Evan J

Why have I not released another poetry book? Why don’t I live in Sioux Lookout anymore? Why am I teaching so few workshops? Good questions. Well, there are three reasons:

1. I’ve received three major grants in the past year, all for book projects, two being prose projects. So I’m learning, quickly, intensively, full-time, every day, how to write prose. One of these projects, a short fiction collection, is nearing completion. Maybe four more months of work, depending on what my (brilliant) editor, Liz Johnston, has to say. The other project, a fascinating novel project, needs about two more years of work. There’s also a poetry book project somewhere on a backburner.
   
2. I’m a jury member for this year’s LCP Raymond Souster Award for Poetry. This job requires me to read nearly every book of poetry published by a Canadian this year. Something like 150 books. It’s a big job, a fun job, but time-consuming.
   
3. My partner Jess is a grad student studying (and, let’s be honest here, it’s more than studying, it’s transforming) trans-healthcare. So we must be near the University of Manitoba for the next year, and must be near a university for several more years when they do a PhD.