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Rob Taylor

@roblucastaylor.bsky.social
1.1K followers 516 following 641 posts

Poet. Teacher. Editor. Interviewer. Festival Director. Plum memer. Not necessarily in that order. Usually found in Vancouver, Port Moody or Abbotsford. roblucastaylor.com

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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
The 2026 lineup for the Fraser Valley Writers Festival is here! Featuring keynote addresses from Jody Wilson-Raybould and Justin McElroy on Nov 6, and a full day or readings, workshops and podcast recordings on Nov 7. Get your *free* tickets before they're gone! www.fvwritersfestival.com
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Caitlyn Carr on Encrypted by Arleen Pare (@caitlinpress.bsky.social), via @the-wood-lot.bsky.social:
the-wood-lot.ca
The World as “Too Overmuch:” A Review of Arleen Paré’s Encrypted
reviewed by Caitlyn Carr In the fall of 2020, Arleen Paré’s nineteen-year-old grandson moved into the basement of the home she shares with her wife in Victoria. While witnessing his struggles with …
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
My students wrote reviews, too! Here is Wren Ashenhurst on "Future Howl" by Sue Goyette (@gaspereaupress.bsky.social), posted over at @the-wood-lot.bsky.social: the-wood-lot.ca/2026/09/24/p...
the-wood-lot.ca
Poetry with Teeth: A Review of Future Howl by Sue Goyette
reviewed by Wren Ashenhurst Future Howl, released in 2025 from Gaspereau Press, is the latest in Sue Goyette’s illustrious literary career. It meditates on themes of trauma and survival—personal, s…
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Al & Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize is open for submissions for 2027. Canadian poets, if you have a book out this year, make sure this is on your publisher's radar! www.alpurdy.ca/al-and-eurit...
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Christina Shah @christinashah.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Tomorrow! Join Russell Thornton and me in conversation with Rob Taylor @ WORD Vancouver! 12:30 @ the Poetry Tent. @roblucastaylor.bsky.social @wordvancouver.bsky.social @nightwoodeditions.bsky.social @harbourpublishing.bsky.social @gaspereaupress.bsky.social ⭐📕 www.wordvancouver.ca/poetry-tent-...
wordvancouver.ca
Across Generations — WV
Two poets at different stages of their careers come together to explore identity, memory, labour, and place.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Do it, people!!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Congrats!! 🥳
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Al Purdy A-frame 2027 residency applications are due in by the end of this week. Do it, people! Staying at the A-frame was one of the best things I've done as a writer: www.alpurdy.ca/residency/
alpurdy.ca
Al & Eurithe Purdy Residency – The Al Purdy A-frame Association
Origins Acknowledgement of the Land The Al and Eurithe Purdy A-frame Association acknowledges that our residency and the activities of our writers-in-residence are sited on the traditional territories...
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Nightwood Editions @nightwoodeditions.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Join Books BC and Read Local BC at Word Vancouver on Saturday, September 19 at 2 pm to celebrate 30 years of Poetry in Transit! Hosted by Rob Taylor, poets Elizabeth Bachinsky, Renee Saklikar, Wendy Donawa, and Russell Thornton will read from their new collections.
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Read Local BC @readlocalbc.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
We're celebrating 30 years of Poetry in Transit! This much-loved program began in 1996 and has featured hundreds of poems from BC poets over the years, making it one of the longest running transit poetry programs in Canada. Join us @wordvancouver.bsky.social on Saturday, September 19 for...
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The Dead Poets Reading Series @deadpoetsreading.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
We're back! Sept 13th, 3pm-5pm at Outsiders and Others in downtown Vancouver. Featuring these wonders: Marlo Browne, Mallory Tater, Kate McCandless and Whitney French! 😍 Reminder that this is a masks-required event. Hope to see you there!
Poster for Dead Poets Reading Series - Sept 13th, 3pm-5pm at Outsiders and Others in downtown Vancouver. Featuring Marlo Browne, Mallory Tater, Kate McCandless and Whitney French. masks-required event
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"Things Artificial Intelligence Can’t Do" by Aaron Belz, from the September 2026 issue of Poetry Magazine. Full text here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I'm back on my bullshit. (Running a neighbourhood book swap mostly so I can make dumb posters.) If you're nearby, I'd love to see you there on Oct 24th!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Port Moody! @winstonle.bsky.social, Rahat Kurd and @pipagaopoetry.bsky.social are coming our way! Friday, September 11, 6:30 PM at PoMo Arts! Free, but reserve tickets before it fills:
simpli.events
Coinage: Writing Neologisms & Kennings | Simpli Events
In this collaborative workshop of radical language-making, Winston Lê, Rahat Kurd, and Jane Shi will take you through a transmutational experience of exploring namesakes, neologisms (newly-coined word...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
My favourite short story I've ever written is in this issue. Check it out!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Welll, this was up there as one of my best mail days ever. What Andrew Steeves does for Canadian poets and poetry is incomparable. www.pressvhare.com
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Alyssa Jones interviews Elspeth Bradbury about her new book of travel writing from Ronsdale Press, "Journeys to the Nearby," for @readlocalbc.bsky.social: www.readlocalbc.ca/2026/08/27/a...
readlocalbc.ca
A Process Weirdly Enjoyable and Addictive: An Interview with Elspeth Bradbury | Read Local BC
The author of Journeys to the Nearby talks about lifelong accumulations, the inseparability of text and illustrations, and creative fermentation. Go to full post ...read more
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
It starts really good with the title and just gets better. Much like your books!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Black Sheep Books on Saltspring Island knows where it's at. Pick up a copy of I Will Be More Myself In The Next World and be happy!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I'm hosting a reading and discussion between Russell Thornton and Christina Shah at @wordvancouver.bsky.social. Saturday, September 19, 2026, 12:30 PM, at UBC Robson Square. Free and open to all. This is going to be a good one, people. Don't miss out!
wordvancouver.ca
Across Generations — WV
Two poets at different stages of their careers come together to explore identity, memory, labour, and place.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
"Subtle formalism" - ah, I like that.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Thanks for reading!
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Matthew King @cincinnatusc.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
#SealeyChallenge 2026 Day 15/31: from Strangers by Rob Taylor (@roblucastaylor.bsky.social), "What did you dream about?"
What did you dream about?

Wook, he answered, at one. One of his first words,
words coming to him slowly, so slowly, like shadows,
and less words than sounds, word-sounds
that did their work in mystery and in mystery
did better work than our common language
commonly could: shapes or light or toys or love or nothing—
“nothing” the common web search return.
He returns even now, at three to his one answer,
one word—tradition-cemented but flowing inside.
Inside I know it will soon be replaced, this word,
by some sensible answer, some shadow’s shadow
his mind’s stitched together. We’re together each morning;
I’m ready, but his answer remains. He’ll remain
the boy after the answer, the answer remaning
after the boy and his dreams. The dreams gone,
all too common, the word stripped of all but the sound,
the mystery given and given to me, a shadow for my shadow.
What does it mean? I repeat. He repeats it, gives me a look.
Wook is the answer; the answer I’m seeing is wook.Cover of Strangers by Rob Taylor
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The Wood Lot Canadian Poetry Reviews & Essays @the-wood-lot.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Wow! I interviewed Selena Mercuri, who is Reviews Editor for The New Quarterly, over at The Woodlot and she had really poignant things to say about the importance of reviewing in Canada. I hope people feel buoyed and energized after reading it! tinyurl.com/tfzuhej5
tinyurl.com
The Woodlot interviews TNQ Reviews Editor Selena Mercuri
Chris Banks asked Selena Mercuri, Reviews Editor for The New Quarterly, a series of questions about the state of reviewing in Canada and the answers were fascinating. You are in for a treat! Tell u…
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Application deadline is the end of this week!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Hey look! CNQ lives! After a two year hiatus, Canadian Notes & Queries is back. The first new issue features a ten page essay on the poetry of Alexandra Oliver, written by James Pollock. Needless to say, no magazine in Canada is quite like it. Grab a copy! Subscribe! www.notesandqueries.ca
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
It's wonderful! A perfect little tribute.
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Read Local BC @readlocalbc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Joseph Dandurand, author of I Would Like to Say Thank You from @nightwoodeditions.bsky.social, sat down with @roblucastaylor.bsky.social to talk fishing, safe spaces and early morning writing practices. 💬 Full interview here: www.readlocalbc.ca/2026/07/23/m...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
A great book!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
The tradition continues! And Jonina and Russell no less 🥲
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Danny Peart's sons, Nick and Max, are climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for @sevacanada.bsky.social, as Danny and his wife, Janette, did almost 20 years ago. You can learn more, and donate to the fundraiser, here: www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/fol...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Interview #5 in my 2026 #BCPoetry interview series with @readlocalbc.bsky.social is here! I spoke with Joseph Dandurand about his new @nightwoodeditions.bsky.social collection, "I Would Like To Say Thank You." I hope you enjoy it: www.readlocalbc.ca/2026/07/23/m...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"The Greats" by @chrisbanks6625.bsky.social, from the new issue of @eventmags.bsky.social. If you aren't reading Event these days, you're missing out! So many gems every issue.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Past residence include Richard Kelly Kemick, Leanne Dunic, Lindsay Wong, Jordan Abel, Jen Sookfong Lee and Richard Van Camp. You could be next! There is no housing component to this residency, so we primarily encourage residents of the Lower Mainland to apply.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Applications are open for @goufv.bsky.social's 2027 Writer in Residence. Work two days a week on the UFV Abbotsford campus from January - March. Applications are welcome from writers working in all genres. The pay is $11,000 and the deadline is August 15. www.ufv.ca/english/writ...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
"Willow Street," by @razovsky.bsky.social, from The Sky is a Sky in the Sky (@coachhousebooks.bsky.social).
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Well, this looks fantastic!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Looks like they are now on Bluesky. Give them a follow! @deuteragonistpress.bsky.social
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
🚨 New Canadian chapbook press alert!🚨 deuteragonist press is based in Victoria. They are currently open to submissions, looking for poetry manuscripts (25-40 pages), especially from BC poets: www.deuteragonistpress.com
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
I try to submit but can't do it, so your experience isn't that far off from those of us who are trying 😂
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Lit Mags in 2006: Submissions are free year-round. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and we'll get back to you in 6-12 months. No one: Help! This is a disaster! Submittable: We're on it. Lit Mags in 2026: Submissions are $10, open for four hours one day in Feb. Response time 6-12 months.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Chris Banks on the short poem! Well worth a read.
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
New Westminster's Poetry in the Park series lineup has been announced! This Summer, they'll feature @raoulfernandes.bsky.social, @allegorically.bsky.social, @christinashah.bsky.social, @jkirton.bsky.social, @isabellawangbc.bsky.social, @kevinspenst.bsky.social, and more. @rclas.bsky.social
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Thank you for writing about Sandy!
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
A tribute to Sandy Shreve and work poetry by @christinashah.bsky.social, for @periodicities.bsky.social:
periodicityjournal.blogspot.com
Christina Shah : Meticulous Fascination: On Sandy Shreve’s Work Writing
For so many of us poets, the passing of Sandy Shreve earlier this year has spurred much reflection, and numerous thoughtful tributes t...
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SFU Continuing Studies @cs-sfu.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
What can poets learn from cartooning, music and cinema? Join Kevin Spenst in downtown Vancouver for our three-night writing course. ow.ly/Qh9f50ZiPfO
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Jakub Zeleznik interviews David Spaner about his debut Ronsdale Press novel, "Keefer Street," for @readlocalbc.bsky.social:
readlocalbc.ca
A Relatively Short Event Often Defines a Lifetime: An Interview with David Spaner – Read Local BC
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The Al and Eurithe Purdy A-Frame has opened applications for their 2027 residencies (deadline Sept 28th). www.alpurdy.ca/residency/ Applications for the Steven Heighton Fellowship are also open, with the same deadline: www.alpurdy.ca/steven-heigh...
alpurdy.ca
Al & Eurithe Purdy Residency – The Al Purdy A-frame Association
Origins Acknowledgement of the Land The Al and Eurithe Purdy A-frame Association acknowledges that our residency and the activities of our writers-in-residence are sited on the traditional territories...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
"Black Spring (Circle Four)" by Kevin Young, from his cycle of poems on Dante's Divine Comedy, "Darkling." As found in his new collection, Night Watch: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671705...
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Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The new issue of @eventmags.bsky.social is out! It features a short story of mine, entitled "The Earthquake." Also, poems by Lorna Crozier, @chrisbanks6625.bsky.social, and a posthumous publication from Sandy Shreve. I highly recommend picking up a copy: www.eventmagazine.ca/product/even...
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