The Bywords John Newlove Poetry Award

Hosted by Amanda Earl

In Person Poetry Music

Admission

Free

Friday

Oct , 2013

9:00pm

Eastern

Knox Presbyterian Church

120 Lisgar Street (at Elgin) • Ottawa

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The winning poem is succinct, funny, and disturbing all in one. An irreverent revery about escape, and its potentially dire result. The words are carefully chosen, but not precious, and effectively shaped into a potent little poem.

Alice Burdick, 2013 John Newlove Poetry Award Judge

Join us for the launch of The Tiger with the Crooked Mouth by Jenna Jarvis, the 2012 recipient of the John Newlove Poetry Award. Featuring readings by this year’s honourable mentions and award recipient (to be announced at the reading), plus music by Jill Zmud!

Books by participating authors available on-site. A booksigning will follow each event.

The Authors

Jenna Jarvis

Jenna Jarvis is the 2012 recipient of the John Newlove Poetry Award. She's a Master's student in English literature at Carleton University, and a former co-editor of In/Words Magazine. Her poetry has most recently been published by S/tick, Conduit Canada, and The Puritan. Her chapbook, The Tiger with the Crooked Mouth, will be launched at the Ottawa International Writers Festival during the John Newlove Poetry Award.

Jill Zmud

Jill Zmud has been asked where the next album is at. She understands where the question is coming from. The last one, As We Quietly Drive By, came out back in 2009. The critically-acclaimed collection of torch-folk tunes of heartbreak and hope made 'Best of' lists and contributed to Jill being labelled as "one to watch". In the time since then, though, she’s had wonderful things happen to her: singing with the likes of Jim Cuddy, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, discovering long-lost reel-to-reel tapes of her songwriting uncle Eddy Clynton, getting to perform at Ottawa Folk Fest, Bluesfest, Jazz Fest and more… not to mention the little life changes of getting a husband and a dog. But there’s also been loss along the way too, namely of her wonderful father Bill. And sometimes, in the midst of that kind of loss, it’s been hard to pick up the guitar and write again. But she is in the process of doing just that, and like so many of her songs' characters, finding the bridge between hurting and healing. And so, to answer that question about the next album, she is learning how to say to others, and herself, “It’s here, beginning.” Jill will be performing at the John Newlove Poetry Award reading on October 25.