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Forgive us but we’ve had a glitch with posts to the website.  All’s good again — for now. Last month we were thrilled to have two powerful voices sharing the podium. Kate Braid, a previous visitor to PJ, was joined by new-to-PJ poet, Richard Therrien. For some reason, the readings seemed rushed this time, but not before we were dazzled by these two stellar poets.

It’s worth repeating, even if you know, we’re taking a break over the Christmas holidays. There is no reading in December, but we’ll be firing up the engines again in January.

Joining us on January 15 are E.D. Blodgett and Chelsea Comeau. We decided to combine ‘tried and true’ Ted with ‘up and coming’ Chelsea. E.D.’s been around the block and knows the whole neighbourhood while Chelsea’s rounding the first corner on her way to great things. Here’s more about these fine poets…

E.D. Blodgett

E.D.(Ted) Blodgett, FRSC, is Distinguished University Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta where he taught about 40 years, and held the Louis Desrochers Chair in Études Canadiennes, Campus Saint-Jean (2008-10). His publications in mediaeval studies include two translations, notably, The Love Songs of the Carmina Burana with Roy Arthur Swanson (Garland Publishing, 1987), and The Romance of Flamenca (Garland Publishing, 1995). He has written books on D.G. Jones and Alice Munro, and more recently, Five-Part Invention: A History of Literary History in Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2003) and Les Enfants des Jésuites ou le sacrifice des vierges (Les Presses de l’Université Laval, 2013). He has published 27 books of poetry, of which two have received the Governor General’s Award. His most recent book is Horizons, the third of his books in both English and French. He is a past poet laureate of Edmonton (2007-09), and a former Writer-in-Residence at Grant MacEwan University (2004). He is currently involved in writing another bilingual renga.

Chelsea Comeau

Chelsea Comeau is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in the Claremont Review, Quills, and CV2. In 2015, she was the Canadian winner of the Leaf Press chapbook contest, and attends poetry retreats with Patrick Lane and Lorna Crozier. She is currently the poetry editor of WordWorks magazine.

So mark your calendars for Sunday January 15 and please don’t forget the earlier start time of 11:30am. Come early so you can register for open mic and place your food & beverage order before we get underway. So see you for brunch with items starting at $10!

Our last reading was special. The rain stopped and the poets came out to play. And so did the poetry fans. Susan McCaslin dazzled us with her ekphrastic poetry inspired by the works of Cézanne while Richard Osler rattled our emotional cupboards with his poems of unfiltered vulnerability.

Joining us on November 20 are Kate Braid and Richard Therrien. Both these exceptional writers already know we’re starting at an earlier time that day, so please make a note of our ‘brunch’ reading session that kicks off at 11:30am. In the meantime, here’s more about them…

Kate Braid

Kate Braid has written, co-written and edited eleven books of non-fiction and prize-winning poetry.  Her latest books are a memoir, Journeywoman: Swinging a Hammer in a Man’s World about her 15 years in construction, and a book of poems, Rough Ground Revisited.  In 1995, with Sandy Shreve she edited the ground-breaking book, In Fine Form: The Canadian Book of Form Poems; its expanded second edition is now out.  In 2015 she was awarded the Mayor of Vancouver’s Award for the Literary Arts for showing leadership and support for Vancouver’s cultural community.  Check out her website.

Richard Therrien

Richard Therrien is an editor and writer living in North Vancouver. He has published poetry and prose in various periodicals, including Grain, The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, Filling Station, Absinthe, and CV2. His chapbook Water Language Faith was published by Alfred Gustav Press (2012). He is co-author, with Dean Neu, of Accounting for Genocide, Canada’s Bureaucratic Assault on Aboriginal People (Fernwood Publishing/Zed Books, 2003). His poetry collection Sleeping in Tall Grass from the University of Alberta Press (Robert Kroetsch Series) launched in the Spring of 2016.

So mark your calendars for Sunday November 20 and please don’t forget the earlier start time of 11:30am. Come early so can register for open mic and place your food & beverage order before we get underway. So see you for brunch!