ottawater number two now available

Founded to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the City of Ottawa, Canada's glorious capital city, "ottawater," and its chemical formula/logo "O2(H2O)," is a poetry annual produced exclusively on-line, in both readable and printable pdf formats. An anthology focusing on Ottawa poets and poetics, its first issue appeared in January 2005, 150 years after old Bytown became the City of Ottawa. A second issue, launched January 2006, is now available.

Long seen only as a town still echoing its origins as a backwater Victorian lumber town, and made up of bureaucrats and technocrats, and a more conservative poetics, "ottawater," edited by Ottawa-born writer, editor and publisher rob mclennan, exists to remind readers of what work is happening, and has been happening for years, despite government types insisting on repeating that the arts in Ottawa is about to begin. We say instead: we have always been here.

The second issue features work by various residents current and former, including: Stephanie Bolster, Louis Cabri, Rhonda Douglas, Jesse Ferguson, Anita Lahey, Nicholas Lea, Anne Le Dressay, Karen Massey, Una McDonnell, Colin Morton, Jennifer Mulligan, Nicholas Power, K. I. Press, Shane Rhodes, Sandra Ridley and Ian Whistle, interviews with poets Monty Reid and Chris Turnbull, and reviews of work by Diana Brebner, William Hawkins and Nadine McInnis, as well as artwork by Jennifer Kwong, Jeremy Reid, Kerry Cavlovic, Amy Thompson, and Sacha Leclair.

The launch party for the second issue will be happening Thursday, January 26th, 2006 at the Mercury Lounge, 56 Byward Street, Ottawa, from 8pm to 10pm, lovingly hosted by rob mclennan. After short readings by various contributors, stick around for a drink, and listen to resident dj Trevor Walker host Mui Afro Funke, playing Latin and African influenced musics, jazz funk, and house music later on into the night.

ottawater would like to thank designer Tanya Sprowl, Mercury Lounge's Lance Baptiste, the ottawa international writers festival, and Randy Woods at non-linear creations for their continuing support.