What We’re Talking About in Issue 0704 (June 2023)
The complete table of contents
as it appears in the June 2023 issue of Blank Spaces.
from the editor—We Need More Bad Art
shameless — In his personal essay, Stayin’ Alive, Michael McGrath recounts his childhood in Canmore, Alberta; navigating the experience of after-school jobs in a grubby little coal-mining town in the Canadian Rockies.
Linda Jones shares a snapshot of working in a restaurant and the fellow employees who left a lingering impression in her creative non-fiction piece, Waitress.
red solo cup — Josiah Nelson brings a gentle tenderness to his poems Ghosts and Winter Cry.
In his prose poem, You Could Never Forget What It’s Like to Be Here, Michael Schmidt shares the experience of being at his cottage on Lake Huron.
Capturing an embarrassing reality of early motherhood, Joan Rivard gives the reader a glimpse into the experience in her cheeky poem, Leaky.
In her vulnerable prose poem, Into the Storm, Alexxa Collins utilizes writing to give voice to mental illness, launching her mission to change the narrative that mental illness needs to be contained and stopped; instead, it is an ongoing and changing story that needs to be told.
flash fiction — With No One Knows in What Land He Will Die, Carole Glasser Langille shares a piece from a larger manuscript of linked stories, exploring the nuance of young love and the rumours erected around the unknown.
Ellen Lesiuk explores the stress of having to juggle it all while maintaining personal health and wellness in her anxious and well-paced story, Another Day.
In The Sun, a brief and touching snapshot of life in the oncology unit, Randy Sébastien Charles reminds us to take notice of the good work of others, and that a kind word can do wonders after a hard day.
fiction — Embodying the voice and feelings of a teenage girl trying to be comfortable in her own skin, Ace Baker employs Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a vehicle to launch the search for self confidence in his witty and universal story, Not Julie…Yet.
Maps by Suzanne Rintoul brings us along as a woman remembers a time when she thought she was a good writer, going to extreme measures to prove her worth to her professor.
more than words — Ma, a photography series by Laura Jane Petelko, employs the Japanese concept of negative space in collaboration with dancers from the National Ballet of Canada.
food of love — Jeanette Vo shares about the desire for a moment of grief, how the symphony can contain opportunity for reflection and memory, and how an inconsiderate stranger can strip it all away in her fictional piece, A Moment.
story matters — John RC Potter shares about his charmed encounter with a famous author in his personal essay, In Search of Alice Munro.
make art not war — Carol Shumas, the late naïve artist is celebrated by her sister, Linda Shumas, in this touching tribute that celebrates her prolific career, showcasing some of her charming art that has been called “theatre on the wall.”
between the lines — Gail M. Murray brings us a review of Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson as well as a brief glimpse into her experience attending the delightful launch party thrown by Harper Collins at The King Edward Hotel in Toronto.
write prompt challenge winner — Write prompt winner Gabriel Munro presented a strong contest entry with his story Caretakers, one that the judges said “elevates tired folklore to a new level” and “engages the reader from the outset.”
final word — Paul Desjardins pours his love of the outdoors into his work, believing nature resonates with one’s mental and spiritual health, made evident in his gentle poem, Nature.
