Jacob Wren and Erin Brubacher at Perfect Books, Ottawa: Monday, August 11, 2025

Erin Brubacher and Jacob Wren, hosted by Rachel Weldon
Perfect Books
Monday August 11th
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
258A Elgin St, Ottawa

In writing that speaks to the here and now, two protagonists, in very different ways, seek connection as an antidote for hopelessness.

Erin Brubacher and above/ground press author Jacob Wren (From Desire Without Expectation) read from their recent novels: These Songs I Know By Heart and Dry Your Tears to Perfect Your Aim, and converse on the intersections between literature and performance making, and the personal and political. Hosted by Debaser's Rachel Weldon.

-Erin Brubacher, These Songs I Know By Heart (Book*hug Press): Seeking and searching; making art; making new friends; getting divorced; falling in love; becoming a stepparent; surviving miscarriage; enduring this pandemic; valuing lakes, lilies, and mosses; and celebrating the quiet moments between people. A novel about living inside the unknowing: surrendering control and finding joy in the free fall of it all... It’s about love.

“This book left me feeling less alone.” – Aimee Wall, author of We, Jane

-Jacob Wren, Dry Your Tears to Perfect Your Aim (Book*hug Press): In these pages, real-world politics mingle with profoundly inventive fabulations. This is an anti-war novel unlike any other, an intricate study of our complicity in violent global systems and a celebration of the hope that underpins the resistance against them.

“A knowing knot of courage and its opposite, and a defiant work of desperate grace.” — Eugene Lim, author of Search History

some author activity: Barwin, Nećakov, Cain, mclennan, Smith + Davis,

Gary Barwin and Lillian Nećakov have some collaborative work up in the Tuesday poem series; Book*hug Press features Stephen Cain as part of their National Poetry Month spotlight series; rob mclennan has a new poem on the Chaudiere Books blog as part of National Poetry Month; Mahaila Smith is interviewed in the 12 or 20 questions series; and Jordan Davis is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey.

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

Shannon Maguire is interviewed over at the BookThug website; derek beaulieu has new work up at NewPoetry; Eric Schmaltz writes on kaie kellough as part of Brick Books' Celebration of Canadian Poetry; and Matthew Gagnon writes on Rae Armantrout over at Jacket2.

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.

At The Desk: Pearl Pirie

Pearl Pirie discusses, among other things, her recent vertigoheel for the dilly (above/ground press, 2014) as part of her participation in the "At the Desk" series over at Open Book: Ontario. And we are very much looking forward to her third trade poetry collection out next year with BookThug!

some author activity: McNair, Brockwell, Hancock, mclennan, Smith + Schapira,

above/ground press author Christine McNair gets a nice review (by Matthew Redmond) of her BookThug title over at The Bull Calf; the Plan 99 Reading Series in Ottawa has posted their spring schedule, including readings by Stephen Brockwell (March 29 - w/ Sounankham Thamavongsa and Kathryn Mockler), Brecken Hancock (April 27 - w/ Aisha Sasha John) and rob mclennan (May 10); and both Jessica Smith and Kate Schapira have new work in the second issue of La Vague Journal.

Love's Not The Way To B after C: Rogal, Tucker + Babineau in Toronto, July 28, 2013

above/ground press authors Stan Rogal, Aaron Tucker and Kemeny Babineau read at the BafterC and Love's Not The Way To double launch in Toronto on Sunday, July 28, 2013 at 6pm. As the facebook event reads:

Stan Rogal and BafterC Magazine are holding a joint launch upstairs at The Madison in Toronto on July 28th at 6pm. madisonavenuepub.com

Stan Rogal will be reading from his latest collection of poetry Love's Not The Way To which is a collection of urban haiku dedicated to the life and work of American writer Richard Brautigan.

Contributors from the latest issue of B after C magazine, published by BookThug, will be reading from work in the magazine as well as other work of their own. This issue of B after C is unique in that it celebrates long time Toronto poet and on-line presence John Barlow. Reading alongside Barlow will be poets Aaron Tucker, Sam Kaufman, Kemeny Babineau & the itinerant Nic Coivert. Others, also, may appear.

Madison Avenue Pub & Restaurant
14 Madison Ave, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2S1

Some author activity: McCann, Robertson, beaulieu, Earl, Best + Maguire,

Marcus McCann has a new poem posted in the dusie "Tuesday Poem" series; Lisa Robertson has a new poem up at Jerome Rothenberg's Poems and Poetics blog; derek beaulieu had one of the last pieces in Amanda Earl's 2013 NationalPoetryMonth.ca; Amanda Earl discusses her work, including some of her above/ground press publications, over at the Oh Get A Grip! blog; Ashley-Elizabeth Best, author of a recent above/ground press "poem" broadside, was recently featured with a new poem on The Toronto Quarterly; and Shannon Maguire has a poem up on the BookThug blog as part of poetry month.

Rob Manery's Vancouver launch of Richter-Rauzer Variations (above/ground), with Nicole Markotic,

Rob Manery launches Richter-Rauzer Variations (above/ground) alongside Nicole Markotic launching Bent at the Spine (BookThug) at Vancouver's People's Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive, on Friday, July 27, 2012 at 7:30pm.

Verulam: Phil Hall wins the GG for Killdeer (BookThug)

It was announced today that Perth, Ontario poet Phil Hall has won this year's Governor General's Award for Poetry for the collection Killdeer (Toronto ON: BoookThug, 2011). Congrats to Phil Hall and everyone (Jay, Hazel, Jenny) at BookThug! It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, a more deserving poet, or a more deserving book. For further information on Hall's work, check out the lengthy essay I wrote, up at Poetics.ca.

One of the sections of Killdeer was originally published as a chapbook through above/ground press. Produced in 2009 in a run of two hundred copies (hand-stamped by Hall), there are still a few copies left, if anyone is interested.

Verulam
by Phil Hall
August 2009
$4

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