North Vancouver, BC:

32 Books

with Shannon Stewart (Penny Dreadful)

(date to be decided)

Contact: Deb McVittie (deb@32books.com)

With Clyde Reed, bass player *

Sponsored by the Art Bar Reading Series

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 8:00 p.m.

Free

At Clinton’s, 693 Bloor Street West
(by Christie subway station)

For information see www.artbar.org or email Heather Cadsby at hdrc@sympatico.ca

Also reading: Mike Lipsius and Matthew Tierney

* Clyde Reed is a creative music bass stalwart of the Vancouver BC music scene and an economics professor at SFU.  He is one of the founders of the NOW Orchestra and has performed with Barry Guy, Leo Smith and Bobby Bradford among others.  He has played at several international jazz festivals including Berlin and Lisbon and regularly at the Vancouver Jazz Festival.

With Clyde Reed, bass player *

London, Ontario:

London Public Library
167 Wortley Road, London, Ontario N6C 3P6 

May 27, 2009 at 7:30 p.m

Contact: Carolyn Doyle
Email: carolyn.doyle@lpl.london.on.ca
Phone: 519.439.6240

* Clyde Reed is a creative music bass stalwart of the Vancouver BC music scene and an economics professor at SFU.  He is one of the founders of the NOW Orchestra and has performed with Barry Guy, Leo Smith and Bobby Bradford among others.  He has played at several international jazz festivals including Berlin and Lisbon and regularly at the Vancouver Jazz Festival.

Hamilton, Ontario:

Reading sponsored by the Hamilton Poetry Centre’s LiT LiVe series.

June 7, 2009, 7:30 p.m.

Sky Dragon Centre
27 King William Street in downtown Hamilton between Janus Street North and Hughson Street http://www.skydragon.org/html/about.html   

For more information, contact: Susan Evans Shaw
Email: susan@nas.net

Spy

I parachute into man’s country,
hoist my beer in the bar as if native.

Cool, I talk shop, stand as they stand,
not quite sure
of the cocky swing of hips,
lift of the glass in a loud bass,
confidence laughing.

This is the world of the knowing.
It’s only a small slip into a minor key
when I turn left to go to the Ladies.

Ice Man

The image of me out there – Ice Man –
it’s only image. I don’t want to show
how it all comes from the blood, from inside, you know?
I only tell you this now because I’m drunk on sound.
Tomorrow I will deny it.
Blood? What blood? I am Bach

Co-edited with Sandy Shreve

This exciting, comprehensive and groundbreaking anthology explores Canadian form poetry from the sixteenth century to the present day. The result is more than 40 forms and 175 poems that will appeal to poets and readers, teachers and students. A section for each form with a brief introduction, outline of how to write it, and examples, including variations, encourages readers to pick up a pen – or just enjoy.

#44

Emily talks of Freud.
I hate him.
It was this new man, Freud,
who made them see only sex
in my paintings.

But Emily slows me down,
shows me
the flowering of ribs and pelvis I painted today.
Here is your desire, she says.
See how you have wished it upon paper.
It is a woman’s mind, a woman’s hand, a woman’s voice
and you didn’t even know.
See how it shines from the inside, out.

Untitled

These trees worked hard to get up here
one ring at a time. The prize is sky
and the freedom of birds.

Only three have reached the high blue dome
and now careen like honey bees
hover like hummingbirds one minute
soar like eagles the next.

These trees threaten to pull their own tops off
they stretch so hard, risking everything
to touch heaven.

These Hips

Some hips are made for bearing
children, built like stools
square and easy, right
for the passage of birth.

Others are built like mine.
A child’s head might never pass
but load me up with two-by-fours
and watch me
bear.

When the men carry sacks of concrete
they hold them high, like boys.
I bear mine low, like a girl
on small, strong hips
built for the birth
of buildings.