Editor’s Notes

Greetings dear readers,

In this month's issue Colin Morton updates his address book, Jeff Blackman imagines a parallel universe of better fatherhood, Chris Johnson gives us a self-portrait from 1911, and Rachel Small muses about love and a two-headed calf. I hope you enjoy the issue.

While literary organizations cannot hold in-person readings, many are continuing to do so virtually. One of these organizations is In Our Tongues Reading and Art Series, which began last year in order to showcase Ottawa's BIPOC artists and writers. In their first season, from fall 2019 to spring 2020 they held seven events. The series celebrated National Indigenous History Month, Asian Heritage Month, and Black History Month.

In just a few months, In Our Tongues has become an important and essential part of Ottawa's literary community. They have demonstrated a caring and supportive attitude from the beginning. And this year, when Covid-19 began, the organizers of the series, with help from anonymous donors, started two community relief funds to help BIPOC artists in need.

When many of us were seeking ways in which we can fight against anti-Black racism and support Black people in our community and beyond, In Our Tongues provided a constructive list of resources and featured Resources for Black Healing, a list created by Micalah Webster, a Black woman and social worker.

I wish to congratulate In Our Tongues Reading and Art Series on its successful first season and to commend the organizers for the exceptionally caring and supportive community outreach work they are doing. The series is a model which Ottawa's literary community can learn from and be inspired by. I'm looking forward to the autumn and the start of their second season. You can help them pay their artists, photographers, videographers and sound crew through your donations.

This month I welcome a new member of our selection committee: Marjorie Silverman. Marjorie had a poem published on Bywords.ca in 2019 and is a welcome member of the team.

Thanks to our selection committee this month:

Jesse Aubin
Wes Babcock
Ellen Chang-Richardson
Robert Martin Evans
Margo Lapierre
Kemisha Newman
Ashley Prince
Jade Riordan
Marjorie Silverman
Carol A. Stephen
JC Sulzenko

I hope you are coping in these unsettling times.

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

Amanda Earl
Managing Editor

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