What led you to submit to RED SKIES?
Much of my work during this pandemic has been apocalyptic in nature.
What writers and artists have inspired you?
The list of those who have inspired me is in no particular order, and is often changing. Jim Johnstone, Kirby, Robert Frede Kenter, Jason Heroux, Carl Phillips, Stuart Ross, Chris Banks, Terese Mason Pierre, Anton Pooles, Chantel Neveu, Robin Richardson, Nelson Ball, Bill Bissett – and many others. What projects are you currently engaged in?
I’m working on two manuscripts simultaneously which is a lot of fun and hard work. I’m also plugging away at the whole Floodlight Editions thing-a-ma-jig. Visual poetry is something that I have been dabbling in. How have you spent the year 2020?
I launched two different chapbooks of mine. My debut chapbook “In Flocks of Three to Five” was published by Anstruther Press. My second chapbook, “The Incubus” was published by Roaring Junior Press. Thank you to Jim Johnstone and Erica Smith at Anstruther, and Tim Tarkelly at Roaring Junior. I have written a lot during the pandemic, especially the first seven months.
If you could pick a single book to have during quarantine, what would it be?
Etel Adnan’s “Time” won the Griffin Poetry Prize this year in the international category. Sarah Riggs translated the work, and Nightboat Books is the publisher.
What has your experience been as both the editor-in-chief and founder of Floodlight Editions? How do you balance your creative work to that of an editor? And, what inspired you to establish Floodlight Editions?
The beauty of having a tiny press is that the projects are small. I already work sixty hours a week, so I do not have time for much else. We’re looking at two chapbooks a year. There is also a free digital anthology that I’m putting together thanks to the hard work of so many poets.
Is community important to your writing? Are there any magazines or small presses that you feel a strong attachment to?
Community is important in writing. How we view community is different now because of Covid and social media. I’ve stayed loyal to the presses I like by viewing their virtual readings.
I feel connected to many of the small presses and magazines/journals in Canada. I like some of the small presses in America and the U.K. I’m no expert.
If I were to give a list it would be way too big. As far as magazines and journals go, I would say that Train, Ice Floe Press, Augur Magazine, Dreich Mag, and Talking About Strawberries All of the Time come out with some pretty amazing work. I read a lot of work from the different presses. Anstruther Press, Knife Fork Book, Penteract Press, Ice Floe Press, Insomniac Press, The Soapbox Press, Book*hug Press, Nightwood Editions, Vehicule Press - Signal Editions, Signature Editions, Caitlin Press, Brick Books, Rahila’s Ghost Press, Baseline Press, Frog Hollow Press, Goose Lane Editions – Icehouse Press, Arsenal Pulp Press, Anvil Press, Palimpsest Press, ECW Press, Wolsak & Wynn, above/ground press, Coven Editions, and Roaring Junior Press.
These are just some of the presses I read in no particular order. I’m a bit of a nerd. Reading helps with not being very social to begin with – especially in these times.
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