Editor’s Notes

Dear Readers,

Coffee seems to be a common theme in July, or at least drinking in general. Also grief, jubilation and bubbles come up, and are mixed with a little ars poetica. I hope you enjoy the poems in this month's issue.

Speaking of bubbles, it's time to pop open the sparkling wine once more. Bywords has received funding from the City of Ottawa for 2016. We are grateful.

The Bywords team is in the final stages of edits of Ronald Seatter's manuscript, "Dreampunk," which will be launched at the Ottawa International Writers Festival this October. Ronald's poem "The, in therapy" won the 2015 John Newlove Poetry Award; the judge was Matthew Rader.

The 2016 award will be judged by Kimmy Beach, who will be reviewing poems published on Bywords.ca from September, 2015 to August, 2016. We will make the announcement at the reading in October. July 15 is the final day to send poems for the August issue.

We welcome, Amanda Besserer, the newest member of our selection committee.

While literary events are not as frequent in the summer months, your Bywords team continues with our program: reading submissions, editing, promoting local literary activity and planning for the year ahead.

Thanks to our selection committee this month:

Robert Martin Evans
Jason Lamantia
Anne LeDressay
Kemisha Newman
Carol A. Stephen
JC Sulzenko

If you have questions, comments, suggestions or a potent cocktail to offer, please e-mail me at amanda@bywords.ca.

Amanda Earl

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