Some light housekeeping (including some upcoming readings + book fairs,

, On Beauty, Christine's Toxemia, some upcoming readings/book fairs + the Ottawa Poets Laureate,

I started a new notebook during the Labour Day weekend, as we cottaged in Sainte-Adèle, Quebec (an hour or so north of Montreal, up in them Laurentides). Already covered in stickers, naturally. That feels an important update, I’d say.

You already know I’m launching On Beauty: stories (University of Alberta Press) at a big event in Ottawa next week (I’ll even have copies of my three other books of fiction available for sale, including my 2009 novel missing persons, a book only available through me these days, and it does actually lead directly into a handful of these stories), but did you hear I’m reading in Picton, Ontario at the PEP Rally series this Thursday, September 19 (6:30pm; Books & Company, 289 Main Street) alongside dear spouse Christine McNair (with her new hybrid/memoir Toxemia, from Bookhug Press) and Toronto writer Nancy Jo Cullen? That should be fun. From there, I head to Toronto to participate in The TIFA Small Press Market, 11am-5pm, Harbourfront Centre, September 21 with the new book, as well as a whole slew of my above/ground press wares. I’m again that way for another small press fair, The & Books Market, October 5 in Mississauga (where Christine McNair will also be on a panel with her new book, by the by) and, of course, back home at the thirtieth anniversary edition of the ottawa small press book fair, November 16 at the Tom Brown Arena in Ottawa. The following day, Christine and I are reading in Kingston, November 17, through Wanda Praamsma at Musiikki Café on Brock Street, 7pm, and further on, together again, as part of Calgary’s Single Onion Reading Series, November 21. Oh, and catch Christine and I reading together, hosted by Gregory Betts, in St. Catharines at the Niagara Artists Centre at 6:30, Sunday, September 29th! There are plans afoot for the two of us to read together in Vancouver in the new year (possibly February), but we aren’t quite there yet. Should either or both of us read anywhere else? You should invite us! With money (so we can afford to go)!

You probably already saw that we’ve announced our two new poets laureate for the City of Ottawa, administered by VERSe Ottawa—David O’Meara (English) and Véronique Sylvain (French)—who will hold the positions for two years. The laureates will be giving their first official reading as Poets Laureate through the Ottawa International Writers Festival, Club Saw, 67 Nicholas Street, Ottawa on Tuesday, October 1. This event will be free to the public. And check out the recent interview I did with O’Meara on same for periodicities: a journal of poetry and poetics. Christine will also be launching her hybrid/memoir Toxemia at an event the same evening, alongside Sandra Ridley and Amanda Earl. See a full list-to-date of Christine’s upcoming readings (with or without me) below:

Oh, and you saw that I have a new chapbook out with Toronto’s Gap Riot Press, yes? And another with Banff’s No Press? The first is part of the as-yet-unpublished manuscript “edgeless,” an assemblage of sequences that also includes my part of the collaborative chapbook (with Julie Carr) river/estuaries (above/ground press, 2023), as well as edgeless: letters, (above/ground press, 2023), Retreat journal: (2024), published by Montreal’s Turret House Press and I wanted to say something (above/ground press, 2024). The second is part of an earlier as-yet-unpublished assemblage of sequences, “snow day,” which also includes the chapbook snow day (above/ground press, 2018) and Somewhere in-between / cloud (above/ground press, 2019). So many things! You know, if you were a subscriber upon my Patreon, I’d already be mailing you some of these items.

I don’t know if you saw, but On Beauty was featured a while back over at the Creative Writing at Leicester site (with an excerpt and wee write-up I sketched out), which was pretty cool. Oh, and I have a short story in the newly-released issue of flo lit mag, if that appeals. They’re doing a good thing over there, I’d say. Another fragment of the work-in-progress “the green notebook” appeared online recently at Eunoia Review, as well. Did you see all the recent Canadian books I recommended over at 49th Shelf? And I’m the first interview over at Cara Waterfall’s Archipel substack! She’s aiming to post a series of interviews with creative types, asking questions on mentorship and how one keeps going. She’s already posted a second, with Vancouver writer and mentor Chelene Knight! Who might be next?