Editor’s Notes

Dear readers,

Spring is the time of the interval, the in-between. We are on the cusp between two seasons. Winter’s ice has melted, leaving behind fragile, yielding earth. The angle of light has changed, hinting at summer’s heat, but in mid-April, the nights are still winter cold. This month’s poems deal with the theme of transition, taking us from winter to spring, from loss to celebration, from life’s complexities to the simple joy of everyday things.

Bywords is also in transition with a number of changes to the site. There’s now a frequently asked questions section for your queries. Take a look at some of the FAQs we’ve received since we started. If you have any questions about how things work, feel free to send me an e-mail at editor@bywords.ca. Anything that comes up often will be posted on the FAQ page.

You’ll also notice a new links page called blogs. We’ll post blogs on poetry: theory, writing process, publishing and reviews. While our focus is on local writers, we’ve also included and will include blogs from not-so-local folk if they deal with matters of relevance and interest to writers and readers of poetry. Blogs have created an instant means of dialogue between writers and readers, and inspired people to get their hands on poetry that might otherwise remain in obscurity. Bloggers are candid, controversial and articulate independent thinkers, unrestrained by the agendas of any publisher. If you have a blog or read blogs that focus on any of the above themes, please send me the links and I’ll add them.

Not all of Bywords’ activities were virtual last month. We held our launch of “This Is Not A Family Venue” at the Dusty Owl on March 20th to a full house. Ilker, our singer/guitarist, performed spectacularly, inspiring people to get up and dance: a first at one of our readings. The readers did an exceptional job and the sound system was fabulous. To purchase your copy of the collection, please visit our on line store. Thanks to the Dusty Owl for hosting us and inspiring us to publish this collection.

Our upcoming Chapters readerings are on April 17 and July 17. Hope you can attend!

Thanks to this month’s selection committee:

Jesse Ferguson, Joe Goski, Stéphanie Lafleur, Kemisha Newman, Sarah Ruffolo, Genevieve Wesley, and Christine Zadorozny.

Comments, questions or kudos can be sent to me at editor@bywords.ca.

Amanda Earl