April is National Poetry Month / The Patchy Squirrel hits Toronto

Established in 1999 by the League of Canadian Poets, keeping in step with similar promotional campaigns in the U.S. and Britain, April is the month when Canadians are reminded to take the time to read, listen to, and maybe even buy some poetry.

Ottawa Citizen columnist Janice Kennedy reflects on what poetry month means to her:

If I open the floodgates, a torrent of fond names and brilliant moments rushes out, a jumble of mismatched times and places, each a stirring memory: Yeats, Arnold, cummings, Donne, Eliot, Swinburne, Plath, Coleridge, Stevens, Frost, Gray, Sexton, Ferlinghetti, Amis, Shakespeare.

I recall what it felt like to read the older Canadian poets -- called "modern" in texts of the day -- who stirred something in me: Scott, Layton, Smith, Pratt, Klein, Page, Birney, whom I idolized. I recall being bowled over in the 1960s by a young Margaret Atwood and by Leonard Cohen before he ever opened his mouth to sing.

You can read the entire article here.

If you live in the Toronto area, you can keep track of poetry related events by hooking up with The Patchy Squirrel Lit-Serv, a new listing service from Dani Couture and Stuart Ross to alert subscribers to literary events in the GTA. Here's their press release:

THE PATCHY SQUIRREL LIT-SERV: MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE LITERARY COMMUNITY SINCE APRIL 2, 2007

Hi there, readers & writers & other literary enthusiasts!

How would you like to receive detailed weekly notices of literary events happening in Toronto? Read on....

WHO IS PATCHY?
The Patchy Squirrel Lit-serv is an email list devoted to Toronto literary events. It is delivered to subscribers every Monday morning and contains listings for events from Tuesday to the following Monday. Patchy launches on April 2, 2007. Patchy is open to actual events: book launches, readings, signings, book fairs, literary lectures, and workshops.

WHAT MAKES PATCHY SO GOOD?
Unlike print listings or web listings, Patchy lands in your email in-box every week. Also, Patchy isn't just a tiny squib with date/place/writers. Patchy includes all the info that reading, workshop, or launch organizers want you to know: substantial description of the event, author bios, book descriptions, manifestos!

YEAH, BUT HOW MUCH IS PATCHY GONNA CHARGE ME?
The Patchy Squirrel Lit-serv is a free service. However, Patchy welcomes donations from both subscribers and event organizers.

WHOSE SQUIRREL IS THIS, ANYWAY?
The Patchy Squirrel Lit-serv is brought to you by two Toronto writers, Stuart Ross and Dani Couture.

OK, THIS SOUNDS GOOD. HOW DO I RECEIVE PATCHY?
To receive the Patchy Squirrel Lit-serv every Monday, beginning April 2, just send an email to patchysquirrel@gmail.com with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject header. Please leave the body of the message blank. Patchy will use it to store nuts.