Toronto International Festival of Authors and Biblioasis present a triple book launch for Best Canadian Poetry 2024, Best Canadian Stories 2024, and Best Canadian Essays 2024, featuring editors of and contributors to all three anthologies. The launch happens at Supermarket Toronto on Thursday, November 16, at 7 p.m. (details of the launch here).
Best Canadian Poetry 2024
The latest edition of Best Canadian Poetry is out from Biblioasis. I’m thrilled to be included in such vaunted company as Kayla Czaga, Michael Ondaatje, John Elizabeth Stintzi, and Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang in this new instalment.
A Simple Desk: Writing at Joy Kogawa House
As I hit the home stretch of a remarkable two months at the Historic Joy Kogawa House, I’ve gathered some of my thoughts into a blog post (the main metaphor of which is borrowed from Stephen King).
Upcoming Events at the Historic Joy Kogawa House
We’re underway with the slate of public events at the Historic Joy Kogawa House during my co-residency with Melanie Little. We’ve already had an excellent poetry chapbook launch featuring Fiona Lam and the Harbour Centre 5; next up is a workshop on writing historical fiction, hosted by me and Melanie; later this month, Melanie hosts a discussion on publishing, and in early June I will present a poetry-writing workshop. For details about these and all events at the house, please visit https://www.kogawahouse.com/wp/news/.
Residency at the Historic Joy Kogawa House
Starting today (May 1) through the end of June, Melanie Little and I are writers-in-residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in Vancouver. In addition to delving into our current writing projects, we’ll enjoy several opportunities to interact with the community, including a number of public events at the House; watch this space for upcoming events!
Report from the Brockwell Society
Stephen Brockwell is a superb poet and an old friend of mine — not to mention a former sparring partner: in the early noughties, he and I had an argument-in-sonnets about whether sonnets are worth writing, which we published as the chapbook Wild Clover Honey and the Beehive. So I was delighted to be invited to contribute to Report from the Brockwell Society, vol. 1, no. 1, available now from above/ground press, in which various of Brockwell’s friends and colleagues weigh in with responses to his work. A worthy tribute to a wonderful writer.
Poem in New Quarterly
The Winter 2022 New Quarterly is out, with exciting new work from the likes of Grace Lau, Steven Heighton, Sharon McCartney and many others; my contribution, “The Hollowing, is about what’s left behind, physically and otherwise, after the death of a hoarder.
Mitchell Prize Longlist
Very honoured to find myself included on the longlist for the 2021 Ross and Davis Mitchell Prize for Faith and Poetry. You can check out all the longlisted poems on Image Journal’s website.
Poem in Grain's "Tenuous Mess" Issue
The Summer 2021 issue of Grain features work by many fine contributors, and a very appealing theme title to boot. I’m delighted to have a poem of my own in the mix.
New Litmag Launches
It’s rare and exciting news when the literary world gains a new venue. The excellent folks at Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing program have produced Canada’s newest literary magazine: The Ampersand Review. Issue No. 1 launches this Wednesday with a virtual event featuring Gary Barwin, Liz Howard, Randy Lundy, and Daniel Scott Tysdal. Other contributors to the debut instalment include Jordan Abel, Eva H.D., Canisia Lubrin, Nick Thran, and me. It’s a stunning lineup, and an honour to be part of this new venture.
Poem in FreeFall
I find myself in terrific company in the new issue of FreeFall, with contributions from Catherine Graham, John Barton, and many more.
Fiction Recommendations at The Fiddlehead
The Fiddlehead has posted my recommendations of some fabulous short story collections by Rajesh Parameswaran, Jonathan Ball, and Sarah Hall. (Hall’s newer collection, which I’ve since read, is also superb.) This in promotion of the brand new Fiddlehead, available for order now!
Story in The Fiddlehead
Issue 287 of The Fiddlehead, fresh off the presses, includes poetry by Tawahum Bige, nonfiction by Jennifer Bowering Delisle, and five new short stories, including one of mine.
Publication Round-Up
A new poem appears in the latest issue of The North Dakota Quarterly, and my monologue about film composer Alex North and his discarded soundtrack for Kubrick’s 2001 can be heard on what remains, for now, the most recent episode of Ron Reed’s podcast Soul Food: The Ghost Light Season. And watch this space for upcoming work in FreeFall and The Fiddlehead…
PULP Literature Digital Giveaway
Publishers throughout Canada and worldwide have been making remarkable efforts to respond to these tumultuous times, connect with readers, and build supportive communities. Among them are the good people at PULP Literature. In honour of Pride Month, in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day this past Saturday, they are giving away the digital edition of their 27th issue through the end of June. Contributions include prose by Tomson Highway, graphic fiction by Kris Sayer, and poetry by Erin Kirsh and me. To find out more and to order your free copy, go here.
Staying at Home with Poetry
As people worldwide continue to hunker down at home, poet Claire Kelly has taken to YouTube to share her #StuckAtHomeBookClub posts—including this video that looks at Emily Nilsen’s award-winning Otolith and at The Gun That Starts the Race.
Poem in Vallum's "Fear" Issue
Vallum Poetry’s new issue explores the theme of “fear”; contributors include Nicole Brossard, George Elliott Clarke, and me.
Poems in Half a Grapefruit
Check out two new poems of mine featured this week by the good folks at Half a Grapefruit.
"Some of Us" Review
Jonathan Ball’s Winnipeg Free Press column (back in March; our radar was slow on the uptake) included a review of Some of Us and Most of You Are Dead and new books from Nathaniel G. Moore, Paul Zits, and Shannon Webb-Campbell.
Post on "All Lit Up"
The Literary Press Group asked me for some words on Some of Us and Most of You Are Dead for the “All Lit Up” blog; my post delves into the anxieties I encountered in building that book, and the relationship between my terminal “First-Person Prophet” and its source poem, Gwendolyn MacEwen’s “Dark Pines Under Water.”