Editor’s Notes

Happy June, readers.

This month's issue features poems by Stephen Rowntree and Cameron Anstee, accidentally rhyming last names. In addition we have Lesley Mayhew and Misha Kalachov, two secondary students from Cyril Dabydeen's Mini Enrichment writing workshop at the University of Ottawa who are sharing their poetry here and hopefully at our July reading.

Speaking of the July 20th reading, I hope to see many of you there. I'm still arranging the details but I can let you in on a scoop: the musicians for the afternoon will be Mike Yates and the Candidates, performing an unplugged acoustic set.

And don't forget to come out to the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair on June 21 at the Jack Purcell Centre to meet members of Ottawa's small press community and to buy books, zines, chapbooks and other fine things. Bywords will be there along with above/ground press, In/Words, the Puritan, Dusty Owl Press and many others, including some folk from out of town like Stuart Ross' Proper Tales Press.

The Bywords team is currently working with last year's Newlove winner, Sean Moreland on his chapbook manuscript which will be launched at the Ottawa International Writers Festival for the John Newlove Poetry Award Reading to take place in October.

There's still time to send in your submissions for August, the final month of eligibility for this year's Newlove Award judged by George Bowering. Hope to see more poems. And thanks to all of you who have sent us your work.

Finally thanks to this month's selection committee:

Andrew Faulkner, Stéphanie Lafleur, Marcus McCann, Megan McGrath, and Pearl Pirie.

If you have comments, watermelon juice or a cool breeze to send my way, you can reach me at editor@bywords.ca or stop by the fair or many of the readings happening this summer.

Amanda Earl