Editor’s Notes

Dear Readers,

After seven years of providing poetry, news, literary events and more, I thought it might be time to remind you of what it is we do and who does it.

What is Bywords?

Bywords.ca is a collective. No one person can do everything that it takes to make Bywords sing and dance. On the site on the left-hand side close to the bottom of the headings there is one entitled "About Bywords." You will see that we have two advisors, a webmaster, a managing editor and a selection committee. The latter tends to change a bit more than is listed on the site.

Right now there are thirteen members of the selection committee. They are tasked with voting on the poems monthly and quarterly for the Bywords Quarterly Journal, our print poetry magazine. We also have editors who help with the John Newlove Poetry Award Chapbook manuscripts. These editors are current or former Ottawa poets. Some of them still live in Ottawa, while a few of them are in Toronto and one is even in Australia.

Bywords.ca publishes poetry by current and former Ottawa students, residents and workers.

We have been fortunate to receive funding by the City of Ottawa since we began Bywords.ca in 2003.

Aside from poetry and literary events, we also post reviews, news, calls for submissions, contests and small press publishing news. This information is sent to us by local book sellers, writers and small press publishers, so they are also part of our team.

Finally we operate an on line store where we sell not only Bywords publications, such as the Bywords Quarterly Journals and chapbooks from our John Newlove Award Chapbook Series, but also poetry and fiction from local authors and published by local small press publishers.

It's a very active group and we rely on members of the community to help make Bywords the hub of useful and fun literary information that it is. While I guide and shape the vision of Bywords, I am not alone. Thanks to you for your support and participation in Bywords.

Enjoy this month's poetry selection by Stephen Rowntree, Rebecca Geleyn and Lindsay Foran.

Thanks to this month's selection committee:

Andrew Faulkner, Vanessa Davies, Megan McGrath, Leigh Nash, Kemisha Newman, Claudia Coutu Radmore, Carol A. Stephen, JC Sulzenko, and Victoria Vernell.

I hope you'll take part in the Walk for Life to raise awareness and funds for AIDS/HIV. The walk will take place starting at City Hall on September 19. Join our team "Ottawa Writers & Friends"

See you at the many events taking place in the city this month.

If you have questions or comments or jelly bellies, please e-mail me at amanda@bywords.ca

Amanda Earl