Celebrating Forty Years of Poetry: Part Four

Wonderful things happened in the press in this last decade of our journey. Authors like JonArno Lawson and Catherine Graham joined us, and long-time friends of the press, such as Richard Harrison, stayed with us. JonArno Lawson’s Enjoy It While It Hurts and Ken Howe’s The Civic-mindedness of Trees, thoughtful and witty collections looking at nature in different ways, were both acquired by Noelle Allen, but Catherine brought her wonderful collection Her Red Hair Rises on the Wings of Insects to the press because Paul Vermeersch came on board as senior editor in 2012. Two years later, in 2014, we launched Buckrider Books, the imprint Paul started, and a new chapter of the press began. One of the first poetry collections launched with the imprint was the debut collection Everyone is CO2, from the award-winning playwright David James Brock. Soon the imprint had a Governor General shortlist for poetry and a win for poetry along with other awards, and many vibrant voices had found a home in the imprint. A Sparrow Came Down Resplendent, On Not Losing My Father’s Ashes in the Flood and Treaty # had storied and well-loved authors Stuart Ross, Richard Harrison and Armand Garnet Ruffo explore new territory in their works. Beautiful books spanning full careers of creativity like Gary Barwin’s For It Is a Pleasure and a Surprise to Breathe came out. Talented poets like Canisia Lubrin and Jen Sookfong Lee not only brought their groundbreaking collections Voodoo Hypothesis and The Shadow List to the press, they also joined the Buckrider Books editorial board and worked closely with Paul to find even more talented writers for us to showcase. At 40 years old, the press has shifted and grown in many different ways, and there is easily another 40 years of books in its future.

2013, Her Red Hair Rises with the Wings of Insects, Catherine Graham

2013, The Civic-mindedness of Trees, Ken Howe

2013, Enjoy It While It Hurts, JonArno Lawson

2014, Everyone is CO2, David James Brock

2016, A Sparrow Came Down Resplendent, Stuart Ross

2016, On Not Losing My Father’s Ashes in the Flood, Richard Harrison

2017, Voodoo Hypothesis, Canisia Lubrin

2019, For It Is a Pleasure and a Surprise to Breathe: New & Selected Poems, Gary Barwin

2019, Treaty #, Armand Garnet Ruffo

2021, The Shadow List, Jen Sookfong Lee