some author activity: mclennan, Robertson, Caporaso, Jirgens, van Vliet, Armantrout + Robinson,

rob mclennan has a new poem up at Amsterdam Review, and is interviewed by Stan Rogal for periodicities: a journal of poetry and poetics; Lisa Robertson is Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet for 2024-25 and is giving the Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poet lecture on October 24 from 7 to 8:30 pm on the Nanaimo campus; Angela Caporaso is interviewed over at talking about strawberries all of the time, where Karl Jirgens also has poems, and Robert van Vliet is also interviewed; Rae Armantrout has a poem up at the Poetry Foundation; and Elizabeth Robinson has new work up at Big Other.

some author activity: Rogal, mclennan, Eleftherion, o'brien + O'Reilly,

Stan Rogal has some new poems up in The Temz Review; rob mclennan participates in Finnian Burnett's 5 Questions interview series; Melissa Eleftherion has four new erasure poems and a short essay on her poetics of reading books that terrify us at a young age over at cul-de-sac of blood; katie o'brien has a poem in the 'poetry pause' series via The League of Canadian Poets; and Nathanael O'Reilly has three new poems up at The Galway Review.

some author activity: Solomon, Berlatsky, Rogal, carisse, Baus + Dreiblatt,

Misha Solomon wrote on the late Ian Stephens for The Fiddlehead; Noah Berlatsky is interviewed over at talking about strawberries all of the time, where Stan Rogal and russell carisse also have poems; and the video from Eric Baus and Ian Dreiblatt's zoom-reading in Jack Krick's Hugely Popular series is now online.

some author activity: Naughton, Swensen, O'Reilly, Mohammadi, Rogal + Beaulieu,

Katie Naughton is interviewed by Josephine Gawtry for the blog for Colorado Review, as is Cole Swensen, interviewed by Jake Friedman; Nathanael O'Reilly has work in the fourth issue of Saltbush; Khashayar Mohammadi has some new poems in The /tƐmz/ Review, as does Stan Rogal; and Derek Beaulieu offers his 2023 year in review.

some author activity: Mody, Berlatsky, Johnson, Rogal, Morton, Boyle + Kronovet,

Monica Mody has a substack now, and has work featured at Scroll India; five fleas has published a short poem by Noah Berlatsky; Chris Johnson is interviewed by Andrew French for the Page Fright Podcast; Stan Rogal, Colin Morton and Frances Boyle each have new work in the latest issue of Pinhole Poetry; and Jennifer Kronovet has new work up at Zocalo: Public Square.

some author activity: mclennan, Robertson, Rogal, Maloukis + Niespodziany,

rob mclennan takes the Galaxy Brain Questionnaire over at Michael Murray's Galaxy Brain; Lisa Robertson writes on the colour rose for Cabinet magazine; Stan Rogal has a new poem up at Train : a poetry journal; Rose Maloukis has a poem in the "Tuesday poem" series via the dusie blog; and Benjamin Niespodziany has a one-sentence story over at MonkeyBicycle.

new from above/ground press: 13 more songs the radio won’t play …, by Stan Rogal

13 more songs the radio won’t play …
Stan Rogal
$5

Comes Love

Why, baby, why, baby, why, baby, why?
Questions of the soon-to-be-slain.
Where fat grim orange jack-o-lanterns leer
& empty vases you endow with flowers
fill the gloom.
That’s all brother (don’t try hiding).
Comes love, nothing can be done.

It’s a cheating situation, yes?
Love shall be blonder, slimmer, younger.
Will be the bomb, the door in the wall,
an offer of instantaneous intimacy,
of perpetual (e)motion.
That’s all brother (don’t try hiding).
Comes love, nothing can be done.

Ah, sweet easing away of all edge, evil & surprise!
The sometimes mouth that masticates or gags.
Everything that acts is actual.
(I believe it’s the auratic quality that sucks one in).
Comes a sad song, give your nose a little blow.
Comes the devil, you can tell him where to go.
Comes love?
That’s all brother (don’t try hiding).         
Comes love, nothing can be done.

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

Stan Rogal lives and writes in relative obscurity in the hamlet known as Toronto. He has been rumoured to have published widely and is the apparent author of 25 books (6 novels, 7 story and 12 poetry) and several chapbooks (most with above/ground press). He is a former Master bowler and retired dart champion.  

This is Rogal’s sixth above/ground press chapbook, after In Search of the Emerald City (1997), “THE CELEBRITY RAG: Opá” (STANZAS #44, March 2006), All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (2004), muscle memory (2018) and ALAS & ALACK (2020).

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: Rogal, Collis, Downs + Niespodziany,

Stan Rogal has some poems up at The Pi Review; a poem by Stephen Collis is discussed by Pattie McCarthy, Kate Colby and Lily Applebaum via the Jacket2 podcast PoemTalk; an article (with interview) on Buck Downs' latest project, "The Poet Posting Stickers All Over Washington D.C.," is covered by The Click; and Benjamin Niespodziany is interviewed over at the new podcast We All Speak In Poems.

some author activity: Collis, Rogal, Tierney + Boyle,

Stephen Collis is featured in the "Spotlight" series; Stan Rogal has new poems up at talking about strawberries all of the time, as well as an interview; Orchid Tierney is also interviewed there; and Frances Boyle has a new poem up at The Maynard.

some author activity: Graham, Stuart, Konchan, Simpson, Siklosi, Turner + Rogal,

Lea Graham has a new poem up at the Chaudiere Books blog as part of National Poetry Month, as does Kate Siklosi (a collaboration with psw) and Cecilia Stuart and even Virginia Konchan; Natalie Simpson has a new poem up at Train : a poetry journal; Michael Turner is interviewed over at Touch the Donkey; and Stan Rogal has new poems up at where is the river.

some author activity: Braune, Brenza, Barwin, Etherin, Boyle + Rogal,

Sean Braune is interviewed over at Talking about strawberries all of the time, as is forthcoming author Andrew Brenza, where Gary Barwin also has some visual poems; Gary Barwin also writes on grant writing as part of his writer-in-residence blog via Sheridan College; Anthony Etherin has two new poems up at The Pi Review; Frances Boyle has three new poems up at Floodlight Editions; and Stan Rogal has a new poem up at Train : a poetry journal.

some author activity: Farina, Paty, Armantrout, Earl, Rogal + Stuart,

Laura Farina is interviewed via Chaudiere Books; Allyson Paty has a new poem up in the "Tuesday poem" series over at dusie; Rae Armantrout has two new poems up at the London Review of Books; Amanda Earl is interviewed over at talking about strawberries all of the time, where both Cecilia Stuart and Stan Rogal also have poems.

some author activity: Eleftherion, Rogal, Clayton, Polyck-O'Neill, Christie + Trivedi

Melissa Eleftherion has some poems up at the tiny; Stan Rogal is interviewed over at Train : a poetry journal; Conyer Clayton is profiled over at Open Book; Julia Polyck-O'Neill has new work up at IceFloe Press; Jason Christie has a new poem up at at the Coach House Books blog; and Amish Trivedi has new work up at the re-launched Can We Have Our Ball Back?

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.

new from above/ground press: ALAS & ALACK, by Stan Rogal

ALAS & ALACK
Stan Rogal
$5

My problem is I’m one of those soft machines that sometimes explodes

for no apparent reason.

My problem is I’m futile; floating in a void.

My problem is I’m counter-productive to the existing order.

My problem is mind the gap.

My problem is your basic Existential Angst & its accompanying

pathetic hang-dog attitude.

My problem is fear of my own existence (if, indeed, I do exist,

outside myself). [Italics mine]

My problem is I’m an accident constantly happening.

My problem is I’m a Zombie flick that lacks teeth & faints at

the sight of blood, especially my own.

My problem is I lack nomenclature.

My problem is I’ve seen the best minds of my generation

destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked…

My problem is, okay, I only wish I’ve seen the best minds of my

generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked…

My problem is I sing the body electric, though slightly off-key or in the wrong key

altogether & what’s it to you?

My problem is they have a name for the winners of the world &

I want a name when I lose.

My problem is I’m on a mission from God.

My problem is the devil made me do it.

My problem is I’d walk a mile for a Camel.

My problem is is it live or is it Memorex?

published in Ottawa by above/ground press
March 2020
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Stan Rogal lives and writes in relative obscurity in the hamlet known as Toronto. He has been rumoured to have published widely and is the apparent author of 25 books (6 novels, 7 story and 12 poetry) and several chapbooks (most with above/ground press). He is a former Master bowler and retired dart champion. 

This is Rogal’s fifth above/ground press chapbook, after In Search of the Emerald City (1997), “THE CELEBRITY RAG: Opá” (STANZAS #44, March 2006), All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (2004) and muscle memory (2018).

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

The Factory Reading Series pre-small press book fair reading, June 21: Kirby, de Belle, Walsh, Thomas, Rogal, Flack. Bartram, Hetherington + Mohammadi

span-o (the small press action network - ottawa) presents:

The Factory Reading Series
pre-small press book fair reading
featuring readings by:

Kirby (Toronto ON)
Julie de Belle (QC)
Matthew Walsh (Toronto ON)
Hugh Thomas (Montreal QC)
Stan Rogal (Toronto ON)
Brian L. Flack (Prince Edward County ON)
Victoria Hetherington (Toronto ON)
Jessica Bromley Bartram (Ottawa ON)
+
Khashayar Mohammadi (Toronto ON) (cancelled)

lovingly hosted by rob mclennan
Friday, June 21, 2019;
doors 7pm; reading 7:30pm
The Carleton Tavern,
223 Armstrong Street (at Parkdale; upstairs)

[And don’t forget the ottawa small press book fair, held the following day at the Jack Purcell Community Centre]

Kirby's earlier chapbooks include Simple Enough, Cock & Soul, Bob’s boy, The world is fucked and sometimes beautiful, She’s Having a Doris Day (knife | fork | book, 2017), and their full-length debut, This Is Where I Get Off (Permanent Sleep Press, 2019). Kirby is the owner/publisher of knife | fork | book  www.jeffkirby.ca

Born in Ottawa Ontario, but living in Quebec, Julie de Belle has been writing poetry in both official languages since her early teens. She was a member of the Literary Translators of Canada where she first trying her hand at translation with Words on the Move. In 2013, she published her first collection of poetry in both French and English (not in translation but rather as two separate minds) called 2FACES with Broken Rules Press. Julie performs regularly at Twigs & Leaves in Ste. Anne de Bellevue and at Kafe Poe in Pincourt. She has given poetry workshops and performances in local libraries and cultural centres. Julie de Belle is a retired ESL teacher, has taught in China and in James Bay, and now works freelance from home, both writing and translating.

Matthew Walsh is a queer writer from Nova Scotia whose work has appeared in Matrix, The Malahat Review, and Pulp Literature among others. His first book of poems was published with Goose Lane/ Ice House and is titled: These are not the potatoes of my youth.

Hugh Thomas is a poet and translator living in Montréal, where he teaches mathematics at UQAM.  Maze, his debut poetry collection, was published by Invisible Publishing in June 2019. His poetry has appeared in chapbooks published by Bookthug, Paper Kite Press, above/ground, and, most recently, shreeking violet press (in a collaboration with Stuart Ross and Dag Straumsvåg).

Stan Rogal is the author of more books of poetry and fiction than one can reasonably count. He didn't send an author biography, but I know he has a new book of fiction out this spring with Insomniac Press, and a handful of poetry chapbooks with above/ground.

Brian L. Flack is the author of three novels … In Seed Time, With A Sudden & Terrible Clarity, and When Madmen Lead the Blind, and a collection of poems … 36 … Poems. He has contributed literary & social criticism to books, periodicals, and academic journals, and written many reviews for newspapers. For several years, he was the host of a weekly radio programme, “Bookviews”, on Q-107, in Toronto. In another life that he enjoyed for almost 40 years, he was a Professor of English Literature. He lives with the painter Susan Straiton ... by the lake, in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Jessica Bromley Bartram is an illustrator, graphic designer, and writer who lives in Ottawa with her partner Ian and beagle-esque dog Eleanor. Ghost Water Kiss is her first short story collection. She has also illustrated two picture books for Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Charles by S.E. Hume, which was published in 2018, and Summer North Coming by Dorothy Bentley, which will be released in spring 2019. Her work is included in 4PANEL 2, appears on the cover of Bird House by Ben Ladouceur, and she has published illustrations in Room Magazine (issue 42.1), CAROUSEL (issue 39), and The Globe and Mail.

Victoria Hetherington [pictured] is a Toronto-based writer, visual artist and the author of I Have to Tell You (0s&1s, 2014). Her debut novel Mooncalves appeared in April 2019 with Now or Never Publishing.

Khashayar Mohammadi is an Iranian-born writer/translator based in Toronto. He is the host of knife | fork | book’s Chapbook Club and the author of the chapbooks Moe’s Skin with ZED PRESS (2018) and Poetry as Omission forthcoming with Anstruther Press. His poems have also appeared in Poetry is Dead, Bad Nudes, Half a Grapefruit Magazine, Bad Dog Review and elsewhere across Turtle Island. He is currently working on a translation anthology of contemporary female Iranian poets.

some author activity: Rogal, Harris, mclennan, Saklikar, Siklosi, Koss + Mavreas,

Stan Rogal has a new poem up at the Chaudiere Books blog for National Poetry Month, as do Sharon Harris, rob mclennan, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Kate Siklosi and forthcoming author Zane Koss; a video of Billy Mavreas reading at the New Dominion Reading Series in Vancouver on April 13, 2019 has been posted on YouTube; and rob mclennan also has a new poem up at Train : a poetry journal.

The Factory Reading Series pre-small press book fair reading, June 22: Alexander, Siklosi, Rogal, Martin, Geddes + Bandukwala,

span-o (the small press action network - ottawa) presents:

The Factory Reading Series
pre-small press book fair reading
featuring readings by:

David Alexander (Toronto)
Kate Siklosi (Toronto)
Stan Rogal (Toronto)
Ian Martin (Ottawa)
Bruce Geddes (Toronto)
+ Manahil Bandukwala (Ottawa)

lovingly hosted by rob mclennan
Friday, June 22, 2018;
doors 7pm; reading 7:30pm
The Carleton Tavern,
223 Armstrong Street (at Parkdale; upstairs)

[And don’t forget the ottawa small press book fair, held the following day at the Jack Purcell Community Centre]

David Alexander is the author of After the Hatching Oven, new from Nightwood Editions. His poems have appeared in Prairie Fire, The Malahat Review, The Puritan, subTerrain, The Humber Literary Review, the Literary Review of Canada and many other fine journals and magazines. David volunteers as a reader for The Puritan and works in Toronto's nonprofit sector.

Kate Siklosi lives, writes, and thinks in Toronto. She is the author of three chapbooks, po po poems (above/ground press, 2018), may day (no press, 2018), and coup (The Blasted Tree, 2018). Her poetry has also been featured in ditch, magazine, Dusie, NoD Magazine, 3:AM Magazine, and 2018's nationalpoetrymonth.ca. She is the cofounding editor of Gap Riot Press, a neat little feminist experimental poetry chapbook press.

Stan Rogal lives and writes in Toronto. He is the author of 23 books, including 12 poetry collections. He is left-handed and has never owned a cell phone, placing him among the less than 8% of the North American population. Is this final fact either interesting, meaningful or relevant? No, which is precisely why he mentions it. Rogal is the author of four above/ground press chapbooks, including In Search of the Emerald City (1997), “THE CELEBRITY RAG: Opá” (STANZAS #44, March 2006), All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (2004), and muscle memory (2018).

Ian Martin [pictured] is, by and large, bi and large. His writing has appeared recently in Pretty Owl Poetry, In/Words, rout/e, and Absolutely Orbital. Ian has released 4 chapbooks, including PLACES TO HIDE (Coven Editions, 2018) and YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO KEEP THIS UP FOREVER (AngelHousePress, 2018). When he’s not writing, Ian is developing small video games and complaining online. [www.ian-martin.net]

Bruce Geddes's fiction has appeared in The New Quarterly, Great Lakes Review and The Hart House Review, and he has written two books for Lonely Planet and worked as a producer for the CBC. With a MA in Latin American Literature, he’s a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. Bruce lives and works in Toronto and his new novel, The Higher the Monkey Climbs was just published by NON Publishing in Vancouver. Follow him on Twitter @olbrucie

Manahil Bandukwala is a poet and artist currently living in Ottawa. She is an editor for In/Words Magazine & Press, run out of Carleton University. Her work has appeared in or is forthcoming in The Puritan, Room Magazine, Ricepaper, ottawater, Bywords.ca, In/Words and Coven Editions, among others. She’s currently completing her undergrad in English at Carleton University. Follow her on Instagram @bandukwali, or on Twitter @manaaaahil for photos of her art and news on her upcoming projects. She is launching a new chapbook through natalie hanna's battleaxe.

some author activity: Wessels, Barwin, Barton, Dennis, Rogal + mclennan,

Andrew Wessels has a new poem up in the Tuesday poem series at dusie; Gary Barwin has a new poem on the Chaudiere Books blog for #NationalPoetryMonth, as do John Barton and Michael Dennis; and both Stan Rogal and rob mclennan have work online in the new issue of QWERTY.

new from above/ground press: muscle memory, by Stan Rogal

muscle memory
by Stan Rogal
$5

slipstream

“a mind disposed to slipping grinds sparks from the concrete”

“as being buzz-bombed by a big black bumblebee, bzzzzzzz…”

“my yoyo my kitty my young pimp my hoot owl my ampersand”

“from baudelaire to proust our literature contains far too many abnormals”

                                    “what of the fireworks? : (gone, gone)”

                                    “vampire guano everywhere”

                                    “ticking of a cat in the hallway like a bomb”

                                    “story ends with a murder : my own”

“what of the woods reversed, say : no lemon no melon, say : say, a mirror”

“the guideless guidebooks of postmodernist duplicity”

“a line is drawn : someone has tracked a shadow”

“language is derivative : an omen seeking nemo :  exeunt pursued by bear”

 
published in Ottawa by above/ground press
February 2018
celebrating twenty-five years of above/ground press
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy

Stan Rogal lives and writes in Toronto. He recently retired from the UofT Standardized Patient Program where he taught and assessed communication skills for students and professionals in the health care industry. His literary work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. He is the author of 23 books as well as a produced playwright.

This is Rogal’s fourth above/ground press chapbook, after In Search of the Emerald City (1997), “THE CELEBRITY RAG: Opá” (STANZAS #44, March 2006) and All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace (2004).

To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; outside Canada, add $2) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9 or paypal at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com