Yilin Wang, poet, writer, and editor talks #RacisminCanLit, Wuxia, and writing-life balance with Invisiblog guest editor, Shazia Hafiz Ramji. Shazia Hafiz Ramji: What are you working on right now? Yilin Wang: I’m currently writing a fantasy novel. It’s inspired by a Chinese fiction genre known as wuxia, which is commonly translated into “martial arts fiction” […]
It’s May and the heat and rain shroud my body in a confused cloud. I’m cat-sitting this beautiful fluffy grey boy and I’m lounging in a big apartment in yet another gentrified Vancouver neighbourhood. Outside, glass condos glow pleasantly over the din of brewery beards, afternoon baby strollers, and barking dogs. Cat-sitting is an excellent […]
Amy LeBlanc, poet, writer, and editor talks monstrosity, fairy tales, and poetry with Invisiblog guest editor, Shazia Hafiz Ramji. Shazia Hafiz Ramji: How does it feel to have your poetry published in chapbook form? Amy LeBlanc: I’m always ecstatic when I see my work in print or online, but there’s something so nice about having […]
Jason Purcell, co-founder of Glass Bookshop talks poetry, life, and the texture of things with Invisiblog guest editor, Shazia Hafiz Ramji. Shazia Hafiz Ramji: Jason, how long did it take you to write A Place More Hospitable? Jason Purcell: These poems started during the writing of my MA thesis, in which was exploring similar themes: […]
Before I learned the ins and outs of the clusterfuck that is Canadian literature, I had to master the art of The MFA Voice™.1 Imagine uttering your lines through the back of a breathy fan. Augment the aesthetic with thick denim, bushy hair, ornate glasses, and a faux-knitted beanie—anything to further absorb any soundwaves escaping […]
Overwhelmed by panic, I bolt out of bed. The covers are thrown to the side and even though moments earlier I was asleep, I stand at the foot of my bed, next to the dresser clutching my chest with my right hand. What made me panic? Was I dreaming about him again? My ex. My […]
Conyer Clayton talks trauma, grief, beasts, and poetry with Invisiblog guest editor, Shazia Hafiz Ramji. Shazia Hafiz Ramji: How did you arrive at the title, Trust Only the Beasts in the Water? Conyer Clayton: The title comes from a line in the poem “Related.” I wanted to capture the feeling that runs through this collection: […]
Ten years ago, my life changed unexpectedly. I lost someone very close to me to depression and suicide. From the moment that I found out about their passing, a burden of pain settled upon me, larger than anything I had experienced before or since. In time, although not right away, I turned to writing, as […]
Geoffrey Nilson, publisher of pagefiftyone – a brand new poetry micro-press dedicated to print culture – talks publishing, Internet vs. print, music, and chill, with Invisiblog guest editor, Shazia Hafiz Ramji Shazia Hafiz Ramji: Geoff, you’ve started a press. Tell us about it. Geoffrey Nilson: pagefiftyone is a poetry micro-press dedicated to print culture. The […]
Shazia Hafiz Ramji: How did you arrive at the title of your chapbook, Dear Kestrel? Khashayar Mohammadi: A few years ago, during a very rough time in my life, I started writing small prose-poems addressed to my dear friend Ke, whom this book is dedicated to. I started every piece with “Dear Kestrel,” and after […]