This year, the Word on the Street festival returns with a new moniker—Word Vancouver—and a hugely varied schedule that runs at venues around town from September 25 to 29. As part of the runup, we asked some of the writers on the bill to tell us about the reading experiences that shaped them. Which book left deep impressions early on? Which one overhauled the way they see and think about the world, and set them on a path to a literary life?

Here’s what bill bissett told us. He’s a renowned Vancouver painter and poet who's published more than 70 books. He’ll be reading from his latest, hungree throat (written in his trademark phonetic style, seen below), at 1 p.m. on September 29, in the fest’s Poetry Tent outside the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library.

i had alredee startid writing poetree 4 a

class yeerbook in grade 3  but in an ox

ygen tent  sum yeers latr  aftr a few oper

aysyuns  4 peritinitis   it was kleer 2 me i wudint b bcumming a dansr or a figur 

skatr   my abdominal musculs had bin 

slashd  i thot if i wer 2 bcum a writr n

paintr i cud still feel th line mooving thru space n time  i wrote my first storee abt 

a boy who wantid 2 dare th undrtow  n 

not drown  n go byond th soshul conven

syuns   i gess i was 11   my fathr printid 

it out 4 me   that was my first book  n 

whn i got bettr  i red all th time  contin

uing 2 get bettr n school work bcame 

my prioriteez  n whn i was 16 i bcame 

2 b writing all th time   th first pome  4 

th deth uv my mothr   deth  deth  n mor 

deth   th words  spred out all ovr th page  wanting 2 allow n feel th space on th 

page  n feel th line mooving thru space 

n time   wch 4 me was th original apeel

uv dansing n figur skating