some author activity: Boyle, Betts, Banks, Barwin, Sawyer + Barwin,

Frances Boyle has new work up at Bad Dog Mag; Gregory Betts has a poem up at NewPoetry; Chris Banks has a new poem and a short essay up at The Woodlot; Betts also appears with collaborators Lillian Allen and Gary Barwin via "Poetry in Utter Space," The Poet Speaks Podcast S10E7; Larry Sawyer has a poem up in the "Tuesday poem" series; and Gary Barwin has a poem up in Paul Vermeersch's "In the Third Sleep" series.

new from above/ground press: Weeds of Canada, by Dawn Macdonald

Weeds of Canada
Dawn Macdonald
$6

Horsetail Family

down she dug damp-hollow, found
underground terminal cones, frowned, sad.
for this may cause a sand-like deficiency
of animals, she said. I’ve read
that a veterinarian could tell. whatsoever
you’ll use for the scouring shall
well sink hollow, drain, black teeth out
the spore-case. take the stairs
at every chance. name
rootstock, flush
water-table, pass
from this table, salt, to be excused,
whorl, sheath, grace.

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
January 2026
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Dawn Macdonald lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, where she grew up without electricity or running water. Her poetry collection Northerny (University of Alberta Press) won the 2025 Canadian First Book Prize and was longlisted for the Nelson Ball prize.

To order, send cheques (add $2 for postage; in US, add $3; outside North America, add $7) 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: Tardi, Sawyer, Melancon, Gordon, Kemp + Naughton,

Mark Tardi writes on the late Larry Sawyer for the Poetry Foundation website; Jérôme Melancon appears in the Canadian Poets Series via Peripety and/or Tronies; a trio of videos of Nada Gordon reading in Manhattan, along with a short note, sit at the end of this substack post by Vladislav Davidzon; Penn Kemp has a series of poems for the late Barry Dempster now up at Public Reverie; and Katie Naughton has a poem up at Poetry Daily.

new from above/ground press: SPECTACLE/SPECTATOR, by Noah Sparrow

SPECTACLE/SPECTATOR
Noah Sparrow
$6

Meditations During my Hair Emergency

Every Wednesday 
an hour of my day 
is filled 
like the bucket 
right by my socks

The soap gradually 
climbs further 
into nailbeds,
the floor 
washed in
a weekly
showering

And to make it 
all better,
I’m wearing
a hair-mask from
Sephora, from
a kind of
buy-something
get-something-else
sort of deal, 

And now this room
is stripped of bad air,
refilled from 
all kinds of soap of 
floor beneath me 
Stripped of a dusting
to make room
as I prepare
to my sanity to roll out
like an overly commanding
carpet, waiting to 
be stepped on
and kind of wanting it 
to be that way

This kind of removal of
dust and crumbs
would be borderline 
excessive anywhere else
but here

And an hour ago 
I saw a man
unhoused,
washing somebody 
else's car

A car holds
little-to-no
boundaries on where
it can move and
if you don’t believe 
me, just look at
the commercials,
Look at the men
rolling through forestry,
framed by the evergreens,
the occasional bear

If I tried to clean off
that mans floors, 
it would take a
million hours and a
million buckets and all 
the borders 
would collapse behind us

If you look behind 
the car, 
you’ll hear
more and more honking
until the driver
speeds through,
until the bubbles of soap 
forfeit clinging onto wrists,
until seasons change
and the floor
turns into ice

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
January 2026
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Noah Sparrow is a Montreal-Tiohtià:ke based writer. His chapbook Here I am Dying at an Average Pace is forthcoming with Cactus Press in 2026. He won the Gabriel Safdie Poetry Award, was a finalist for the 2024 Montreal International Poetry Prize, and was shortlisted for the 2025 International Metatron Poetry Prize. Check out his work in The Fiddlehead, Scrivener Creative Review, or find more at noahsparrow.com

To order, send cheques (add $2 for postage; in US, add $3; outside North America, add $7) 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

new from above/ground press: EVAD, by Glenn Bach

EVAD 
Glenn Bach
$6

From the waves


between and of the sea. What travelers 
are saying: is this our place. Maybe they unfurled 


a map giving          terrain___TIDES


the mighty Pacific before we knew better


a map revealing
a great dream this is a far cry. We come alive
with streets     —who imagined the quality of the places 
being built here. Why was the city not like this


the whole time? Our demise in story
after story. The signs in the stars the borders


are not strictly defined by the roaring of these 
waters. Open space the shoreline inches forward


of the earth the showing forth
 

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
January 2026
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

EVAD is excerpted from a longer sequence, Atlas, which began in 2003 as a sound art project but has since evolved into an open-ended long poem.

Glenn Bach is a lapsed sound artist and retired educator whose major project, Atlas, is a long poem about place and our (mis)understanding of the world. Excerpts have been published here and there, including two micro-chapbooks from Stone Corpse Press and Ghost City Press. Glenn documents his work at glennbach.com.

To order, send cheques (add $2 for postage; in US, add $3; outside North America, add $7) 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: Berlatsky, Archer, Solomon, Ladouceur, Robinson + Smith,

Noah Berlatsky has a new poem up at smols; Sacha Archer and Misha Solomon have work up at long con magazine; Ben Ladouceur is interviewed by Jasper Fleming for EVENT magazine; Elizabeth Robinson has new work up at autocorrect; and Steven Ross Smith has posted a new word-music collaboration with renowned double bass jazz musician Neil Swainson over at bandcamp.

new from above/ground press: Words and Image / Entre mots et images, eds./dir. David O’Meara and/et Véronique Sylvain

Words and Image / Entre mots et images
eds./dir. David O’Meara and/et Véronique Sylvain
translations by/traductions de Myriam Legault-Beauregard
$10

including new poems in English (alongside French translation) and new poems in French (alongside English translation) by:

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm 

Stephen Brockwell

Margaret Michèle Cook 

Catherine Couture

Sonia-Sophie Courdeau

Leslie Roach

Bardia Sinaee

Michel Thérien

Introduction

We love the intersection of art practices and what is generated through dialogue. One expression of thought, when translated, via another medium, can transform into a third truth. In this way, overlap develops a further aura of meaning. Ekphrastic poetry—the written response to visual art—is one version of this vital collaboration. We asked eight Ottawa poets to look again at the rich, extraordinary permanent collection on display at the Ottawa Art Gallery to create a conversation of thought and feeling that the experience of art-viewing engenders. We hope you will join and enjoy it.

Introduction

Nous adorons les croisements entre les pratiques artistiques et ce que génèrent les dialogues. Une pensée exprimée, traduite dans une nouvelle discipline, peut se transformer en une troisième vérité. Ainsi, les recoupements font naître un nouvel horizon de significations. La poésie ekphrastique – une réponse écrite à l’art visuel – est une version de cette collaboration essentielle. Nous avons demandé à huit poètes d’Ottawa de jeter un nouveau regard sur la riche et extraordinaire collection permanente de la Galerie d’art d’Ottawa afin de créer une conversation entre les idées et les émotions que fait naître l’observation d’œuvres d’art. Nous espérons que vous vous joindrez à nous pour l’apprécier.

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
January 2026
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy
produced for an event at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 5pm

Author biographies/Notices biographiques:

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, from the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, Saugeen Ojibway Nation, is a poet, spoken-word artist, Indigenous arts activist, assistant professor, and the publisher, art director, senior editor, and founder of Kegedonce Press. She is the recipient of the 2025 Ivy Award.

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, de la Première Nation Chippewas of Nawash Unceded et de la Nation Saugeen Ojibway, est poète, artiste de la parole, militante en arts autochtones et professeure adjointe, en plus de cumuler les rôles d’éditrice, de directrice artistique et de réviseure principale aux éditions Kegedonce Press, dont elle est aussi la fondatrice. Elle est la lauréate de l’Ivy Award 2025.

Stephen Brockwell is the author of seven collections of poetry, including All of Us Reticent, Here, Together (winner of the Archibald Lampman Award) and most recently, Immune to the Sacred (2022).

Stephen Brockwell est l’auteur de sept recueils de poèmes, dont All of Us Reticent, Here, Together (lauréat du Archibald Lampman Award) et, plus récemment, Immune to the Sacred (2022).

Margaret Michèle Cook a publié neuf livres de poésie aux Éditions du Nordir, de l’Interligne et Malaïka. Elle a aussi occupé la fonction de Poète lauréate de la Ville d’Ottawa entre 2019 et 2021. Son recueil Chronos à sa table de travail a remporté le Prix du livre d’Ottawa en 2009.

Margaret Michèle Cook is the author of nine poetry books published by the Éditions du Nordir, L’Interligne et Malaïka. She was also appointed Ottawa Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2021. Her collection Chronos à sa table de travail won the Ottawa Book Award in 2009.

Catherine Couture, originaire de Lévis et désormais installée à Ottawa, est traductrice de profession. Elle tisse ses poèmes de sororité et de maternité, à défaut de manier le fil et l’aiguille. Avant Ève est le premier de ses poèmes à avoir été publié.

Catherine Couture, originally from Lévis and now living in Ottawa, is a professional translator. For lack of threads and needles, she weaves her poems with sorority and maternity. Before Eve is her first published poem.

Originaire du nord de l’Ontario, Sonia-Sophie Courdeau a signé trois recueils de poésie dont À tire d’ailes (Prix Trillium 2012). En 2019, après avoir terminé une maîtrise en création, elle fonde sa propre entreprise afin d’aider des femmes à se transformer par les mots. Maman depuis 2023, elle travaille actuellement sur un quatrième recueil de poésie inspiré de ses défis émotionnels sur le chemin de la maternité.

Originally from northern Ontario, Sonia-Sophie Courdeau is the author of three poetry collections, including À tire d’ailes (Prix Trillium 2012). In 2019, after completing her master’s degree in creation, she started her own company to help women transform thanks to words. Becoming a mother in 2023, she now works on a fourth collection inspired by the emotional challenges she faces in her journey through maternity.

Leslie Roach is a poet, writer and lawyer based in Ottawa; she was born and raised in Montreal. Her debut collection of poetry, Finish this Sentence, was published by Mawenzi House and listed by CBC as a “Canadian Poetry Collection to Watch” and as a “Book to Read for Emancipation Day”.

Leslie Roach est une poète et avocate établie à Ottawa; elle est née et a grandi à Montréal. Son premier recueil de poèmes, Finish this Sentence a été publié chez Mawenzi House et a été recommandé par la CBC parmi les recueils de poésie canadienne à surveiller et les livres à lire en vue du Jour de l’émancipation.

Bardia Sinaee is the author of the poetry collection Intruder (2021) and a new chapbook, Flinch. He lives in Ottawa.

Bardia Sinaee est l’auteur du recueil de poèmes Intruder (2021) et d’un nouveau recueil court (chapbook) intitulé Flinch. Il vit à Ottawa. 

Né à Ottawa, Michel Thérien consacre son temps à l’écriture et à la promotion de la poésie. Plusieurs de ses livres ont été traduits et ont reçu divers prix et reconnaissances. Il a publié onze recueils et co-dirigé un collectif de poésie. 

Born in Ottawa, Michel Thérien devotes his time to writing and promoting poetry. Several of his books have been translated and have won various awards and marks of recognition. He is the author of eleven collections and the co-director of a collective book of poems.

David O’Meara is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently A Pretty Sight and Masses On Radar (Coach House Books, 2013, 2021). His novel, Chandelier, is published by Nightwood Editions (2024). He is the current Poet Laureate (Anglophone) of the City of Ottawa.

David O’Meara est l’auteur de cinq recueils de poésie, dont les plus récents sont A Pretty Sight et On Radar (Coach House Books, 2013 et 2021). Son roman, intitulé Chandelier, a été publié chez Nightwood Editions en 2024. Il est actuellement le poète officiel anglophone de la Ville d'Ottawa.

Véronique Sylvain habite à Ottawa, où elle travaille dans le milieu de l’édition. Ses poèmes ont paru dans plusieurs revues de creation littéraire, ainsi que des collectifs. Son premier Trillium, le Prix du livre d’Ottawa, en 2020, le prix Champlain et le Prix littéraire émergence Incueil, Premier quart (Prise de parole, 2019), lui a permis de remporter le Prix de poésie AAOF 2021. Son plus récent recueil de poésie, En terrain miné, est paru en septembre 2024 chez Prise de parole. Elle occupera, jusqu’à l’automne 2026, le poste de poète officielle francophone de la Ville d’Ottawa.

Véronique Sylvain lives in Ottawa, where she works in the publishing sector. Her poems appear in several literary journals and collectives. Thanks to her first collection, Premier quart (Prise de parole, 2019), she was rewarded with the Prix de poésie Trillium and the Prix du livre d'Ottawa, in 2020, as well as the prix Champlain and the Prix littéraire émergence AAOF, in 2021. Her most recent collection, En terrain miné, also published by Prise de parole, was launched in September 2024, She will be, until fall 2026, the Francophone Poet Laureate of the City of Ottawa.

Myriam Legault-Beauregard is a teacher, a literary translator, a poet and a spoken-word artist. She is also currently completing her PhD at the University of Ottawa. Her own works and shorter translations have been published in various magazines and journals, and her first poetry collection, Comme un myosotis, was launched in September 2023. Her first book-length translation, De plâtre et de platine (French version of Shashi Bhat’s The Most Precious Substance on Earth), was a finalist to the John-Glassco prize in the fall of 2024. She lives in Gatineau, Québec, with her partner and their two children. 

Myriam Legault-Beauregard enseigne et traduit des œuvres littéraires, en plus d’écrire et de déclamer sa propre poésie. Elle termine actuellement un doctorat à l’Université d’Ottawa. Ses créations et traductions ont été publiées dans diverses revues, et son premier recueil de poésie, Comme un myosotis, est paru en septembre 2023. Sa première traduction de roman, De plâtre et de platine (version française de The Most Precious Substance on Earth de Shashi Bhat) a été finaliste au prix John-Glassco en 2024. Elle vit à Gatineau avec son conjoint et leurs deux filles.

This is O’Meara and Sylvain’s second edited collaboration through above/ground press, after Verse on the Banks / Poèmes sur le rivage (2025).

To order, send cheques (add $2 for postage; in US, add $3; outside North America, add $7) 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