new from above/ground press: By the Shores of Issyk-Kul, by Helen Hajnoczky

By the Shores of Issyk-Kul
Helen Hajnoczky
$5

What use is faith
for a faithful woman?
What use is belief
for the believer?

Taken from the valley
where they last laid down their heads—

Taken from the valley
where the pestilence consumed them—

Where they took their final breaths.



In the shadow of the foothills—
exhumed from their graves—

With what regard
for their mourners,
their friends, their kin?

With what regard for
whoever it was who so carefully
carved their names?

With what regard for
whoever carved
their last confession of faith?

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
July 2024
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

cover image: Holbein d. J.; Danse Macabre. XXXII. The Count

Helen Hajnoczky is the author of the poetry books Frost & Pollen, Magyarázni, and Poets and Killers: A Life in Advertising. She can be found on Instagram @ateacozyisasometimes and online at ateacozyisasometimes.com.

This is Hajnoczky’s fifth chapbook with above/ground press, after A history of button collecting (2010), The Double Bind Dictionary (2013), No Right on Red (2017) and a grain of sand (2021). Report from the Hajnoczky Society, Vol 1. No. 1, appeared in 2022.

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com

Helen Hajnoczky is on the 2022 shortlist for The Nelson Ball Prize!

Calgary poet Helen Hajnoczky is on the 2022 shortlist for The Nelson Ball Prize for her chapbook a grain of sand! Huzzah! And congrats to everyone else on the shortlist, including three other above/ground press authors! And a reminder, naturally, that copies of the recent festschrift celebrating her work, Report from the Hajnoczky Society Vol. 1 No. 1 are still very much available.

new from above/ground press: Report from the Hajnoczky Society. Vol. 1 No. 1

Report from the Hajnoczky Society
Vol 1. No. 1
edited by rob mclennan
$7

an assemblage of writing in response
to the work of Helen Hajnoczky

including
poems, critical writings
and
philosophical transactions

with contributions by:
Gary Barwin
Derek Beaulieu
Christian Bök
Caroline Boreham
Kit Dobson
Kyle Flemmer
Julya Hajnoczky
rob mclennan
Ryan Pratt
Eric Schmaltz
Kate Siklosi
Dani Spinosa

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
October 2022
full list of published reports here
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Report on the Society logo by C. McNair, editor’s devil (retired)

Helen Hajnoczky has published four chapbooks with above/ground press: A history of button collecting (2010), The Double Bind Dictionary (2013), No Right on Red (2017) and a grain of sand (2021).

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at robmclennan.blogspot.com

2022 NELSON BALL PRIZE LONG LIST : Hajnoczky, Harder, McKinnon + Weaver!

It is exciting to see four above/ground press titles (and three further above/ground press authors) on this year's longlist for the Nelson Ball Prize! Congratulations to all! Oh, and be aware that all four above/ground press titles on this list are still totally in print, yes? As the press release offers:

We're pleased to announce the Long List for the 2022 Nelson Ball Prize, as selected by our dedicated judges, Beverley Daurio and James McDonald. The judges read about 100 submissions of books, chapbooks, and ephemera, looking for the best in "poetry of observation" by a Canadian poet.

Stay tuned for the Short List! The winner will receive $1,000, thanks to our generous donors.

Here is the Long List of 10 titles, in alphabetical order by the poets' names:

Lines – Cameron Anstee (St. Andrew Books)

Undoing Hours – Selina Boan (Nightwood Editions)

wind – Guy Ewing (Puddles of Sky Press)

a grain of sand – Helen Hajnoczky (above/ground press)

Zero Dawn – Shelly Harder (above/ground press)

A Number of Stunning Attacks – Jessi MacEachern (Invisible Publishing)

Gone South – Barry McKinnon (above/ground press)

Rain's Small Gestures – Pearl Pirie (Apt. 9 Press)

Ghosthawk – Matt Rader (Nightwood Editions)

So/I – Andy Weaver (above/ground press)

some author activity: Hunter, Barbour, Robinson, Hajnoczky, hanna + Downs,

Carrie Hunter has some new work up at talking about strawberries all of the time; Douglas Barbour is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; and Ben Robinson has a new poem posted as part of National Poetry Month over at the Chaudiere Books blog, as do Helen Hajnoczky, natalie hanna and Buck Downs.

new from above/ground press: a grain of sand, by Helen Hajnoczky

a grain of sand
Photograph by Julya Hajnoczky
Poem by Helen Hajnoczky
$5

what i escape through memory

 

 

                        my imprints a memorial

 

what land spread out

                                                in this way

 

                        i am an imprint

                                                like a wave

 

how have i sculpted my

                                    own shores and

 

                                                the moments
                                                            like sand

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
April 2021
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Julya Hajnoczky was born in Calgary and raised by hippie parents, surrounded by unruly houseplants, bookishness and art supplies, with CBC radio playing softly, constantly, in the background. It was inevitable, then, that she would grow up to be an artist. She holds a BDes in photography from the Alberta University of the Arts. Her multidisciplinary practice includes photography, sculpture and installation. She draws inspiration from the natural sciences, in-depth study of ecosystems, and a deep personal relationship with the wilderness. If she's not in her home studio working on something tiny, she's out in the forest working on something big. See more of her work online at www.obscura-lucida.com and on Instagram @obscuralucida and @alfrescosciencemachine

Helen Hajnoczky was also born in Calgary and raised by the aforementioned hippie parents as well. She is the author of Magyarázni, shortlisted for the Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry, Poets and Killers: A Life in Advertising, shortlisted for Expozine’s English Book of the Year award, and the chapbook Bloom & Martyr, winner of the 2015 John Lent Poetry/Prose Award. Her next book, Frost & Pollen, is forthcoming from Invisible Publishing. Helen’s written and visual poetry have also appeared in a variety of chapbooks and magazines. Helen shares her artwork, including collaborations with her late father Steve Hajnoczky, on Instagram @ateacozyisasometimes and at www.ateacozyisasometimes.com

This is Hajnoczky’s fourth chapbook with above/ground press, after A history of button collecting (2010), The Double Bind Dictionary (2013) and No Right on Red (2017).

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com

some author activity: Schmaltz, Pirie, Hajnoczky, Radmore + Waldrop,

Eric Schmaltz is posting a series of 'commentaries' over at Jacket2; Pearl Pirie has a new essay up at my (small press) writing day, as does Helen Hajnoczky, Claudia Coutu Radmore has a poem in the Poetry Pause series via The League of Canadian Poets; and Rosmarie Waldrop has a poem up at Poets.org.

Greg Bem reviews Helen Hajnoczky's No Right on Red (2017)

Our pal Greg Bem was good enough to provide the first review for Helen Hajnoczky's No Right on Red (2017) at Goodreads. Thanks so much! You can see the original review here.

The five-page prose poem that fills the cover of this book may seem small, but as a single, relentless view at desperation and survival on the streets of Montreal, it works, serves its purpose, and is enthralling.

new from above/ground press: No Right on Red, by Helen Hajnoczky

No Right on Red
Helen Hajnoczky
$4

We are waiting at a red light to turn right. We are glad we don’t live in a city where people our age have their own houses and careers and cars and kids. We are remembering the time we saw Leather Face at Fouf’s. We are remembering the time we threw up in Fouf’s. We are getting drunk at Blue Sunshine watching A Christmas Story and Black Christmas. We are buying Pall Mall 20 packs because we can't afford 25. We are lying in the grass at Jeanne-Mance. We are taking the 80 past the mountain and thinking we’ll definitely go up there this fall to see the red leaves, this winter to skate on the lake, this spring to see the first buds, this summer to wander in the green. We are never going up the mountain. We are going to work on three hours sleep. We are going to work hung-over. We are going to work still a little drunk, to be honest. We are going to Orange Julep because we still have the rental car. We are letting our heartbroken friends sleep on our couch. We are taping up the cracks in the floor to stop the neighbour's smoke from drifting into the apartment. We are half-heartedly fighting the mould growing in the corners of the bedroom, the office. We are looking for a better job.

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
February 2017
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Helen Hajnoczky is the author of Poets and Killers: A Life in Advertising (Snare/Invisible Publishing 2010) and Magyarázni (Coach House Books 2016). Helen’s chapbook Bloom and Martyr won the Kalamalka Press’ 2015 John Lent Poetry Prose Award. The poem “Other Observations” has previously appeared in a chapbook of the same name (No Press 2010) and on the Dusie blog as “Tuesday Poem #109” (2015). Her poetry has also appeared in the anthologies Why Poetry Sucks (Insomniac Press 2014), Ground Rules (Chaudiere Books 2013) and The Calgary Renaissance (Chaudiere Books 2016), as well as in a variety of magazines and chapbooks.

This is her third chapbook with above/ground press, after A history of button collecting (2010) and The Double Bind Dictionary (2013).

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; outside Canada, add $2) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9 or paypal at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com

some author activity: Earl, eckhoff, Hajnoczky, Schmaltz + mclennan,

Amanda Earl has a new poem posted at h& (as does kevin mcpherson eckhoff) and Earl is featured in the "spotlight" series over at the Drunken Boat blog; Helen Hajnoczky has a new poem posted at the vehicule press blog; Eric Schmaltz is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; and rob mclennan discusses his desk over at Real Pants.

Amanda Earl : A Celebration of Canadian Visual / Concrete Poetry : Brick Books

Amanda Earl's expansive two-part post, A Celebration of Canadian Visual / Concrete Poetry, is now online [see part one here and part two here] as part of Brick Books' ongoing Celebration of Canadian Poetry. As part of her post, she features statements and work by an array of above/ground press authors (and not-yet-authors), including: Chris Turnbull, Jordan Abel, Gary Barwin, Derek Beaulieu, Michael e. Casteels, Judith Copithorne, Helen Hajnoczky, Donato Mancini, Billy Mavreas, kevin mcpherson eckhoff, gustave morin, michèle provost, a rawlings, Shane Rhodes, Eric Schmaltz [above: his “Desire — an extract from The Assembly Line Babel”] and Eric Zboya.

some author activity: Hall, Smith, Hajnoczky, Weaver + Schmaltz,

Phil Hall has a new poem up at the Flat Singles Press blog; Pete Smith has a new poem up at "A Festschrift for Tony Frazer"; Helen Hajnoczky is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; Andy Weaver guest-posts over at generic pronoun with the essay "Robert Duncan: Reading as Divine Insurrection"; and Eric Schmaltz has a new essay in the "On Writing" series over at the ottawa poetry newsletter.

Helen Hajnoczky wins the fourth annual John Lent Poetry-Prose Award

Montreal poet Helen Hajnoczky has won the fourth annual John Lent Poetry-Prose Award! Which means her Bloom and Martyr will be appearing next year through Kalamalka Press. Congratulations, Helen!

some author activity: Barwin, Earl, Landman, fitzpatrick, McElroy + Hajnoczky,

Gary Barwin has a new poem up at NationalPoetryMonth.ca; Amanda Earl has new work up at Otoliths; the first issue of Seth Landman's Divine Magnet is now online; a new ryan fitzpatrick interview has been posted over at Touch the Donkey; a collaborative poem between Gil McElroy and his cousin, Christina McElroy, is now up at the Chaudiere Books blog; and Helen Hajnoczky has a new poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog.

Evening Will Come: beaulieu, Earl, Hajnoczky, McElroy, Simpson, timewell + mclennan,

A special "Canadian Feature," posted as the May issue of Evening Will Come, a fragment of The Volta, is now online, featuring poetic statements by a slew of above/ground press authors (and some not-yet-authors), including: derek beaulieu, Amanda Earl, Helen Hajnoczky, Peter Jaeger, Gil McElroy, Erín Moure, Nikki Reimer, Natalie Simpson and lary timewell, as well as a brief introduction by guest-editor rob mclennan.

some author activity: Hajnoczky, Mangold, Pirie, Armantrout, Trivedi + Barwin,

Helen Hajnoczky has a new poem posted up at the Chaudiere Books blog as part of National Poetry Month, as does Sarah Mangold and Pearl Pirie; Rae Armantrout has a new poem up at Poets.org; Amish Trivedi participates in the "12 or 20 questions" interview series; and Gary Barwin is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey.

some author activity: Abel, Hajnoczky, Markotić, Schmaltz, eckhoff, Lea, beaulieu + Reid,

Jordan Abel, Helen Hajnoczky, Nicole Markotić, Eric Schmaltz and kevin mcpherson eckhoff each have new work in The Capilano Review webfolio #11, co-edited by Brook Houglum and Daniel Zomparelli; N.W. Lea has a new poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series over at dusie; an article on derek beaulieu appeared in the University of Calgary's U Today; and a new interview with Monty Reid on VERSeFest is now online.

new from above/ground press: Forty Five

Forty Five
produced for rob mclennan's forty-fifth birthday
with new poems by: derek beaulieu, Jason Christie, Amanda Earl, Helen Hajnoczky, Chris Johnson, Gil McElroy, rob mclennan, Christine McNair, Pearl Pirie and Stan Rogal.
$4

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
March 2015
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

A follow-up to 33 1/3 (above/ground press, 2003), a publication produced "for a backyard event, July 15, 2003 in the shared Books/mclennan/curry yard at 858/856 somerset street west, ottawa for the (lame) occasion of rob mclennan's 33 1/3 birthday including responses to rob mclennan's 'sex at thirty-three'"

[produced as a handout for rob's clever birthday party at The Carleton Tavern (upstairs), Saturday, March 14, 2015]

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; outside Canada, add $2) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9 or paypal at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com

some author activity: Barwin, Prevost, mclennan, Hajnoczky + Rogal,

Gary Barwin's essay, "A Kama Sutra of Words: Some Thoughts on Pwoermds" is now online at Coldfront; two new poems by Roland Prevost, and a commentary by rob mclennan, is now online at Jacket2; a newish poem and corresponding interview with rob mclennan is now online at Canadian Literature; Helen Hajnoczky has some new work up at NewPoetry; and Stan Rogal is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey.

some author activity: Young, Tucker, Adams, Smith + Hajnoczky

Deanna Young has a poem posted as part of the "Sunday poem" series over at the Vehicule Press blog; Aaron Tucker has a new poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog; Carrie Olivia Adams has a new poem posted up at The Design Observer Group; Jessica Smith has new work up at Entropy; and Helen Hajnoczky recently posted "earknowseye," a video poem for a. rawlings.