The poet and writer Matt Rader discusses his new collection Visual Inspection (Nightwood Editions, 2019), with Joseph Planta.

Visual Inspection by Matt Rader (Nightwood Editions, 2019). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Visual Inspection

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Matt Rader joins me now. The acclaimed writer has just published a new book Visual Inspection. It nearly defies definition, so who better to talk to about it than the author himself. I’ll ask Mr. Rader about how he explains the book to people, as well as its genesis. From his childhood, the author has had to deal with illness that doctors couldn’t explain. During a period of profound illness, he decides to document the reflection and observations he’s made. Some are poems, some are pieces of prose, some don’t fit in the lines of the page—all reflect in some way meditations on pain, resilience, as well as access. We see the challenge of disability manifested in pieces that are redacted. I’ll ask Matt about those and what those mean not only for the person creating such a piece, but for the reader and whether that might be illustrative. Matt Rader is the author of four books of poems: Desecrations, A Doctor Pedalled Her Bicycle Over the River Arno, Living Things, and Miraculous Hours. He is also the author of the short story collection What I Want to Tell Goes Like This. He is a member of the faculty at the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s Department of Creative Studies. This new book is published by Nightwood Editions. He joined me from Kelowna, British Columbia, where he lives. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Matt Rader; Professor Rader, good morning.

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