some author activity: Deutch, Arnott, Betts, mclennan, Christakos, Robinson, Jirgens + Smith,

Amanda Deutch has a poem in the "Tuesday poem" series; Joanne Arnott has been named a "Life Member" of The League of Canadian Poets; Gregory Betts has new work and a short write-up on NFTs online at Rattle; rob mclennan has new work in horseshoe journal here and here, as well as a brand-new substack post from "Lecture for an Empty Room"; and Margaret Christakos and Ben Robinson both have new work in Hamilton Arts & Letters, which also includes a conversation between Karl Jirgens and Steven Ross Smith on their ongoing fictions.

2023 #AWP (unofficial) offsite (virtual) readings : day five of five: Koss, van Vliet + Arnott,

As it all winds down. Do you remember where you were? Here we are, already, on the final day of this stretch of virtual readings as an adjunct to this year’s Association of Writers and Writing Programs annual Conference and Bookfair. There are lots of other upcoming schemes, by the way, to help celebrate above/ground press’ thirtieth year. You’ll hear about them soon enough. After today, I think you’ve earned a few days off, yes? Well, before Ottawa’s VERSeFest begins next week, obviously.

Zane Koss is a poet, translator, teacher, and scholar from the East Kootenays, currently living in Brooklyn, NY. He is the author of Harbour Grids (Invisible, 2022) and co-translator of Commonplace by Hugo García Manríquez (Cardboard House, 2022), along with several poetry chapbooks, most recently Kitchen Table (Model, 2023).

Robert van Vliet is a poet and teacher who lives in St Paul, Minnesota. His above/ground chapbook is This Folded Path (2023), and his first book will be published by Unsolicited Press in 2024.

Mother of many, master of none, Joanne Arnott is a writer, editor, arts activist on the west coast. Reading a selection from A Night for the Lady (Ronsdale) and pandemic friendship (above/ground press). She’s published ten poetry books/chapbooks, among other titles, and edited a dozen volumes by others. Poetry Mentor (The Writers Studio), Poetry Editor (EVENT Magazine), and Shadbolt Fellow (2021-2).

new from above/ground press: pandemic friendship, by Joanne Arnott

pandemic friendship
Joanne Arnott
$5

Bird of Wisdom

arising through bark
of tree slipping free

sweeping through corridors
tidy impositions best intentions

the world your egg
your nest the world

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
March 2022
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Joanne Arnott is a writer, editor, arts activist, originally from Manitoba, at home on the west coast. She received the Gerald Lampert Award (LCP 1992) and the Vancouver Mayor’s Art Award for Literary Arts (2017). She has published six poetry books, a collection of short nonfiction and a children’s illustrated. Recent publications include her third poetry chapbook, Pensive & beyond (Nomados Press 2019) and the co-edited volume, Honouring the Strength of Indian Women: Plays, Stories and Poetry by Vera Manuel (U of Manitoba Press 2019).

Joanne is Poetry Mentor for The Writers Studio, Simon Fraser University, and Poetry Editor for EVENT Magazine. She is currently a Shadbolt Fellow (2021-22) at SFU. She is one of the co-founding members of the Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast. Joanne is mother to six young people, all born at home with the benign support of husbands and midwives.

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