The Big Husky Sun

April Poetry Update

Hi Friends,

I’m now halfway through my term as Writer in Residence at Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon. Spring came late here, but now it’s cranked up to 11. We’re getting a lot of what Robert Service called “the big husky sun” (in his poem The Spell of the Yukon).

Dawson’s a really wonderful place. My family and I are having a blast. There’s always something new to do. Here’s a pic of me reading at an an open mic at the local “Thaw di Gras” spring festival. Those cymbals were just aching to play along.

I wrote a bit about my experience in Dawson, including a mini essay on the poetry of Robert Service, in the new issue of the Feuilles newsletter from Traces Journal. You can read it here.

I also have new poems to share! I published an apocalyptic riff on the folk song “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” over at Poems for Persons of Interest. Here’s the first verse:

She’ll be coming round the mountain. So they said—
those voices in the hollows of my head.
The promise there still resonates and hums.
She’ll be coming round the mountain.
It’s been years now, but who’s counting?
She’ll be coming round the mountain when she comes.

Read the rest of it here! Thanks to editor Alex Rettie!

I also have two poems that came out recently in the McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry. The first, “Eschaton Sonnet,” is an apocalyptic sonnet that manages to name-drop 18 Canadian cities. The second poem is my weird little version of Psalm 110. You can read them both here. Thanks to editor D.S. Martin!

And I also have a poem in the local paper! The Klondike Sun very kindly ran an excerpt from my translation of The Voyage of Saint Brendan. There’s nothing like a poem about a medieval monk sailing to Hell to boost your readership.

I also have some events coming up!

I’ll be participating in a virtual launch event for the book Sublime: Poems for Vanishing Ice (edited by Yvonne Blomer for Caitlin Press), which includes one of my poems. The event is in the afternoon on Sunday April 19, and you can join us here.

If you happen to be in Dawson City, I’ll be doing a reading at the public library on April 16 at 7pm.

I’ll also have some events coming up in Whitehorse in May. On Friday May 1 I’ll be signing books at Mac’s Fireweed Books. I’ll be doing some readings too, but still need to confirm place and time. Stay tuned!

Best,

Jesse.