For many years I’ve immediately re-read poetry books. Some collections pull me back for a deeper appreciation of their language, music and structures; others I find disappointing and frustrating, yet I remain curious enough to give them a second go. Immediate re-reading, however, rarely carries over into my experiences of novels or books of non-fiction (now and then I do read back through short-story collections right away).
Krishnakumar Sankaran is experimenting with poetry, computational writing, and translation. His poetry is featured in the winter 2023 issue of The Fiddlehead.
My wife and I moved during the pandemic, from the historic house in a former whaling village where we raised our kids to a late 20th Century human terrarium along a river. Every day since moving-in four months ago, I take advantage of the myriad pathways that wind through the woods along the side of our new habitat not facing the river, traversing a couple miles per wander in bucolic bliss. I have seen fox, heard coyotes, come upon wild turkeys congregating in groups larger than I’d imagined turkeys mingled. Neighbors report black bears, but I’ve so far been spared those encounters.
Alice Zorn's Reading Recommendation
Catherine A. O'Toole's Music Recommendation
Bakar is an artist and musician living and working in London, England. I tripped over his music early on in the pandemic and it was exactly what I needed and continues to be. He released this EP, Will You Be My Yellow? in September of 2019.
Kate Cayley has written two short story collections, two collections of poetry, and a number of plays. She is a frequent writing collaborator with immersive company Zuppa Theatre. Her third poetry collection, Lent, is forthcoming from Book*hug in 2023. Kate's poetry is featured in the upcoming winter issue of The Fiddlehead. Pre-order your copy today!
Shirley Harshenin writes from her home in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia. She believes in angels, caffeine, and the human spirit’s extraordinary resilience. Her work has been published in Room Magazine, Contrary Magazine, The Journal of Compressed Creative Arts, Entropy: Woven, Nailed, Crack the Spine, The Nasiona, and others. Her "Invisible Walls: A Decentred Hermit Crab Sticky Note Narrative" was published in the 2022 creative nonfiction issue of The Fiddlehead. www.shirleyharshenin.ca
Jessamyn Hope is the author of the novel Safekeeping—winner of the J. I. Segal Award and a finalist for the Paterson Fiction Prize and the Ribalow Prize. Her short stories and essays—originally published in Ploughshares, PRISM International, Descant, and elsewhere—have been selected for Best Canadian Essays, two Pushcart Prize honorable mentions, and a Best American Notable. Her short story "Verified Purchase" is featured in the 2022 autumn issue of The Fiddlehead. She grew up in Montreal and lives in New York City.
Ellen McGinn lives on Saturna Island with her husband and their dog. A graduate of the University of British Columbia’s MFA programme, she has published a book of poetry, From Dark Horse Road and her essay "Tabernacle" was published in the 2022 creative nonfiction issue of The Fiddlehead. Her plays were produced in the Vancouver and Victoria fringe festivals. Her current play, Antarctica Welcomes International Women’s Year 1975 is in its third draft. One of her favourite things was volunteering with Students On Ice.
Acadia Currah (She/They) is an essayist and poet residing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their work explores her relationship with gender, sexuality, and religion. She is a leather-jacket-latte-toting lesbian, her work seeks to reach those who most need to hear it. Their work has appeared in The Spotlong Review and Defunkt Magazine and her essay "Femme Fatales and The Lavender Menace" was featured in the 2022 creative nonfiction issue of The Fiddlehead.
