Judith Copithorne, a renowned Canadian author, artist, concrete poet, and trailblazing creative mind, has died.
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Copithorne passed away on May 15 at 85 years old, Talon Books announced. The cause of death was not disclosed.
In their announcement, Talon Books detailed that Copithorne was a cornerstone of Vancouver’s experimental poetry scene during the 1960s and 1970s, infusing the movement with a bold feminist perspective. Her avant-garde works delved deeply into themes of gender, desire, domestic life, spirituality, and revolution, leaving a lasting impact on the literary community.
“Copithorne broke barriers both creatively and socially. Her influence is, and has been, profound,” the publisher concluded.
Judith Copithorne Pioneered “Poem Drawing”
Meanwhile, in the wake of her death, the Belkin Art Gallery detailed her process for her “concrete poet’ projects.
The gallery explained that “her ‘poem-drawings’ employing abstract lines and words to create a visual work of art, a reference to concrete poetry’s emphasis on typographical effects rather than verbal importance. Her work from the 1960s and 1970s engaged with meditation and community, referring to mandalas, maps, and yogic texts.”
The Belkin Art Gallery explained that throughout her long career, Copithorne’s work grew to include digital methods for creating poem-drawings, resulting in bold, vivid drawings combined with text. Her practice in concrete poetry and experimental writing also led to her involvement with Sound Gallery, Motion Studio, and Intermedia in 1960s Vancouver. She also performed with Helen Goodwin’s dance company, TheCo.
She also collaborated with many artist-poets and was part of the Downtown Vancouver Poets, an informal group created as a contrast to the poets involved with TISH, a Canadian poetry newsletter started by UBC students in 1961. Copithorne published an extensive body of work, including over 40 books, chapbooks, and other writings.
Author Eric Schmaltz took to Instagram to pay tribute to Judith Copithorne.
“Dear friends, it is with profound sadness that I share the news that the great poet and artist Judith Copithorne died yesterday,” he wrote alongside a recent picture of the two together. “As many of you know, Judith was a trailblazer for experimental and feminist literature in Canada and abroad. Her work has touched many of us,” Schmaltz added.
“I’m heartbroken and grateful to have shared this time on earth with her. Here we are on the night of her book launch for Another Order just last year. May she rest in peace.”