Every writer has a fallow season, and though the collective is writing and producing work, my focus, and ours as a group, continues to be submitting our stand alone and collective manuscripts. I have my *fingers crossed*. Submit, submit, submit!

Worth Revisiting: Levine’s On Making the Poetry Manuscript

Courtesy of EW Reading Series and Jess Taylor

Excited to be reading with these awesome Toronto poets at The Emerging Writers Reading Series thanks to Jess Taylor with: Natalie Frijia, David Huebert, Kristel Jax. Come out for a night of beer and poetry. 🙂

I can happily say that I’m one of the newest members of the Arts and Letters Club! After submitting my application, the board has accepted me.

I’m extremely honored and proud to be part of this heritage institution and to have a place to belong. As an artist or creative of any kind, it’s marvelous to be a part of such a vibrant, friendly and intelligent community of people. This city continues to be good to me, and good to its artists and writers. It’s no wonder that Toronto has been named the seventh-best city to visit by the New York Times.

I’m truly grateful to have my work published alongside Margaret Atwood, Cory Doctorow, Helen Marshall, and many more of the biggest authors in Canada and around the world in this upcoming anthology. (A true confidence boost, for sure.)

Thanks to ChiZine Publications​, and co-editors Sandra Kasturi and Jerome Stueart for taking the time to read my submission. It’s truly an honor to be selected for Imaginarium 4: The Best Canadian Speculative Fiction! And thanks to Jason Sizemore​ and Bianca Spriggs at Apex Magazine​ for first giving this poem about zombies a home.

I can’t wait to pick up my copy, and read the works listed on this stellar Table of Contents, representing the best work published by Canadian writers in 2014. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy, too, and ‘Embrace the Odd’.

If anyone is interested in submitting their work, please visit http://www.cfplist.com//nemla/Home/S/15861 .

Abstract submissions for the session will open on June 25th.

The Canadian Postmodern Creative: Constructing Home and Identity in the City

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Canthius is a Canadian feminist literary journal that strives to publish established and emerging women writers and artists. The first print issue of Canthius will be published for Fall 2015. We look forward to receiving your submissions; thanks for starting this adventure with us!

Drawing by Cira Nickel

http://www.canthius.com/

A mentor of mine forwarded me a whitepaper: “How Surprise And Delight Amplifies Loyalty Marketing Strategies” by CrowdTwist, which I enjoyed, because I am one of those consumers impressed by this marketing tactic. However, it got me thinking deeper about my recent purchasing decisions.

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Talk to almost anyone who has pursued higher education, especially a master’s degree, and they will tell you, the main benefit is the network. Now, almost five months after graduating from my MA, I see the importance of those networks. From them, I have been inspired to start a multidisciplinary salon series, join a writer’s collective, and now, with two friends from the LitMod program, start a feminist literary journal called Canthius.

Drawing by Cira Nickel

Last night, after talking to poet Hoa Nguyen after her poetry workshop, I agreed with her that yes, poetry, and writing, and the creative business can be lonely and siloed. It made me think how we can benefit from creative networks almost as much as anyone in business or tech and other fields. It is a disservice these days, in talks, in books and advice to creatives, to not give higher importance to building a network. In fact, it is a disservice to think of creative fields as somehow so different and far removed from other sectors. We can no longer differentiate so clearly the lines and borders between roles and titles. Continue reading →