Irene Niechoda researched over twenty years of writing by bp Nichol in his sprawling poem, "The Martyrology." The poem, which filled ten volumes, has been described as an accumulation with "shifts, twists, leaps and catapults that delight us into the unfamiliar." This survey traces the evolution of "The Martyrology" in Nichol's writing in the first two volumes, outlines a compositional chronology, and provides annotations that elucidate personal and literary references, point out intertexts, and cultural artifacts.Of note is the introductory quotation by Edgard Varese which reads, "There is no avant-garde. There are only people who are a little late." The was paraphrased by the Australian concrete poet, Richard Tipping, who composed a Caution sign held by the Sackner Archive, "There is no avant-garde, only those who have been left behind." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.