Poetry! That’s been the subject of many conversations here at Goose Lane over the past week.
From the launch of two poetry titles to Fredericton’s nineteenth annual Poetry Weekend to over half a dozen other poetry events this week and next, we’ve been excited to see so many of our poets sharing their innovative work.
Poetry Launches
To kick off our week of poetry, on September 27th, both Daniel Scott Tysdal’s and Megan Fennya Jones’s poetry collections were officially released.
The Program by Megan Fennya Jones
In this powerful, intimate collection, a young woman travels between Paris and New York to pursue a career in modelling. Alternating between the world of fashion, where “it’s no longer enough / that the sample size fits,” and the eponymous Program, a place to “discover / what’s underneath,” Jones’s debut collection pulls the reader deep into the realms of psychiatric care and romantic relationships and probes a long tradition of female suffering.
Megan Fennya Jones celebrated the launch of The Program at Dolly Disco in Vancouver on September 30th.
The End Is in the Middle by Daniel Scott Tysdal
In this innovative collection, each poem does not end at the bottom of the page; instead, the reader is invited to complete the poem by folding the page to reveal the final line (just like the foldable back cover of the classic Mad Magazine). From the effects of being “smiled into an elephantine line” at Pearson International Airport to the rites of official memory and forgetting at a baseball game in the aftermath of tragedy, Tysdal probes both his own psyche and the myriad environments that work to enfold those who are deemed mad.
Daniel Scott Tysdal read from The End Is in the Middle at the icehouse & Friends Toronto event on September 27th and at the icehouse & Friends Moncton event on October 4th. Tysdal will also be in Saskatoon on October 18th at McNally Robinson.
Poetry Weekend
This past weekend, many of our poets flocked to Memorial Hall on the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton campus to participate in the nineteenth annual Poetry Weekend. Goose Lane Editions poets Alyda Faber (Poisonous If Eaten Raw), Triny Finlay (Myself A Paperclip), and Shane Neilson (You May Not Take These Sad and Angry Consolations) all graced the mic, reading from their respective poetry collections.
icehouse & Friends – October 4th
On Tuesday, Sue Sinclair (Almost Beauty), Triny Finlay (Myself a Paperclip), Daniel Scott Tysdal (The End Is in the Middle), and Alyda Faber (Poisonous If Eaten Raw) all travelled to the Laundromat Espresso Bar in Moncton, with a stop at the Petitcodiac Public Library earlier in the day, for an icehouse & Friends poetry reading in partnership with the Frye Festival.
Fredericton Poetry Bash – 7:00 PM, October 6th at the Charlotte Street Art Centre
But our poetry journey does not stop there. Poetry events continue in Fredericton with Sue Sinclair (Almost Beauty) and Triny Finlay (Myself a Paperclip) joining Emily Skov-Nielsen, Mary Germaine, and Meghan Kemp-Gee to celebrate the release of Amber McMillan’s new poetry collection This Is a Stickup.
Word Feast – October 11th to October 17th
Next week also marks the week of Word Feast, another Fredericton Literary festival. This year, Sue Sinclair (Almost Beauty) will deliver Word Feast’s keynote presentation on October 12th. Sue will also be reading at the Poetry Bash on October 14th alongside Brigitte Harrison and Thandiwe McCarthy.
Whether you were lucky enough to catch one of these events or plan to attend one in the near future, you can purchase any of these poetry books to enjoy at your leisure here:
Banner photo: Group photo of Poetry Weekend participants.