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 […]
Dina Del Bucchia needs no introduction. She is the lifeblood of poetry across the country. She is the flora in every Mazzy Star track. She is your slumber party bff and that distinctive, funny voice on Can’t Lit, a podcast, which she co-hosts with Jen Sookfong-Lee. In this interview, Del Bucchia chats with Invisiblog guest […]