Blog

Posted on

“Survival is the least of my desires.”

DOROTHY ALLISON. SKIN. Early lifesaver. Revisited. Often. Must read.
Posted on

Recording in progress

Yes, I’m going into the studio this month to record the complete/unabridged audiobook for Poetry Is Queer.

Not just any recording studio, but legendary musician/producer/photographer/author DON PYLE, drummer for Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet (of Kids in the Hall fame, including its upcoming season), composer for film/TV (recently Baroness Von Sketch Show), and producer and/or engineer with releases by The Sadies, Iggy Pop, Peaches, The Two Koreas, Andre Williams, John Doe, and others and recent albums by Tied To The Branches, Soupcans and Legato Vipers.

His new photography book, Shot In A Mirror is out this winter as one of the debut titles for the new Midnight Mass Press, publisher Matt Finner.

Don & I will be ‘in concert’ together at 48×81  March 2, 2022.

Special Thanks to Aimee at Palimpsest Press for green-lighting this project. Aiming for Spring 2022 release.

Posted on
Posted on

“How was Vancouver?”

A full house at the wonderful Massy Arts Space, w/an extraordinary line-up, KYLA JAMIESON, TOLU OLORUNTOBA, ADÈLE BARCLAY, [myself], to celebrate the launch of dear friend/poet NEIL SURKAN’s newest from McGill-Queens UP, Unbecoming. A joyous exchange. Thrilled at the good fortune to have been able to go, support. Thanks to all who came (and bought books!). Special thanks to Neil, Stephen Collis, Lucas Crawford, & Tolu for reaching out, spending time, showing me the sights. Good company.

Posted on

When the Autumn weather turns the leaves to flame

One hasn’t got time for the waiting game

Posted on

Fairyland

It’s no secret, I have had a lifelong love affair with the artist, beloved friend, Philip Hare (yes, Kirk knows). They moved to Nova Scotia (“Fairyland”) a couple of years ago, Philip’s instagram provides ample glimpses of paradise found. They were kind enough to meet me in Lunenburg where I read with fellow NS poets, Annick MacAskill & Andy Verboom at Alice Burdick‘s shop. I was supposed to return with them to their haven near Harbourville then, but our best laid plans got botched up (my end) as I promised a return visit, “Soon.”

Two years later…

“Hey, Kirby, there’s this lovely little community hall in Harbourville we can book for a reading if you’d like.”

“Darlin’ not only a [my first live reading in over a year] reading, this will be my launch!”

A perfect re-entry. And so fitting. Philip and I having collaborated/in support of each other’s work for decades, beginning in the early nineties with his “Flying Weenie Mandala” that defined the space at the Gay Vision Conference (Toronto, 1992), to a recent pink bandana illustrating a poem, “You’re Welcome” from She’s Having a Doris Day (KFB, 2017), and now work in Not Your Best 2 (KFB, 2021) and the cover art for my newest Poetry Is Queer (Palimpsest Press, 2021) launching at Harbourville Hall, Sunday, September 19th 2PM Atlantic. (Copies of both will be on hand.)

East Coast poets and friends and to those I will newly meet, consider this a welcome invite. Philip and I would love to see you there. It will be grand.

Posted on

NYB2 The QUEER ASS FUCK Issue

“I call myself QUEER because I’ve learned to eroticize my own and everyone else’s confusions.” — NAYLAND BLAKE, Artist

Thrilled to edit this, the second instalment of knife | fork | book’s Not Your Best Series, affectionately titled, “The Queer Ass Fuck Issue.”

Why Not Your Best? Writing is not a contest. This series was created to counter rampant silly notions of “best/awards/winning,” to simply recognize/acknowledge the work itself. 

What do I mean by queer? 

In my book, Poetry is Queer (Palimpsest Press, 2021) queer is defined as: a person who self-proclaims the authority of their own body in defiance of church and state. 

Radical.

Resilient. Tenacious. Creative. Out there. Joyous. Playful. Catty. Fun. Non-conforming. Fleshy. SparklePony. Baton-twirling. Activist. Sick to death of rainbows. Pride. Butch. Kween. Friend of Dorothy. Pro-sexual. Unrankled. Big fan of pretty. Plays well in the dark. Reads. Can bend when willing. Loves Mom. Cher. Pink. Warriors. Dancers. Anything flamboyant. Flies in the face of. Any combination of the above or make it up.

The call: “As editor, I’m a visceral poet and reader, make it memorable. Surprise and delight. Give me something that sticks, causes me to stop, read aloud, want to share, return to, that I won’t forget. Good poetry does just that.”

There’s no mistaking QUEER. And when a queer’s creative fountain is on full, MARVEL.

17 Artists deliver the goods. Pick it up here.

CATCH THE NYB2 QAF LAUNCH ONLINE OPENING NIGHT OF KFB5!