Nelson Ball Prize Longlist

The judges of the inaugural Nelson Ball Prize, Beverley Daurio and James McDonald, have released their longlist. The $1,000 prize, made possible through the generosity of many of Nelson Ball's friends, family, and fans, goes to a Canadian poetry publication — book, chapbook, ephemera, etc. — that features "poetry of observation," a key interest in Nelson's own work.

Nelson Ball was a much-loved Canadian poet, publisher, and bookseller. He died on August 16, 2019, at age 77. Nelson began publishing in the 1960s and produced an astonishing body of work, actively writing until his last months. He was married to the painter and writer Barbara Caruso, who died in 2009. Fans of Nelson's poetry can expect a few more books to emerge over the coming years, as well as a first full-length collection of poetry by Caruso.

Over 110 publications published in 2018 and 2019 were submitted for consideration for the 2020 Nelson Ball Prize. Here, in alphabetical order by author's name, is the longlist:

Cameron Anstee, The Book of Annotations (Invisible Publishing, 2018)

Mike Barnes, Braille Rainbow (Biblioasis, 2019)

Michael E. Casteels, snowfall (Puddles of Sky Press, 2018)

Chantal Gibson, How She Read (Caitlin Press, 2019)

Susan Gillis, Yellow Crane (Brick Books, 2018)

James Hawes, Bus Metro Walk (Monk Press, 2018)

Jason Heroux, The Book of Blessings (Puddles of Sky Press, 2019)

Amanda Jernigan, Years, Months, Days (Biblioasis, 2018)

Basma Kavanagh, Ruba'iyat for the Time of Apricots (Frontenac House, 2018)

Thomas King, 77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin (HarperCollins, 2019)

Tara McGowan-Ross, Scorpion Season (Insomniac Press, 2019)

Mark Truscott, Branches (Book*hug Press, 2018)

Over and out.

Good night, dazzling RM Vaughan

I don't have a great memory, but here are a few that rise to the surface with the profoundly sad news that RM Vaughan is gone. Richard – poet, essayist, playwright, video artist, performance artist, queer activist – went missing in Fredericton on October 13. His body was discovered by police yesterday. He was 55.

1. In 1996, we both had our first full-length poetry collections published by ECW Press. His was A Selection of Dazzling Scarves; mine was The Inspiration Cha-Cha. At the launch, where Richard wore a dazzling scarf, he suggested we begin by reading one of each other's poems — a beautiful gesture, and one that was especially fun because we were reading aloud in front of an audience a poem we'd never read before. I thought it was such a great act of solidarity. A few years later, we launched our respective second poetry collections together as well.

2. Sometime in the early 2000s, if I remember right, Richard curated an evening at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre called 100 Tiny Queer Performances. He invited 100 artists and performers to create one-minute pieces for the show. As a straight guy, I was pretty honoured and thrilled to be part of this, and to perform for one minute on the stage at Buddies. I have since expanded the one-person play, The Ape Play, from one minute, to two minutes, to six minutes, and I'm currently writing it as a novel. The book, should I ever get it published, will be dedicated to Richard's memory.

3. A few years ago, I was spending a week in Montreal and took along some freelance work. One job was a copy-edit of Richard's book-length essay Bright Eyed, about insomnia. Richard was an insomniac. I have a similar tendency. Struck by insomnia myself, I stayed up all night in my tiny hotel room editing that amazing book from Coach House.

4. This past spring, Richard reached out to me. A very close friend of his and I were not talking, he had heard. He liked both of us and didn't like the idea of us feuding. He wondered how we could heal this rift. It was an act of caring and generosity, an act characteristic of Richard. (He didn't succeed in seeing that rift healing, but not for a lack of trying.)

5. And here's a tiny but memorable thing: back when we worked together at eye Weekly, one of Toronto's two free entertainment tabloids, Richard did some restaurant reviewing. He made an art of that too. I recall him describing the grilled-cheese sandwich at Hooters (yes, he reviewed Hooters!) as a tennis ball melted between two pieces of corrugated cardboard. The review ended with some trademark RM bombast: Hooters was, he said, and I paraphrase, one of the most offensive of institutions: a family restaurant.

Everything Richard did — from his poetry to his video art to his performance and plays — was challenging and brave. And often outrageous. Plus: he was a truly sweet man.

My deepest sympathies to Richard's family and everyone who was very close to him.

xo

Over and out.

Lit Live reading on Sunday, November 1, online of course

 One of my favourite reading series is Lit Live, run my an always-interesting assortment of Hamilton-based writers.

This Sunday I'm reading at Lit Live as part of a really exciting lineup, several of whom are friends: 

Sachiko Murakami

Derek Beaulieu

angela rawlings

Rasiqra Revulva

and Audrey Hébert translator Deborah Ostrovsky.

It happens on November 1, 7:30 pm, online. Check out the poster.

I'll miss being at this warm reading series in person, and I'll miss the great sales I make at this series. But this is the nature of now, and I'm so pleased to be part of Lit Live's forthcoming evening.

Over and out.

Musical Language — Ottawa International Writers' Festival

 The Ottawa International Writers' Festival has been just about the best friend my writing life has had, starting way back in the late '80s when they brought me in to pinch-hit for Eden Robinson, who had to cancel her festival appearance at the 11th hour. The Ottawa gang gave me some great breaks early on in the trade-book phase of my career and has continued to be supportive. Amid the corporatization of just about everything in the arts, they have managed to maintain a great grass-roots personal approach to celebrating literature. Always grateful to Sean, Kira, Neil, Thea, and the whole OIWF crew.

Tonight, I am part of a fantastic project: three composers were invited to write works in response to books by three very different authors, and this evening the SHHH!! Ensemble will perform those musical responses, and the authors and composers will be in discussion.

You can get free tickets right here:

The composers are Noora Nakhaei, Kevin Reeves, and Adam Saikaley, who wrote a two-movement piece in response to my book Motel of the Opposable Thumbs. The other two writers are involved are Maria Reva and my dear friend Martha Baillie.

Check out the SHHH!! Ensemble's website right here.

I am so very lucky to have had so many great opportunities for collaboration.

Hope you can join in!

Over and out.

Michael + Stuart = 70 Kippers

 Over the course of two or three years, Ottawa poet and incredible friend Michael Dennis and I wrote 122 collaborative poems during six writing sessions at his kitchen table. Each session, oddly, lasted three hours and fifteen minutes.

A couple years ago, Burnt Wine Press did a chapbook of about 15 or 16 of the poems.

But we kept editing and tinkering for a year or so, and collected together 70 of the strangest, funniest, sometimes most harrowing poems we'd created. Reading it now really drives home what beautiful things collaboration can do: Michael and I made poems that neither of us could have written alone, poems that only we two could have written together.

70 Kippers: The Dagmar Poems is now a full book, from Proper Tales Press, with a beautiful cover painting by Almonte artist Tom Campbell, whose living room Michael and I read in last year.

I feel in ways like poetry is getting further and further away from me — at least, away from my aesthetic interests — and so it feels like a dare to publish a book like this.

It's got a bit of Borscht belt happening. A bit of Vanier.

I'm sure proud of it. I mean, Michael and I had such a blast writing those things, so if they'd never reached print, it still would have been worth it. But here they are.

Over and out.

Ben Walker Sings "Invitation to Love"

British-born Toronto singer-songwriter Ben Walker just posted a really lovely 2019 performance of "Invitation to Love," his song setting of my poem by the same name!

The gig took place at Roach Tackle, a great folk-art shop in Toronto. My poem is from about 20 years ago and appeared first in my 2001 book Razovsky At Peace, from ECW Press. The song version appears on Ben's CD An Orphan's Song, which you can buy directly from Ben's website or from Bandcamp.

While you're at it, be sure to pick up another CD or two from Ben — the guy is an amazing songwriter and performer.

Enjoy!

Over and out.