some author activity: carisse, Ebbitt, Sikkema, fitzpatrick + McNair,

russell carisse is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; Katie Ebbitt is interviewed by Nadia Prupis over at Hobart, and by Emily Roll over at BOMB; Michael Sikkema has a handful of new poems up at Broken Lens Journal; ryan fitzpatrick has some poems online at The Capilano Review; and Christine McNair offers "A List for Lost Words" over at 49th Shelf.

some author activity: Novak, Babineau, Sikkema, Bowering + Ross,

JoAnna Novak has new work at MerionWest; Kemeny Babineau has new work in the Spotlight series; Michael Sikkema has some new work up at cul-de-sac of blood; George Bowering is quoted in this recent piece on the infamous 1963 Vancouver Poetry Conference; and Stuart Ross has three new poems in Gargoyle.

some author activity: Sikkema, Eleftherion, Oniță, Boyle + Berlatsky,

Michael Sikkema has some new writing up at Cream Scene Carnival; Melissa Elefttherion has new work up at The Mantle; Adriana Oniță has new work up at the ex-puritan; Frances Boyle is interviewed over at Amanda Earl's The Small Machine Talks podcast; and Noah Berlatsky has a new poem up at Synchronized Chaos.

some author activity: Sikkema, Niespodziany, Caple + Norris,

Michael Sikkema has work in Heavy Feather Review; Benjamin Niespodziany has some new work up at SurVision; Natalee Caple was selected as this year’s recipient of the Faculty of Humanities Distinguished Service Award at Brock University; and Ken Norris has a new poem in the "Tuesday poem" series, and is being interviewed over at poetry mini interviews.

new from above/ground press: Boing, Extinction VS Wow! Signal, by Michael Sikkema

Boing, Extinction VS Wow! Signal
Michael Sikkema
$5

Kenning is shadowy paragraphs illicit

    Bernadette adjusts
    the pitch of
    the headtake

Mahalia is rotary asteroid barnacles

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
July 2021
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Michael Sikkema is a poet who draws on western, sci fi and horror elements, and is more interested in Big Tent Poetry, rather than the life of the individual poem. He has written chapbooks and books, which you can learn more about via search engines. He has work forthcoming with Trembling Pillow Press, and Low Frequency Press. He enjoys correspondence at michael.sikkema@gmail.com.

This is Sikkema’s third chapbook with above/ground press after Here on Huron (2019) and Transmissions from the Crawdad Constellation (2021).

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) 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: Armantrout, O'Reilly, Sikkema, McElroy, mclennan + Turner,

Rae Armantrout has a new poem posted in the London Review of Books; Nathanael O'Reilly has work in the debut issue of Bealtaine magazine; Michael Sikkema has a new poem up on the Chaudiere Books blog as part of National Poetry Month, as does Gil McElroy; and rob mclennan and Michael Turner (among others) have new poems posted as part of The Mirimachi Reader.

new from above/ground press: Transmissions from the Crawdad Constellation, by Michael Sikkema

Transmissions from the Crawdad Constellation
Michael Sikkema
$5

< . . . now . . . >

        becoming noise

* & *                     ///
      * *                    ^
 *    *     *                \\\

     “   ,        branch and antler
        
           \|/                 /|\
        
                “   ,    > , , , ‘ ‘ ‘ <
                                                       * & *         
              *

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
March 2021
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Michael Sikkema is interested in feral alphabets, bird-mushroom confluences, tree music, and the function of poetry for the human microbiome. His most recent book is You’ve Got a Pretty Hellmouth (Trembling Pillow Press), and consists of long poems that play with western, horror, and sci fi tropes. Caw Caw Phony is his next full length collection, which explores closed captions, foley art, listening maps, and other sound-related material as a conduit for poetry. It is forthcoming from Trembling Pillow Press in 2021. He lives in West Michigan.

This is Sikkema’s second chapbook with above/ground press, after Here on Huron (2019). A third is forthcoming.

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) 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: Smallfield, Coulton, Downs, Hunter, Sikkema + Earl,

; Edward Smallfield has some new poems up at talking about strawberries all of the time, as do Valerie Coulton and Buck Downs and Carrie Hunter and Michael Sikkema; Amanda Earl has a new poem up at The Babel Tower Notice Board, and is interviewed over at Cannot Predict Now.

Joel William Vaughan reviews Michael Sikkema’s Here on Huron (2019) in Broken Pencil #88

Joel William Vaughan was good enough to provide the first review of Michael Sikkema’s Here on Huron (2019) over at Broken Pencil. Thanks so much!

The poet’s bio describes an interest in “feral alphabets, bird-mushroom confluences, tree music, and the function of poetry for the human microbiome.” I can’t find any of these topics in Here on Huron, really, but the description is at least a warning: this chapbook is wacky.

            Visual poems blend into each other, dissolve off the page. More ASCII art than verse, Michael Sikkema still tries to wrangle his word-images into form and narrative. “Split screen:” reads one untitled poem, “cloned secret hero views / secret hero through rifle scope, secret / hero stares at their own hands then a gutpile.” He closes: “gutpile zoom: tiny society evolving rapidly / writing, ag, cities, early stages of flight.” Making heads or tails of the revenge plot between “secret hero” and “cloned secret hero” is a fool’s errand. As Sikkema assures us in his “chorus,” “everything / is already / something else.” It’s as if he’s translated a damaged VHS into letters and punctuation. Some of the words make it through – less of the plot – so the dance becomes an incomplete, but steady corruption. An interesting read.

some author activity: Clayton, mclennan, Sikkema, Siklosi + Best,

safely delivered above/ground press chapbooks!

Conyer Clayton is interviewed over at The Puritan; rob mclennan has a new poem up at pioneertown.; Michael Sikkema is being interviewed over at poetry mini interviews; Kate Siklosi has new work + a statement in the Spotlight series; Ashley-Elizabeth Best has an essay in the "Talking Poetics" series over at the ottawa poetry newsletter.

some author activity: Spinosa, Barwin, Sikkema, Earl, Rogal + Siklosi,

Dani Spinosa begins her residency at Open Book with an article that references Gary Barwin and Michael Sikkema, which you should totally read; Amanda Earl has a new poem up at the Chaudiere Books blog for National Poetry Month; Stan Rogal has a new poem up at Train : a poetry journal; and Kate Siklosi has a new essay in the Talking Poetics series over at the ottawa poetry newsletter.

some author activity: Kasimor, Eleftherion, Archer, Tracy + Sikkema,

Mary Kasimor and Melissa Eleftherion have work in the new issue of MiGoZine: Kasimor's is here, and Eleftherion's are here and here and here; Melissa Eleftherion also has some new work up at talking about strawberries all of the time, as does Mary Kasimor; Sacha Archer has new work up at Grey Borders; Dale Tracy has a new poem up at the Chaudiere Books blog for National Poetry Month; and Michael Sikkema is interviewed over at talking about strawberries all of the time.

some author activity: Koss, Sikkema, Spinosa, Radmore + Baus,

Zane Koss is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; Michael Sikkema has a new essay in the "On Writing" series at the ottawa poetry newsletter; Dani Spinosa is interviewed over at Train : a poetry journal; Claudia Coutu Radmore is interviewed via Chaudiere Books; and Eric Baus has a new essay in the Talking Poetics series over at the ottawa poetry newsletter.

some author activity: Eleftherion, Sikkema, Aigen, Clayton + Robinson,

[did I mention I'm doing both a small press fair and a panel conversation at IFOA in Toronto next weekend?]

Otherwise, Melissa Eleftherion was recently interviewed by Andrea Blythe about her above/ground press chapbook; Michael Sikkema has some new work up at talking about strawberries all of the time, as does Razielle Aigen, and Conyer Clayton is interviewed in the same issue; and forthcoming author Ben Robinson has a poem posted in the Poetry Pause series via The League of Canadian Poets.

some author activity: Unsworth, Eleftherion, Sikkema, mclennan + the ottawa small press book fair,

Forthcoming author Lydia Unsworth is interviewed over at Train : a poetry journal; Melissa Eleftherion interviews Mariel Fechik over at Queen Mob's Teahouse; Michal Sikkema is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; rob mclennan posts an essay in the "Power of Poetry" series at The Poetry Question; and will we see you today at the ottawa small press book fair?

new from above/ground press: Here on Huron, by Michael Sikkema

Here on Huron
Michael Sikkema
$5

  (h

 h)e(r)e(o)n

  (r

   )o         

  (n

 

 &        &

n)o(n)o(((

|bi |bi |

|no|no

|cu|cu

|la |la

|rs |rs|

long shot w/secret hero & sky

enter craft with cloned secret hero

extended fight scene in woods /junkyard

includes all the trimmings, crowbar ending 

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
June 2019
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Michael Sikkema is interested in feral alphabets, bird-mushroom confluences, tree music, and the function of poetry for the human microbiome. His most recent book is You've Got a Pretty Hellmouth (Trembling Pillow Press), and consists of long poems that play with western, horror, and sci fi tropes. He lives in West Michigan.

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com