two upcoming (zoom) readings: Feb 15 (Poets Corner Reading Series) + Mar 15 (Lunch Poems at SFU)

So apparently I'm reading (virtually) twice in Vancouver over the next few weeks!

February 15: reading at Poets Corner Reading Series with Zoe Dickinson, Hannah Yerington and Catherine Lewis (a hybrid event, so in-person is possible for those in the Vancouver area). And there's even an open set! And I even recorded a video of me reading a short poem for the sake of their promotion, which they've posted to their YouTube channel. 7:30pm Pacific time. And who knows? I might even have a new chapbook by then.

March 15 (my birthday!): reading at Lunch Poems at SFU with Calgary poet and publisher Kyle Flemmer! noon-1pm Pacific time.

rob and Christine at Lunch Poems at SFU: a report,

Christine and I were fortunate enough to make our way to Vancouver last week (leaving our wee girls at home with their Oma, who was kind enough to watch them while we were away), to read at the monthly Lunch Poems at SFU series, lovingly hosted and co-curated by Renée Sarojini Saklikar. We’d originally been scheduled for last October, but Christine’s health wouldn’t allow for it, but we were able to reschedule for February, just in time to keep the funding from The League of Canadian Poets in the same fiscal year (so complicated). We flew out on Tuesday night, just making our flight, where we sat beside a four month old and her father; we assisted, of course. The baby sat with me for some time, and coughed on me repeatedly, which provided me with a head cold for many days once we returned home (I regret nothing).

It was a grand crowd! We’d already had a head’s-up that there would be a classroom’s worth of thirteen year olds (forty in all), but they barely made up half the assemblage of people attending: Fred Wah, Michael Turner, Daniel Cowper, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Laura Farina (who now assists with the series as well), Kevin Spenst, Pete Smith, Warren Dean Fulton, Meredith Quartermain, Michael Edwards, Ted Byrne, Diane Tucker, Jenny Penberthy, George Stanley and many others. It was glorious! Although at least half the people I wished to say hello to had vanished by the time I had any attention, and Warren flew in and out during Christine's reading (apparently he was "at work," so wasn't technically there at all), but he did slip me a couple of new Pooka Press items.

I focused on reading from the "book of magazine verse" manuscript, which includes my new above/ground press chapbook and my new Anstruther Press chapbook. It was odd to read a poem referencing Quartermain and Turner with them both in the room, as well. Christine read sprinklings of both her published collections, as well as her third manuscript-in-progress. 

One thing I quite like about this series is that we were taken to lunch after, and it was grand to be able to spend some time talking to Renée and Laura (I see her so rarely, that every time I do, she's living in a different province; the last time I saw her was in spring 2008, when she was working at Banff under Steve Ross Smith; I originally met her when I read to her grade ten class at Ottawa's Canterbury High School), as well as some good time with George Stanley, who has an above/ground press chapbook forthcoming (meaning that all three of our poet-lunch companions have now been published through the press). Renée was also good enough to take us to The Paper Hound, where, of course, we spent handfuls of our book-money on even more books.

We flew in the night prior, which was an improvement over what I’d done with Stephen Brockwell [see my report on such here] three years earlier, when we left Ottawa at 4am Ottawa time and landed in just enough time to read at noon Vancouver time, and stay only the one night. Christine and I stayed two nights, at least, and at the infamous Sylvia Hotel, no less. As Christine was aware, I'd published a poem on Errol Flynn, who infamously (also) stayed his last nights at Vancouver's Sylvia Hotel, attended by Dr. Gould (uncle of Glenn), who would witness the actor's death. Here it is, a poem from my poetry collection paper hotel (Broken Jaw Press, 2002):

errol flynns last lover


breaking 40 years of silence & bad stigma,
            well after his swash & buckle days.

dying of everything in vancouver, a failure
            made complete - of liver, heart.

like malcolm lowry, death by misadventure,
            an accidental yankee caught for good.

theres love at seventeen & then theres this, the starlet
            & the alcoholic cad, old misfit.

the magic of life & bigger than, shrunk down to copy,
            when none of it matters. never did.

as the couple lands in canada, 1959, the final stop
            in all adventuring. the airplane touching earth.

Oh, Errol Flynn, you damned, damned fool. Apparently the hotel was also a favourite of Malcolm Lowry. Christine had stayed once prior, with Sandra Ridley, during a reading tour they were doing a few years back, so she had some familiarity with it. English Bay, which always makes me think of Victoria. They have one in Vancouver too? Oh, yes. And after the reading we didn't do much, didn't stray much, exhausted. We deliberately, it seemed, refused to adjust for the time-change, which meant we were up at 5am local time, but in bed at 7:30pm. We wandered the beach for a bit. We made for dinner. We made for our room.

Part of the benefit of that was being up in the morning for our flight, with a 7am opportunity to have coffee with Vancouver poet and critic Soma Feldmar, who I hadn't previously met, despite our years of email correspondence. She was absolutely delightful! And I loved her first book. She should have more poems out in the world. Don't you think? She was even good enough to drive us to the airport, which allowed for a slightly longer visit (and we barely made our flight, honestly). Maybe next time we'll stay a bit longer?

rob + Stephen read in Vancouver : a (brief) report,

Last week, Stephen Brockwell (with recent Mansfield Press title in-hand) and I spent less than thirty hours in Vancouver for the sake of a reading as part of the Lunch Poems at SFU series, lovingly hosted by series co-curator, poet (and above/ground press author) Renée Sarojini Saklikar. On Wednesday morning, my alarm went off at 5:30am for a 7:15am flight, and we went directly from landing in Vancouver (10am local time) to our reading downtown. Madness!

I was quite taken with both venue and crowd, and was finally able to meet lary bremner, a Vancouver poet and former Tsunami Editions editor/publisher (as well as above/ground press author) that has returned to Canada (after twenty-plus years in Japan) since I was last out west. Other luminaries at our reading included Renee Rodin, Fred Wah and Pauline Butling, Michael Barnholden, Nathaniel G. Moore, Carol Reid, Stephen Collis (who has a second above/ground press title announcing in March, following this one from last year), Kevin Spenst, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Warren Fulton and Rolf Maurer. What an event! And we even sold books! And I gained a new above/ground press subscriber! It was nice to be able to launch my new poetry title, A perimeter (New Star) with editor/publisher Rolf in the crowd as well, so I could attempt to properly thank him. I read the entirety of the title poem, which apparently was recorded, so at some point you might even be able to hear the reading, as well as subsequent post-reading questions-and-answers.

Renée was even good enough to take us for lunch, immediately following the reading. Apparently this is a tradition for their series. After that, Rolf and Renée insisted we be introduced to a bookstore that has opened since I've been in town, The Paper Hound (which I would highly recommend, for both new and used titles). I picked up a couple items, including Maggie Nelson's Bluets (Wave, 2009).

Given ours was a noon reading, and we were in town so briefly, we met up for drinks with a few folk later that evening. I attempted a later-afternoon nap, but just couldn't manage it, instead hanging quietly around the hotel room with notebook and books for a rare period of quiet reading and scribbling. [the photo might give a sense of the sleep-deprived haze I was in the midst of] Given the babies, that is quite a rarity these days. lary was incredibly generous in gifting us small handfuls of older publications, which we joyfully scooped up, including one of George Bowering's old Beaver Kosmos titles, Warren Tallman's THREE ESSAYS ON CREELEY (1973), something I've long wished to get my hands upon.

We couldn't believe: January, and there were people milling about in the outdoor pool of the hotel, directly below our window. Oh Vancouver, we enjoyed not having to wear all of our heavy gear and sweaters. But the rain.

Meeting up for drinks, we were able to interact with Donato Mancini, Mercedes Eng (I was able to pick up a copy of the new edition of her book! note that she is giving away a pdf of the new edition on her website), Peter and Meredith Quartermain, Diane Tucker, lary bremner, Heather Haley and Rolf Maurer. A grand time! And, apparently Donato and Mercy both have forthcoming titles with Talonbooks? By the time Donato and I ended the evening and I made my way back to the hotel, I think I'd actually been twenty-three hours awake.

The following morning, Stephen had meetings, so I quietly made my way to Macleod Books after an hour or so scratching out poem-drafts amid breakfast and books and newspaper. And postcards sent home to the children. In the bookstore, I met a young staff person who recognized me, and offered regret at missing our event (I handed him chapbooks, naturally). I told him it could be another five years!

Awaiting Stephen post-meeting (given check-out was at noon), I spent some three hours in the hotel lobby reading Maggie Nelson (a book I'll discuss in a day or two). Oh, the glory of solitude and extended silence. Reading.

Before leaving the next day, we had a quick dinner at the airport, where I made Stephen pose with his best "Henry Rollins" look (he has a poem in his new collection referencing being mistaken for a variety of people, including Rollins). We were meant to fly out around 5:20pm (Vancouver time), but of course, we were delayed on the ground some forty minutes or so due to mechanical issues. Without checked bags, we went straight from landed airplane to cabs, and I was in bed by 3am, exhausted.

WEDNESDAY! rob mclennan & Stephen Brockwell read in Vancouver at Lunch Poems at SFU

I can't believe that more than a decade has passed since I last read in Vancouver.

Going back through blog entries, I've discovered that yes, indeed, it was November 6, 2006 when I last read in Vancouver, as part of the Robson Reading Series with Stephen Brockwell. I seem to have posted a ridiculous array of tour notes on my month-long trek from Prince George, British Columbia all the way back home, as well as into the UK with Brockwell as well (posting reports on such here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here). You are welcome to completely ignore any and all of these notes, by the by.

So there it is: my triumphant return to Vancouver after more than a decade! Thanks much to Wayde Compton and Renee Saklikar for all their efforts to bring us out, and to Stephen for getting us there. And: twenty years since I first read back in the city, with Clare Latremouille and Kathryn Payne. Can you believe it? Ah, me.

Oh Vancouver, might we see you on Wednesday?

rob mclennan & Stephen Brockwell read in Vancouver at Lunch Poems at SFU

Lunch Poems at SFU is a unique vibrant exchange of poetic ideas and cadence held the third Wednesday of every month, noon to 1 pm, in the Teck Gallery at Simon Fraser University's Harbour Centre Campus.