Editor’s Notes

Greetings dear readers,

As of the date of publication of this issue, we are eight days from autumn. Can you feel it? In this month's poems, Marilyn Irwin gives us Star Trek and mini eggs and regret, Elliott Dunstan, the granite voice of a bridge, and Brittany Amell, fighting hummingbirds. Sylvia Adams offers a fine review of Susan McMaster's Haunt (Black Moss Press, 2018). I hope the issue leaves you spellbound and comfy and craving chocolate and ghosts.

I'm always relieved to receive submissions for Bywords.ca from a variety of emerging and established poets. When we first started the online magazine, we were told that there wouldn't be enough poets with an Ottawa connection, and some months, when submissions are low, I am haunted by that prediction.

It is difficult with all the noise of the Internet to get the word out, to let poets know that we are here and that we pay (current rate is $40 per published poem) and that poems published are eligible for the John Newlove Poetry Award, which comes with all kinds of lovely treats and opportunities. It is sometimes tempting to open up the magazine to those who have no Ottawa connection, but I think it is important to remind people with a negative attitude about Ottawa as a cultural backwater, that Ottawa has and always will be a cultural centre, not just because of public institutions like Library and Archives Canada, but also because of grassroots poetry magazines like ours, series like the Tree Reading Series, one of the longest literary series in Canada, and Arc Poetry Magazine, which is celebrating its fortieth anniversary this year. The chief reason that Bywords.ca exists is to publish and promote those who have lived, worked or studied in Ottawa, so that people know that Ottawa is more than just the bureaucratic arm of the country.

Poets with a host of achievements were first published by Bywords.ca or had their first readings with us. I like to think that our methods of sending out automated acknowledgments, giving poets accounts so they can revoke simultaneous submissions and see the status of their poems, responding within three months with a yay or nay and having a blind vote that doesn't consider a poet's credentials makes us a great journal to entrust your poetry to. If you agree, I urge you to share our call for submission with current and former Ottawa students, residents and workers: http://bywords.ca/newsdb/items/FmPSwEM2cb.htm

It is an honour and a privilege to read and publish the work of poets new to sharing their poetry and those who are well-published. I do not take the responsibility lightly. With the publication of every issue, I receive thrilled responses from the poets whose work is featured, and it makes my day.

Thanks to our selection committee this month:

Wes Babcock
Robert Martin Evans
Margo Lapierre
Tanya Mead
Kemisha Newman
Jade Riordan
Carol A. Stephen
JC Sulzenko
Rob Thomas

If you have comments, suggestions, questions or a hot apple pastry to offer, contact me at amanda@bywords.ca.

Amanda Earl
Managing Editor

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