And Now for a 1,400 Word Update
I’m not great with regularly posting updates to my site. Consequently, I procrastinate getting all the good news down; the list grows, which then feels like a huge undertaking, and I arrive here: a massive update to celebrate the community I’ve been fortunate to be a part of these past few months. So, bear with me as I go through the essential thank you’s.
Past Events
On Friday, April 25, I had the opportunity read at the Poetry Live! series hosted at Indigo in St. Clair Shores. Special thanks to Ash Steele for organizing the event in conjunction with National Poetry Month, and to all the other amazing poets who shared their work.
Not long thereafter, on Sunday, April 27, I hosted a workshop called “The Art of Line and Stanza.” This offering was part of the Writer’s Assembly, a monthly series hosted by Better Life Wellness Centre in Essex. During the workshop we read and discussed the poems “Between midnight and eternity” by Kettly Marx (translated by Nathan H. Dize) and “Money Is an Energy” by Justin Marks, rearranging their lines, breaks, and stanzas to experiment with function and form. Thanks to Michelle Weglarz for her beautiful space, as well as to all the participants that afternoon who impressed me with their perspectives and creations.
Being animated outside of Mackenzie Hall. Photo credit: Sarah Morris
We met at Mackenzie Hall—where I teach creative writing classes with the City of Windsor—and we made our way to the Former Windsor Jail, St. John’s Anglican Church Cemetery, and the Windsor Public Library Local History Branch. We ended our walk in Mary Bibb Park, where we shared our embryonic creations. Special thank you goes to Sarah Morris for her encouragement, for her volunteering on my walk and taking pics, and for providing sponsorship funding towards participant supplies. It was a joy to see current students and new faces join in for the experience.
Gathering in St. John’s Cemetery. Photo credit: Sarah Morris
On Saturday, May 3 I had the honour of hosting my very first Jane’s Walk as part of the Windsor-Essex County chapter. “Perambulating Prompts: A Creative Writing Walk” explored spots in Sandwich Towne. Participants were supplied with new blank journals and pens, alongside a pamphlet I designed containing a bit of history about our stops, a writing prompt related to the location written during time limits, as well as additional readings and prompts post-event.
Reading out prompts at the Former Windsor Jail. Photo credit: Sarah Morris
Brochure close-up. Photo credit: Sarah Morris
Saturday, May 17 was a crazy day. My poetry sister, Vanessa Shields, and I undertook the challenge that was the 2025 Poetry Marathon. This free annual event is hosted by the creators of Author’s Publish. Registrants sign up for either a half-marathon—writing 12 poems in 12 hours—or a full marathon—writing 24 poems in 24 hours. Thankfully, Vanessa and I enlisted in the twelve-hour option and spent the day at my place drinking tons of coffee, eating delicious meals and so, so many snacks. We laughed. We cried. We shared our deeply felt words. This was my first time taking part in the half-marathon with a partner (I completed it last year alone) and watching Vanessa create from across the table motivated and influenced my work so, so much. I’m still in awe of what she wrote as FIRST DRAFTS and I hope the world gets to hear her new poems soon.
Celebrating 25 years at what was once Eclectic Cafe, Lift, and now Phog Lounge.
Last but certainly not least with regards to past events: On Thursday, May 22, Toast Open Mic Poetry celebrated 25 years of performance storytelling in downtown Windsor. Host Emily Roe made banners and blew up balloons, and we passed around a clipboard to write an exquisite corpse group poem. I had the opportunity to read some new shit penned during the Poetry Marathon and I’m grateful for how well it was received by my peers.
Manuscripts in Progress
I’ve been steadily working these past few months on two manuscripts that I’m submitting to get published.
The first, my debut poetry collection, has taken its final shape thanks to the editorial eye of Vanessa Shields. Many of the poems were penned for my thesis during my graduate program at BGSU. I’d been holding onto a vision of the book that was no longer aligned with what the newer poems became. Vanessa helped me understand the central themes in this collection that I’ve titled Circlet.
I’ve been sending it out to presses across the US and Canada, and getting the requisite rejections, but I’m confident it will find a home soon. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to Sarah Morris and Walter Petrichyn for being first readers and offering feedback that helped me to hone and refine my poems.
Cover mock-up by Vanessa Shields
Cover mock-up by me
Bluebeard Moves in Upstairs: A Memoir in Vignettes is the title of the second book I’ve been creating. It concerns a challenging psychological experience I had in early 2023, upon moving back to Windsor. I rented the upstairs apartment in my residence to a tenant who turned out to be someone with mental health issues and drug addiction. The book chronicles the harassment I endured during his five-month residency, as well as the challenges I faced in the Ontario landlord and tenant system.
I’m currently focused on adding visual elements to this hybrid work, such as police reports, security camera stills, and texts exchanged with the tenant to give readers a more comprehensive look into what happened. I’m hoping to have the final manuscript completed in the next month to send out to publishers for consideration. Special thanks to Aaron Brown, Diana Caverhill, and Michael Bradley for offering feedback on early drafts.
Editorial Work
A couple of months ago, I became a prose reader over at The Chestnut Review, a wonderful lit mag that publishes issues on a quarterly basis. (I attended their Mérida Writing Retreat earlier this year and had an incredible experience! See my post and pics here.) This magazine is a rare gem in the industry, as the staff have made a pledge to get back to writers on the status of their submissions within 30 days of receipt. Thanks to prose editors Annie Schoonover and Praise Osawaru for showing me the ropes and teaching me what the journal’s style is.
I’m currently a guest reader over at Five Minutes until mid-July, an opportunity I’ve gotten to take part in as a former contributor. If you’ve been in writing classes with me before, Five Minutes is the perfect place to submit a snapshot story of 100 words. The editorial masthead wants guest readers to review submissions from writers they know. This isn’t typical for literary magazines, who often consider any prior relationship or association to be a conflict of interest. Editors want there to be one definable moment in your piece. Further submission guidelines can be found here. You can also read “Rings,” the piece they published of mine earlier this year.
This summer, I’m working, for the first time, in a juror capacity for a Canadian writing award. I can’t yet name the organization, but once the winner is announced I’ll reveal more about this news.
The 2025 Mérida Retreat Crew
Publication News
I have a couple of new publications to share as well. Pagination, Windsor Public Library’s literary magazine, will be publishing a prose poem titled “The Predictability of Feeling Sad While Untangling Blue Christmas Lights” in their forthcoming fifth issue. Bear River Review recently accepted two poems of mine: “Portrait of My Father Unstitching” and “Still Life in the Middle of Downtown Chicago,” both of which are part of my Circlet manuscript. The former was penned during my time at the 2024 Bear River Writing Conference with my workshop mentor, poet Richard Tillinghast. My thanks goes to editors Dave Konstantino and Mariya Zilberman for these acceptances.
Upcoming Events & Classes
As for events, there are several on the horizon: Classes through the City of Windsor Recreation and Education Department reconvene on Tuesday, July 8 at Mackenzie Hall Cultural Centre. I’ll be leading my ongoing Creative Writing course (covering poetry, flash fiction, and micro memoir), and introducing a new offering I’ve designed called “Poetry and Play.” Please see my Events page for more information.
This fall, I’m excited to announce creative writing workshops and weekly classes offered in partnership with Vanessa Shields at my Fontainbleu home studio. More information and photos of my space to be posted shortly.
Let’s get steamy!
And finally, on Saturday, July 26, I’ll be returning to the DJ decks! My DJ partner, Michael Bradley, and I will be making our debut as Demimonde over at Circuit. Join us in Ford City from 8:30 pm to 11:30 pm and dance outdoors to our mix of classic pop, indie electronica, a dash of industrial, and throwback jams. Admission is free and 19+ are welcome.
Next month, I’ll be reading as part of the Ontario Poetry Society’s open mic event, The Sultry Summer Poetry Gathering, on Sunday, July 13. This celebration of spoken word runs from 1 to 4 pm at Biblioasis Bookstore, located at 1520 Wyandotte Street East.
Let’s get dancy!