a new interview with Pearl Pirie, by Sean Moreland

is now on-line, as part of the third issue of seventeen seconds: a journal of poetry + poetics, edited by rob mclennan.

Chaudiere Books' "Decalogue" moving sale!

To celebrate our recent move, and to make space for upcoming new titles, we're moving both of our Decalogue titles for half-price until the end of September: $10 instead of the retail $20.

The "Decalogue" series was built as a series of ongoing conversations, featuring ten Ottawa writers per volume, and Ottawa-specific artwork by a local artist on each cover.

Decalogue: ten Ottawa poets
edited by rob mclennan; with Stephen Brockwell, Michelle Desbarats, Anita Dolman, Anne Le Dressay, Karen Massey, Una McDonnell, rob mclennan, Max Middle, Monty Reid and Shane Rhodes.
for more information on the book and/or authors, check the link here.
$10

Decalogue 2: ten Ottawa fiction writers
edited by rob mclennan; with Emily Falvey, Matthew Firth, Gabriella Goliger, Alison Gresik, John-James Ford, Clare Latremouille, John Lavery, Nadine McInnis, rob mclennan and Ian Roy.
for more information on the book and/or authors, check the link here.
$10

For orders, add $5 for mailing. Paypal available via www.robmclennan.blogspot.com
or send cheques payable to rob mclennan, c/o 402 McLeod Street, #3, Ottawa ON K2P 1A6

new Pearl Pirie chapbook by Corrupt Press, France!

Chaudiere author Pearl Pirie has gone across the ocean to launch her newest chapbook, Mammals of Hoarfrost, now available from French publisher Corrupt Press. As well, be sure to catch her "call and response" poems up at SPAO's Red Wall Gallery, 168 Dalhousie Street, Ottawa, until September 22.

Poem by Joe Blades up on Liptstick Press' Poems for Jack Layton‏

a new poem, "just jack" by Chaudiere Books author Joe Blades, now online at the Lipstick Press blog as part of an ongoing series on/for the late Jack Layton.

Ottawa's Robert Kroetsch shortlist -- Pirie, McNair + Ridley/Earl - at the TREE Reading Series

The four Ottawa-based authors of the three (including the winner) of the nine titles shortlisted for this past year's Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Writing read as part of the next edition of The TREE Reading Series. Tuesday, August 23, 8pm at the Arts Court feature Chaudiere Books author Pearl Pirie (who won this year, with her award-winning manuscript appearing any minute now with Snare), Christine McNair (whose shortlisted title is forthcoming with BookThug in spring 2012) and collaborators Sandra Ridley and Amanda Earl.

Amanda Earl on Pearl Pirie's "call and response"

Amanda Earl's report on Leslie Hossack's photography exhibit "Cities of Stone, People of Dust" and Pearl Pirie's poems in response.

Monty Reid participates in Wakefield, Quebec's Wakefest 2011

On Sunday, August 28, Ottawa poet Monty Reid will be reading as part of Wakefield, Quebec's Wakefest, in the "Plan 99 North Reading Series" at The Kaffé 1870 Pub, alongside Gil Adamson and Bruce Taylor, with another reading held the previous day featuring Pasha Malla, Iain Reid and Kevin Connolly. The readings each day run from 2:30pm to 4:00pm. For further information, check out the article in The Ottawa Citizen, or the Wakefest homepage.

Michael Bryson's short story collection playlist, by Dani Couture

is now up on Dani Couture's blog.

Whether I write with the music on or the music off, there’s always a tune in my head. Often the song in my head will tell me what I’m thinking. I’ll find myself repeating “A Day in the Life” by The Beatles, for instance, and only then realize that I’ve been reflecting on a particular headline that I read on the way in to work: “I’ve read the news today, oh, boy.” My subconscious seems to transport messages to me through music. Of course, I also have an affinity to certain lyrics, certain phrases, certain rhetorical approaches: “Poets, priests, and politicians/ have words to thank for their positions,” sang The Police. That’s one of my favourite lyrics; it’s clear about the lack of clarity that can be provided by language (“Who’s Zoomin’ Who?” as Aretha Franklin said). You can see this theme in many of the songs on my list. Also, I dig the 2/4 beat, so the first song on the list was a natural. It’s very hard for me to select a 15 song list, so I’ve cheated a bit. As Janis Joplin said, “I’m ready, man!”

new Pearl Pirie poems as part of SPAO's Call and Response

CALL AND RESPONSE

Poetic responses to photographs in the Red Wall Gallery.
at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa
Curated by: rob mclennan

Ongoing: August 5th, 2011 to July 31st, 2012

First Response
The Walls of Jerusalem; selected poems and process notes.
Writer: Pearl Pirie
Exhibition: Cities of Stone - People of Dust by Leslie Hossack
Vernissage: Friday August 5th, 2011, 18:00 - 21:00
On View: August 5th - September 2nd, 2011

The CALL AND RESPONSE project engages two creative communities in a year-long exchange of images and words. Artists showing work in the Red Wall Gallery will have their photographic statements poetically responded to by writers curated by rob mclennan.

This interaction can be experienced as poetry and images come together in the Red Wall Gallery for the duration of each exhibition. There will also be scheduled readings, and a poem/image card for each pairing, as well as the inclusion of selected images and poems in the next edition of Push/Pull magazine.

The Red Wall Gallery is located in SPAO at 168 Dalhousie, at the corner of Bruyère, in the Byward Market. Viewing/reading hours are from Monday to Friday 10:00 -18:00, and Saturdays from 10:00-15:00.

Future shows will have responses by Ottawa poets Monty Reid and Sandra Ridley.

For more info contact: 613.562.3824 or info@spao.ca

Sontag & Kael: Criticism is demolition? an essay by Michael Bryson

[photo by Kate O'Rourke] posted at Numero Cinq.