Episode 7, The Small Machine Talks, recorded Sunday, January 8, 2017 with a.m. kozak, Amanda Earl and special guest, Claire Farley
0.00 INTRODUCTION: We welcome Claire Farley, who we will interview in the next episode. We discuss recent events. Aaron saw Black Denim at Bar Robo, a funk hip hop band, went to the last event at Gallery 101 for Tree and his tendency to shut down locales for series, often being the last performer. Claire wishes she could have attended that and the Sawdust reading with Chris Johnson, Marilyn Irwin and David Collins, We discuss how packed the event was, the presence of Toronto folk. Aaron mentions how touched he was hearing friends read. We praise Marilyn’s timing and the blue, blue there and Chris’s the interesting autobiographical sense of his Buzzfeed quiz poems, the new Froghollow chapbook, the fundraising for White Helmets with delicious homebaked desserts. We discuss Amanda’s loss of mojo at the door prizes at Sawdust, Rhys, the excellent bartender at Pour Boy. We talk about the Peter F. Yacht Club annual regatta, reading, xmas party and the purloining of a pillow as inspiration for the group’s name. Amanda remembers Pearl’s excellent chocolate brownies. Claire talks about the Visual Poetry Exhibit at the University of Ottawa and the thrills of exposing new people to visual poetry. Amanda reminisces about the 2008 Post-Modernism Conference, including a drinking game, a public reading with Robert Kroetsch, the upcoming Robert Kroetsch conference in the spring. Amanda asks to be invited to public readings.
11:50 EVENTS WISH LIST
Aaron was a good boy and didn’t need to have a wish list.
Amanda chooses Robin Richardson’s Unsympathetic Voice in Poetry Workshop. We discuss making the audience and oneself uncomfortable. Claire talks about regrets after pressing submit, feeling insufferable.
Amanda’s blue sky wish list event is a Venetian Ball on September 3, 1951 and her wish to befriend the forgotten bohemian queen of Paris, Leonor Fini. Amanda worries she’s writing too much about obscure bohemian libertines.
17:15 UPCOMING EVENTS
We discuss poetry and other events taking place in Ottawa, Toronto, London, Waterloo, Montreal, Aaron mentions Blue Mondays and its rebellion against the calendar. Amanda talks extensively about Hot-Sauced Words’ “Give Me a Line” and its poetry-themed writing challenge. Amanda mentions that “dynamic” has become the word of 2017. Amanda talks about judging the poem-off at Sawdust and choosing Fiona Mitchell’s work. The 1,000 Birds event with Lilian Neckacov, a PEN Canada fundraiser. Aaron talks about Words on Stages issue 17 launch. Amanda wishes Jacqueline Valencia would read in Ottawa. Aaron mentions Suzanna Derewicz’s poem about the Central. We muse about getting free drinks at the Central, since our podcast explores the poetry of Central Canada. Aaron is possibly the sole poet reading at the Carleton U Arts Gallery. We discuss the venerable Hart House Review and Amanda’s sorrowful record at the University of Toronto. Our motto is now “people will find it.” Aaron talks about Facilitate run by Joseph Ianni and also the press, “Death Cookies Soup Press.” We talk about the upcoming In/Words launch of Sarah MacDonnell’s chapbook, which we’re all excited to read. Aaron was the editor of the chapbook. Liam Burke, one of the Sawdust hosts, is opening for Sarah. Aaron and I are both reading at the Ottawater launch toward the end of the month. Claire asks about Poetic Intentions, the reading series with a theme.
32:55 CURRENT READS
Claire’s been reading academic articles, but also shall read Erin Wunker’s Notes from a Feminist Killjoy. She also has received the Slow Poetry in America Newsletter featuring a poem as a broadside.
Aaron read Chris Johnson’s stumbly haibun from Frog Hollow Press.
Amanda has read Mary Ruefle’s My Private Property and Arc Poetry Magazine’s Art in the End Times issue, chock a block with compelling reads and art.
42:32: NEWS
Tree moves back to Black Squirrel Books. Claire talks about their renovation. Workshops will take place downstairs and mentions the PDA Gallery that is now downstairs. Amanda talks about Pokemon Slam Poetry. Claire plans to write Dragonball Z poems.
44:40 CALLS, CONTESTS, FUNDRAISERS
Note that most of these got cut off on the recording because the recorder’s memory card was full. Oops. Here’s what you would have heard about if we hadn’t filled up the card:
JANUARY 15, 2017 The Quilliad Press’s Second Annual Chapbook Call
https://thequilliad.wordpress.com/2016/12/13/the-quilliad-presss-second-annual-chapbook-call/ 10-20 pages of poetry and/or flash fiction from a Canadian writer who has never had a chapbook or full-length book published
January 16, 2017 In/Words Magazine’s Digital Love issue
January 30, 2017 – Tree Press Chapbook Contest This contest is for those who come to keep the seats warm at The Tree Reading Series, those who come to the Seed workshops, or are regulars at the Tree open mic readings.The prize is now $250 and ten copies of your chapbook http://www.treereadingseries.ca/awards/chapbook-competition
January 31, 2017 – The Maynard http://themaynard.org/submissions.html
February 1, 2017 – The Malahat Review 2017 Long Poem Poetry Prize http://www.malahatreview.ca/contests/long_poem_prize/info.html
February 1, 2017 -Arc Poetry Magazine -Poem of the Year
February 1, 2017 League of Canadian Poets National Broadsheet Contest- deadline
February 3, 2017 Canadian Authors Association – National Capital Writing Contest – deadline : February 3, 2017
March 1, 2017 – The Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry
winner receives a trade paperback contract with Insomniac Press; judge is Wayde Compton https://matrixmagazine.submittable.com/submit
march 1, 2017 Call for Submissions: Impossible Archetype – poems from LBGTQ+ folk
march 31, 2017 – The Horsebroke Press Poems for Kids by Their Folks
http://bywords.ca/newsdb/items/aZ0tD35XY0.htm
march 31, 2017 – Vallum Chapbook Award
1st Prize: PUBLICATION + $125; entry fee is $25
http://www.vallummag.com/chapbookrules.html
Apparatus: A Collection of Experimental Poetry, Prose & Art from Inspiritus Press out of Toronto is looking for $500 to create A book of bold, gritty, thought-provoking literature & photography from 15 unique contributors. The universe of the body revealed. An 80 page collection with work by a bunch of people I haven’t heard of & Evan Hoskins. The perks include a custom story, t-shirts, copies of the book, VIP hangout for a day with the team for Toronto residents only. The book is being launched at the Slackline Series in February.
Rolling Deadline – The Claremont Review weeks works by writers between 13 and 19.
http://www.theclaremontreview.ca/submit
ADDITIONAL LINKS
The Unsympathetic Voice In Poetry; Courage, Clarity, Truth, Uncertainty By Robin Richardson
Venetian Ball, September 1951
http://www.messynessychic.com/2017/01/05/oh-to-have-been-in-venice-on-the-night-of-september-3rd-1951/ “
The Forgotten Bohemian Queen of the Paris Art World
The Watering Hole – a weekly podcast with Barâa Arar and Buraidah Aslami Razack
https://whpod.com/
Hot-Sauced Words http://www.hotsaucedwords.ca/
Death Cookies Soup Press
https://www.facebook.com/deathcookiesoup/
Slow Poetry in American Newsletter
https://slowpoetryinamerica.wordpress.com/slow-poetry-in-america-newsletter/
Stay tuned for our interview with Claire Farley, to be posted mid-January, 2017. Until then, thanks for listening and happy new year!