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Anstruther, The OS, &&&

KHASHAYAR MOHAMMADI’s 2018 PICKS

1. “Chlorosis” by Michael Flatt and Derrick Mund (The Operating System)

As they describe the book themselves, “A break-up letter to the world.” The Echopoetics of “Chlorosis” forces us to face the bitter truths about our environment. through their rhetoric we sit down with 3D Glasses to watch nature crumble all around us. I highly recommend

2. “An Absence so Great and Spontaneous It Is Evidence Of Light” by Anne Gorrick (The Operating System)

Anne Gorrick’s quirky take on procedurally generated poetry made me question the agency of a poet in the age of internet and Artificial intelligence. this book is a document to the electronic zeitgeist of the timeline during which it was created. a book to be studied endlessly.

4. “ZUSE-80” by Lindsay Cahill (Inspiritus)

I gotta admit that throughout 2018, I often took refuge behind ZUSE-80 as my happy place. It is one of the most uniquely endearing and heartwarming books I came across this year. Its a book that I’ll infinitely revisit in times of sadness and discomfort.

5. “Slogan, Substance, Dream” by John Nyman  (Anstruther)

a strong, philosophical look into the substance of poetry. a book that simultaneously inspired and challenged me. I recommend it to anyone interested in the theoretical approach to poetics and writing in general. 

6. “Heart & Mouth & Deed & Life” by JM Francheteau (Anstruther)

a thrilling new collection by an introspective mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the micro-journeys the poems took me on. each poem is full of thought and reflection, loss and redemption, weakness and revival. one of my personal favorites this year.

7. “Weak Spot” by Fawn Parker (Anstruther)

a tale of grief told with brutal honesty. Fawn Parker’s latest poetry collection takes you on an emotional ride with bare-bone realism. 

8. “Let This Be The End Of Me” by JC Bouchard  (Bad Books)

I had always admired Bouchard’s work, but this collection cemented him as a truly unique voice in my mind. His minimalist poetry, along with his wonderful photography, tugged at my heart strings like no other book this year.

9. The Minola Review, edited by Robin Richardson  

probably one of the best anthologies I’ve ever encountered. the stupendous quality of the writing aside, Richardson’s gathering of the material was a task beyond my comprehension. the best collection of Women’s writing available right now. Highly recommend it for both literary value and cultural significance.

10. “Everyone In Your Dream Is You” by Lily Wang (Anstruther) 

the single most original collection of poetry I encountered this year. It made me laugh, made me tear up, made me feel complex emotions simultaneously. a truly remarkable debut by a truly brilliant emerging writer. Lily Wang is a name to look out for in the future!

KHASHAYAR MOHAMMADI IS AN IRANIAN-BORN WRITER/TRANSLATOR BASED IN TORONTO, CURRENTLY AN EDITOR AT INSPIRITUS PRESS. THEIR MOST RECENT PUBLICATION IS MOE’S SKIN (ZED PRESS, 2018). DEAR KESTREL IS BEING PUBLISHED BY KNIFE | FORK | BOOK SPRING 2019.

KFB MONTHLY CHAPBOOK CLUB w/KHASHAYAR MOHAMMADI LAUNCHES JAN 29TH

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NEW MONTHLY KFB CHAPBOOK CLUB LAUNCHES JAN 29TH

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We love chapbooks. Tasty morsels of ephemera that opportune small presses, those marginalized, established and emerging writers alike, let their creative juices run on the page to a readership keen on encountering the new.

Through revisiting chapbooks by brilliant writers who lack the representation of more mainstream writers, we ruminate on the importance of their work, discuss the intricacies of their writing and through our effort their work will live on in our hearts for much longer than originally intended.

This club is for poets, lovers of poetry and small presses alike. It’s a way of helping both the writers and the presses, a way of marketing smaller voices and bringing them to the forefront. We’re excited to create a more fertile future for small publishing and we hope you’ll join us in this effort!

Yours 

-Khashayar Mohammadi (Kramer)

KFB POETRY LAB presents

KFB CHAPBOOK CLUB with KHASHAYAR MOHAMMADI

Last Tuesday/s of the month BEGINNING JANUARY 29TH 4PM at the shop

FIRST CHAPBOOK SELECTION: ALLY FLEMING’S THE WORST SEASON (Anstruther Press)

Fee: Free with the purchase of the chapbook (cost varies upon selection)
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BARBOUR DI PLACIDO BERNIER-CORMIER

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KFB FRIDAYS | THIS FRIDAY 

Divided from, tucked into. / A part of the whole, / yet severed from the body // that gave her life. / The headless woman floats / in a Cartesian equation. — CAROL BARBOUR “Headless Woman” from Infrangible

Di Placido’s plumb line reaches for impossible depths, a sign of extraordinary resilience, artistic dream, and curiosity for the contradictory realities apposing our world now—Dale M. Smith, Author of Slow Poetry in America

Dominque, your debut will stay with me forever.—KIRBY, KFB BEST OF 2018

CAROL BARBOUR  SONIA DI PLACIDO DOMINIQUE BERNIER-CORMIER

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14TH

knife | fork | book
at The Dark Side Studio | 244 Augusta Avenue | 2nd Floor | Kensington Market | Toronto

Doors 6:30 Poetry 7
Access: We are a second floor walk-up with two all-gender washrooms. Please remove your shoes upon entrance.
SONIA DI PLACIDO is currently completing an MFA in Creative Writing at UBC. She is a member of The League of Canadian Poets, The Writer’s Union of Canada, Canadian Women in The Literary Arts and The Association of Italian-Canadian Writers. An Associate Editor of Juniper Poetry Magazine, she has had poems published by Carousel, Puritan, The White Wall Review, Jacket2, Canthius, The California Journal of Women Writers, and Juniper Poetry Magazine. In September 2016, she was part of the China Writers Association International Writer’s Residency for the cities of Tianjin, Binhai and Beijing. Sonia teaches English for Academic Purposes at George Brown College. Her first book Exaltation in Cadmium Red was published with Guernica Editions in 2012. Flesh is her second full-length book of poetry. Sonia’s current writing updates can be found on her website/blog: diplacido.wordpress.com
CAROL BARBOUR’s poems have been published by Canthius, Sein und Werden, The Ekphrastic Review, Transverse Journal, The Fiddlehead, and The Toronto Quarterly. A graduate of the University of Toronto (MA) and the Ontario College of Art (AOCA), Carol is a poet, visual artist, and art historian. She resides in Toronto.
DOMINIQUE BERNIER-CORMIER was born in Quebec and grew up in Moscow, Paris, and Beijing. His poems have been shortlisted for the Montreal International Poetry Prize, ARC’s Poem of the Year Contest, CV2’s Young Buck Award, and the Frog Hollow Press Chapbook Award. His poem, “Fabric,” won The Fiddlehead’s Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem in 2017. Correspondent is his first book.
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What a lovely way

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tiziana

tizi

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3 poets

Jacquelyn Ross Tiziana La Melia

O, what a lovely way to spend an afternoon. MICHAEL NARDONE’s THE RITUALITES (Book*hug) LAUNCH with TIZIANA LA MELIA and SHIV KOTECHA  knife | fork | book

Photos: KIRBY