an interview and two reviews, courtesy of monsieur mclennan

Ottawa poet and production machine rob mclennan has been very supportive of me lately—or maybe just particularly interested in what I'm up to. Anyways, either way, I'm glad for any attention my writing attracts.

On his substack, he wrote about my 2022 short-story collection, I Am Claude François and You Are a Bathtub. I'm extremely proud of that book, and I think it is unlike any other short-story collection released in Canada in the past many years. But it got almost zero attention — just a couple of reviews. But I guess that's the way the CloClo crumbles.

Shortly after he posted that piece, rob posted the first review of my new poetry collection, The Sky Is a Sky in the Sky, officially out on September 10 from Coach House Books. I have no idea how the collection will be received. Maybe it will vanish into thin air. But I am determined to sell lots of copies!

And just today, rob posted an interview with me conducted by my friend Stan Rogal, a very fine poet and fictioneer, and a very fine guy. It musta been like pulling teeth getting those answers from me. It took me months to send Stan back my responses. But I think Stan and I covered a lot of ground, and it turned out well.

And that's where it all stands today.

Over and out.