some author activity: mclennan, Schmaltz, Burdick, Ross, Ball + Smith,

rob mclennan has a new essay in the "(Not) My Writing Desk" series over at Queen Mob's Teahouse, and a new poem up at his blog, for Vancouver poet Rita Wong; Eric Schmaltz is interviewed over at Train : a poetry journal; Alice Burdick is interviewed over at Poetry in Voice (and now available for writing workshops in schools across Nova Scotia); Stuart Ross writes a moving post on Nelson Ball's last day, and days; and Jessica Smith has won the 2019 Betty Jane Abrahams Memorial Prize.

some author activity: Campanello, Rosenthal, Spinosa, Clayton + Earl,

Kimberly Campanello is being interviewed over at poetry mini interviews; Sarah Rosenthal has some new work up at Word for/Word; Dani Spinosa is interviewed over at The Maynard; Conyer Clayton is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; and Amanda Earl has a piece in the "(Not) My Writing Desk" series at Queen Mob's Teahouse.

some author activity: Unsworth, Eleftherion, Sikkema, mclennan + the ottawa small press book fair,

Forthcoming author Lydia Unsworth is interviewed over at Train : a poetry journal; Melissa Eleftherion interviews Mariel Fechik over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Michal Sikkema is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; rob mclennan posts an essay in the "Power of Poetry" series at The Poetry Question; and will we see you today at the ottawa small press book fair?

Judson Hamilton reviews rob mclennan's Study of a fox (2018) at Queen Mob's Teahouse

Judson Hamilton was good enough to provide the first review of rob mclennan's Study of a fox (2018) as part of his "HEY THERE, CHAPPIE!" series over at Queen Mob's Teahouse. Thanks so much! As much appreciation as review, you can see the full review here, but it includes:

rob mclennan’s chapbook Study of a Fox is uncanny in that the poems seem to inhabit two places at once. They have depth but skim the surface and draw together both the multitude and the particular. Their meaning is to be read between the lines and felt rather than understood. Some common themes include: family, aging, the seasons.

some author activity: mclennan, Earl, Young, Smith + Higdon,

rob mclennan has some poems up in Volume 1 of Theta Wave; Amanda Earl (among others) participates in the Queen Mob's Review of 2018, over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Geoffrey Young, Jessica Smith and others have work in the anthology The Emerald Tablet; and Hailey Higdon provides her own list of 2018 Recommended Reading for Bloof Books.

some author activity: Jarvis, MacLeod, Nilson + Coulton,

Forthcoming author Jenna Jarvis has a new essay up at my (small press) writing day; Kathryn MacLeod is interviewed by Róise Nic an Bheatha over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Geoffrey Nilson has a new poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series on the dusie blog; and Valerie Coulton's chapbook, along with the most recent issue of Touch the Donkey, receive a positive and quick mention over at Michael e. Casteel's Puddles of Sky blog.

some author activity: Barwin, Marshall, Burgoyne + Earl,

[our new above/ground press storage shelves] Gary Barwin has a new poem up at NewPoetry; forthcoming author Sara Renee Marshall has a new essay as part of my (small press) writing day, as does Sarah Burgoyne; and Amanda Earl has a new poem over at Queen Mob's Teahouse.

some author activity: hastain, Barwin, Robertson, Flemmer + mclennan,

j/j hastain is interviewed over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Jennifer LoveGrove interviews Gary Barwin over at Open Book; Lisa Robertson has a new essay up at Harriet, the blog for the Poetry Foundation; Kyle Flemmer has a new essay up in the "On Writing" series over at the ottawa poetry newsletter; and rob mclennan has a new poem online as part of National Poetry Month over at the Chaudiere Books blog.

some author activity: mclennan, Higdon, Greenstreet + Fox,

[Lady Aoife providing a valuable production assist] rob mclennan has a new poem up at Crap Orgasm; Hailey Higdon interviews Joanne Kyger over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Kate Greenstreet is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; and Sarah Fox has a new poem posted as part of the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog.

some author activity: Bowering, mclennan, Gunnars, Baker + Schapira,

[photo of George Bowering by Colin Browne] rob mclennan answers "The DevilHouse Six" over at Amanda Earl's DevilHousePress, and has a poem posted at Mad Crab; above/ground press author Kristjana Gunnars interviews Anne Campbell for Queen Mob's Teahouse; Jennifer Baker has a new piece posted as part of Stuart Ross' 2017 Inaugural Poem; and Kate Schapira posts "Three Alternate Histories from the Climate Anxiety Counseling Booth."

rob mclennan interviews Geoffrey Young for Queen Mob's Teahouse

rob mclennan interviews Geoffrey Young over at Queen Mob's Teahouse on his multiple decades of writing and publishing, as well as on Young's latest, THIRTY-THREE, newly published by above/ground press.

some author activity: Ladouceur, beaulieu, Schapira, Reid + Hunter,

Ben Ladouceur was interviewed over at Nineteen Questions; "Derek Beaulieu Wrote a Poem for the Emerald Awards and You Have To Read It"; Kate Schapira and Valerie Witte interview each other over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Monty Reid writes in the "Five Things Literary" series over at Open Book: Ontario; and Carrie Hunter has a new poem up in the "Tuesday poem" series over at the dusie blog.

some author activity: Schmaltz, Armantrout + beaulieu,

Eric Schmaltz interviews Kaie Kellough over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; a new interview with Rae Armantrout, conducted by Katy Lederer for Bennington Review; and derek beaulieu has a new poem up at h&.

Greg Bem reviews Sarah Mangold's A Copyist, an Astronomer, and a Calendar Expert (2016)

Greg Bem reviews four Sarah Mangold titles, including her A Copyist, an Astronomer, and a Calendar Expert (above/ground press, 2016), a chapbook still very much available, over at Queen Mob's Teahouse. Thanks so much! This is the first review of Mangold's latest, and you can see his full review here.

Within the chapbook in front of you is a realm of logic. This realm provides ifs and subsequently thens. There are statements. There are truths. This sturdy poetics may appear as sturdy poetics, as straightforward, but Mangold’s image craft here is potent and affects bluntness elementally. The image, then, is additive and though the truth and the beauty within often reach excessive heights, an apparently intentional concentration on image is hardly decorative. Mangold’s utilization of the image is a space to channel feeling. Pools of emotions. Laborious. The laboratory. The nearly alchemical in a very subtle but very harmonious (a la sober meets drunk, to use an analogy the book inspired within me as the reader) experimental process of discovery and offerings.

Makes us feel weight of mountains/ / Float of a cloud/ (3)

This is not the medieval experimentation of dragon’s breath and spider’s silk. Mangold provides in this chapbook the hallucinogenic expression of the pastoral. A 21st century nod to a transcendental escape of exploration: clouds and mountains reoccurring. The imagery a phantasmagoria, a sequence of sets of spaces and descriptions. And that which can be seen: how do we see it? Less tension and more conjoining, more bridge, is present in the metalogic Mangold uses as fixative, as binding agent, as lubricant for her condensed collection of works: “There is in it no place for / individuality     Prevalent emotion    progressive tints    horizon” (4).

As a supplement to the grand and the total that can be seen in her other works, this book has its place as an incision, as a compass, as a guide. It offers insights into how Mangold’s work as a poet is combinatory, serialized. Writing as ethereal and whispering as Robin Blaser, to use an example poet whose tones find their own mirrors here, in ways, sets itself out in front of the reader and is gentle, meditative, open to be found, open to be applied. Mangold has provided us with a treasure here. How much it will glisten in the firelight going forward is yet to be seen, known, understood, acknowledged.

Stephanie Bolster on Three Bloody Words (2016)

Stephanie Bolster was recently interviewed by rob mclennan for Queen Mob's Teahouse on the new twentieth anniversary edition of her first chapbook, Three Bloody Words (above/ground press, 2016)!

some author activity: Massey, Christie, Earl, Prevost, McElroy + Anstee,

Karen Massey has a poem in the new issue of Bywords.ca; Jason Christie has some new poems up at The Rusty Toque; Amanda Earl discusses coffee (and other matters) over at Queen Mob's Teahouse, where Roland Prevost interviews Gil McElroy as well; and Cameron Anstee and his Apt. 9 Press are featured in an article over at Ottawa Life Magazine.

some author activity: Earl, Barwin, Greenstreet, Kaminski + Poe,

Amanda Earl has a new poem featured online at Matrix magazine, and further work featured at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Gary Barwin is interviewed over at the ottawa poetry newsletter; Kate Greenstreet interviews Megan Kaminski over at The Conversant; and Deborah Poe is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey.

some author activity: Ladouceur, Gordon, Earl, Armantrout + Bowering

Ben Ladouceur is featured in episode #5 of the podcast Book Vacuum; Noah Eli Gordon is interviewed over at Denver Life; Amanda Earl has some new work posted at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Rae Armantrout has three new poems in print and online via Poetry Magazine here, here and here; and George Bowering has a new website.

some author activity: McNair, mclennan, Tucker, beaulieu + Simpson,

Two poems from a collaboration-in-progress between Christine McNair and rob mclennan are now online at berfrois; Aaron Tucker is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; rob mclennan talks about coffee and other subjects over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; derek beaulieu is interviewed by Pablo Lopez over at Les Figues; and Natalie Simpson posts an essay as part of the "On Writing" series at the ottawa poetry newsletter.

some author activity: Landman, Pearl, mclennan, Weaver, Robertson + Quartermain,

Seth Landman has a new poem up at Incessant Pipe; Pearl Pirie has a 'featured poem' up at the Matrix magazine site; rob mclennan has a new short story up at Hippo Reads; Andy Weaver is interviewed by rob mclennan over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Lisa Robertson writes on Ian Hamilton Finlay; and Meredith Quartermain is also interviewed over at Queen Mob's Teahouse.