The Fred Wah fonds at Simon Fraser University Special Collections and Rare Books consists of seven accruals of materials received between 1994 and 2022, accumulated by Wah during his lifetime and arising from both his personal and professional activities. The materials include poems, essays and reviews; journals and notebooks; book manuscripts; teaching materials; travel records; administrative records; and promotional material for conferences, workshops and other events in various physical items such as textual records, photographs, computer disks, videocassettes, optical disks, and audio cassettes.
The audio collection consists of the latter three accruals, or batches of Wah’s materials and consist of cassettes donated by Fred Wah since 2017:
Fifth Batch (MsC-17e)
This batch, received in 2017, contains 25 cassettes, spanning the years 1976 to 2006. Wah is the main speaker on these recordings, and they feature a diverse array of genres, including Wah’s poetry readings and classroom lectures, conferences, CBC Radio programs, and interviews conducted across Canada, at universities such as the University of Calgary, University of Alberta, and Simon Fraser University. This batch highlights interviews and discussions with Wah by a range of Canadian poets, authors, and radio broadcaster, including Brian Fawcett, Mary Howes, Tim McKort, Erika Ritter, and Stuart McLean.
Sixth Batch (MsC-17f)
This batch, received in 2021, contains 168 cassettes, spanning the 1960s to 1990s, in which Wah primarily functions as the recorder, facilitator or contributor, with some recordings featuring no direct contributions from him. What distinguishes this batch is the extensive variety of tapes, which encompass a broad spectrum of academic events; these include writing workshops, sound poetry performances, readings of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, lectures, and conference panels on diverse topics like Canadian postmodernism, race, revolution, and technology in writing. These recordings also feature colloquiums on subjects such as translation and criticism. About one-third of the cassettes highlight Wah’s significant role in developing a unique collection during his time teaching at Selkirk College and Thompson University Centre. These recordings feature a diverse array of Canadian writers and poets who were active during that period, providing a rich snapshot of the literary landscape of the time. Through performances, readings, and discussions, the cassettes offer valuable insights into the contributions and creative expressions of these Canadian voices, reflecting Wah’s influence and the vibrant literary community he helped to foster; in addition, the recordings include CBC Radio broadcasts from Toronto, Vancouver, and Edmonton, as well as a range of academic events hosted at UBC, SFU, the University of Calgary, and the University of Alberta. The sixth batch provides a thorough and diverse perspective on the literary and academic landscape over Wah's three decades of professional academic life.
Seventh Batch (MsC-17g)
This batch, received in 2022, contains 156 cassettes from the 1970s to the 1990s. In these recordings, Wah takes on roles such as interviewer, recorder, and contributor, often working alongside his wife, Pauline Butling, who is featured in some recordings as a speaker and facilitator at various poetry readings and panel discussions. This diverse batch of cassettes highlights an array of artistic and literary forms through events such as poetry readings, festivals, and performances of music and sound poetry. It also provides in-depth coverage of important literary and cultural discussions through colloquiums and conferences on topics such as Black writing, the social and moral responsibilities of writers, contemporary Chinese poetry, and the distinction between fiction and non-fiction writing. Alongside showcasing Wah's career at Selkirk College and Thompson University Centre, this batch also includes recordings that highlight his involvement in poetry events at the Kootenay School of Writing and the Markin-Flanagan Distinguished Writers Program at the University of Calgary.
Acknowledgements
This digital collection has been made possible with support from the SSHRC-funded SpokenWeb project. All recordings in this collection were digitized from cassettes; Teddie Brock, Linara Kolosova Don Shipton, and Mozhgan Nourafkan are responsible for creating metadata about the collection.
