GrOnk

GrOnk, also written as grOnk or GRoNK, was a Canadian literary magazine associated with the experimental and concrete-poetry movements of the 1960s through the 1980s. It began in 1967 as an offshoot of Ganglia, a Toronto-based magazine and press founded by David Aylward and bpNichol in 1965. Material initially assembled for a proposed sixth issue of Ganglia developed into a separate periodical, allowing the editors to pursue a more concentrated engagement with concrete poetry, experimental typography, and what contemporary writers described as a Canadian “language revolution.” The magazine emerged principally from literary networks in Toronto and Vancouver but maintained an international outlook. Its pages brought together British, Czech, American, Canadian, French, and Austrian practitioners of concrete and experimental writing. Rather than treating poetry as text arranged in conventional lines, GrOnk regularly explored the visual, spatial, sonic, and material properties of language. Its publishing program included extralinear writing, typographic experiments, hand-produced pages, and works that blurred the boundaries between poem, artist’s book, magazine, and small-press artifact. The publication was organized in a sequence of series. The first series comprised eight issues published in 1967, with David W. Harris serving as a co-editor. Later series continued the project in changing editorial and production circumstances. After the principal eight series of eight issues had appeared, bpNichol’s sustained involvement helped keep the periodical active, although publication became irregular and guest editors increasingly shaped individual issues. Contributors to the editorial and production history included Nelson Ball, jwcurry, Steve McCaffery, and R. Murray Schafer, among others. GrOnk became notable not only for its contents but also for its physical variety. Across 126 distinct issues, it used letterpress, rubber stamps, mimeography, offset printing, xerography, and audiocassette formats. Some editions incorporated extensive handwork. John Riddell’s “a hOle in the Head,” for example, included hand-coloured pages and scissor-cut windows, while jwcurry’s “AS IS OR WITH” was drawn by hand throughout its edition. This approach positioned the magazine within the broader culture of Canadian little magazines, artists’ books, mail art, and independent experimental publishing. Between 1987 and 1989, six issues of the GrOnk Piggyback Series appeared as broadside sections in the Toronto literary tabloid Poetry Canada Review. The magazine’s original run ended in 1988 following the death of bpNichol. Later items were nevertheless issued through the GrOnk Inadmissible Series, associated with Nicky Drumbolis’s Letters and jwcurry’s Room 302 Books. GrOnk is therefore remembered as one of Canada’s longest-running independent little magazines and as an important platform for concrete poetry, intermedia practice, and materially innovative writing.

GrOnk developed within the Canadian small-press and experimental-writing community that gathered around Ganglia Press in Toronto. Ganglia had been established in 1965 by David Aylward and bpNichol, and its activities provided the institutional and artistic setting from which GrOnk emerged. In 1967, material intended for a later Ganglia issue was redirected into a new magazine. The resulting publication took the name GrOnk and initially appeared as a monthly periodical devoted to concrete poetry and experimental approaches to language. Its early years coincided with growing interest in concrete poetry, visual composition, sound poetry, and other forms of writing that challenged the standard literary page. GrOnk’s remit was broader than a single national school: although it was rooted in Canada, it published or connected work by practitioners from several European and North American traditions. British, Czech, American, Canadian, French, and Austrian contributors appeared within a setting shaped by parallel developments in Canadian literature, particularly in Toronto and Vancouver. The first series consisted of eight issues, with David W. Harris, later known as David UU, participating as co-editor. Rah Smith was also involved in the early editorial group. As the magazine continued through additional series, editorial responsibility became more distributed. bpNichol remained the central sustaining figure, while guest editors such as Nelson Ball, jwcurry, Steve McCaffery, and R. Murray Schafer contributed to particular stages of the project. The periodical’s irregularity became part of its identity rather than a temporary production problem. GrOnk’s history is also a history of printing and object-making. The magazine did not maintain a single standardized format. Issues were produced through letterpress, rubber stamping, mimeography, offset printing, xerography, and, in some cases, audiocassette. Hand-coloured pages, cut-paper interventions, windows cut into pages, and fully hand-drawn editions made individual numbers resemble artists’ books or unique small-press objects. These production methods supported the magazine’s interest in treating language as visual and physical material. After eight principal series, each planned around eight issues, GrOnk continued in an irregular form. Six numbers associated with the GrOnk Piggyback Series were published as broadside sections in the Toronto literary newspaper Poetry Canada Review between 1987 and 1989. The original magazine run ended in 1988 after bpNichol died. The name and project did not disappear entirely: later publications were associated with the GrOnk Inadmissible Series, issued through Nicky Drumbolis’s Letters and jwcurry’s Room 302 Books. GrOnk’s overall record of 126 distinct issues places it among Canada’s longest-running independent little magazines and preserves its importance within the country’s concrete-poetry and intermedia history.

• 1988

  Original publication run ends

  [1]GrOnken.wikipedia.org

  GrOnk ceases its original run following bpNichol’s death.

• 1987

  Piggyback Series begins

  [1]GrOnken.wikipedia.org

  The GrOnk Piggyback Series begins appearing as broadside sections in Poetry Canada Review.

• 1967

  GrOnk begins publication

  [1]GrOnken.wikipedia.org

  GrOnk launches as an offshoot of Ganglia, initially focusing on concrete poetry and experimental writing.

• 1967

  First series is issued

  [1]GrOnken.wikipedia.org

  The first series comprises eight issues and includes David W. Harris among its editors.

• 1965

  Ganglia Press is established

  [1]GrOnken.wikipedia.org

  David Aylward and bpNichol establish Ganglia in Toronto, the small-press environment from which GrOnk later develops.

An independent Canadian experimental-literature platform centered on concrete poetry, visual language, intermedia practice, and handcrafted small-press publishing.

• Literary magazine · 1967

  GrOnk magazine

  The core GrOnk periodical published concrete poetry, visual and extralinear writing, experimental texts, and related intermedia work. Its 126 distinct issues appeared in changing formats and used diverse production techniques, including letterpress, rubber stamps, mimeography, offset, xerography, and audiocassette. Many issues were materially distinctive, incorporating hand-colouring, cut pages, and other forms of direct artist intervention.

• Broadside series · 1987

  GrOnk Piggyback Series

  A six-issue extension of the GrOnk project published as broadside sections in the Toronto literary tabloid Poetry Canada Review between 1987 and 1989. The series carried GrOnk’s experimental publishing approach into a partner literary publication rather than maintaining the magazine’s usual independent issue format.

• Small-press publication series

  GrOnk Inadmissible Series

  A later series continuing the GrOnk name and publishing impulse after the original magazine ceased. It was associated with Nicky Drumbolis’s Letters and jwcurry’s Room 302 Books, extending the project’s experimental and independent literary character.

• 1987

  Publish the Piggyback Series through Poetry Canada ReviewStrategy

  Background

  By the late 1980s, GrOnk was operating irregularly and exploring ways to continue its experimental publication program.

  Action taken

  Six GrOnk Piggyback issues were issued as broadside sections in Poetry Canada Review.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement provided a late-stage outlet for GrOnk material before and around the end of the original run.

  Source

• 1967

  Separate the new material from GangliaStrategy

  Background

  Material assembled for a later Ganglia issue was substantial enough to become a distinct publication focused on concrete poetry and experimental language.

  Action taken

  The editors established GrOnk as a separate periodical while retaining its connection to Ganglia Press.

  Aftermath

  The decision created a dedicated platform for experimental Canadian and international writing and launched one of the country’s longest-running independent little magazines.

  Source

1. 1GrOnken.wikipedia.org
2. 2MacOdrum Library: Ganglia and grOnklibrary.carleton.ca