periodicities : a journal of poetry and poetics's Avatar

periodicities : a journal of poetry and poetics

@periodicities.bsky.social

est. March 2020 : editor/publisher rob mclennan https://bsky.app/profile/robmclennan.bsky.social built as a curious extension of above/ground press (b. 1993 https://periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/ member of Literary Magazines Canada Collective,

4,372 Followers  |  1,725 Following  |  635 Posts  |  Joined: 21.11.2023
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Posts by periodicities : a journal of poetry and poetics (@periodicities.bsky.social)

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Alex Deng : What’s Left Behind: On Verissimo’s Circumtrauma Circumtrauma is a book that explores the Nigeria-Biafra War, specifically the leftover trauma and (un)spoken history of that war. V...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Alex Deng : What’s Left Behind: On Verissimo’s Circumtrauma / @awapointe.bsky.social @coachhousebooks.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/03/alex...

01.03.2026 14:17 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Gil McElroy : even strange ghosts can be shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer, eds. Kevin Killian, Kelly Holt, and Daniel Benjamin even strange ghosts can be shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer edited by Kevin Killian , Kelly Holt , and Daniel Benjamin Wesleyan ...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Gil McElroy : even strange ghosts can be shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer, eds. Kevin Killian, Kelly Holt, and Daniel Benjamin / @weslpress.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/03/gil-...

01.03.2026 14:26 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Barophobiar
The superhero could not find a cure for his lice.
Invisibility streamed dreams into his scalp.
Flying burned his hair into skin.
At night, the superhero slept inside the walls.
He was never alone, and that was the way he liked it.
When it rained, the dawn chorus woke the villains, and the superhero stood on the brink of a volcano to find out what was true.

Barophobiar The superhero could not find a cure for his lice. Invisibility streamed dreams into his scalp. Flying burned his hair into skin. At night, the superhero slept inside the walls. He was never alone, and that was the way he liked it. When it rained, the dawn chorus woke the villains, and the superhero stood on the brink of a volcano to find out what was true.

One of mine in @periodicities.bsky.social

#smallpoemsunday
@tomsnarsky.bsky.social

01.03.2026 16:07 — 👍 25    🔁 9    💬 0    📌 0
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Gil McElroy : even strange ghosts can be shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer, eds. Kevin Killian, Kelly Holt, and Daniel Benjamin even strange ghosts can be shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer edited by Kevin Killian , Kelly Holt , and Daniel Benjamin Wesleyan ...

newly posted: Gil McElroy : even strange ghosts can be shared: The Collected Letters of Jack Spicer, eds. Kevin Killian, Kelly Holt, and Daniel Benjamin / @weslpress.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/03/gil-...

01.03.2026 14:24 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Jay Miller : Porto, Portugal and Dad is Dying I realize now that I must have downloaded The Vinyl Café at the most opportune time because it appears to have been scraped off the ...

newly posted: Jay Miller : Porto, Portugal and Dad is Dying
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/03/jay-...

01.03.2026 14:18 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Alex Deng : What’s Left Behind: On Verissimo’s Circumtrauma Circumtrauma is a book that explores the Nigeria-Biafra War, specifically the leftover trauma and (un)spoken history of that war. V...

newly posted: Alex Deng : What’s Left Behind: On Verissimo’s Circumtrauma / @awapointe.bsky.social @coachhousebooks.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/03/alex...

01.03.2026 14:16 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Lesle Lewis : Two poems Lake Doctors say you have only weeks yet. You go early to bed and draw meadows.   One day remembers a better one as she crawl...

newly posted: Lesle Lewis : Two poems / @pizamapress.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/03/lesl...

01.03.2026 14:12 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
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the schedule for the sixteenth annual edition of VERSeFest : Ottawa's International Poetry Festival is now online! March 24-30, 2026: readings and performances in English and French (and Polish!) by Marie-Célie Agnant, Olivia Tapiero, Sanita Fejzic, Melis...

the schedule for the sixteenth annual edition of VERSeFest : Ottawa's International Poetry Festival is now online! / @versefest-ottawa.bsky.social ;
robmclennan.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-...

11.02.2026 13:34 — 👍 17    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 3
Want to know about our upcoming events, workshops, shows, and programs, without relying on the whims of an algorithm? Sign up below and you'll get our news sent directly to your inbox.

by the way, this year's VERSeFest is running two poetry workshops: one by Toronto poet/editor Paul Vermeersch, and another by Calgary poet/performer Sheri-D Wilson; see here for further information: verseottawa.ca/en/versefest

12.02.2026 15:49 — 👍 7    🔁 6    💬 0    📌 0
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Manahil Bandukwala : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali Hajer Mirwali is a Palestinian and Iraqi writer living in Toronto. Her first book, Revolutions  (Talonbooks, 2025), is a collection of poet...

Manahil Bandukwala @manahil.bsky.social : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali / @versefest-ottawa.bsky.social @talonbooks.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/mana...

18.02.2026 14:09 — 👍 3    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 0
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Manahil Bandukwala : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali Hajer Mirwali is a Palestinian and Iraqi writer living in Toronto. Her first book, Revolutions  (Talonbooks, 2025), is a collection of poet...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Manahil Bandukwala @manahil.bsky.social : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali / @versefest-ottawa.bsky.social @talonbooks.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/mana...

18.02.2026 14:11 — 👍 1    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0
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Manahil Bandukwala : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali Hajer Mirwali is a Palestinian and Iraqi writer living in Toronto. Her first book, Revolutions  (Talonbooks, 2025), is a collection of poet...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Manahil Bandukwala @manahil.bsky.social : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali / @talonbooks.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/mana...

18.02.2026 14:11 — 👍 4    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0
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Manahil Bandukwala : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali Hajer Mirwali is a Palestinian and Iraqi writer living in Toronto. Her first book, Revolutions  (Talonbooks, 2025), is a collection of poet...

Manahil Bandukwala @manahil.bsky.social : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Hajar Mirwali / @versefest-ottawa.bsky.social @talonbooks.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/mana...

18.02.2026 14:09 — 👍 3    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 0
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Noah Sparrow : on SPECTACLE/SPECTATOR The poems in SPECTACLE/SPECTATOR are lent their transgressive thematic allusions from a world in crisis. The opening poem came to m...

newly posted: Noah Sparrow : on SPECTACLE/SPECTATOR / @noahsparrow.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/noah...

01.02.2026 14:12 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Mike Bagwell : Four poems Tomorrow, the Things We Want But In Having, Reject Out of Fear   Just like the ocean, we get by with only the basic information. W...

newly posted: Mike Bagwell : Four poems / @metatronpress.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/mike...

01.02.2026 14:14 — 👍 4    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 1
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Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) First, some randomly assembled facts of her life as a Canadian maker. Sandy Shreve wrote, edited and/or co-edited eight books and f...

newly posted: Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) / @bcbooklook.bsky.social @canadianpoets.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/cath...

11.02.2026 19:24 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

"This collection is not about coping; it offers no catharsis. It is immensely sad and violent, as the tearing away of life can only be. It leaves us with many lives that do continue, neither lessened by loss nor able to fill its void – many lives that continue together."

13.02.2026 17:34 — 👍 4    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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rob mclennan : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Lydia Unsworth Lydia Unsworth is a poet from Manchester, UK. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies including Dreaming Awake: New Cont...

newly posted: rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Lydia Unsworth @lydiaunsworth.bsky.social / @knifeforkspoon.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/rob-...

12.02.2026 14:02 — 👍 3    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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rob mclennan : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Lydia Unsworth Lydia Unsworth is a poet from Manchester, UK. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies including Dreaming Awake: New Cont...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : rob mclennan : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Lydia Unsworth @lydiaunsworth.bsky.social ; @versefest-ottawa.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/rob-...

12.02.2026 14:04 — 👍 4    🔁 4    💬 0    📌 0
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Jacqueline Valencia : Two poems Stilts   Knees wish I had them not a semblance just aged and used irresponsibly no glue to bond sorry I walk on impossible stilts/...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Jacqueline Valencia @jacquelinevalencia.ca : Two poems
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/jacq...

05.02.2026 14:24 — 👍 13    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 1

You cannot laugh while listening to the recording

07.02.2026 17:40 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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rob mclennan : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Lydia Unsworth Lydia Unsworth is a poet from Manchester, UK. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies including Dreaming Awake: New Cont...

newly posted: rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social : 2026 VERSeFest interviews: Lydia Unsworth @lydiaunsworth.bsky.social / @knifeforkspoon.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/rob-...

12.02.2026 14:02 — 👍 3    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) First, some randomly assembled facts of her life as a Canadian maker. Sandy Shreve wrote, edited and/or co-edited eight books and f...

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) / @bcbooklook.bsky.social @pw.org @anvilpress.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/cath...

11.02.2026 19:26 — 👍 10    🔁 4    💬 2    📌 0
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Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) First, some randomly assembled facts of her life as a Canadian maker. Sandy Shreve wrote, edited and/or co-edited eight books and f...

Here's @cowenwriter.bsky.social's tribute to Sandy, which includes a couple of Sandy's poems. Thank you, Catherine, for writing it, and @robmclennan.bsky.social for posting it at @periodicities.bsky.social:

11.02.2026 20:50 — 👍 7    🔁 4    💬 1    📌 0
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Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) First, some randomly assembled facts of her life as a Canadian maker. Sandy Shreve wrote, edited and/or co-edited eight books and f...

newly posted: Catherine Owen : Sandy Shreve (1950 – 2026) / @bcbooklook.bsky.social @canadianpoets.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/cath...

11.02.2026 19:24 — 👍 0    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Post image Post image

I'll be at Ottawa VerseFest March 27 and 28. On Friday, March 27, I'll be reading with Hajer Mirwali and Jérôme Melançon at the Happy Goat on Laurel, and on Saturday March 28, I'll be conducting a poetry workshop at the Elmvale branch of the Ottawa library. Details: verseottawa.ca/en/performer...

10.02.2026 22:45 — 👍 16    🔁 6    💬 0    📌 0
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Micheline Maylor : Notes from a Small Publisher: Frontenac House Press Founded in 2000 by Rose and David Scollard, and acquired by Neil Petrunia, and his wife Terry Davies around 2013.   I’ve acted a...

newly posted: Micheline Maylor : Notes from a Small Publisher: Frontenac House Press / @michelinemaylor.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/mich...

01.02.2026 14:16 — 👍 2    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Dawn Macdonald : A Weed Is a Word That Is Out of Place “One feature of weeds is always evident,” opines the botanist F.H. Montgomery in the introductory pages of his guidebook Weeds of ...

newly posted: Dawn Macdonald @yukondawn.bsky.social : A Weed Is a Word That Is Out of Place / @ualbertapress.bsky.social @griffinpoetryprize.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/dawn...

02.02.2026 14:16 — 👍 6    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
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Jon Cone and K.Lipschutz : on An Acceleration & a Calm I am a Canadian who has lived in Iowa City for many years. When I inherited a packet of unpublished poetry by fellow expat P. M. S...

newly posted: Jon Cone and K.Lipschutz : on An Acceleration & a Calm / @joncone.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/jon-...

03.02.2026 14:09 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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Claire Marie Stancek : Four poems from Double Life suddenly the flowers   // Soft whistle window                      draft // YES reads a merry yellow sign // Posted on a             ...

newly posted: Claire Marie Stancek : Four poems from Double Life / @omnidawn.bsky.social ;
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/02/clai...

03.02.2026 14:12 — 👍 3    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0