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December 12, 2017Susan Elmslie on the Poetic Power of Kindness and Vulnerability
The title of Susan Elmslie's Museum of Kindness (Brick Books) is instantly intriguing - especially when you know that part of the collection is inspired by the traumatic aftermath of the shooting that ...
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February 06, 2017
My Plastic Bag of Words Part 1 of 2
As stated in my interview, in my closet I have a plastic bag that has poems that I've rejected. That plastic bag is slightly more than a bag of failed poetry, and it represents my writing process in ...
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February 10, 2017
The absurdity of literary prizes part 2 of 2
“ I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it.”For my most recent book, I had a reviewer who skewered me for quoting Shakespeare, and then citing it in my end notes. Because, everyone who reads ...
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February 15, 2014
Creative Writing as Martial Art? Part 2 (Final)
Step one is acknowledging that writing is a martial art. Words have power. To this day, in many countries the first people executed in times of war are poets. In the West this may be lost, but we have ...
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February 14, 2017
The importance of romantic poetry
Just like the Super Bowl, Christmas, and any other commercial holiday, I awoke today with little knowledge of its significance. Of course, it's Valentine's Day. In Japan, on Valentine's women deliver ...
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February 21, 2017A few minutes with ... Adebe DeRango-Adem
Throughout my month here at open-book.ca I've been sharing my conversations with various members of the literary community. Our last conversation is with noted poet, Adebe DeRango-Adem. To learn more ...
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February 10, 2014Writer's Block Does Not Exist (Part 1)
Or it does. But for the sake of this blog it does not. What is writer's block? I don't know, because it does not exist. Here's the thing, whether you are a professional creative writer, a skilled hobbyist, ...
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February 03, 2017A few minutes with ... Bassam
Throughout the month, I'll be sharing conversations between myself and authors. Our first author is Bassam. We discuss his current project, race and language. Help make "these pills don't come in my skin ...
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February 02, 2017
My issue with social justice poetry
We need to have this discussion. As the world becomes a more unstable place, with more incompetent leaders, more writers will be driven to write and perform politically-driven poetry. But, most social ...
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February 09, 2017
The absurdity of literary prizes part 1 of 2
It's 2016, Stockholm, and Patti Smith is dressed in a black suit, nervously performing Dylan's A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. A hushed crowd listens in celebration of her rendition of a song written by the ...
