying household metaphor is countered in the second portion of robinson’s book where he attempts to reconnect and once again love his home through a poetic exploration of his hometown of Halifax.
robinson paints a vivid picture of downtown Halifax throughout his book. In his poem “Historic Properties & The Like,” he immediately places the speaker in a local pub staring out the window at the various historic buildings that can be found in the area (1). He also brings in the brick, cobblestone, and Halifax harbor to complete the image as the speaker leaves the bar and walks through the downtown of the city (15, 17, 5-6).
While this portion of the book is about healing after an ended relationship, it is still very melancholy due to its focus on the difficulties of healing due to memory. Silhouettes haunt the buildings the speaker speaks of; to add further melancholy, robinson likens the silhouettes to “catches of fish once fresh/and slapped onto the docks/but left to rot their way into/the memory’s salt-sketched version of impermanence” (5-7). The speaker then notes the paradox of these two images—that despite death, decay, and destruction, the memory of both the buildings and fish remain, and even haunt and stain, the objects that are left behind. In these images of memory, the speaker sees and better understands his own loss: that of a relationship. He now understands that—like the buildings and the rotting fish—his partner is gone and “not likely coming back,” revealing the speaker’s awareness that he to come to terms with this new fact of life.
In the same way that the memory of the buildings and fish make themselves manifest in the form of salt stains, the speaker’s loss and memory of his partner result in salt stains in the form of his “sweat-stained shirt” as he “traces his way through time” recalling the memories of her (4, 8, 14-15). The salt silhouettes of the buildings then become bricks scarred by the sun, allowing readers see not only the remains of bad memories caused by salt and violent ocean weather, but also good memories being caused by sun rays (15). In the final line, “run your tongue along this cobble,” the speaker seems to be completely debased and weighed down by his memories. It is no longer the bricks of the historic properties that he attempts to swallow, but he is now licking the cobblestones of the ground he walks on. This movement from the pub, buildings, harbor dock, and cobblestone suggests that no matter where the speaker goes, he is unable to escape his haunting memories.
robinson’s use of language throughout this poem is the skill he is most often recognized and praised for by critics. While parts of his poem include long liquid vowels that slow the reader down – “run your tongue along this cobble” – the melancholic tone and task of the poem is emphasized. In contrast to these liquid vowels, robinson frequently uses alliteration and explosive, hard consonants like “sweat-stained shirt” and “so you throw that worn fact down your throat and work your neck” (11-12, 14). These are difficult to get through, yet adds to the frustration of the task at hand, including the violence of attempting to suppress the memories that haunt you on the road to healing.
Works Cited (for analysis):
Flinn, Sean. “Rev. Against a Hard Angle by matt robinson.” The Coast: Arts and Culture, 2010.
Robinson, Matt. Against the Hard Angle. Vernon: Greenboathouse Press, 2009.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
robinson, matt. Against. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2019.
---. "Against the Dog's Passing." The Malahat Review 207 (Summer 2019): 64.
---. Against the Hard Angle Chapbook. Vernon: Greenboathouse Press, 2009.
---. Against the Hard Angle: Poems. Toronto: ECW Press, 2010.
---. "Against the Opposable Thumb." Malahat Review 199 (Summer 2017): 22.
---. a fist made and unmade. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2013.
---. A Ruckus of Awkward Stacking. Toronto: Insomniac Press, 2001.
---. "Car Accident on the First Day of the New Year." Malahat Review. (2015): 67.
---. "Harbour." Malahat Review. (2015): 68.
---. how we play at it: a list. Toronto: ECW Press, 2002.
---. no cage contains a stare that well. Toronto: ECW Press, 2005.
---. "On Doubt." Antigonish Review. 2016.187 (2016).
---. "Rudy." The Antigonish Review 200 (Winter 2020): 77.
---. "Snake." Prairie Fire 34.1 (Summer 2017): 102.
---. Some Nights It's Entertainment; Some Other Nights Just Work. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2016.
---. Tracery & Interplay. Victoria: Frog Hollow Press, 2004.
Secondary Sources
Carey, Barbara. “Rev. no cage contains a stare that well by matt robinson.” The Toronto Star, 2006.
Flinn, Sean. “Rev. Against a Hard Angle by matt robinson.” The Coast: Arts and Culture, 2010.
Houle, Jenn. “Rev. no cage contains a stare that well by matt robinson.” Poetry Reviews, 2008.
Hurdle, Crystal. Tropes of Time and Place. Canadian Literature, 2011.
Lofranco, John. “Hockey and Poetry: Do Not Go Softly Into That Good Ice.” Rev. no cage contains a stare that well by matt robinson. Maisonneuve: A Quarterly of Arts, Opinion and Ideas, 2014.
Robinson, Laura. “The Natural.” Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review, 2012.
Robinson, Matt. Interview by Marilyn Smulders. “Between the Rink and Residence.” Dal News, 2009.
---. “Biography.” Matt Robinson Word Press Blog.
---. Interview by Arts East. “Matt Robinson Opens Up.” Arts East, 2011.
---. Interview by Arts East. “Matt Robinson Too.” Arts East, 2011.
---. “Publications.” Matt Robinson Word Press Blog.
Sampson, Mark. Rev. A Ruckus of Awkward Stacking by matt robinson. Free Range Reading, 2010.
“2009 Long Poem Prize Winners.” The Malahat Review, 2009.
WFNS. "Author Spotlight: matt robinson." Writers Federation of Nova Scotia.
robinson, matt. Against. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2019.
---. "Against the Dog's Passing." The Malahat Review 207 (Summer 2019): 64.
---. Against the Hard Angle Chapbook. Vernon: Greenboathouse Press, 2009.
---. Against the Hard Angle: Poems. Toronto: ECW Press, 2010.
---. "Against the Opposable Thumb." Malahat Review 199 (Summer 2017): 22.
---. a fist made and unmade. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2013.
---. A Ruckus of Awkward Stacking. Toronto: Insomniac Press, 2001.
---. "Car Accident on the First Day of the New Year." Malahat Review. (2015): 67.
---. "Harbour." Malahat Review. (2015): 68.
---. how we play at it: a list. Toronto: ECW Press, 2002.
---. no cage contains a stare that well. Toronto: ECW Press, 2005.
---. "On Doubt." Antigonish Review. 2016.187 (2016).
---. "Rudy." The Antigonish Review 200 (Winter 2020): 77.
---. "Snake." Prairie Fire 34.1 (Summer 2017): 102.
---. Some Nights It's Entertainment; Some Other Nights Just Work. Kentville: Gaspereau Press, 2016.
---. Tracery & Interplay. Victoria: Frog Hollow Press, 2004.
Secondary Sources
Carey, Barbara. “Rev. no cage contains a stare that well by matt robinson.” The Toronto Star, 2006.
Flinn, Sean. “Rev. Against a Hard Angle by matt robinson.” The Coast: Arts and Culture, 2010.
Houle, Jenn. “Rev. no cage contains a stare that well by matt robinson.” Poetry Reviews, 2008.
Hurdle, Crystal. Tropes of Time and Place. Canadian Literature, 2011.
Lofranco, John. “Hockey and Poetry: Do Not Go Softly Into That Good Ice.” Rev. no cage contains a stare that well by matt robinson. Maisonneuve: A Quarterly of Arts, Opinion and Ideas, 2014.
Robinson, Laura. “The Natural.” Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review, 2012.
Robinson, Matt. Interview by Marilyn Smulders. “Between the Rink and Residence.” Dal News, 2009.
---. “Biography.” Matt Robinson Word Press Blog.
---. Interview by Arts East. “Matt Robinson Opens Up.” Arts East, 2011.
---. Interview by Arts East. “Matt Robinson Too.” Arts East, 2011.
---. “Publications.” Matt Robinson Word Press Blog.
Sampson, Mark. Rev. A Ruckus of Awkward Stacking by matt robinson. Free Range Reading, 2010.
“2009 Long Poem Prize Winners.” The Malahat Review, 2009.
WFNS. "Author Spotlight: matt robinson." Writers Federation of Nova Scotia.
