rob mclennan

rob mclennan was born in Ottawa (Canada’s glorious capital city) and raised on a dairy farm about an hour’s drive east, in historic Glengarry County, Ontario. The oldest of two (his sister is six years younger), he grew up on the family farm (with a history of McLennans that goes back to 1845), and eventually went to high school in nearby Alexandria, where he completed grade thirteen. After graduation, he quickly escaped back to Ottawa, where he almost immediately started studies that he then dropped at Carleton University; his daughter, Kate, was born barely sixteen months later. He currently lives in downtown Ottawa right between Chinatown and Little Italy, near enough to his daughter that they often visit.

He is the author of thirteen trade poetry collections, including red earth (2003), what’s left (2004) and The Ottawa City Project (2007), and fall 2007 sees the publication of his novella white (The Mercury Press), the travel book Ottawa: The Unknown City (Arsenal Pulp Press) and subverting the lyric: essays (ECW Press).

The editor/publisher of above/ground press (poetry chapbooks and broadsides) and STANZAS magazine, for long poems/sequences (both founded in 1993), the Ottawa poetry pdf annual ottawater, the on-line critical journal Poetics.ca (with Stephen Brockwell) and the trade publisher Chaudiere Books (with Jennifer Mulligan, chaudierebooks.com, founded in 2006), he is also the editor of a number of single-author trade titles as well as anthologies, including Written in the Skin: a poetic response to aids (1998), side/lines: a new Canadian poetics (2002), groundswell: best of above/ground press, 1993-2003 (2003), Dancing Alone: selected poems of William Hawkins (2005), Decalogue: ten Ottawa poets (2006), Decalogue 2: ten Ottawa fiction writers (2007), There Is No Mountain: The Selected Poems of Andrew Suknaski (2007) and Decalogue 3: ten concrete/visual poets (2008), as well as a forthcoming issue of the critical journal Open Letter.

He is spending the 2007-8 academic year in Edmonton, Alberta, where he is writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta. He can be found regularly at robmclennan.blogspot.com

1) What projects are you currently on? (Include issue #s, books, chapbooks, broadsides, special projects, print and web).

Currently, I’m working on the finals for the Chaudiere Books second season (fall 2007) and the season following; I’m working on issues #46 (Margaret Christakos) and #47 (Andy Weaver) of the long poem magazine STANZAS, putting together the Edmonton issue of The Peter F. Yacht Club (#8), some other above/ground press chapbooks and broadsides by Carla Milo, myself and various others, putting the finishing touches on the fourth issue of ottawater (toying with doing a 4.5 issue of same for my time here in Edmonton), putting the finishing touches on the book of essays by Andrew Suknaski for NeWest Press/writer as critic (spring 2008), writing the introduction for my Open Letter issue (spring 2008), final edits for both the ECW book of essays and Arsenal Pulp Press Ottawa book, and putting together a couple of pitches for newer and still-secret anthology projects. I’ve started a monthly single-author chapbook series through above/ground press, which I’m calling the ALBERTA SERIES; the idea is, a single-author 8 ½ x 11 book between 30-40 pages to appear in a monthly run of 200 copies during my entire tenure here (one of mine is the first; already solicited a slew of poets in Edmonton and even Calgary). At the end of my nine months, I’m planning to put the whole series online free as a series of pdfs.

Geez, what else am I working on?

Of course a manuscript of new poems, re-conceptualizing a small novel and working to finish a large one, and working a new creative non-fiction project to coincide with my nine months in Edmonton. I started an Alberta blog a few months ago, in preparation for my time here, but since arriving, I’ve started an interview project that goes out into all of my blogs, spreading itself throughout the Ottawa poetry newsletter blog, my main blog, the Alberta blog, and even into a further one (to keep myself from overloading the first three). The whole project, what there is so far, is filled with individual links at robmclennansindex.blogspot.com

2) What has been your biggest challenge as a poetry publisher/editor?

Keeping it all straight in my head might be the biggest challenge, apart from the frustrations of money, which regularly keep projects delayed far longer than they need.

3) Do you regret any paths you have followed as a publisher/editor?

Not a single one.

4) Name one poet who has not appeared in your publication which you would love to have included and why.

Only one? There are a bunch of writers I would love to be able to publish, including Sylvia Legris, Nicole Markotic, Erin Moure, Cole Swensen, Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Rachel Zucker, Christine Stewart, Lisa Robertson or Lissa Wolsak. How much space do we have?

My writing and reading interest has always included a series of touchstones, instead of merely a small handful.

Reading over my short list a second time, only now do I notice that all but one are female; I wonder what that says about me?

5) Who is the designer of your web site and how much input do you have in the design of the web site and the other design elements including covers for books, etc.?

Jennifer Mulligan designed my website, and my original blog; I have complete say, but she doesn’t have as much time as she’d like, so I don’t bother her too much about updating things (she also has a full-time job and is production manager for Chaudiere, and keeps trying to do her own projects such as writing poems, finishing a couple of screenplays and whatever else she’s taken on). Currently, Roland Prevost looks after the Poetics.ca website (and he’s doing a brilliant job), taking over what Paul Dechene started, and Tanya Sprowl designs everything there is about ottawater. The brand-new ALBERTA SERIES is being designed by Monique Desnoyers (individual pdfs and eventual web page both). As far as the Chaudiere Books website goes, until recently it was Kevin McKerracher who looked after it, but I think Jennifer has since taken over. All the blogging I pretty much do myself (with a little help from my friends…).

As far as book covers, above/ground press is me and completely me. We have Tanya Sprowl (phivedesign.com) doing the book design for Chaudiere Book titles; she does such a fine job with ottawater, that I completely wanted to work with her again. We have complete say on cover design, but if the author doesn’t have an image or idea for the cover, we pretty much give Tanya free reign. She does beautiful work.

We still get compliments on the Monty Reid Disappointment Island cover she did.

6) What recognitions have you received as a publisher/editor?

I’ve had my share of recognition, I suppose, for doing the above/ground press stuff, despite how much complaining I do about not getting any. The Chaudiere Books titles have been getting a pretty fair amount, including an article in Quill & Quire before our first launch, which was extremely cool. Still, it would be nice to get a few more of the books reviewed; I’d rather the material talked about than the publisher(s), you know?

7) Where do you see your publication/editing in 5 years?

In many ways, more of the same. I do want Chaudiere Books to be in a better position, since it costs money to do this stuff, so we need more return on such so we can continue. I’ve got some non-fiction plans that I think are pretty exciting. I’ve still got some clever schemes that I want to see through as far as editing books not only for Chaudiere but for other publishers as well, depending on the nature of the specific scheme; there is so much work still to be done.

8) What are some of your other interests?

I own about seven thousand comic books (predominantly Marvel Comics but a growing collection of Vertigo titles and issues of The Authority), watch far too much television (I haven’t decided if I like the new Bionic Woman yet, but I’m going to keep watching it), and spend many an evening sitting with friends in a variety of pubs. I’m also a big fan of non-fiction, although there never seems enough time. My daughter and I have also been spending years taking in new movies in theatres almost every single Saturday for over a decade, as well as exchanging suggestions for music to listen to.

9) What is your favorite poem as of today and why?

As of today? I suppose it would be the John Newlove poem “Concerning Stars, Flowers, Love, Etc.” I was reading Judith Fitzgerald’s response to it earlier today at judithfitzgerald.ca/concerningstarsflowersloveetc.html

10) Recommend a poetry book, blog or web site to our audience (not from one of your press) and why.

I’m a big fan of this first poetry collection by Sarah Lang, The Work of Days (Toronto ON: Coach House Books, 2007). A wonderfully exquisite long poem. I’ve also been reading pretty engaging blogs by Ottawa poet and journalist Marcus McCann and American poet Rachel Loden that I’ve quite liked. I keep the blog links on my main blog sidebar predominantly for my own reading, so I can keep track of what I want to regularly dip into.

11) What is the most exciting aspect of being a poetry publisher/editor?

Being able to make something that I believe in and enjoy, and being able to share that excitement with others. Years of making and distributing also means getting some pretty cool stuff back in the mail, too.

12) Leave us with a recipe for poetry.

Recipe? It’s never the same twice. Four parts hard work, ten parts obsessive wide-ranging reading, and one part complete stupid luck. Repeat as needed.