Ongoing notes: the ottawa small press book fair (part three : Claudia Souto Cuello (trans. by the author + Stuart Ross,

[Mia Morgan of Coven Editions and Dr. Dessa Bayrock of post ghost press]

[see the first part of these notes here; see the second part of these notes here]

Cobourg ON/Switzerland: Every few months, there emerges further conversation how there isn’t enough literary translation occurring through Canadian publishing (Jérôme Melançon conducted a really compelling interview recently with Yilin Wang, for example, posted over at periodicities: a journal of poetry and poetics), so it was good to see Swiss poet Claudia Souto Cuello’s chapbook, A braced triptych, translated from the French by Stuart Ross & the author (Proper Tales Press, 2025). As the author biography mentions, Cuello “inherited the Spanish and French languages from her Spanish parents living in Switzerland. After working for years as a vegetable grower, she published her first collection of poetry, Marina (éditions du goudron et des plumes, 2023).” The pieces in the collection exist as three poem-clusters that could be three poems, or three cluster-sections—“Cathedral of Leaves,” “A little patch of yellow wall” and “The Ornaments”—each of which exist through a blend of prose-stanzas and individual lines. The structure offers a curious counterpoint of structures within poems, within pieces, that play multiple rhythms, narrative purposes, and declarative sentences. Whereas Cuello’s poems lean into prose poem structures, there’s elements of the extended first-person meditative and declarative line of such as the late Etel Adnan (1925-2021), working a kind of lyric diary of the moment, running through the light and the dark of the current moment, or at least the moments across the time of composition. Might Ross be working to get a full collection of these happening? I would certainly hope so.

When the fog arrived, the timeworn lavoir and the weathered fountain tucked their necks into the hunched shoulders. Alone, circling the trees, tree by tree, I hung my words on the little coat racks of their leaves, like a little dictionary made of dry branches. And so it came to me that I had nothing left to say. Trapped in this bottle-green, to be drunk before winter arrives, my suspended words looked down on me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

{Before the light followed me, I stepped in}

 

the ottawa small press book fair (part one,

[Phoebe Hancock of Unravelling Dykes Press]

It seems strange to have actually attended three small press fairs this season [see my most recent post on the Meet the Presses Indie Literary Market here; my posts on the Toronto International Festival of Authors’ Small Press Market here], with the third of the trio being the 25th anniversary of the ottawa small press book fair! I really am quite baffled at how we managed to make it to a whole quarter-century (I mean, really). And you saw my recent post on who came to our first fair way back in October, 1994, yes?

Ottawa ON: From Ottawa’s Coven Editions comes Grimoire (October 2019), a collection edited by Coven co-publishers Mia Morgan and Stephanie Meloche [see their '12 or 20 (small press) questions' interview here] in an edition of sixty copies, and offer an assemblage of work that one might suspect, given both publisher moniker and chapbook title. The small collection features the work of a number of familiar names, including Ariel Dawn, Allison Armstrong, Ellen Chang-Richardson, Erin Emily Ann Vance, Nisa Malli, nina jane drystek, Emily Coppella, Samantha Godwin, Manahil Bandukwala, Vivian Wagner and Helen Robertson. Victoria poet Ariel Dawn, for example, is a name I’ve seen increasingly over the past few months (two different editors, for example, included works of hers in my journal G U E S T [a journal of guest editors]), and I’ve been quite taken with many of the prose poems I’ve seen of hers so far.

CASTING THE CIRCLE

Mark the gates with feather, wand, salt-water, stones, and in the centre, chair and table with books, pen and cauldron burning bay laurel and cinnamon. Turn to the East, Air, and call: sylph, Mercury, primrose, mind, bless me with the power to know. Turn to the South, Fire, and call: salamander, Jupiter, red poppy, spirit, bless me with the power to will. Turn to the West, Water, and call: undine, Moon, rain, moss, soul, bless me with the power to dare. Turn to the North, Earth, and call: gnome, Venus, rose, crystal, body, bless me with the power to be silent. Turn to the Centre, everywhere, nowhere, and call: sphinx, flowering almond, God and Goddess, bless me with the power to go. Open the old dairy in air, let leaves and flowers fall, then open the new and write beyond lines into this land of grey-green hills and starry root matter.

For her part, Ottawa poet Manahil Bandukwala’s work has been gathering a steady momentum for some time now, collecting publishing credits and even the occasional prize [see her 2018 “Spotlight” appearance here], all of which make me curious to see each new step as it reveals itself. Erin Emily Ann Vance, also, a poet with a chapbook produced through Coven, as well as a newly-published novel, has a piece inside the new issue, a piece that slowly unfolds as both direction, offering of hope, and potential warning:

VERY SMALL NUDE

Steal the pews from the church that refused to baptize you.

Build a large box

and a smaller box

and then a box the size of a twin bed.

Place them together like matryoshka dolls.

Line the largest box with parish newsletters,

the smaller box with alter boy entrails

and the smallest, line with the blanket of your great aunt

crocheted upon hearing of your birth.

Here, you are safe.

Although one of the most interesting poems in the collection has to be “IN A CANDLELIT ROOM, a spell for when you don’t know who to call,” by Ottawa poet nina jane drystek, that includes, at the end:

choose a vowel sound

make it low

let it grow

let it fill the room

hold the cup tight and drink

recite seventeen times:

            for this i am this

Coven, it would seem, is very much aware of emerging poets (with an editorial preference to the first-person narrative lyric) and offering support, providing an opportunity to learn the names and the works of young writers on their ways to doing some very worth things; so, doesn’t this mean, in turn, you should be paying attention?

Ottawa ON: The afternoon immediately following our small fair, Ottawa poet Michael Dennis did a house reading with Cobourg, Ontario poet, writer, editor and publisher Stuart Ross, and their host, Alexander Monker, even produced a small item for the occasion: 8 Poems (Sunday Afternoon Poems), “Published on the occasion of a reading held in Ottawa on November 24, 2019.” I’ve always liked the idea of a small item produced in a limited quantity for the sake of such occasions (Ross has been producing single-poem leaflets for similar occasions, through his Proper Tales Press, for a very long time), and this small and charming chapbook allows for the intimacy of a house reading in published form. The collection, wisely, opens with the recent tribute Ross wrote to the late poet Nelson Ball, composed “for, after, and with Nelson”:

Willow Street

Nelson and I

sit facing

each other

in silence

I get up

put a kettle

on the

two-burner

stove

sit back down

resume

our silence

the kettle

rattles

I pour myself a tea

sit back down

resume

our silence

we cover

a lot

of ground

With this small collection of two well-published poets and long-time friends, four poems each, the overlap between their writing becoming more obvious, more pronounced: the observational commentaries, and the unexpected twists (something, obviously, less overt in Dennis’ work than in Ross’, but still there). I’m disappointed to not have made the event, and had we not the sixth birthday party for our Rose on the same afternoon, I would certainly have been at this reading.

Sonnet

the lightning staggered across the sky

the sky carved its initials into itself

into itself the glass of water poured

water poured into my basement, destroying my books

my books are all about emotions

emotions are often sold by the pound

Pound turned to skywriting antisemitic slogans

antisemitic slogans can win you free pizza

you free pizza from rusting cages

rusting cages hold your most tender thoughts

most tender thoughts are insincere

insincere is the dolphin that buries the coffin

the coffin contains a banjo and a banjo-playing duck

playing duck is a worthwhile occupation

12 or 20 (second series) questions with Erin Emily Ann Vance

Erin Emily Ann Vance holds a Masters Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Calgary and is pursuing a Masters Degree in Irish Folklore and Ethnology at University College Dublin. Vance attended the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry summer course at Queen's University Belfast in July 2018, and was a fellow of Summer Literary Seminars in Nairobi in December 2018. She attended the Writers Guild of Alberta Banff Centre Residency in February 2019 and worked with author Kimmy Beach as part of the 2019 WGA Mentorship Program. Vance was a recipient of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Young Artist Prize in 2017 (nominated by Aritha van Herk) and a finalist for the 2018 Alberta Magazine Awards for her short story “All the Pretty Bones.” Her debut novel, Advice for Taxidermists and Amateur Beekeepers will be released November 1, 2019 by Stonehouse Publishing, and her most recent chapbook of poetry, The Sorceress who Left Too Soon, was published by Coven Editions in June 2019.

1 - How did your first book or chapbook change your life? How does your most recent work compare to your previous? How does it feel different?

My first chapbook was published by Loft on Eighth press in 2016 with their Long Lunch, Quick Reads Program, which occurs nearly every month with a new chapbook and lunchtime launch. The Night Will Be Long But Beautiful was an adaptation of my undergraduate honours thesis, which was a hybrid poetry memoir about the life and death of my uncle, Jeff Lakes, how his death had a ripple effect on our family, and an investigation of mountaineering and writing about mountaineers. It was unique because it utilized my uncle's photography and ephemera from his expeditions, particularly the 1995 expedition to K2 that led to his death. This chapbook absolutely had a profound effect on me and my my career, because it was later anthologized in a year-end collection of Loft on Eighth's chapbooks and then became part of the Print(ed) Word Project with Loft 112 (a Calgary arts organization) and Alberta Printmakers. I was paired with artist Tim van Wijk, who turned the chap into an exquisite art book. For Print(ed) Word, twelve artists and writers were paired with the intention to create limited edition art books. Copies of these art books are now on permanent display outside of the TD Great Reading Room in the Calgary Central Library, and a catalogue with all of the artwork and writing is available as well. The books have also been on exhibition in several galleries along the way. Not only did my first chapbook lead to amazing things (a speaker series, an upcoming salon series, and now a documentary!), it was a hugely important book for me to write. It allowed me to process parts of my family life that I didn't understand, and connect with my living family on a deeper level, as they were by my side every step of the way. I participated in this project alongside writers such as Aritha van Herk, Jani Krulc, Lee Kvern, and Barb Howard, and being considered in the same league as writers I have admired for years gave me the confidence to pursue more publishing opportunities.

Recently, I've published two more chapbooks, Someday I Will No Longer Write About You: Poems for My Family (Loft on Eighth), and The Sorceress Who Left Too Soon: Poems After Remedios Varo (Coven Editions). My chapbook with Coven was illustrated by Manahil Bandukwala. This was my first experience of having a book illustrated and the finished product is absolutely exquisite. The Coven team, (Stephanie Meloche and Mia Morgan) was a dream to work with, and I am over the moon with how it turned out. The Sorceress Who Left Too Soon feels very different to my two previous chapbooks because it was a longer journey from acceptance to publication, and there was the added element of illustration and design. Each Coven publication is completely different and I believe this is their first full-length chap! An immense amount of thought goes into every element, from paper to ink to incredible attention to editing.

Loft on Eighth produces multiple chapbooks a month, so their process is very different. Editor Igpy Kin is incredible to work with and one of my favourite artists, Stacey Walyuchow recently joined the team as designer. I love working with Loft on Eighth and hope to do more with them in the future!

My first novel, Advice for Taxidermists and Amateur Beekeepers, will be out on November 1st with Stonehouse Publishing. It's sort of surreal to go from chapbooks to a novel! Most people go from chapbooks to full length poetry collections, rather than poetry chapbooks to novels. I always thought I would, too, but I can't for the life of me stick to one genre and when I finished my first novel, I was still only about 1/4 done my first full-length collection. The editing process for a novel is more involved- there are more people at a publishing house than a small or micro press!

2 - How did you come to poetry first, as opposed to, say, fiction or non-fiction?

I've always written poetry and fiction, and I honestly can't recall a time when I only wrote one or the other. Being a poet makes my fiction infinitely better, and being a fiction writer gives me the liberty to take an image or a line and turn it into a book. I love writing in both genres because I never get bored this way, and an image or a story will appear to me and I have the freedom to find the right genre for it.

3 - How long does it take to start any particular writing project? Does your writing initially come quickly, or is it a slow process? Do first drafts appear looking close to their final shape, or does your work come out of copious notes?

I am an obsessive self-editor, so the first draft feels like I am running on a very slow treadmill. I write in slow bursts. I also research constantly, so from idea to pen on the page may be weeks. A first draft for a chapbook can take two weeks to two months. I will spend hours writing a poem and then put it aside and edit at a later time. I approach fiction in the same way. It’s usually a slow but steady process all they way through.

4 - Where does a poem or work of prose usually begin for you? Are you an author of short pieces that end up combining into a larger project, or are you working on a "book" from the very beginning?

I never used to work from the place of "is this a book?" but now I do. I think that after a few bigger projects your brain just starts to organize poems and scenes and stories into larger projects. It's subconscious, really. I took part in this year's Writers Guild of Alberta Mentorship Program, with Kimmy Beach as my mentor, and she showed me how amongst the pages and pages of poetry I gave her, were common threads tying all of the poems together into what I hadn't yet realized was a book.

5 - Are public readings part of or counter to your creative process? Are you the sort of writer who enjoys doing readings?

I enjoy doing readings and have been doing them for over a decade now. As a teenager I competed in poetry slams and did spoken word. I worked with Sheri D Wilson who taught me so much about performance that my readings are infinitely better because of her, even though I no longer write spoken word.

Readings are part of my process, because they are a way to stay involved in my community and meet and interact with other writers. I am quite shy so I don't go to as many as I should, but whenever I do they are always a lovely experience. I love hearing other writers read their work, and then carrying their voice in my head when I return to their books.

On a more selfish level, readings are a great way to gauge how people react to your work, and an avenue through which people can discover your writing.

6 - Do you have any theoretical concerns behind your writing? What kinds of questions are you trying to answer with your work? What do you even think the current questions are?

I think the current questions have a lot to do with who is telling which stories. We are finally, as a literary world, understanding that this idea of ‘giving voice to the voiceless’ is absolute fallacy and thus I think that the biggest and most important concern is that you are not telling someone else’s story for them, for your own gain. I think that whenever we decide to write a new book or story we have to ask ourselves if we are taking space away from others. It is important that we are not co-opting the experiences of others for our own gain.

More specifically, my writing often addresses fear and grief relating to the bodily experiences of women. I often find myself grounding my work in the female gothic and Kristeva’s work on abjection.

7 – What do you see the current role of the writer being in larger culture? Does s/he even have one? What do you think the role of the writer should be?

The writer always has a role, especially in a culture that is continuously devaluing the arts and upholding an unsustainable gig economy. It is an act of resistance to dedicate your life to something that capitalism deems unworthy. In a continually plugged-in world, it is also the writer’s job to provide a reprieve from screens and notifications; as a fully-engaged with the internet millennial, one of the most powerful things is a book that makes me ignore my phone and computer until I have finished it. I want my books to be the sort of books that people leave their phones in the other room for.

8 - Do you find the process of working with an outside editor difficult or essential (or both)?

It is essential AND enjoyable. All good writing needs to be in collaboration with a good editor at some point, and so far I’ve had amazing editors.

9 - What is the best piece of advice you've heard (not necessarily given to you directly)?

Stay curious and question everything.

10 - How easy has it been for you to move between genres (poetry to the novel)? What do you see as the appeal?

It’s really easy for me, though I do occasionally favour one over the other. Writing in multiple genres helps me to stay limber in my writing and to not lose sight of the joy in writing. Whether you write multiple genres or not, it is vital to move between genres while reading.

11 - What kind of writing routine do you tend to keep, or do you even have one? How does a typical day (for you) begin?

I’m moving to Dublin in a month, so with all of that preparation I don’t have a routine at the moment! I write whenever possible, whether it’s dictating to an app on my hour long commute to work, or scribbling something down half awake in the middle of the night. I do try to take a half-day off of work to go to the library and write every week. With my most recent chapbook just having been released and with a novel coming out, my work is mostly follow-up and admin at the moment, however!

12 - When your writing gets stalled, where do you turn or return for (for lack of a better word) inspiration?

History and folklore. When I am stuck, I read history books and folklore. Without a doubt, something always piques my interest.

13 - What fragrance reminds you of home?

Wet dogs, coffee, pipe-smoke, chickens, whiskey, cigarettes, grass, sawdust, wood smoke, English breakfast tea, and lavender

14 - David W. McFadden once said that books come from books, but are there any other forms that influence your work, whether nature, music, science or visual art?

I write ekphrastic poetry so art is a huge influence on my work, especially surrealism and dadaism. I dabble in mixed media collage art. My father and brother are both musicians, so music is also important to my practice; I use it to get into the tone of a particular piece, or to help transport myself to a time or place in history. I mentioned before the importance of history and folklore to my work, so I spend as much time as possible steeped in that; I’m even beginning a second masters degree in folklore in September!

15 - What other writers or writings are important for your work, or simply your life outside of your work?

The writers most important to my work right now are Shirley Jackson, Barbara Comyns, Sandy Pool, Sandra Kasturi, Doireann Ni Ghriofa, Annemarie Ni Churreain, Seamus Heaney, Miriam Toews, Anna Burns, Joy Williams, Carmen Maria Machado, Amber Tamblyn, Camilla Grudova, Gaetan Soucy, Marie-Claire Blais, Toni Morrison, Helen Oyeyemi, Christine Dwyer Hickey, and Emma Donoghue.

16 - What would you like to do that you haven't yet done?

I’m very interested in non-fiction, particularly investigative journalism. I would love to branch into True Crime writing one day. I’d also love to start a podcast.

17 - If you could pick any other occupation to attempt, what would it be? Or, alternately, what do you think you would have ended up doing had you not been a writer?

Funeral director, criminologist, or forensic anthropologist. I wanted to be an FBI agent and catch serial killers when I was growing up, probably because of all of the X Files, Six Feet Under, and Criminal Minds I watched. I don’t really believe in only ever having one job or occupation, and I am still in school with hopes to work as an archivist in the future, in addition to writing.

18 - What made you write, as opposed to doing something else?

I always loved writing, and other things that interested me (like the aforementioned serial killer catching) involved a lot of science and math, which I did not excel at in school. I toyed with being a teacher for a long time and was even accepted to an education program, but I decided to do my MA instead, which I am very thankful for, because although I do enjoy teaching, teaching grade school just isn’t in the cards for me! I worked in the Archives and Special Collections at the University of Calgary during my undergrad and first masters and found that environment to suit me much better. Turns out this introvert likes the quiet- who knew?

19 - What was the last great book you read? What was the last great film?

Can I go by genre? It’s been a good year for books!

I just finished Maryse Meijer's new short story collection Rag, and was blown away by it. I couldn't put it down. The stories are disturbing and fascinating and deeply, deeply human.

I think my favourite novel of the year so far was Milkman by Anna Burns. I read it at the beginning of February and haven't stopped thinking about it. It’s lead to what may be a bordering on unhealthy obsession with The Troubles. Milkman is quirky, nuanced, and nothing short of brilliant; it’s a great companion novel to my favourite nonfiction book of the year, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe. At its core, this book explores archival practices during and after conflict, something I am absolutely fascinated with and on the surface is concerned with the disappearance and murder of Jean McConville in 1972.

I'm reading Robin Richardson's poetry collection Sit How You Want right now, and it's highly addictive: intelligent, sharp, and exciting.

I don’t watch many films (that’s my partner’s territory) but I recently watched the documentary I, Dolours written by Ed Moloney and directed by Maurice Sweeney. It uses archival footage of IRA activist Dolours Price to tell her side of the Jean McConville story.

20 - What are you currently working on?

Right now, my second novel is with beta readers and my first full-length poetry collection is out on submission. I am in the idea stage of a third novel, which will be a slight shift in genre (diving into a bit of historical fiction), and 2/3 of the way through a short fiction collection. I am also working on two follow-up chapbooks to The Sorceress Who Left Too Soon, each one responding to the work of another female surrealist painter. I’m also working on a true crime essay about a murder that occurred in my hometown

12 or 20 (second series) questions;

12 or 20 (small press) questions with Mia Morgan and Stephanie Meloche on Coven Editions

Mia Morgan is the former editor of the Ottawa Arts Review, and former host of the Blue Mondays reading series. Her long poem, Suburbia, was published as a tiny book in 2014 by In/Words press. Her other work has appeared in Bywords, Hussy, Battleaxe and In/Words.

Stephanie Meloche graduated from the University of Ottawa with a B.A. in English Literature and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Education. Stephanie is the author of two published novellas. 

Together, Mia and Stephanie founded Coven Editions, a literary small press based in Ottawa that specializes in creative, handmade chapbooks. Coven seeks to showcase and circulate work by Canadian writers, both emerging and established, with a focus on marginal voices from Ottawa’s literary community.

[Coven Editions will be participating in the spring edition of the ottawa small press book fair,June 22, 2019]

1 – When did Coven Editions first start? How have your original goals as a publisher shifted since you started, if at all? And what have you learned through the process?

Coven Editions was an idea we had floated around since our undergraduate together, but didn’t really solidify as a project until Stephanie travelled to Germany for six months. It was at that point in Fall 2016 that we realized this was something we definitely wanted to make happen. After creating our website and not using it for a year, we finally soft-launched our first print run in November 2017 at the Small Press Book Fair. Since beginning, we have definitely become more confident in the work we put out, and so are able to experiment more with the genres we publish and their formats. Our goal now is to create objects that are more integrated with the work they contain— to make small press that people will want to keep, collect, and continue to enjoy. The process has, first and foremost, taught us that small press is so much work. It’s much more time-consuming than expected, but we are happy to put in that time to create beautiful pieces of art and literature.

2 – What first brought you to publishing?

Our love of literature has obviously been foundational, and both of us had always intended to pursue publishing or writing. Stephanie, a self-proclaimed book nerd, enjoys the freedom and creativity that comes with working in small press which isn’t afforded in many other traditional careers. Mia was introduced to publishing through the Ottawa Arts Review while in university, and discovered her love for the behind-the-scenes aspect of poetry.

3 – What do you consider the role and responsibilities, if any, of small publishing?

-      to publish thought-provoking and interesting material

-      to support other small presses and local artists and writers

-      to push boundaries in publishing and reading culture

-      to peak the curiosity of people outside the normal sphere of poetry

4 – What do you see your press doing that no one else is?

One unique aspect of Coven is that we have tried to challenge ourselves and our submitters with new formats, themed call-outs, and stylistic variance. While we’re certainly not the only press to do so, it allows us to individualize the work we publish.

5 – What do you see as the most effective way to get new chapbooks out into the world?

We’ve tried to accept manuscripts from up-and-coming writers, who are active in the poetry community. This does a lot to build our reputation as an accessible publisher. Once we’ve secured and edited a manuscript, it goes something like this:

Step 1: drink wine

Step 2: order lots of paper

Step 3: cancel paper order and buy local (oops)

Step 4: buy more wine

Step 5: start folding

6 – How involved an editor are you? Do you dig deep into line edits, or do you prefer more of a light touch?

This truly depends on the work. For the most part, we’re light-handed editors, but have in the past offered edits and revisionary notes. If a new writer is excited to work with us, we’re usually happy to put in the necessary editorial work to solidify their voice. However, with chapbook manuscripts, most of the editing process is in formatting, ordering, layouts, etc.

7 – How do your chapbooks and broadsides get distributed? What are your usual print runs?

We distribute from our online store (www.coveneditions.com) and in person at readings, launch events, small press fairs, and craft fairs. Coven’s print runs are fairly small, from 40-100 copies of each work. 100 turned out to be very ambitious, and we’ll likely not do that again soon.

8 – How many other people are involved with editing or production? Do you work with other editors, and if so, how effective do you find it? What are the benefits, drawbacks?

Coven is a two-woman operation, with the generous help of our friends when it comes to book assembly.

9– How has being an editor/publisher changed the way you think about your own writing?

Stephanie: having only been published in contests and collections, it has made me think more about the quality of work I want to put out into the world. Also, it has helped me realize that there are myriad options when it comes to publishing, and not just the traditional large-scale publishing route. Especially as a prose-writer, small press is an exciting new venue to explore.

Mia: editing others’ manuscripts has definitely made me think of my own work in groups and categories more than before. I’ve also become hyper-aware of formatting and how a poem will look concretely on a page. Coming from a literary studies background, viewing my own work as an artifact is a big shift in approach when it comes to sitting down and writing.

10– How do you approach the idea of publishing your own writing? Some, such as Gary Geddes when he still ran Cormorant, refused such, yet various Coach House Press’ editors had titles during their tenures as editors for the press, including Victor Coleman and bpNichol. What do you think of the arguments for or against, or do you see the whole question as irrelevant?

Stephanie: I am pro-self-publication. Although I haven’t done it yet, I see it as an opportunity to get a foot in the door. It’s a chance to expand the possibility of becoming more active and serious with my own writing, and of getting work read by the public.

Mia: I am anti-self-publication. If I weren’t on Coven, it’s exactly the kind of press I would want to submit my work to, but I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable editing my own work unbiasedly and objectively.

Ultimately, we consider this more a matter of personal preference than a hard-and-fast small press rule.

11– How do you see Coven Editions evolving?

Hopefully, we’ll be funded! We want to be able to do as much as we can locally and, if possible, ourselves. But, that means putting in the time and effort to select quality materials to create our publications, and also no longer outsourcing our printing, which is a substantial cost. With more resources, we can continue to publish more marginalized voices that may not be heard in mainstream publications. In the future, we want to think about special editions of past publications, maybe expanding our operation to more people, and we’ve also discussed branching into online publishing.

12– What, as a publisher, are you most proud of accomplishing? What do you think people have overlooked about your publications? What is your biggest frustration?

Our proudest accomplishment is definitely producing such a high-quality publication as Places to Hide as our very first chapbook. We experimented with papers, styles, genre, and layout in this work, and set an extremely high bar for ourselves and our future publications. The sheer amount of time, effort, and energy that went into manifesting that chapbook was monumental. That effort is probably the aspect of small press that is the most overlooked; when people see a broadside, no matter how it looks, they don’t see the hours of planning and execution that were required. Unanimously, our biggest frustration is ordering paper. There must be an easier way!!

13– Who were your early publishing models when starting out?

Canthius’s ethos of being women-run and for women was a big influence on our goals starting out, but we knew we wanted to end up making chapbooks. As far as our physical publications, we were inspired by the attention to detail and craftsmanship of Apt. 9, especially in broadsides which are often woefully neglected. Others we looked at were Puddles of Sky, shreeking violet, In\Words chapbooks, baseline press, battleaxe and other local makers.

14– How does Coven Editions work to engage with your immediate literary community, and community at large? What journals or presses do you see Coven Editions in dialogue with? How important do you see those dialogues, those conversations?

As a press, we try to be present at fellow publishers’ launches and events, and to support emerging writers in the Ottawa scene. It’s so important to us to be supportive of other small presses, if not with our presence, then by cross-promoting events and new releases. We’d probably place ourselves in conversation with other women-led presses such as Gap Riot and Canthius (whom we have had the pleasure of working with). Going forward, we’ll have the resources and experience to collaborate more actively with other small presses.

15– Do you hold regular or occasional readings or launches? How important do you see public readings and other events?

We hold 2-3 events per year, corresponding roughly to new work, and featuring the writer whose work we are launching. Not only do these events allow us to see new and emerging poets, it gives us the chance to meet many of our submitters face-to-face. Furthermore, events engage would-be submitters who might not be confident enough to reach out through our website or through a submission.

16– How do you utilize the internet, if at all, to further your goals?

We have a fairly strong online presence that we use as a point of convergence to share all our new work. Keeping people in the loop through social media such as instagram, twitter, facebook, and our website, allows us to communicate with our readership and community. Furthermore, the website allows our work to reach a wider audience through promotion and through our web store than we would be able to ourselves.

17– Do you take submissions? If so, what aren’t you looking for?

We take submissions occasionally, and often our call-outs are themed in some way, whether in terms of genre or form. Generally, we’re open to publishing a wide variety of forms and have only completely turned down things that go against our values and what we represent as a press. Obviously, we won’t publish work that promotes hate, bigotry, violence, etc. However, we also are trying to stay away from work that is overly traditional, or that operates within a formulaic structure.

18– Tell me about three of your most recent titles, and why they’re special.

On Halloween 2018, we launched six new titles, three broadsides (by Conyer Clayton, Jessica Robinson, and dalton derkson), as well as three mini-chaps. The three chapbooks were:

Shards - Frances Boyle

This chapbook is the first prose piece we’ve published, so that was an exciting milestone for the press. Frances’s work is some of our favourite, and she has been a constant supporter of Coven Editions since our inception. It was also a joy to have her come and read this piece at our Halloween launch party.

The Winchesters - Rachel Fernandes

As close friends of Rachel, it was such a privilege to publish her work and bring it to life in this format. It came out exactly as we had both envisioned it; from the font to the spacing to the cover, this book definitely did justice to its contents.

Three Movements - Laurie Koensgen

Laurie’s work immediately spoke to us when we received her submission for our “haunted” themed call-out as this piece suited it perfectly. Since we were unfamiliar with her previous work, it was such a pleasure to read for the first time, and to meet Laurie at the launch as well.

These three publications showcased our ability to individualize our work and make manifest the ideas we have for each piece. One thing that was extremely rewarding making these chapbooks was learning how to do linocut printing for all of the covers. We designed, cut, and printed all of the covers ourselves and through trial and error ended up with unique designs for each piece. Furthermore, since the submissions call-out was themed, but also broadened to include fiction, we received a wide variety of work that surpassed any possible expectations we had. The most difficult part was choosing what we liked the most.

12 or 20 (small press) questions;