How do I even begin to write about a
city brimming with poetic activity? I guess I’ll give it a good ol’ try. I’m
ever grateful that you’ve asked me for my insights, rob, and I’ll do what I can
to bring each area of our beloved poetry community to light. Content warning:
potentially limited scope.
Since the day I moved to Ottawa from
that mega-metropolis six hours to our southwest (Hi, Toronto), I continue to marvel
at the contrast of this city’s surface quiet and the teeming of life that
exists below. Ottawa is a place where you need to dive beneath the waves; take
the plunge, and the ins-and-outs of the poetry scene will show themselves to
you.
As the sun streams into my living room
and I listen to the Saturday-morning bustle of Rideau Street below my open
window, I think to about two weeks ago (four poetry events in the span of seven
days) while looking forward to the next few months. We have bounced back, with
a vengeance, from the stagnancy of the pandemic. Here’s what I’ve got in my iCal
so far:
§ Sep 9: Making Love with the Land with
Joshua Whitehead
- Ottawa Writersfest presents Canada Reads-winner Joshua
Whitehead in conversation about his latest book, Making Love with the Land,
a startling, heart-wrenching look at what it means to live as a queer
Indigenous person “in the rupture” between identities. (7pm at the Christ
Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks St.)
§ Sep 16: Ottawa Launch for WJD/The OceanDweller
- Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi comes from Toronto to launch their
newest collection WJD/The OceanDweller. Readings from Terese Mason
Pierre, natalie hanna, Ellen Chang-Richardson (yes, it me), Kimberly Quiogue
Andrews, and Ian Martin. (7pm at Happy Goat Coffee Co., 35 Laurel St.)
§ Sep 19: 2022 Lampman Award Shortlist Reading
- Arc Poetry Magazine hosts an evening of readings from this
year’s shortlisted collections. A legendary award with what I’m sure will be a
legendary line-up. It always is. (7pm at Spark Beer, 702 Somerset St W.)
§ Sep 20: A Reading with Anne Marie Todkill, Anita Lahey, and Bardia
Sinaee
- Readings and conversations on the theme of friendship! Moderated
by Ben Ladouceur. (7:30pm at Perfect Books, 258A Elgin St.)
§ Sep 25: 2 for 1 Open Mic
- This brand-new poetry open mic series, founded by Jeff
Blackman and co-hosted by Blackman and Bardia Sinaee, is tons of low-key no
pressure fun. Bring a poem you love and a poem you’ve written and read them to an
audience of your peers for 2 mins a pop. Every last Thursday of the month. (7pm
at Happy Goat Coffee Co., 35 Laurel St.)
I’m sure the events will keep on coming
as Writersfest moves into its full programming for Fall 2022, and Riverbed, In
Our Tongues, and Tree
Reading Series kick off our fall events. Whatever
ends up filling up your agenda, I hope to see you out there!
~
In other currents, a handful of notable
writers have joined/re-joined us in the capital city: Kimberly
Quiogue Andrews (debut
collection, A Brief History of Fruit), Joshua P’ng (writer, community
organizer, and editor extraordinaire), Bardia Sinaee (debut collection, Intruder),
and Sara
Mang (writer of many, beautiful, quills). Reach
out, read their work, make a new friend.
~
In parallel currents, our spoken word
community. I’m not often in this part of the river because my own work rarely
falls into its stream, but spoken word is a huge part of Ottawa’s poetry scene.
It is absolutely brimming with talent and activity, and I would be remiss not to
mention it. For events, follow Urban Legends Poetry Collective, Cap City Cyphers
and the House
of PainT. For specific poets to watch, Namitha Rathinappillai, Apollo the Child,
King
Kimbit, rising star Shayan Saddiq, and of
course, Jamaal Jackson Rogers.
~
Finally, it’s mentioned at every public
event, but how often do you actually stop and consider that Ottawa continues to
exist on the traditional, unceded, territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg?
It’s important to understand the
realities of our past, and to do your part (however large or small) for a
better and more equitable now. Notable local Indigenous poets include vera
wabegijig and Albert
Dumont, and I highly recommend expanding your
own library by reading the poetry of Turtle Island’s original poets.
That’s it for now. See you around town!
Ellen Chang-Richardson is an award-winning poet of Taiwanese and Chinese Cambodian
descent. The author/co-author of five poetry chapbooks, their multi-genre work
has been published in Augur, The Fiddlehead, third coast
magazine, and Vallum Contemporary, among others. The co-founder of
Riverbed Reading Series and a member of the poetry collective VII, you can
usually find them baking sourdough bread from their starter, Bubbles, posting
food pics on Instagram, or biking the riverside trails on their single speed.
Ellen’s debut collection Blood/Belies is out in Spring 2024 with
Buckrider Books (Wolsak & Wynn), and they are represented by Tasneem Motala
of The Rights Factory. They are currently based on the traditional, unceded,
territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg. Find them online @ehjchang and at
ehjchang.com.
photography credit © Curtis Perry
(2022).
