some publishing news

So much has been happening, it's sort of paralyzed me.

My novel got accepted for publication in spring 2011. More on that another time.

Been buried in work with Mansfield Press, which has been one of the most exciting aspects of my literary career. So proud of the books I acquired and edited for the last season: poetry by Jim Smith and Robert Earl Stewart, and a new novel by Tom Walmsley. I think those books are as good as anything any Canadian press has put out in recent times. And I'm real excited about Peter Norman's debut poetry collection, coming out as part of this spring's Mansfield list.

And Stephen Brockwell and I just finished an insane two-week blitz that led the Mansfield anthology Rogue Stimulus: The Stephen Harper Holiday Anthology for a Prorogued Parliament from conception to the printer. About 350 poems poured in; we selected 72. Some of the poets included in the book, which will be released when Parliament reconvenes in early March, are George Bowering, Alice Burdick, George Elliott Clarke, Michael Dennis, Amanda Earl, Jason Heroux, Lillian Necakov, Joe Rosenblatt, Steve Venright. An amazing collection.

OK. There's this young guy in Ottawa named Cameron Anstee, and last year he started up a chapbook press called (I love this) Apt. 9. He's published some gorgeous books, by some great writers, most recently my pal Michael Dennis. And later this month he's releasing a chapbook of my new poems. The announcement on his blog is here. Poke around and see what other stuff he's done. But it's struck me that I can't even remember the last time someone else published a chapbook of mine. Was it Home Shopping by jwcurry's Room 3o2 Books? That was a decade ago or something. I don't think anyone's asked me for stuff for a chapbook since then. Well, I'm excited about this one. The other day I sent Cameron about 40 pages of poems and he selected 20 pages. I've never done that before: just send a bunch of stuff and let the editor choose from among it all. His selections surprised me. I'll be reading at the Tree Reading Series on February 23, and I'll see the book for the first time then.

Over and out.