Editor’s Notes

Greetings Readers,

For the month of May, our poets write of struggle and comfort, of not belonging and trying to belong.

On a recent Saturday in May, there were ten events on the Bywords.ca calendar. Whether you are a book collector, a mystery fan, a foodie who loves cookbooks, a political junkie, a poetry lover, a sci fi fan or comic book reader, there is something for you to enjoy in any given month. If you are a poet, a spoken word artist, a novelist, a short story writer, a story teller, a nonfiction writer, there are opportunities for you to learn your craft and to share your work with others. Bywords represents a community of enthusiasts of literature as creators or appreciators or both. The City thrives with opportunities to participate in or attend readings, slams, storytelling, book fairs, writing festivals, workshops, signings, book clubs and symposia. Our job is to inform you about these events. and opportunities and to let you know that you belong. We do this not only through our events calendar and news sections of the site but also through our social media accounts on FaceBook and on Twitter @bywordsdotca where I send out updates about what is going on each day. Please follow us if you want daily updates.

I remind current and former Ottawa residents, students and workers that we are here also to publish your poetry. Every month we offer a new issue featuring both emerging and established poets. For further information, please refer to the guidelines on the site. You are welcome to send me questions at any time if you are unclear about any aspect of the guidelines.

Thanks to our selection committee this month:

Wes Babcock
Robert Martin Evans
Anne LeDressay
Tanya Mead
Fiona Mitchell
Kemisha Newman
Leslie Smith
Carol A. Stephen
JC Sulzenko
Rob Thomas

If you have questions, comments, suggestions or a bowl of warming soup to offer, please contact me at amanda@bywords.ca.

Amanda Earl
Managing Editor

For regular event updates, please follow us on Twitter or join our FaceBook fan page.