Where our 2020 Contributors come from.
We are so proud to be Canadian and love to celebrate our contributors—most who currently call Canada home, some who join us from afar.
Click a name to learn more.
Blank Spaces Contributors
Lisa Alletson ~ writer (137 Steps — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Nicoline Antonovitch ~ writer (From Antonia, With Love and Fury — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Ace Baker ~ writer (The Power of Three — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Meredith Bingham ~ artist (Circles — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Neil B. Bishop ~ writer (Lassoing the Stars — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Moni Brar ~ poet (From India, With Love; Pennywise & Dirt Poor — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Robert Chursinoff ~ writer (Beats Per Minute — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20; Unseasonable — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Melodie Corrigall ~ writer (Two Against One — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Marina Dempster ~ artist (Healing Fibres — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
James Dick ~ writer (Paper Mite Revolution — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Salvatore DiFalco ~ writer (How I Left Mr. Spleen — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Emily Dontsos ~ writer (Identity Theft — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Roselle Doyle ~ artist (Art in Motion — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Holly Ducarte ~ writer (Black Worm — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Noah Farberman ~ poet (A Canadian National, Eulogy Eulogy, Preface — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Dana Foley ~ writer (Tattoos, Heartbreak, and Other Scars — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Lisa Free ~ artist (It Begins With Water — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Rachel Freeman ~ writer (Exit Strategy — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Catherine Geiling ~ writer (Cape Split — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Melissa Hardy ~ writer (November Witch — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Leslie Hill ~ writer (Date Night — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Glen Hogard ~ poet (172, 193, 286, 344, 347 — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Evan J ~ poet (Bear Paw and Beast, and It’s No Pleasure in Life, or How to View the Kids at Night — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Jen Jones ~ writer (Grit — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Desiree Kendrick ~ writer (Priceless — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Anjali Kapoor Kohli ~ artist (Creating During Covid: Lessons Learned — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Tye Kraimer ~ writer (Seven Rinses — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Andrew Lafleche ~ poet (The Chorus of Murder, The Innate Hackles Darkness Brings, Here Am I — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Dakota LaMarre ~ writer (Blurring Lines — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Amy LeBlanc ~ writer (Sirens — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Jozef Leyden ~ writer (Victoria’s Plankton Elevator — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Kim Losier ~ poet (Strand of Life — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Anna Luckai ~ seamstress/artist (Sanctuary Innerwear — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Andrea Martineau ~ poet (Edit Stage Right, A Year for the Locals, Wally B, Bert Hunt, Crushed Can et al., and The Succession of Miss Fanny — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Anne McGouran ~ photographer/essayist (Field Notes: Ice Fishing on Nottawasaga Bay — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Caitlin McKenzie ~ poet (58, Sophia Tolstaya, Alma Reville, Rachel Mussolini — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Kyungseo Min ~ writer (Psychosis — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Theodora Mitrakos ~ writer (House Monster — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Joanne Morrison ~ writer (Letters From Dead Artists — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Gail M. Murray ~ writer (Dear Evelyn — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20; The Painted Girls — Volume 4, issue 4 - 06/20; The Last Hoffman — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20; Lightfoot — Volume 5, Issue 2)
Sadi Muktadir ~ writer (The Other Ramadan Story — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Chad Norman ~ poet (Woman Sitting in a Chair Wearing a White Poppy, The Mother of Nature, Cling — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Birdy ODell ~ poet/artist (Once and Again — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
James Patterson ~ writer (Blood Red — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Laura Jane Petelko ~ photographer (Soft Stories — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Amber Phillips ~ photographer (At the End of the Day — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Marina L. Reed ~ writer (Gouda — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Fraser Sager ~ writer (The Drop — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Ellis Scott ~ writer (Levies — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Tammy Shane ~ artist (Finding Quiet Among the Chaos — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
sharai ~ photographer (Messages — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Charlotte Sherry-Gilmour ~ writer (The 280th Ski Run — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Rhonda Skinner ~ writer (Have Some More — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Molly Steels ~ photographer (Rust and Rot — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Michael R. Sullivan ~ writer (Insulin — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Cheryl Skory Suma ~ writer (Floccinaucinihilipilification — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Mary Clare Terrill ~ writer (Ghosts of Women Past — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Mitchell Toews ~ writer (My Life as a Corkscrew — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20; The Margin of the River — Volume 5, Issue 1 - 09/20)
Karen Walker ~ writer (Life in Coffee — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Christina Wiebe ~ writer (Serendipity in Port Alberni — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
Penelope Woodcroft ~ poet (Star-crossed, Shipwrecked, and Sun-kissed — Volume 4, Issue 4 - 06/20)
Terence Young ~ writer (Daily Bread — Volume 5, Issue 2 - 12/20)
Vivian Zenari ~ poet (Trophies, Transition, In — Volume 4, Issue 3 - 03/20)
60 pages. Cover art by Laura Jane Petelko
Featuring the work of Lisa Alletson, Ace Baker, Robert Chursinoff, Melodie Corrigall, Salvatore Difalco, Rachel Freeman, Tye Kaimer, Andrew Lafleche, Kim Losier, Birdy Odell, Caitlin McKenzie, Gail M. Murray, James Patterson, Laura Jane Petelko, Marina L. Reed, Christina Wiebe, and Vivian Zenari.
Full Table of Contents from our March 2020 issue
from the editor — I’ve Got Big Dreams and I Cannot Lie
shameless — Blood Red by James Patterson examines the relationship between a son, a father, and a farm, touching on the sensitive issue of succession and the clash of family business versus personal pursuit.
— In 137 Steps, Lisa Alletson shares a vulnerable childhood memory of the time a stranger tried to coax her into his car on the streets of Johannesburg.
— Christina Wiebe lives with chronic illness that usually keeps her housebound, but when the sun called her outside on International Woman’s Day, a walk took her to a nearby gift shop where she had an unexpectedly beautiful and profound encounter in Serendipity in Port Alberni.
red solo cup — In his poems The Chorus of Murder, The Innate Hackles Darkness Brings, and Here Am I, Andrew Lafleche blends social criticism and philosophical reflection into a remarkable trio.
— Caitlin McKenzie brings a powerful feminine voice to her poems, 58, Sophia Tolstaya, Alma Reville, and Rachele Mussolini as she explores both the experience of being an aging woman and the reality of being cast in the shadow of an accomplished man.
— In Trophies, Transition, and In, Vivian Zenari invites us to join her in the forest as she takes us on a journey of beauty and appreciation.
flash fiction — In this excerpt from her novel, Primrose Street, Marina L. Reed gives us Gouda, a visceral and honest snapshot from within a deli.
— Two Against One by Melodie Corrigall explores the frustration and heartache one can experience when a loved one begins exhibiting troubling symptoms of age-related illness.
— In How I Left Mr. Spleen, Salvatore Difalco presents a surreal satire about an unhappy relationship.
different strokes — One look at Lisa Free’s work, It Begins With Water, and it’s easy to see how she is inspired by the shimmering St. Lawrence River, windswept island pines, and the movement found in nature. Her elegant tonal pallet is sure to instill a sense of peace and rest within you.
food of love — Robert Chursinoff, former drummer for Canadian rock/indie pop duo, Tegan and Sara, shares his story of rock’n’roll, wanderlust, and a brother’s devastating choice, in his mini music memoir, Beats Per Minute.
more than words — In her photographic series, Soft Stories, Laura Jane Petelko explores “Furries” —a subculture interested in anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics—and the result is startlingly beautiful.
fiction feature — In her short story, Seven Rinses, Tye Kraimer expertly captures the long tale of divorce, shown through the eyes of a young child.
story matters — Ace Baker delivers a helpful writing lesson in The Power of Three.
make art not war — Writer and found-word artist Birdy Odell shares pieces from her haunting series, Once and Again, partnering abandoned photographs with poetry created from words and phrases snipped from an old book.
between the lines — Gail M. Murray brings us a review of Dear Evelyn by Giller Prize nominated British-Canadian author, Kathy Page.
write prompt challenge winner — Rachel Freeman rose to the top with her entry, Exit Strategy, a story that “reaches into the core of our own fears, anxieties, and losses…marches over dead grass and takes us to greener pastures…guttural and uplifting…horrible yet beautiful.”
final word — Inspired by the loss of her father, Strand of Life, by Kimberly Losier reminds us of the fragility of our existence.
64 pages. Cover photography by Marina Dempster, featuring Port Perry artist Meredith Bingham
Featuring the work of Meredith Bingham, Holly Ducarte, Leslie Hill, Evan J, Amy LeBlanc, Jozef Leyden, Anna Luckai, Andrea Martineau, Theodora Mitrakos, Sadi Muktadir, Gail M. Murray, Ellis Scott, Charlotte Sherry-Gilmour, Molly Steels, Cheryl Skory Suma, Mary Clare Terrill, Mitchell Toews, and Penelope Woodcroft.
Click here to view a complete table of contents.
Featuring the work of Lisa Alletson, Ace Baker, Robert Chursinoff, Melodie Corrigall, Salvatore Difalco, Rachel Freeman, Tye Kaimer, Andrew Lafleche, Kim Losier, Birdy Odell, Caitlin McKenzie, Gail M. Murray, James Patterson, Laura Jane Petelko, Marina L. Reed, Christina Wiebe, and Vivian Zenari.
A full table of contents can be found here.
68 pages. Cover photography by Christina Gapic, featuring Toronto fibre artist Marina Dempster
Featuring the work of Neil Bishop, Moni Brar, Robert Chursinoff, Marina Dempster, Emily Dontsos, Roselle Doyle, Dana Foley, Catherine Geiling, Melissa Hardy, Glen Hogard, Anjali Kapoor Kohli, Min Kyungseo, Dakota Lamarre, Gail M. Murray, Amber Phillips, Rhonda Skinner, and Mitchell Toews.
64 pages. Cover photography by Marina Dempster, featuring Port Perry artist Meredith Bingham
Featuring the work of Meredith Bingham, Holly Ducarte, Leslie Hill, Evan J, Amy LeBlanc, Jozef Leyden, Anna Luckai, Andrea Martineau, Theodora Mitrakos, Sadi Muktadir, Gail M. Murray, Ellis Scott, Charlotte Sherry-Gilmour, Molly Steels, Cheryl Skory Suma, Mary Clare Terrill, Mitchell Toews, and Penelope Woodcroft.
64 pages. Cover photography by Tammy Shane, featured artist
Featuring the work of Nicoline Antonovitch, James Dick, Noah Farberman, Jen Jones, Desiree Kendrick, Anne McGouran, Joanne Morrison, Gail M. Murray, sharai mustatia, Chad Norman, Fraser Sager, Tammy Shane, Michael R. Sullivan, Karen Walker, and Terence Young.
68 pages. Cover photography by Christina Gapic, featuring Toronto fibre artist Marina Dempster
Featuring the work of Neil B. Bishop, Moni Brar, Robert Chursinoff, Marina Dempster, Emily Dontsos, Roselle Doyle, Dana Foley, Catherine Geiling, Melissa Hardy, Glen Hogard, Anjali Kapoor Kohli, Min Kyungseo, Dakota Lamarre, Gail M. Murray, Amber Phillips, Rhonda Skinner, and Mitchell Toews.
Click here to view a complete table of contents.
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64 pages. Cover photography by Tammy Shane, featured artist
Featuring the work of Nicoline Antonovitch, James Dick, Noah Farberman, Jen Jones, Desiree Kendrick, Anne McGouran, Joanne Morrison, Gail M. Murray, sharai mustatia, Chad Norman, Fraser Sager, Tammy Shane, Michael R. Sullivan, Karen Walker, and Terence Young.