h3. James Denoon: 19th Century Royal Artillery Officer and “Everyman’s” Poet
p. *Rediscovered by poet, critic and editor Carmine Starnino*
!((>https://arcpoetry.ca/images/fn_poets/james_denoon.gif 160w 215h (James Denoon 1802-1891, a rediscovered Canadian poet)!
In 2006, Montreal poet and book dealer Michael Harris discovered a 125-year-old packet of handwritten, occasional verse “chapbooks” authored by an officer of the Royal Artillery named James Denoon (1802-1901). The essay uses the occasion of Harris’ discovery to write about Denoon, uncovering his life through his poetry, and at the same time celebrating unknown versifiers who wrote not for fame, but out of a sense of duty to family, friends, and community. Occasional, unpretentious verse (otherwise known as doggerel) has a long tradition in English poetry, a phenomenon that was especially powerful during the time Denoon was alive.
h4. About Essayist Carmine Starnino
p. Carmine Starnino has published three volumes of poetry, for which he has won numerous awards, including the A.M. Klein Prize and the F.G. Bressani Prize for his most recent book _With English Subtitles_ (Gaspereau Press, 2004). He is the author of [_A Lover’s Quarrel_], a collection of essays on Canadian poetry, and the editor of [_The New Canon: An Anthology of Canadian Poetry_]. He lives in Montreal, where he works as an associate editor for _Maisonneuve_ and [_Books in Canada_].