Editor’s Notes

Greetings Readers,

This month's issue features work by three poets and rob mclennan's review of Jason Christie's Unknown Actor (Insomniac Press, 2013). I hope you enjoy the issue. If you're a current or former Ottawa student, resident or worker, please send us poems for upcoming issues of Bywords.ca. Take a look at the guidelines on the site.

Poems published between September, 2013 and August 2014 will be considered for the 2014 John Newlove Poetry Award. I'm pleased to announce that next year's judge is Toronto poet Camille Martin whose work I greatly admire. Camille is not only a great poet with four collections of poetry published, but she also makes beautiful and provocative collage art. Take a look at her website camillemartin.ca.

Speaking of the John Newlove Poetry Award, we are in the process of preparing for this year's award ceremony and reading to take place at the Ottawa International Writers Festival on October 25, 2013. The 2013 Newlove Award judge, Alice Burdick had this to say about this year's winning poem.

It is succinct, funny, and disturbing all in one. An irreverent revery about escape, and its potentially dire result. The words are carefully chosen, but not precious, and effectively shaped into a potent little poem.

At the time of writing this month's editor's notes, Bywords.ca team members and friends are about to participate in Ottawa's annual AIDS Walk for Life, a community fundraising effort we have been involved in for a decade. Thanks to members of the Bywords.ca community who graciously donated money to our fundraising campaign. We are raising money for Bruce House, an organization which provides support to those in the community living with AIDS/HIV and their families. I will let you know how we did next month.

Have you taken a look at the Bywords.ca calendar of events lately? It is full to bursting with literary events. The Ottawa International Writers Festival has some pre-festival events this month and next; The A B Series and the Tree Reading Series have returned after a summer hiatus. Plan 99 has a great fall line up. The Ottawa Public Library has a terrific author series and workshops spread across the City at its various branches. Books on Beechwood has begun a new series of Books N Brew author events at the Clocktower Pub in New Edinburg, not to mention the ongoing Dusty Owl Reading Series, In/Words, Capital Poetry Collective…the list goes on. I hope you can take part in some of these great literary events this fall. Come say hi if you see me.

Thanks to our selection committee:

Janie Beriault
Fiona Mitchell
Pamela Mosher
Kemisha Newman
Claudia Coutu Radmore
Sarah-Grace Ross
JC Sulzenko

If you have questions, suggestions, comments or a steaming mug of apple cider to offer, please e-mail me at amanda@bywords.ca.

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Amanda Earl