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CoCoPoPro: Mathew Henderson’s Oil Field Poems
Mathew Henderson’s debut collection of poetry, The Lease, has gone gangbusters. It was published last fall by Coach House Books, and it has really struck a chord with readers everywhere. The New York Times compares Henderson to Raymond Carver; The Millions calls it “a sneakily brilliant, beautiful book.” And it was just shortlisted for the 2013 Gerald Lampert Award.
About a year ago, I was lucky enough to tag along with my dad while he was at work. He’s an oil field trucker, and as we drove south on Alberta’s Highway 40 towards Hinton from Grande Prairie in a huge rig (riding "bobtail" no less), he mentioned he had to stop off at the lease.
"Uh, what’s a lease?," I asked.
So imagine my shock (and delight!) when a few months later I opened my May 2012 issue of the Walrus magazine and saw THIS.
–TB
Mathew Henderson’s debut collection of poetry, The Lease, has gone gangbusters. It was published last fall by Coach House Books, and it has really struck a chord with readers everywhere. The New York Times compares Henderson to Raymond Carver; The Millions calls it "a sneakily brilliant, beautiful book." And it was just shortlisted for the 2013 Gerald Lampert Award.
Q&A with Mathew Henderson
What are you reading right now?
I just started George Saunders’ Tenth of December, and I plan on reading poetry from Sara Peters, Andrew Faulkner, and David Seymour.
Where is the oddest place in which you have ever written (or been inspired to write) a poem?
Mobile incineration-based toilet on an oil lease.
What’s your must-read literary magazine or website?
I’ve spent a lot of time reading Lemon Hound and The Millions lately.
What’s your guilty pleasure (when it comes to reading)?
Fantasy. I read a lot of fantasy novels, but I’m only classifying it as a "guilty" pleasure because I know a lot of other people do.
When did your interest in reading/writing poetry start?
I remember reading Alden Nowlan’s "Warren Pryor" in the seventh or eighth grade and getting this feeling that he and I were sharing an experience that the rest of the class was missing.
*****
Mathew Henderson is a recent graduate of the University of Guelph’s MFA program. Originally from Prince Edward Island, he now lives in Toronto, writes about the prairies and teaches at Humber College. You can find him on Twitter at @Hendersoname
