St@nza ‐ November 2013 Volume 10, Number 11 To include your news, events or other listings please contact Ingel Madrus at: Email: [email protected], Phone: 416‐504‐1657, Fax: 416‐504‐0096 NEWS FROM THE LCP Book Awards Deadline Today Thank you to all the authors and publishers for sending in your books for submission to the Pat Lowther, Gerald Lampert and Raymond Souster Memorial Awards. Well over 150 new books have crossed my desk in the past few weeks. Our three juries have the daunting task of reading and selecting the winners and shortlists from this impressive array of new books by Canadian poets. The Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Canadian Youth There are two age categories, junior (grades 7‐9) and senior (grades 10‐12). First place poems in each category will receive a cash prize of $350, second place winners will receive $300 and third place winners will receive $250. All winning poems will be published in the League of Canadian Poets’ e‐zine, Re:verse at www.youngpoets.ca. All winners will receive Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Youth certificates and student memberships in the League of Canadian Poets for one year. For guidelines: http://poets.ca/jessamy‐stursberg‐poetry‐contest‐for‐canadian‐youth/. Deadline: January 15. News from the Feminist Caucus, by Anne Burke, Chair A postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount Allison University is currently researching the LCP Feminist Caucus Living Archives Series in the context of a larger project on Canadian feminist literary collectives! And this month, news from Sharon Singer on ISIS AND OSIRIS, an opera and Katerina Fretwell on Class Acts; Rusti Lehay, Ronald Kurt, Barbara Mitchell, Sandra Mooney‐Ellerbeck, Ky Perraun and Danielle Zyp on The Book of women's Mysteries and One Man's Confusion; reviews of poetry books children of air india, by Renée Larojini Saklikar, Light Light, by Julie Joosten; The sea with no one in it, (from proofs) by Niki Koulouris; another new series on "Mothering" forthcoming from Demeter Press. For full report: http://poets.ca/programs‐2/feminist‐caucus/ POETRY AND LITERARY NEWS Stairs First Step in Honouring Toronto Poet Raymond Souster by Joe Fiorito A set of stairs leading down into a west‐end parkette may soon bear the name of poet Raymond Souster. There is a scruffy patch of grass, with a few trees, some swings and a sandbox, south of Bloor and a little west of Windermere. It is officially known as the Willard Gardens Parkette, but in the vernacular of the neighbourhood, it is known as Lollipop Park. Lollipop, because it is a sort of bubble‐shape; also, obviously, because kids play there. Leading down into the park is a set of stairs with a railing. Toronto poet Raymond Souster used those stairs, and people say he liked them. For full Toronto Star article: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/10/23/stairs_first_step_in_honouring_toronto_poet_raymond _souster_fiorito.html Renaming of Dupont Parkette East to Jay Macpherson Green Jay Macpherson's niece Diana Macpherson has written with good news that a small treed area (next door to the Hare Krishna temple on Avenue Road) has been named Jay Macpherson Green on the recommendation of the residents' association she worked so tirelessly for. It abuts Macpherson Avenue. 1 Look it up on Google Maps/Earth. For more info: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2013.TE25.127 Chaudiere Books: Our Rebuilding Year Since Ottawa literary publisher Chaudiere Books was founded by Jennifer Mulligan and rob mclennan in 2006 the press has produced an impressive thirteen titles of poetry and fiction (including a couple of anthologies) by writers both emerging and established. Originally founded in part toadvocate for the enormous amount of literary activity around Ottawa, Chaudiere has produced single‐author titles by a number of locally‐based writers including Nicholas Lea, John Newlove, Anne Le Dressay, Monty Reid, Pearl Pirie, Marcus McCann, and Clare Latremouille. Attempting to engage Ottawa writers in a conversation with writers across Canada, the press has also produced works by Meghan Jackson, Michael Bryson, and Joe Blades. Unfortunately, due to a series of life events and sundry other things, the press has been unable to keep to a regular schedule since 2010. Co‐founder Jennifer Mulligan officially left the press earlier this year to focus on her work in film and Ottawa poet, designer, and book conservator Christine McNair has stepped in to fill the role of co‐ publisher. With the assistance of Monique Desnoyers (web designer) and Stephen Brockwell (sage advice); we've been enormously busy over the past few months (apart from the fact that McNair and mclennan are expecting a child any day now) working towards a return to a proper publishing schedule, beginning with the publication of our first new title in December. This is a rebuilding year for Chaudiere Books, and we will be announcing an Indiegogo Campaign in January 2014 which will feature a whole slew of incentives from our backlist; new and old limited edition rarities from writers both new and established; and a few surprises. The campaign will coincide with announcements of forthcoming titles and launches in 2014. The first title of the official Chaudiere Books re‐launch is Ground Rules: the best of the second decade of above/ground press 2003‐2013, edited by rob mclennan with an introduction by Gil McElroy. In many ways, Chaudiere Books has always been the trade extension of the chapbook publisher above/ground press and this title cements and even clarifies the associations between the two presses. Ground Rules features writing from the second decade of one of the most active micro publishers in Canada, selected from a series of hundreds of publications lovingly edited, produced and distributed by editor/publisher rob mclennan. A follow‐up to Groundswell: best of above/ground press, 1993‐2003 (Broken Jaw Press, 2003), Ground Rules includes a wide range of work by poets Artie Gold, Mark Cochrane, Suzanne Zelazo, derek beaulieu, Stephanie Bolster, Amanda Earl, Nathanael, Lisa Samuels, Rachel Zolf, Sharon Harris, D. G. Jones, Julia Williams, Eric Folsom, Gregory Betts, Natalie Simpson, Monty Reid, William Hawkins, Emily Carr, Cameron Anstee, Helen Hajnoczky, Marilyn Irwin, Stephen Brockwell, Robert Kroetsch and rob mclennan. Working out of Ottawa, poet and publisher rob mclennan's baby, above/ground press, marks a second decade of the production of broadsheets, chapbooks, magazines, and anthologies that trace out the best shapes of the best of contemporary Canadian (and, increasingly, international) poetry. From the span of that second ten of years, he has compiled this book of traceries: a selection of work by writers ranging from the likes of the late Artie Gold, and Robert Kroetsch, to the living Derek Beaulieu, Rachel Zolf, Eric Folsom, Natalie Simpson, etc., all collected here as representative of a decade's aesthetic count. from Gil McElroy's "Introduction: An Integral" The Ottawa launch of Ground Rules is scheduled for Saturday, December 7th 2013 at The Manx Pub and is sponsored by the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Lovingly hosted by rob mclennan, the event will feature readings by three of the books contributors (to be announced over the next couple of days). 2 Watch for details via the Chaudiere Books blog (http://www.chaudierebooks.blogspot.ca/), as well as our Facebook page! lovingly, Christine McNair and rob mclennan, publishers Poet David McFadden Reveals that he has a Form of Alzheimer’s Visitors know they’ve found the correct address for David McFadden’s home when they read a sign posted on the front door: Poetry Spoken Here. But on a recent fall day, the Griffin Prize‐winning poet is not interested in regaling his guest with stories from his prolific writing career (he’s written more than 35 books). Rather, seated beside his partner, visual artist Merlin Homer, he shares the news that the words he has laboured over for 60 years are now deserting him. For full Globe and Mail article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health‐and‐ fitness/health/poet‐david‐mcfadden‐reveals‐that‐he‐has‐a‐form‐of‐alzheimers/article15061646/ Terry Burns appointed Owen Sound’s Newest Poet Laureate The Owen Sound Little Theatre (OSLT) is delighted to announce the appointment of Chatsworth‐area poet Terry Burns as Owen Sound’s fourth Poet Laureate. Chosen from a field of ten strong applicants, Burns say she has “always written poetry.” She is not only an accomplished poet and performer, she has written novels, short stories and essays. She is also known for her non‐fiction writing. Readers in Grey and Bruce may be aware of her work through Mosaic, for which she has written a variety of articles over a number of years. She has served as coordinator the Words Aloud Spoken Word and Storytelling Festival for the past three years. “I’m honoured, a little nervous but really looking forward to the challenge,” said Burns. She is eager to open people’s eyes to the ways in which we are surrounded by poetry. “We think of poetry in academic terms, that’s the accepted canon as far as poetry goes,” she said. “We forget about the fact that people continue to practice it every day way in a populist way – things like rap and hip hop. Those are some of the things that fascinate me.” The Poet Laureate program is hosted and sponsored by the OSLT which is housed in Owen Sound’s historic Roxy Theatre. “We are delighted to host this program and to encourage this unique partnership of performing arts and poetry here at the Roxy,” said OSLT President Mark Vigneux.