some author activity: O'Connor, Hall, Solomon, Browne + McCann,

Wanda O'Connor is interviewed about her garden for an article on the BBC; Phil Hall has new work up at Discordia Review; Misha Solomon has a new poem up at The New Quarterly; Laynie Browne is interviewed via podcast over at Tin House; and did you know Marcus McCann has a Medium newsletter you can follow?

poemeleon : the Canadian issue : Anstee, Braune, Christie, dueck, Earl, Graf, hanna, McCann, Pirie, Polyck-O’Neill, Saklikar, Siklosi, etc

A whole slew of above/ground press authors (and not-yet-authors) have been included in the Canadian issue of the American online poetry journal poemeleon!

Including: Cameron Anstee, Juliane Okot Bitek, Sean Braune, Jason Christie, nathan dueck, Klara du Plessis, Amanda Earl, Claire Farley, Kerry Gilbert, Adele Graf, natalie hanna, Emily Izsak, Sonnet L’Abbé, Michael Lithgow, Canisia Lubrin, Marcus McCann, Annick MacAskill, Sarah MacDonell, Pearl Pirie, Julia Polyck-O’Neill, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Rebecca Salazar, Kate Siklosi, Sennah Yee and Suzanne Zelazo.

Check out the issue here. Enjoy!

some author activity: Abel, McCann, Morton, mclennan + Archer,

Jordan Abel is part of a new editorial board at Wolsak and Wynn; Marcus McCann has a poem, "Sex at thirty-one," over at Lemonhound; Colin Morton and rob mclennan participate in "my (small press) writing day"; and Sacha Archer has a new visual poem up at h&.

some author activity: mclennan, Cook, Archer + McCann,

rob mclennan has a new poem up at Tupelo Quarterly, and another up at his blog; Sarah Cook has a poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog, as well as a new essay posted at Black Warrior Review; upcoming author Sacha Archer has a new essay posted as part of the "On Writing" series; and Marcus McCann is interviewed over at Ploughshares.

dusie kollektiv #8, curated by rob mclennan, now online

The 8th “dusie kollektiv” is now online, with pdfs of a variety of chapbooks by multiple current and former above/ground press authors (among a long list of others).

above/ground press authors in the 8th kollektiv include: Gary Barwin, Joe Blades, Rob Budde, Jason Christie, Amanda Earl, kevin mcpherson eckhoff, Hailey Higdon, Megan Kaminski, Marcus McCann, rob mclennan, Marthe Reed, Elizabeth Robinson, Jessica Smith and Chris Turnbull.

See the link here to read all sorts of dusie goodness from across North America (and occasionally beyond!).

some author activity: Earl, mclennan, McCann + lopes,

Amanda Earl has a new poem up at h&; rob mclennan has posted a new poem on his blog; Marcus McCann writes on Stan Persky for Plenitude magazine; and damian lopes is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey.

some author activity: beaulieu, McCann, Maguire + Armantrout,

derek beaulieu offers his list of "Most Engaging Books of 2015"; Marcus McCann has a new poem up at The Steel Chisel; Shannon Maguire is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; and "A Quick Interview With Rae Armantrout" by Corey Zeller now lives online at The Ampersand Review.

some author activity: dueck, Pirie, Carr, Budde + McCann,

nathan dueck has some new work up at Canadian Poetries; Pearl Pirie is interviewed by Wanda Praamsma over at BookThug; Emily Carr has some new work up at Posit; Rob Budde has some new work up at Lemonhound; and Marcus McCann's homage to David McGimpsey is now up at Open Book: Toronto.

some author activity: McCann, mclennan, Trivedi, Harris, Maguire + Armantrout,

Marcus McCann has two new poems, as well as a short write-up by rob mclennan, now up at Jacket2; Amish Trivedi has some new poems in Alice Blue Review; Sharon Harris posts a short write-up of her most recent above/ground press title; Shannon Maguire has three new poems, as well as a short write-up by rob mclennan, now up at Jacket2; and Rae Armantrout has a new poem up at Poetry Daily.

some author activity: Earl, Pirie, Prevost, McCann, Lea, McNair, Bolster + Gordon,

Amanda Earl writes about some of the successes of the members of her former writing group -- Pearl Pirie, Roland Prevost, Marcus McCann, Nicholas Lea, Christine McNair and Sandra Ridley -- over at her enormously clever blog; Cosmonauts has added, as their podcast #2, Stephanie Bolster discussing poetry and literature; Pearl Pirie has a new poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog; and Noah Eli Gordon has a new poem up at ink node.

National Poetry Month: Earl, McElroy, Dolman, McCann, Douglas, Irwin, Pirie, Lea, mclennan + Hajnoczky

In case you missed it, the Chaudiere Books blog featured a number of new works by above/ground press authors for National Poetry Month this year, including Amanda Earl, Gil McElroy, Anita Dolman, Marcus McCann, Rhonda Douglas, Marilyn Irwin, Pearl Pirie, derek beaulieu, Roland Prevost, N.W. Lea, rob mclennan and Helen Hajnoczky, as well as whole bunch of others.

some author activity: Reid, Cooley, Pirie, beaulieu, mclennan, McNair + McCann,

Monty Reid has a new piece up in the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog; Dennis Cooley has six new poems up at Canadian Poetries; Pearl Pirie has some new work up at Halvard Johnson's TRUCK, as does derek beaulieu; rob mclennan responds to Jennifer K. Dick's series of essays on the fragment; and Ryan Pratt posted a report on Hamilton's LitLive Reading Series from March 2, 2014, including readings by Christine McNair, Marcus McCann and a couple of others.

Scott Bryson reviews Marcus McCann’s Labradoodle: A Essay on David McGimpsey (2013), Wanda O’Connor’s damascene road passaggio, selections (2013), Carrie Olivia Adams’ An Overture in the Key of F (2013) and Gary Barwin’s Seedpod, Microfiche (2013) in Broken Pencil #62

Scott Bryson was good enough to review Marcus McCann’s Labradoodle: A Essay on David McGimpsey (2013), Wanda O’Connor’s damascene road passaggio, selections (2013), Carrie Olivia Adams’ An Overture in the Key of F (2013) and Gary Barwin’s Seedpod, Microfiche (2013) (copies of all of which are still very much available) in Broken Pencil #62. Thanks, Scott! This is actually the second review of Adams' book (by Joseph LeBine), as well as the second for McCann's title and Barwin's title (by Ryan Pratt). Who knew our books would be garnering so much attention?

This is an enormous amount of generous attention he has paid to some worthy publications, and we thank him for it. Although I’m not entirely sure why most of his qualitative judgements upon the works he chose to discuss are based upon how well he was able to comprehend the poems; as though figuring out the poem in a particular way (ie -- solving the puzzle of a poem) is more important than attempting to approach each work on its own terms. Is comprehension, at least in the way Bryson suggests, the first and foremost goal of reading poems? It reminds me of a response Gertrude Stein gave to an interview, suggesting that if the reader enjoyed the piece, then that is, by itself, understanding or “getting it.”

Labradoodle: A Essay on David McGimpsey

Marcus McCann

Labradoodle’s subtitle, An Essay on David McGimpsey, may be accurate from a certain perspective, but it’s a tad misleading from most angles. This is certainly more of a poetry collection than an essay – Marcus McCann calls these “chubby sonnets” – and it’s more in the style of comedic writer David McGimpsey, than “on” David McGimpsey (save one biographical poem).

            Anyone familiar with McGimpsey’s poetry, or his “Self-Esteem Workout” column in Matrix Magazine, will know his jokes are typically a smokescreen for discussions on insecurities and tragic flaws. It’s a distinction that McCann suggests readers tend to miss: “People say, / Oh, David McGimpsey, he’s the guy who writes / funny poems. Which is a little like saying, / Hey, he’s the guy with the really funny cancer” (from “A primer on David McGimpsey for those who have never heard of David McGimpsey”).

            McCann’s collection straddles the same border between levity and tragedy. He finds a one-word note to himself on his Blackberry, for example, that reads “Cocktapus, and spends the greater part of a poem (“Three years ago, I was not quite ready to use the word labradoodle in a poem”) struggling to remember what it means, invoking Transformers and coming to terms with his immaturity. “Every day is a David McGimpsey poem,” he concludes, “and it’s half golden lab, and half whatever / ‘doodle’ stands for. It is not good news.”

            Labradoodle is a quick read – there’s little in the way of subtext – but its bemused attitude justifies multiple reads.

damascene road passaggio, selections

Wanda O’Connor

Not many chapbooks require an explanatory essay (“subtext/pretext,” the author calls it), but the one Wanda O’Connor includes as an afterword to damascene road passaggio is definitely warranted, even if it’s somewhat obtuse.

            In her afterword, O’Connor describes this fragmented long poem as “a sequence of asides and sides that take as their companions letters addressed to no one… This project takes up Kafka’s intercourse with ghosts” (an “intercourse” Kafka once likened writing letters to). One would assume there’s also something opera-related happening here – passaggio is a term used to describe pitch ranges in classical singing. Another handy definition: a damascene road – better known as a road to Damascus experience – is a religious conversion, or a revelation about one’s self.

            A reasonable amount of research is clearly recommended before tackling this chapbook, though the above falls short of providing anything near complete comprehension. O’Connor’s writing isn’t necessarily highbrow – most of these words, lines and stanzas are completely graspable. What’s challenging is attempting to decipher how the fragments of this poem are all related, if they even are. O’Connor does call this “asides and sides,” so it’s probably best to read these verses without an expectation of interconnectedness.

            The text in damascene road passaggio echoes that fragmentation. Words and stanzas are scattered to the left, right and centre, and handwritten notes mingle with phrases, full sentences and typed correspondence. In spite of this fractured presentation, O’Connor’s verse is surprisingly fluid, which suggests that full understanding will come, eventually (after more research). Let it be said, at least, that this is poetry that teaches.

An Overture in the Key of F

Carrie Olivia Adams

It’s amusing how blind we can be to the obvious. I was nearly all the way through this Carrie Olivia Adams collection (it’s best described as a lyric essay in parts) before I realized the significance of its title: every paragraph contains a word – often several – that starts with the letter F, and there isn’t a great deal of duplication.

            This device is a double-edged sword. The alliteration makes for a pleasurable read, but Adams quickly runs out of commonplace F words and resorts to atypical terms like “fungible” (having a dictionary handy while reading this is recommended). As a consequence of this forced use of F words, An Overture in the Key of F tends to provide impressions more than concrete details. Many of Adams’ lines are lists of items that suggest something unmentioned, or that operate as intricate metaphors: “Payment, ransom, bunting, linnet, find… A finger wave, utterly and finally. The scandal of pine.” There’s also definitely an atmosphere of remembering and forgetting present – of trying to put your finger on something fleeting: “The pernicious sound of something familiar, a grief in the breath-filled fading consonant of a lost name.”

            The air of mystery surrounding this text will be enticing for some – who doesn’t keep returning to a mystery, searching for answers? – but it runs the risk of alienating others. Whether you like or dislike An Overture in the Key of F will likely depend on how easily and quickly you give up. If there’s a detective in you, you’ll keep coming back.

Seedpod, Microfiche

Gary Barwin

Chapbooks with gimmicks can be a risky enterprise, but Gary Barwin is no stranger to themed works. His Franzlations (2011), for example, was a collection built on Franz Kafka-isms.

            The six selections in Seedpod, Microfiche could either be viewed as the poetic version of a word ladder puzzle (the type of brain-teaser that asks you to change one word into another, in a certain number of steps, by altering a letter at a time) or a written game of Broken Telephone. Barwin is changing more than one letter at a time in these poems – he adds, removes and rearranges several words from poem to poem – but the effect is similar: the opening poem (titled “1”) is transformed, bit by bit over six pages, into a wholly different verse, while retaining a glimmer of its original meaning.

            This could be considered a safe approach to writing poetry, but it also provides some desirable security for the reader. There’s an extra level of satisfaction to be garnered from a set of poems that are intimately connected, and Seedpod, Microfiche delivers that gratification.

            The connectedness of these poems is of course assured by their shared foundation, but it’s also enhanced by the repetition of particularly imagery: the power of dew drops to magnify, fish swimming silently, and a stethoscope (used literally and metaphorically) that pops up in the closing stanza of each poem. The titular Microfiche appears repeatedly, as well, and the sentiments it generates are apt: zooming in; many from one; shining a light on part of a whole.

some author activity: Folsom, hastain, MillAr, McCann, Barwin + Sand,

Eric Folsom provides a new essay in the "On Writing" series over at the ottawa poetry newsletter; j/j hastain is interviewed by Amanda Earl over at DevilHousePress; over at his blog, Jay MillAr posts a short essay on Toronto small press legend Crad Kilodney; we seem to have missed this new poem by Marcus McCann in the September 2013 issue of The Steel Chisel; Gary Barwin interviews Geof Huth over at Jacket2; and Kaia Sand has some new work and accompanying statement over at Everyday Genius.

some author activity: beaulieu, Barwin, Smith, L'Abbe, McCann, Francheteau, Reid, Hall, Greenstreet, Hancock,

derek beaulieu offers his 'most engaging books of 2013' list over at his blog; Amanda Earl offers not one but two lists of 'chapbook love' over at her blog; Gary Barwin is interviewed over at papirmas; Jessica Smith reads a poem over as part of day eighteen of delirious hem; Sonnet L'Abbe receives some impressive coverage in the Toronto Star; Marcus McCann introduces crowdsourcing for the sake of a specific battle for human rights ; and JM Francheteau offers his list of 'A Year of Pretty Worthwhile Readings and Stuff,' including Factory and non-Factory readings by Monty Reid, Phil Hall, Gary Barwin, Kate Greenstreet, Brecken Hancock, Marilyn Irwin and the last ottawater launch (watch for the new issue to launch on January 24, 2014 at The Carleton Tavern!)

some author activity: Armantrout, Smith, Barwin, Paige, beaulieu + McCann,

Rae Armantrout lists her 'Best Books of 2013" over at The Volta; Jessica Smith's chapbook-length The Fortune-Teller appears in The Chapbook: Volume 2; Gary Barwin recently posted a poem for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford; Abby Paige has a new poem featured in the new issue of Room magazine (including online); Calgary Herald does an interesting write-up on derek beaulieu; and Marcus McCann has a poem reprinted on the véhicule press blog as part of their Sunday poem feature, selected by Carmine Starnino.

Ryan Pratt reviews Marcus McCann's Labradoodle, An Essay on David McGimpsey (2013) and rob mclennan and Christine McNair's The Laurentian Book of Movement (2013)

Our pal Ryan Pratt was good enough to review Marcus McCann's Labradoodle, An Essay on David McGimpsey (2013) and rob mclennan and Christine McNair's The Laurentian Book of Movement (2013) over at the ottawa poetry newsletter. Thanks, Ryan! This is the second review for The Laurentian Book of Movement, after Pearl Pirie's write-up here. Both chapbooks are still very much available.

the above/ground press 20th anniversary reading / launch / party! : a (small) report,

I'm still wiped out from the above/ground press 20th anniversary reading / launch / party held at The Mercury Lounge on August 23, with readings and launches by Marthe Reed, Gary Barwin, Marcus McCann, Wanda O'Connor and Monty Reid. Pearl Pirie was good enough to post a report on the event, as well as various photos on her flickr account. We had a packed house on the second floor "lounge level" of The Mercury Lounge, with a crowd of some sixty people or more, with five readers eacch reading under sparkly lights. The crowd included various above/ground press authors, numerous other writers and friends of the press including Amanda Earl, Rhonda Douglas, Rod Pederson, Vivian Vavassis, Steven Artelle, Jason Camlot, Cameron Anstee, Alexander Monker, Stephen Brockwell, Gwendolyn Guth, Frances Boyle, Charles Earl, Pearl Pirie, Jeff Blackman, Marilyn Irwin, JM Francheteau, Roland Prevost, Janice Tokar, Craig Calhoun, Brian Pirie, Mark Schaan and tons of others. Even my father-in-law was there, with his wife. Amazing! Thanks so much to the readers, the entire audience, and Sara Ainslie of The Mercury Lounge for their generous support.

Sometimes I really do find it amazing that I've managed to keep the press going for as long as I have, twenty continuous years of publishing. The other day, I even realized I'm most likely about five or six publications away from having produced seven hundred items through above/ground press. I've been amazed over the years at the wealth of writing and writers I've been fortunate enough to publish through the press, and the enormous support that I've received, both locally and far, far beyond.

Christine spent a couple of days beforehand building leather-bound cases for above/ground press "poem" broadsides, and she ended up making a "fetish object" of thirty "poem" broadsheets in a numbered edition of ten copies. Absolutely beautiful! All but two were immediately snapped up, and we think we're holding those back for something to come, soon (watch for announcements). Aslo, Cameron Anstee was good enough to produce a chapbook through Apt. 9 Press of the interview he spent six weeks or so conducting with me on the history of the press. Copies were available at the anniversary reading, and can now be ordered directly from him (while supplies last, obviously).

Local favourite Marcus McCann returned to town to launch his new above/ground press chapbook, constructed as an essay-through-poems on the work of Montreal poet David McGimpsey. Did I mention how much we miss him since he left for Toronto and Law School?

American poet Marthe Reed came to Ottawa to do her first Canadian reading, and read from a chapbook produced from a much larger work-in-progress. Now that she's recently moved with her family from Lafayette, Louisiana to New York State, hopefully this will simply be the first of many Canadian readings. 

And can you imagine, Christine even ordered a cake? It isn't a birthday party without a cake. (I do have the most amazing wife.)

Monty Reid launched a sequence of poems, and brought a calming, meditative effect to the evening. It's been interesting to see that most of Monty's published work over the past few years have been stretched-out, meditative sequences. It's long been a thread of Reid''s work, but it seems to be far more prominent now.

It might have taken nearly a decade of soliciting, but it was well worth the wait to be able to produce a chapbook by Wanda O'Connor, long moved from Ottawa to Montreal. This is easily the strongest work I've seen from her so far, and I'm excited to see what she releases next. She was also kind enough to present me with a gift-bag of Concordia-related items, and a t-shirt she had made for me, using the photo Brian Pirie took of an above/ground press "poem" broadside.

The last of the five readers, Gary Barwin, grew up in Ottawa (he attended the same high school as actress Sandra Oh and my daughter Kate, although at very different times), and always brings a variety of Barwi (what his father, Dr. Barwin and I have agreed is the plural of "Barwin") to any event, and this event was no different. The only regret is that Gary doesn't manage to come visit us more often.

Apartment613 interviews: Gary Barwin, Marthe Reed, Marcus McCann and Monty Reid

Alejandro Butros was kind enough to interview above/ground chapbook authors Gary Barwin, Marthe Reed, Marcus McCann and Monty Reid recently for the sake of an article he was working on for Apartment613 on the 20th anniversary of above/ground press.

Since the original article by Butros could only include short excerpts from each of them, Gary Barwin was good enough to post his full responses over at his blog. Subsequently, Marthe Reed did the same, as did Marcus McCann. For the sake of completion, I include Monty Reid's responses as well to get a sense of the full range of materials. Thanks all for your generous work and words!

Monty Reid's responses are below:

1. What does the work of above/ground press mean to you?

above/ground means persistent, stubborn, wide-ranging, generous, cheap, self-reliant, unpretentious, hopeful, short, colorful, timely, funny, astute, alert, energetic, over-punctuated, under-capitalized, surprising, repetitive, capacious, serious, frustrating, exhilarating and available.

2. Please share a memorable anecdote about above/ground press.

I don't have an anecdote, just one piece of advice: be careful with offers to help move the above/ground library or any of rob's books - there are lots of books, and lots of stairs.

3. When did you first hear bout a/g press? How has it evolved, if at all, since your first interaction?

I had heard of above/ground before I moved to Ottawa in 1999, but don't know if I'd actually seen any of its work.  I may have first heard of it from the Contributor's Notes in other magazines.  One of the charms of the press is that it hasn't evolved much, at least not in the time I've known it.  It's well-adapted to its niche and there's little pressure for it to change, it survives and meets the needs of its environment.  In fact, if it were to change, it would be another press, which rob has already started.

4. Poets are often overlooked by the press and publishers. Given that this article will be written for an audience that is comprised mostly of non-writers, can you please explain how critical a publisher like a/g press is.

small independent publishers like above/ground are crucial in the literary community.  They give an opportunity for new writers to make an appearance, and for more-established writers to try out work that might be outside their routine.  It creates hope, and at least a small audience, for writers, and it offers a model for other potential publishers.  I think the abundance of micropresses in Ottawa owes a great deal to the consistent presence of above/ground. 

5. As an Ottawa poet, what is your view of your fellow poets in the NCR?

the community of writers in Ottawa is varied, of course, but at the moment it's particularly lively and supportive.  It's  a great pleasure to be working alongside people like Stephen Brockwell, Sandra Ridley, Michael Dennis, jw curry, Christine McNair, Dave O'Meara, Mike Blouin, Pearl Pirie and so many others.  While there is an excellent support network within this community, I think Ottawa poets have a particularly hard time getting broader attention because of the overwhelming dominance of nearby Toronto in what is a very small market, and the general perception across the country of Ottawa as a government town and little else.  In part, it's this very difficulty in reaching a wider audience that makes the Ottawa scene so rich and drives it diy ethos.

new from above/ground press: The Peter F Yacht Club #19; above/ground press 20th anniversary special!

The Peter F Yacht Club #19
above/ground press 20th anniversary special
edited by rob mclennan
[see the link here for information on the previous issue] [see the link here for a history of the publication]
$6

With new writing by a host of Peter F Yacht Club regulars and irregulars including Steven Artelle, Cameron Anstee, Gary Barwin, derek beaulieu, Joe Blades, Mark Cochrane, Amanda Earl, JM Francheteau, Marilyn Irwin, Marcus McCann, rob mclennan, Roland Prevost, Monty Reid, Stan Rogal, Janice Tokar + Vivian Vavassis.

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
August 2013
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; outside Canada, add $2) to: rob mclennan, 402 McLeod St #3, Ottawa ON K2P 1A6 or paypal at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com