Editor’s Notes

Dear Readers,

Enjoy this month's issue, which features one previously published poet and two poets we've never published before. I'm always amazed and relieved that word about Bywords.ca manages to get around and we have a constant stream of excellent poetry to choose from.

Things are heating up in Ottawa and not just because of the temperature. As everybody returns from vacation, we're starting to see more literary events again. Celebrate Pride at Venus Envy's Reading Out Loud event, a free event with donations going to the Bursary Fund. Attend the Sawdust Reading Series at Pour Boy for adventures in poetry and great food and drinks, and meet the new In/Words editors at the In/Words Reading Series. Go to Octopus Books Centretown to participate in their book club talk on Sheila Heiti's "How Should A Person Be?" or Venus Envy's book club event to discuss Allison Moon & KD Diamond's "Girl Sex 101." Attend the Artistic Showcase for great music and spoken word. Celebrate the twenty-second anniversary of above/ground press with a poetry reading by yours truly and two out of town writers. Listen to the various literary shows on local community radio. Stock up on local poetry books before the snow hits. Look forward to the fall edition of the Ottawa International Writers Festival, which is releasing its programme at the time of this writing.

Thanks to our selection committee this month:

Robert Martin Evans
Jason Lamantia
Anne LeDressay
Fiona Mitchell
Kemisha Newman
Leslie Smith
Carol A. Stephen
JC Sulzenko

And please welcome new selection committee member, Leslie Smith, the owner and operator of Red House Honey. I think Leslie will add sweetness to the group; of course, we're already pretty darned sweet.

Finally thanks to the City of Ottawa for once again providing us with funding so that we can continue to offer great poetry from current and former Ottawans & provide literary and spoken word enthusiasts with information about events.

If you see me at an event, please say hello. I'd love to chat with you.

If you have comments, questions, suggestions, food that's easy on the tummy to offer, please e-mail me at amanda@bywords.ca.

For regular event updates, please follow us on Twitter or join our FaceBook fan page.

Amanda Earl