Marco Melfi is a graduate of Simon Fraser University’s The Writer’s Studio. His poems have appeared in The Antigonish Review, The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, The Arc Award of Awesomeness, Funicular, and FreeFall. His chapbook, In between trains, was published in 2014 and his poem "The Faulty Porch Light" won The Fiddlehead's 2021 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest. He lives in Edmonton on Treaty 6 Territory.
John Barton’s books include Polari, We Are Not Avatars: Essays, Memoirs, Manifestos, and The Essential Douglas LePan, which won a 2020 eLit Award. Lost Family, his twelfth book of poetry, was nominated for the 2021 Derek Walcott Prize. His poetry was most recently featured in The Fiddlehead in the Spring 2022 issue. He lives in Victoria, where he is the city’s fifth poet laureate.
Sandra Nicholls is the author of two books of poetry, The Untidy Bride and Woman of Sticks, Woman of Stones, and a novel, And the Seas Shall Turn to Lemonade. She also wrote the libretto for a chamber opera about a homeless man, with her husband, guitarist Roddy Ellias. Sleeping Rough was performed at Ottawa’s Music and Beyond Festival, and is available as a DVD. New projects include a second novel, The Ornamental Man, and a suite of songs about the pandemic, Not This Room. Her story, "From A Distance", is featured in the new Spring issue of The Fiddlehead.
A Song of Despair or Hope?
As Far as You Know, A. F. Moritz. Anansi, 2020
Nothing into Nothing
I Will Be Corrupted, Joseph A. Dandurand. Guernica Editions, 2020.
In the poem, “Whisper from you,” Joseph Dandurand rants about “one ass of an editor” (this is in the very last poem of this fine collection and presumably there for a reason), who tells him he should “add some imagery to [his] work.” I actually laughed out loud.
The Faulty Porch Light by Marco Melfi - Winner of the 2021 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest
Last Things
Field Requiem, Sheri Benning, Carcanet, 2022
We're excited to announce that Marco Melfi is the winner of the 2021 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Prize! His poem “The Faulty Porch Light” will appear in the Spring 2021 issue of The Fiddlehead. Thank you again to our judges Selina Boan, Matthew Gwathmey and Susan Musgrave, and to all who entered the poetry contest!
T. Liem is the author of OBITS. (2018). Her writing has been published in Apogee, Plenitude, Room, The Boston Review, Grain, Best Canadian Poetry 2018 and 2019, and elsewhere. She lives in Tio’Tia:ke / Montreal, unceded Kanien’kehá:ka territories. T. Liem's poetry, including “The Middle of No Where is Somewhere”, is featured in the BIPOC Solidarities issue of The Fiddlehead. Order your copy today!
The Fiddlehead is pleased to announce the finalists of our 2021 Ralph Gustafson Poetry Contest, judged by Selina Boan, Matthew Gwathmey and Susan Musgrave! The winner of the $2000 contest prize will be announced on April 6 2022 and the winning poem will appear in the Spring 2022 issue (291). Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to the following finalists!
