so i didn't win the ottawa book award (and other mournful tales,

, but the ottawa small press fair is this weekend, so that's cool,

THIS WEEKEND! The thirty-first anniversary of the semi-annual ottawa small press book fair (an event I co-founded back in 1994 and have run solo since), where I’ll have a mound of my own titles alongside an even larger mound of above/ground press titles. Saturday, noon to five pm, upstairs at Tom Brown Arena in Ottawa. As ever, we’re also holding the pre-fair reading the night prior at Anina’s Cafe in Vanier, with readings (and chapbook launches) by Cobourg writer Stuart Ross and Ottawa poets Amanda Earl and Liam Burke. You should come!

My collection of short stories, On Beauty (University of Alberta Press, 2024) was up for the Ottawa Book Award, my first time on that particular shortlist [see my post on such, including links to all the shortlisted titles here], but I did not win! The ceremony was this past Saturday night, and I’ve told myself I could only mourn for two days after (one has to mourn and move on, after all). There were many tears throughout the assembled crowd, but we were still pleased for Ottawa writer Nina Burkhout (her fourth time up for that particular prize, as she mentioned), who won for her novel This Bright Dust (Goose Lane Editions, 2024). Thanks much to the lovely judges Rebecca Hirsh-Garcia and Jim McEwen (neither of whom I’d met in person prior) and the delightful Ottawa poet Sandra Ridley, for even nominating, which was appreciated (and the awards event on Saturday was fun to attend). As part of the original shortlist announcement, CBC Radio even replayed the interview that Alan Neal did with me over at All In A Day, which I think is worth listening to. As the collection took seven years to write and another seven to place with a publisher, I’ve already a wealth of short stories for my next project, including this one, recently published online (with audio of me reading same) at MicroLit.

Here’s the judges’ comments on my wee collection, offered as part of the event on Saturday: ”On Beauty delivers a compelling series of short stories, deftly crafted as crystalline vignettes; intimate moments of conversations, confessions, and confidences cohere into a vibrant multiverse. Carefully linked through motifs and deliberate sequencing, these stories affirm belonging and connection over isolation and randomness. With heightened language, emotional depth, and philosophical heft, this collection builds into a rich and unforgettable, resonant whole.”

And: given I know how important these updates are to everyone out there, be sure to catch this review my new poetry collection, the book of sentences (University of Calgary Press, 2025), via The Seaboard Review. I also read a few poems from such in a video posted as part of DMQ’s Virtual Salon, which you can catch over here. I also did an interview with Dennis Rimmer (brother of David, apparently, a much beloved Ottawa bookseller who ran the late, lamented After Stonewall Books until retirement) who spoke to me about the new poetry collection for his podcast, Talking Books & Stuff, back in August (posted online back in September, but he apparently forgot to tell me).

A poem from my current manuscript-in-progress, “The Museum of Practical Things” [see my note on such here] recently posted, a poem composed for David Currie and Jennifer Baker’s summer nuptials, over at Minor Literature[s]. I’ve also some recent further poems over at Noir Sauna and Pamenar Press. And yes, there’s an article on me in the current issue of Fifty-Five Plus, although I’m not sure how I feel about any of that. It is a really good article, but I mean, I’m barely plus. As well, I’m doing an upcoming zoom conversation with Vancouver poet Renée Sarojini Saklikar on December 7, during which we shall speak of our projects and of above/ground press, and probably other subjects. Shoot me an email [rob_mclennan (at) hotmail (dot) com] if you wish to register for the zoom-link. [here we are in Vancouver this past spring, when Christine and I were out that way]