Editor’s Notes

Happy National Poetry Month, dear readers.

This month's issue offers a series of unrelated fragments, a giant sopping bug, a plea for us to slow things down and a contemplation of homelessness. Bywords.ca selection committee member, Rob Thomas reviews Brandon Wint's spoken word CD, Infinite Mercies. I hope you enjoy the issue.

We have reviews for the next few months but could always use more, since our aim is to publish a review every month. We are looking for reviews of recent Canadian poetry chapbooks, books and spoken word CDs. The reviews must be written by Canadians. They must be 500-1000 words and include a reviewer bio. We pay $75 for a previously unpublished review. If you would like to do a review, you can send the review (doc, docx, rtf file) or a query to amanda@bywords.ca.

If you've never written a review before, this is a great opportunity to try. My advice is to read reviews in literary journals, such as Arc Poetry Magazine and Bywords.ca, or the Puritan and see what aspects you find the most effective. In my opinion, a good review offers a description of the work with specific examples of technique. If the work is by an established poet, it's a good idea to read other collections of their poetry, especially a selected or collected edition. In this way, you can compare and contrast the style, technique and voice of the current collection to previously published poetry and note whether the work you are reviewing is a departure or follows similar lines.

You should remember that a review is an essay and therefore must follow the same rules of rhetoric and structure that guide the creation of any essay. Read your review over for typos, particularly in the spelling of the author's name and any excerpts you include in your review. Read it for coherence and logic. Avoid making sweeping and general statements about poetry. Avoid making statements without substantiation from the text. Avoid personal references to your own life. Constructive criticism is fine, as long as it is constructive and not personally insulting. If you have advice and observations about how to write a good review, please let me know. I'd love to see a how to article on the subject, we could share with potential reviewers.

Now how about getting your nose out of a book or the Internet and seek poetry and society at the numerous poetry readings taking place this month at pubs, libraries, bookstores, and cafes near you. Check out the Bywords.ca calendar for information about poetry readings and other literary, spoken word, storytelling and nonfiction events this month and beyond.

Speaking of events, the Tree Reading Series, Ottawa's longest running literary series and one of the longest running series in Canada, is in need of your help. It is experiencing a funding shortfall for the current season which ends at the end of June and the 2018/2019 season. You can help by donating to its Go Fund Me campaign. This series has been an important part of Ottawa's literary history and must continue to thrive. Through the Tree Reading Series, audiences have had the opportunity to experience the work of poets from Ottawa, but also poets from other cities and provinces. There are very few opportunities to hear and meet poets from out of town if funding is lacking. Tree has also been a supportive of emerging poets through its contests and free workshops. Please help if you can. And if you're attending an event, don't forget to bring cash for the hat as well.

Thanks to our selection committee this month:

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

If you have questions, comments, suggestions or a balmy spring day to offer, please contact me at amanda@bywords.ca.

Amanda Earl

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