My new book — in Spanish!

Well, a dream of mine has come true for me. At last. A book of my poems has appeared in another language.

Translators Sarah Moses (a very fine poet herself!) and Tomás Downey, along with the very fine folks at Socios Fundadores in Buenos Aires, Argentina, have brought into existence Sos una sola persona, a bilingual edition of about 25 of my poems.

It was launched in Argentina a couple of weeks ago, outside in a park. Hopefully there will be an online event I can participate in, sometime soon.

I am thrilled with the whole thing. And I love the cover. And I can't wait to hold a copy in my grubby manos.

You can read all about it here.

Over and out.

rob mclennan reviews 70 Kippers: The Dagmar Poems

So pleased to see this review of 70 Kippers: The Dagmar Poems, the new collection of collaborative poems by Michael Dennis and me! I like how reviewer rob mclennan, the Ottawa-based literary energizer bunny, delves into our collaboration as an act of friendship and a plunge into each other's approaches.

Photo by Alexander Monker

Over and out.

Nelson Ball Prize Shortlist

The judges of the inaugural Nelson Ball Prize, Beverley Daurio and James McDonald, have now released their shortlist. 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.

Photo by Kristan Aronson LAbbé

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

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

Mike Barnes, Braille Rainbow (Biblioasis, 2019)

Susan Gillis, Yellow Crane (Brick Books, 2018)

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

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

The winner will be announced in the next two weeks.

Over and out.