the daily snivel
Ottawa Small Press Fair, June 16, 2007
This past weekend at the Jack Purcell Community Centre in downtown Ottawa, a group of artists, poets, and small press publishers got together to share their works with the public and with one another. While it has been some time since I have been able to write in a non-legal fashion, I try to attend and support the Small Press Fair each time it comes to town. I like buying interesting new zines and chapbooks, discovering different writers and giving back in some small way to the literary community in Ottawa (small and woefully incestuous though it can be). If it can be said that I have "court legs" at all, in the sense that I can think on my feet and argue a case with passion and clarity, I owe its inception to the poetry readings and slams that I started attending 13 years ago. As part of the fun of the Press Fair, I wandered around with my camera and snapped some photographs of the exhibitors. Many of the people you see here were part of that scene and made a tremendous impression on me as I started to write and perform.
Rob McLennan, organizer of the Ottawa Small Press Fair and editor of above/ground press.
Rob again, showing off a mysterious bruise he suffered during our boozing and merry-making the night before.
Grant F. Wilkins, editor of The Grunge Papers.
Warren D. Fulton. Warren and I met in 1994 when he worked at the Lois 'n' Frima's ice cream stand in the Byward Market here in Ottawa. He ran the Vanilla Reading Series there, which is where I first performed back when I was a wee lad. The ice cream stand was a favourite hangout of mine back then, and it is where I met my wonderful (and patient) friend Celeste. Warren is the editor of Pooka Press, and though he has since moved out west (where he is a big, fancy assistant director / production assistant, working on films like X-Men 3 and the Fantastic Four), I think of him fondly to this day.
Jeffrey Mackie. In 1994 he and James Spyker were among the set lovingly known as "the bearded poets." I didn't even recognize Jeffrey at the fair after so many years and such a good shave.
Some of the goings-on
Omid Amidi, Tyler Willis, and Spencer Gordon, the editors of The Puritan: Ottawa's Literary Press Journal.
jw curry
Comments:Rob McLennan, organizer of the Ottawa Small Press Fair and editor of above/ground press.
Rob again, showing off a mysterious bruise he suffered during our boozing and merry-making the night before.
Grant F. Wilkins, editor of The Grunge Papers.
Warren D. Fulton. Warren and I met in 1994 when he worked at the Lois 'n' Frima's ice cream stand in the Byward Market here in Ottawa. He ran the Vanilla Reading Series there, which is where I first performed back when I was a wee lad. The ice cream stand was a favourite hangout of mine back then, and it is where I met my wonderful (and patient) friend Celeste. Warren is the editor of Pooka Press, and though he has since moved out west (where he is a big, fancy assistant director / production assistant, working on films like X-Men 3 and the Fantastic Four), I think of him fondly to this day.
Jeffrey Mackie. In 1994 he and James Spyker were among the set lovingly known as "the bearded poets." I didn't even recognize Jeffrey at the fair after so many years and such a good shave.
Some of the goings-on
Omid Amidi, Tyler Willis, and Spencer Gordon, the editors of The Puritan: Ottawa's Literary Press Journal.
jw curry
