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Gregory Betts

@whatisapoem.bsky.social

1.4K followers 410 following 360 posts

Experimental Poet—Experimental Lit Prof—Experimental Musician Curator @ bpNichol.ca — Literary Arts Residency Lead @ The SETI Institute

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 2d

Cassils, "Undersight" (2025). On Oct. 4, the artist will project the 199 words banished by the Trump administration, encrypted as dots and dashes of searing light, into the night sky over 12 hours, from sunset to sunrise.

"It's a distress signal," says Cassils.

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 13d

It would be interesting if that idea were presented to the people, adding a $25pp surcharge to our tax bill. I couldn't guess which way it would go, but I'd be curious.

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 19d

14 Hours until the first rocket is launched in Canada from the new Atlantic Spaceport (near St. Lawrence, Newfoundland).
www.nordspace.com/info

Launch Information

Visit this page for up to date information on our upcoming launches

www.nordspace.com

Reposted by Gregory Betts

Derek Beaulieu @derekbeaulieu.bsky.social · 21d

I'm so excited to annouce that Do It Wrong: How to Be a Poet In the Twenty-First Century is now available for preorder from @pressassembly.bsky.social assemblypress.ca/shop/do-it-w...

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 25d

"A History of Poetry Comics" by JB
attn: @derekbeaulieu.bsky.social

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 26d

To twist an Atwoodism: the right are afraid that the left will laugh at them. the left are afraid that the right will kill them. @margaretatwood.bsky.social

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 27d

By Ian Duhig

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 28d

Günes Isitan, "Hybridities: Almost Other" (2024) takes swabs from subjects faces using film and lets the microbe grow on the film in a petri dish. The results are stunning.
www.gunesisitan.com/hybridities-...

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · 28d

I'm teaching H.D.'s poetry tomorrow :-)

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Sep 8

How is it that every etymology reads like a poem? Like...

Origin

from oriri
arise, rise, get up
appear above the horizon
become visible
be born
be descended
receive life

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Sep 6

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Sep 2

FOR NOW!!

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Sep 2

What an auspicious start for the new SETI Institute award! The first annual Cosmic Chronicles Literary Prize has received hundreds of submissions from 31 countries around the world. Brilliant launch of the award!

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Reposted by Gregory Betts

Hem Press @hempressbooks.bsky.social · Sep 1

Hem Press' editor had the great pleasure of sitting down with Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social to talk about bpNichol!

You can watch it here (due to a technical mishap, you only see Gregory's screen).

www.youtube.com/watch?v=md6-...

Morgiana Podcast #5: Gregory Betts

YouTube video by Richard Capener

www.youtube.com

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 30

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 29

That's fun. Glad to see this. Thanks, George

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 29

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 28

And it can tell literary jokes now:

a linguist walks into a sentence
& exits a scar.

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 28

This new iteration represents a massive step forward. All the "tells" of AI generation I look for in a student generated poem are gone.

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 28

ChatGPT5 has read my "plunderverse manifesto" and can now autogenerate plunderverse texts FROM ANYTHING.

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 28

The rich don't do kids like the rest of us

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 26

If art is anything presented as art, then it would follow that poetry is anything presented as poetry.

My own sense is that sound did use to shape poetry. This orientation shifted to the image in the 20thC. These days, I see it shifting to tone, other expressive qualities. For me, it's all poetry.

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 25

My friend Christodoulos Makris is running this online master class, which I highly recommend:

"How does the poet adapt to the advent of generative artificial intelligence, which is capable of instantly producing a 'publishable' or even 'award-winning' poem?"

www.eventbrite.ie/e/insights-w...

INSIGHTS with Christodoulos Makris | our sullen art: the poet after AI

Poet Christodoulos Makris hosts an online writing masterclass for poets at all stages on Thursday, 16th October.

www.eventbrite.ie

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Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 22

This was my first post on Facebook, 15 years ago.

Gregory Betts @whatisapoem.bsky.social · Aug 21

Judith Goldman. There are affiliated profs, but she is the only core member left.