Missing Jacket magazine, writing & visual art, bibliography: 1996-1997

Given my recent post detailing the bibliography of STANZAS magazine, I thought it might be interesting to go through another one of my late projects through above/ground press, the lamented Missing Jacket. Throughout the 1990s, I noticed how far apart the different artistic communities within Ottawa were, but for occasional individuals such as Dennis Tourbin and Michael Dennis that existed as a link between artistic groups. There was so much activity that wasn’t interacting, and artistic practices that somehow kept up barriers between them. There were stories of the late 1980s at Gallery 101, when Dennis Tourbin ran it, with literary events beside shows of artwork (back when Rob Manery and Louis Cabri ran The Transparency Machine events there).

I had spent a couple of years prior hanging around the Enriched Bread Studios and Gallery 101, as well as with artists Diane Woodward and David Cation, and wanted to attempt a magazine of writing and visual art through the City of Ottawa. We held the first issue launch at Enriched Bread, with artwork from all of the artists featured in the issue, and readings from a variety of contributors.

Had I had more resources (and perhaps wasn’t doing the entire journal by myself), perhaps it might have been able to continue, and the weight of which might not have simply collapsed. Almost exclusively run by myself, I was fortunate enough to have various authors and artists contribute enormously, whether their own work or via interviews, and former Montreal writer and ga press co-editor/publisher Colin Christie even designed the last couple of issues (before it all fell apart).

If anyone is interested, I still have mounds of copies sitting around the house. I would like to think that there is some interesting material within. Perhaps, even, a little portrait of the late 1990s arts community in Ottawa.

Where did the title come from? We had a little gathering in the apartment Tamara Fairchild and I once shared, and Brian Hill, co-editor of Ink magazine, had left his jacket behind; I misunderstood the phone message when Tamara informed: “Brian from missing jacket called.” I thought it was a magazine that already existed. When I realized it wasn’t, well…

Missing Jacket magazine, writing & visual art, #1. 500 copies, January 1996. edited by rob mclennan. poetry by Robin Hannah, David O'Meara, Lorraine Gamble. fiction by Catherine Jenkins. interviews with David W. McFadden (by David Collins), Daniel Nadezhdin (by Tamara Fairchild) and Dennis Tourbin (by michael dennis). artistic statements by Eliza Griffiths, Jonathan Brownz and Angela McFall. Notes from the Bleeding Edge by James Spyker. Ottawa Boy cartoon by Greg Kerr. ISSN# 1203-5076. cover price $3. 8 1/2" x 11". 38 pages.

Missing Jacket #2, spring, March 1996. poetry by Tamara Fairchild, David Collins, John Barton and Sean Johnston. fiction by David Scrimshaw and Dayv James-French. interviews with Ken Norris (part I, by rob mclennan), Mary Borsky (by rob mclennan) and Marie-Jeanne Musiol (by Cindy Stelmackowich). artistic statements by Valerie Roos-Linse, Adrian Gollner and Anna Kempffer-Paul. Notes from the Bleeding Edge by James Spyker and Ottawa Boy cartoon by Greg Kerr. blah blah editorial blah blah blah by rob mclennan. ISSN# 1203-5076. cover price, $3.50. 40 pages.

Missing Jacket #3, summer, August 9, 1996. poetry by Stephanie Bolster, Joe Blades, Nadine McInnis & Jim Larwill. fiction by Douglas Ord. interviews with Ken Norris (part II, by rob mclennan), Joe Blades (by rob mclennan) & Diane Woodward (by David Collins). artistic statements by Maria Shin, Barbara Gamble and David Cation. Notes from the Bleeding Edge by James Spyker and Ottawa Boy cartoon by Greg Kerr. blah blah editorial blah blah blah by rob mclennan. ISSN#1203-5076. cover price, $3.50. 44 pages.

Missing Jacket #4, fall, October 1996. poetry by Clare Latremouille, Una McDonnell, Michael Holmes (from 21 Hotels) and Karen Massey. fiction by Douglas Ord and Stan Rogal. interviews with Eliza Griffiths (by David Collins), Judith Fitzgerald (by rob mclennan) and Greg Kerr (by rob mclennan). artistic statements by Eric Walker, Marcia Lea and Doug Van Rosen. project pages by Mark Marsters. Notes from the Bleeding Edge by James Spyker and Ottawa Boy cartoon by Greg Kerr. blah blah editorial blah blah blah by rob mclennan. layout by Colin Christie. ISSN# 1203-5076. cover price, $3.50. 42 pages (including inside cover).

Missing Jacket #5, spring, April 1997. poetry by R.M. Vaughan, Michelle Desberats Fels, Ian Whistle and Rob Manery. fiction by Death Waits and Elizabeth Hay. interviews with Christian Bok (by Tricia Postle), John Moffat (by David Collins) and Patrick Kavanagh (by David Scrimshaw). artistic statements by Lesya Granger, Christopher Lea Dunning and Bhat Boy (the artist formerly known as Ian Van Lock). project pages by Adrian Gollner. Notes from the Bleeding Edge by James Spyker and Ottawa Boy cartoon by Greg Kerr. blah blah editorial blah blah blah by rob mclennan. layout by Colin Christie. ISSN# 1203-5076. cover price, $4.00. 48 pages (includes whole cover).