Six Questions interview #22 : Ian Roy

Ian Roy is the author of four books, including his most recent collection of stories, Meticulous, Sad, and Lonely.

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

I was born in Ottawa, but grew up in Quebec. The first time I actually lived in Ottawa was during university, but shortly after graduating, I moved to Nova Scotia. A couple years later, my first son was born and I moved back to Ottawa. That was 21 years ago. 

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

I started writing and publishing poems and stories in my early twenties. Curious about what the other side of that equation looked like, I became an associate editor at Arc Poetry Magazine—where, I learned later, I had a reputation as being someone who said ‘no’ a lot. While at Arc, I had the pleasure of meeting one of my favourite Ottawa authors, Rita Donovan. I already knew Rita’s husband, John Buschek, who would go on to start BuschekBooks (who would go on to publish a few of my books). Working at Arc and working with BuschekBooks is what first got me involved in the writing community here. From there, I went on to teach workshops, sit on juries, attend readings, buy local books, etc., etc.

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?

I’m not sure that being in such a community shifted my thinking about writing, but it did help shape it. Ultimately, it made being a writer and publishing books feel (and become) possible.

Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

Being a smaller city allows for people to get to know one another a little better—or to at least be familiar with one another’s work in a way that might not be as likely to happen in a bigger city. It makes it more accessible, too. I mean, I regularly see a Governor General Award-winning author at my local health food store and I sometimes get served beer by one of Canada’s greatest living poets… That’s something I love about this city.

What does it provide or allow? It allows someone like me, who doesn’t leave the house much and doesn’t publish very often, to still be considered part of this community and be asked to answer these questions. And I like that.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

I spent my formative years living in Quebec. If anything, I respond more to that world in my work—sometimes subtly, sometimes more overtly. The book I’m working on now is partially set here in Ottawa. Sort of. So perhaps I can better answer this question once that book is done.

Q: What are you working on now?

I’m working on a novel for children. It’s about a boy who could fly. Half of it takes place here, and half of it takes place in Iceland, where I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time working on the book during the last few years. (Nothing like being away from home to get a fresh perspective on home!) The book is almost finished. Once it’s done, I’ll get back to writing stories for adults again. Probably.

Six Questions interview #21 : Christian McPherson

Christian McPherson is a poet and novelist. He lives in Ottawa with his wife and their two kids. He has written a bunch of books including, The Cube People, Saving Her, and My Life in Pictures. If he isn’t out walking his dogs, driving his son to hockey practice or his daughter to cheerleading, he is usually sneaking off to the movies.

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

I’ve been in Ottawa my entire life. I was born at the Civic Hospital in 1970. I was brought here as a result of my parents’ passionate love making. I didn’t really have a say in the matter. Poof, I arrived.

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

I was closing in on thirty and realized I wanted to do something with my life other than go to work, and eat food, and watch TV, and go to work, and drink beer, and watch TV, and go to work, etc. I wanted to write screenplays but started with short stories and poetry because it seemed less intimidating. I’ve been writing now for twenty-two years. As far as the writing community goes, I consider myself as a bit of an outsider. I don’t participate very often in readings, or in writing groups. When I started out, I was in a poetry group. I don’t even how I got there or what happened to it. Then I had two kids and I pretty much stopped participating in anything involving the writing community. I still submit poems to Bywords.ca from time to time. I know a bunch of Ottawa writers and sometimes we hang out socially or I read something they have written when they want to share or get feedback. Otherwise, time is still hard to come by, so if I have free time, I spend it writing rather than hanging out and talking about writing. I have been asked to be involved in a few Ottawa writing things. I leave the door open to possibilities.  

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?

Like I said, I’m the outsider most of the time. I’m always interested, when I do talk to my writer friends, about what they are working on, how they are working – are they taking time off, are they going away by themselves somewhere isolated just to write, what is their editorial approach. I’m also just happy to hear what they have been reading or watching (TV and/or film). I think I would be doing that in any City. Just the other day I had a conversation with a writer from Vancouver. With everything so global and interconnected, I’m not sure it matters all that much where you are.

Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

I’ve been to writer festivals/readings in Windsor, Prince Edward County, Dundas, Hamilton, Toronto, Edmonton, and many here in Ottawa. I think every community/town/city has their own writing things going on. Ottawa has lots. Versefest is pretty cool. If you are starting out and wanted to find a writing group to join, Ottawa is a pretty good spot to find a home.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

Ottawa is a government town; we do bureaucracy real good here. I set my first two novels, The Cube People and Cube Squared, on a fictitious version of cubicle life in the public service. Write what you know; this is Ottawa life for many of us. Many of the people of Ottawa seemed to enjoy these books. I’ve written two collections of short stories and all of them except two (I think) are set in Ottawa. I did that intentionally. I think you should write what you know, but for me it was more than that – it was a kind of loyalty to the city. There aren’t tons of books set here. I wanted to put in recognizable landmarks and streets of Ottawa into my work so people would say, “Hey, I know that place. Cool.” This is why for my third novel, Saving Her, I deliberately set it in Ottawa. It was a thriller, so it could have been set in any large city. Maybe if I had set it in Toronto, I would have sold more books – ha! I have no regrets. I love Ottawa.

Q: What are you working on now?

 Well I just finished a new double book of Poetry which is coming out this fall (2020) entitled Walking on the Beaches of Temporal Candy from At Bay Press out of Winnipeg. It’s my first hardcover and it has some flip animation illustrated by a Winnipeg artist by the name of Michael Joyal. He also did the cover art and I’m super excited about it. So, I will be working on promotion! Besides from that I’m currently working on yet another book of poetry. I’ve also gone back to drawing – more like sick and twisted doodles; black and white ink drawings, often humorous like my writing. I’m hoping to put out a collection of drawings and poetry. Dare to dream!

Six Questions interview #20 : Jason Christie

Jason Christie is the author of four books of poetry: Canada Post (Invisible), i-ROBOT (EDGE), Unknown Actor (Insomniac), and Cursed Objects (Coach House Books).

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

We have lived in Ottawa since 2014. We moved here for work. Initially we thought we would be in Ottawa for one year, but we decided to stay! I spent summers and some Christmases in Carleton Place at my aunt's house when I was young, and always loved getting to explore Ottawa. It's a great place to raise a family.

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

I know it is a cliché, but I have always been a writer. I wrote comics when I was a kid, then as a teenager I wrote many bad poems long before I’d actually read any poetry other than my own. I started reading poetry at York University, and I got serious about writing after meeting Michael deBeyer and some of the other Writers @ York. From there I branched out and got to know many of the writers in Toronto.

I moved to Calgary, Vancouver, back to Calgary, and then to Ottawa, and along the way got to know many writers across the country. It was a pleasure and a privilege to have been lucky enough to get to know so many people and spend time in so many communities. I am not as involved in the community in Ottawa as I would like to be. I work full time and have young children, which means I’m usually asleep when most readings are just starting! But I’m hoping to make it to more events this year, and I’m getting back into publishing again now that my kids are a little older. Who knows? I might even try to get my backyard reading series going again!

 

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?

Each of the communities I’ve been lucky to be a part of taught me something different. I think I took for granted the security to take myself seriously in the communities I was in as a young writer, the fearlessness, and the support to find the bravery to try. As I’ve grown as a writer, I have found that I needed that security, comfort, and support less and less. Now that I’m old(er), I feel that I have a chance to provide that space for younger or newer writers and that’s exciting! It might only be attending their readings, and being genuinely excited about what they are doing, liking posts on social media, or sharing their poems with others, all of which is easy because the younger or newer writers I’ve met in Ottawa are fantastic.

Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

Ottawa and Calgary are similar to me. In both communities I see a broad interest and acceptance of a variety of styles. In Ottawa there seems to be a deeper appreciation of literary history, particularly local literary history, then in any other place I’ve lived. It's fascinating. I learn so much in every conversation that I have here. I am always impressed by the sincerity, honesty, and generosity of the community here. Even though I don't make it to many events, when I am able, people greet me warmly and I'm so grateful for that acceptance. Ottawa also has an incredibly high number of extremely talented writers. So in any room I wander into, I'm always a little star-struck by the talent around me.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

I roll my daily life into the raw material that becomes my poems, so place is material in that sense. The poems I've been editing lately are all twisted from a long sequence I wrote when we first moved here that has loads of local references.

Q: What are you working on now?

I’m working on being calm, present, being kind, and expressing my support for others more. I want to read more poetry this year. I read a lot already, but I’ve been on a tear with prose for the last couple of years and I’m ready to switch it up.

In terms of writing and publishing, I’m trying to get a wee zine journal called nobody off the ground. I have several manuscripts at various levels of completion. One is a book-length longpoem called Glass Language in which I use a Python script to generate new lines, then edit the whole thing to make it look like it wasn’t randomly generated. The other is a book in which I think through secular exaltation and grace. I’ve understood it as the elevation of ordinary events from their milieu through a purposeful act of attention/devotion, a coming to terms with change and distress. And I’ve also started writing poems about robots again.