Claudia Coutu Radmore | bpNichol Chapbook Award

Apt. 9 woke up this morning to some wonderful news: Claudia Coutu Radmore has just won the 2011 bpNichol Chapbook Award for her Apt. 9 title Accidentals. We couldn’t be happier for Claudia. It is a wonderful book deserving of the award (if we do say so ourselves!), and Claudia is simply a great person to boot. We at Apt. 9 are firm believers in good things happening to good people, who also happen to be excellent poets. Bravo, Claudia! Congratulations! She joins a distinguished list of past winners, including Nicole Brossard, Robin Blaser, Susan Musgrave, Barry McKinnon, P.K. Page, Lisa Robertson, Gary Barwin, and fellow Apt. 9 author Sandra Ridley.

Accidentals was published in March 2011. You can hear Claudia read from the book at the April launch here. Shortly after, Claudia answers 12 or 20 questions from rob mclennan at Open Book: Ontario. A long time regular and organizer at the TREE Reading Series (Ottawa), there is an extensive catalogue of videos of Claudia reading in the series here. She also published a phenomenal  book with Two Cultures Press last year.

We’ll keep you posted on upcoming opportunities to hear Claudia read. There are only a few copies of the first printing of Accidentals left. We’re currently making plans for a second printing in the New Year.

Wherever you are today, raise a glass in Claudia’s name.

Notes: Profile, Interview, Book Fair

Despite the press going on an unofficial hiatus as of the end of August, there has been some activity to keep track of around the press.

rob mclennan wrote a generous and thoughtful profile of Apt. 9 that was published at Open Book: Ontario today. He sent me a few questions over email concerning the future of the press, and also looked back to the origins of my interest in Canadian Small Press at Carleton University. Thanks, rob!

Christine McNair interviewed Justin Million and Leah Mol on CKCU’s Literary Landscapes way back in August before their final Ottawa readings and ultimate departure. Audio of that interview is up on her blog for the show here. It really is a fantastic interview. Christine has insightful questions and Leah and Justin are in fine form speaking back and forth.

Sandra Ridley recently saw her second trade collection, Post-Apothecary, into print with the always wonderful Pedlar Press. Apt. 9 was lucky enough to publish a part of that manuscript in the chapbook Rest Cure way back in August 2009 as one of our inaugural titles. There is audio of Sandra reading from and discussing the book here. Sandra was also recently shortlisted for the City of Ottawa Book Award for her first trade collection, Fallout. Congratulations, Sandra!

Apt. 9 favourite Monty Reid will be reading at Tree in Ottawa next Tuesday, October 11. Monty has seen at least a half dozen chapbooks into print in the last year, with more on the horizon (and, we hope, a new trade collection before too long). Any chance to hear Monty is one that must be taken advantage of. Be there! We’ve still got copies of his recent Site Conditions, too, but not many.

We’re still looking for more places to send review copies. Do you review chapbooks? Send us an email!

Finally, Apt. 9 will be at the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair on Saturday November 5. Ah, we love the book fair. Come visit us, we’ll have HADRON, And I’ve Been Thinking Dangerously, Exit Interviews, and some wonderful backlist titles.

Hope everyone is warm and dry.

Cheers.

Raw Sugar | 24 August 2011

On Wednesday night, Leah Mol and Justin Million read to a full Raw Sugar Cafe, launching And I’ve Been Thinking Dangerously and HADRON. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the two and the press. We were thrilled with the response!

If you missed the reading, you can hear it in its entirety on the Odourless Press Radio blog. Thanks, Odourless!

Justin Million at Raw Sugar Cafe (photo by Jennifer Huzera)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ve still got one last chance to hear the Mol and Million read in Ottawa before they go west. Be at the final In/Words Reading Series event under Justin’s guidance, Monday August 29, 8:00pm, at the Clocktower in the Glebe.

Mol & Million

As the summer winds down, Apt. 9 is lucky enough to have two more titles to launch. Regrettably, these two books mark the departure of two of our favourite writers in the Ottawa community: Leah Mol and Justin Million. Leah and Justin are longtime stalwarts in the In/Words community that operates in and around Carleton University. Involvement in VERSeFest, Literary Landscapes, and running the monthly In/Words Reading Series, these two will leave a mark and a gap in Ottawa on their departure. We’re miserable to see them go, but overwhelmed and privileged to be able to print their work.

The books will be launched on Wednesday August 24 at Raw Sugar, 8:00pm (readings at 8:30pm). As that night approaches, the books are starting to take shape. Take a look at Leah Mol’s And I’ve Been Thinking Dangerously and Justin Million’s HADRON for the first time.

We hope to see you out to say goodbye properly to these two.

Heads up!

Details to follow:

Reviews!

A handful of reviews and notes have popped up online recently.

Pearl Pirie said some very thoughtful and accurate things about Monty Reid’s Site Conditions on her blog.

Stuart Ross was as kind and encouraging as ever over at Bloggamooga!

rob mclennan discussed Jim Smith’s new book Exit Interviews, and his reading in Ottawa before the book fair last Friday. He also discusses Jesslyn Delia Smith. Apt. 9 is a big fan of Jesslyn’s–I was lucky enough to edit and print her first chapbook through In/Words while we were both students at Carleton University. The promise of that book is certainly being realized in her recent work. Take a look at what Peter Gibbon says about her over here.

And finally, Dave Currie reviewed Jeremy Hanson-Finger’s The Delicious Fields in the new issue of In/Words, which you should pick up tonight at the Clocktower Brew Pub where Claudia Coutu Radmore will be reading in the excellent In/Words Monthly Reading Series.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and think about and talk about the books, it means the world to us! Do you work for a mag or run a blog that reviews chapbooks? Send us a note!

We’re still in prep-mode for Meet the Presses Screaming Chapbook Market on Saturday July 9 in Toronto. Will we see you there? What did you get at the Ottawa fair? How are the first proper days of summer treating you?

Readings & Book Tables

So the next month will be a busy one in Apt. 9′s little world:

We have the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair on Saturday June 25. Books are ready! Jim Smith will be in town to take part in the traditional Pre-Fair Reading on Friday June 24. Full details are available here. Jim will share the stage with locals Amanda Earl, Ben Ladouceur, and Adam Thomlison.

The following week, Claudia Coutu Radmore is reading at June edition of the venerable In/Words Reading Series, Wednesday June 29 9:00pm at the Clocktower, downstairs. In/Words continues to be one of the best things going in readings in Ottawa, do get out to these over the summer. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Finally, we’ll be heading out of town to kick off July with a visit to the Meet the Presses SCREAMING Chapbook Market in Toronto on Saturday July 9. Meet the Presses is a wonderful collective of people who care about chapbooks and small press publishing in all its forms, and they do the important work of supporting each other throughout. We regrettably missed last summer’s fair, but will find a way to get there in a few weeks time. We’ll be there with new books, and maybe even a re-print or two. Heads up, Toronto!

 

Jim Smith & the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair

So the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair is nearly upon us for another spring  installment, and Apt. 9 is just about ready. To celebrate the fair, we have a brand new chapbook from Jim Smith that we’re just thrilled to be able to get into all of your hands.

2009 saw the publication of Jim’s Back Off, Assassin! New and Selected Poems (Mansfield). Aside from having one of the greatest titles for a selected in recent memory, the book was an introduction to Jim’s work for several generations of young Canadian poets. Jim’s publishing and small press life find their origins in 1980s Toronto in a series of books with equally wonderful titles: One Hundred Most Frightening Things (blewointmentpress, 1985), The Schwarzenegger Poems (Surrealist Poets’ Gardening Assoc., 1988), and Convincing Americans (Proper Tales Press, 1986) among others.

Apt. 9 feels privileged to be publishing Exit Interviews and contributing to his most excellent bibliography.

Jim will be in town to read from Exit Interviews at the traditional Pre-Fair Reading on Friday June 24.The reading will happen at the Carleton Tavern (233 Armstrong Ave. across from the Parkdale Farmer’s Market), upstairs. Doors at 7:00, readings at 7:30. Details have not yet been released for the full lineup of readers, but Jim will be there, and so should you. Readers are typically drawn from poets and presses appearing the following day at the fair with new material. It is not to be missed. We’ll be sure to make full details known once we have them.

We hope to see you at the fair! Maybe even with some books you published?

 

 

Notes: Hanson-Finger, Radmore, Reid, Hawkins.

rob mclennan  published a brief review of Jeremy Hanson-Finger’s The Delicious Fields this morning over at his blog. He says “what engages is watching him work the difference between what might be hidden, shown or completely lost, and what might entirely be suggested.” Thanks, rob!

In other rob-related news, Claudia Coutu Radmore recently answered 12 or 20 of his questions at Open Book: Ontario. rob’s tireless work continues to be a central part of the ongoing conversation in and around Ottawa’s small press community. If you’re interested in these things (local writers, local publishing, local happenings), why not add your voice in one form or another? The small press book fair is just around the corner, plenty of time to get a mag or chapbook press off the ground…

Claudia will also be the feature reader at the In/Words Monthly Reading Series on the last Wednesday of May. Apt. 9 will be there with Accidentals in hand. We’ll announce further details when we have them.

Monty Reid has seen another unit of his Garden series in to print through obvious epiphanies press in Japan. Others available through above/ground, Peter F. Yacht Club, Red Ceilings, and LaurelReed (am I missing others?). A serial-serial poem, these small chapbooks are great to follow. Hopefully we’ll see a complete manuscript in the near future.

Finally, I recently wrote a short piece on the book Northern Comfort over at the Ottawa Poetry Newsletter. Northern Comfort is another fascinating book-object in William Hawkins already fascinating bibliography.

Now, go read a book in the sun, get off the computer!

Audio – Monty Reid, Claudia Coutu Radmore, Jeremy Hanson-Finger

Last weekend’s launch was an overwhelming success. In absolutely terrible weather we filled Raw Sugar to standing-room-only. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the event, thank you to Nadia and Raw Sugar for generously hosting us, and thank you once again to Monty Reid, Claudia Coutu Radmore, and Jeremy Hanson-Finger for reading and publishing with Apt. 9 Press.

Below you’ll find audio of the afternoon, as well as some photos (by Jennifer Huzera). The new books are for sale in the ETSY shop now. Pearl Pirie also put up some photos of the event here.

Audio: Introduction | Jeremy Hanson-Finger | Claudia Coutu Radmore | Monty Reid

Jeremy Hanson-Finger reads from The Delicious Fields

Claudia Coutu Radmore reads from Accidentals.

Monty Reid reads from Site Conditions.