David James Brock is a Canadian writer of opera, theatre, poetry, and film. Author of poetry collections Everyone is CO2 and Ten-Headed Alien. Co-creator of Breath Cycle, an opera for cystic fibrosis.
2018 was a year where I had a few things fall into place, but one of the things I’m most proud of was the chance to work with the incredible team at Poetry is Dead magazine as co-editor of their metal themed issue. The opportunity to work with PiD’s Executive Editors Ben Rawluk & Dina Del Bucchia was a rare gift, and I learned a lot from their warmth and patience as we went through the incredible poems that we received.
And of course, to be able to co-edit with one of Canada’s finest writers, the incomparable Carleigh Baker on this thing, is something I will be grateful for for a long time. I hope everyone has a chance to find this issue, read it, and shred.
As usual, I'm not updating this blog enough, but I'd be remiss not to give some props over the next few week to people that have made my life fun and productive lately. The first is Dawn Kresan at Pelee Island Book House, who has started an incredible Writer's Retreat on Pelee Island (a place I'd never been to, and now, a place I'm eager to return).
Writers Dawn Kresan & Alisa York listen to a reading from Diana Leszczynski at magic hour on Pelee Island
I spent a week at this retreat in early May working on a number of projects (though I workshopped a section from my novel about the 1912 Detroit Tigers). I met some wonderful writers, learned a few things about bird identification, went to a birding banquet (a surreal, almost David Lynchian experience that I expect Grant Munroe will encapsulate with eloquence), drank some wine, and wrote a hell of a lot.
Margaret Atwood leads a chicken symphony...I think.
And please if you get the chance, attend the Pelee Island Book House. This place has the potential to be an iconic spot for writers, and Dawn has created something special here.
I've been writing a bunch of "sci-fi" poems as of late, including "But What Did Their Skin Look Like?" recently featured on the Dusie Blog. Maybe this is about to get out of hand...
