Author Archives: darcie friesen hossack

Literary Spotlight with Sue Burge: Poet Roy McFarlane Leads Us through Troubled Waters

Sue Burge: I’m very excited to be interviewing Roy McFarlane for this issue of WordCity Literary Journal.  Roy is primarily a poet, although he turns his considerable talents to other genres too.  He is a spellbinding performer of his poetry and uses his wordsmithery to explore the big issues of our time to great effect.Continue reading “Literary Spotlight with Sue Burge: Poet Roy McFarlane Leads Us through Troubled Waters”

Kirstie Millar’s The Strange Egg. a review by Sue Burge

The Strange Egg – Kirstie MillarIllustrations by Hannah Mumby(The Emma Press 2023)Paperback ISBN: 9781915628022 £10 “’Doctor, I had a terrible dream. In my dream I saw my own body, and I saw what you will do to it.‘ A woman is faced, month after month, with the birth of a strange egg. Her doctor asksContinue reading “Kirstie Millar’s The Strange Egg. a review by Sue Burge”

Eva Tihanyi’s Circle Tour. a review by Anne Sorbie

Circle Tour is a like a reflection in lake water; something so beautiful that you wish you could hold on to it, mercurial as it may be. On these pages Eva Tihanyi offers a bounteous continuation of the language and imagery of the Romantics; and hers is a potent lyrical poetry. At the same time,Continue reading “Eva Tihanyi’s Circle Tour. a review by Anne Sorbie”

Everyone Talking. a review of books by Gordon Phinn

Everyone Talking Books Referenced:If Not for You & Other Stories, Niles Reddick (Big Table Publishing 2023)Moon of the Crusted Snow, Waubgeshig Rice (ECW 2018)Who by Fire, Matti Friedman (Penguin Random House 2022)Inspiring Canadians, Mark Bulgutch (Douglas & MacIntyre 2022)A Book of Days, Patti Smith (Knopf Canada, 2022)Common Tones, Alan Licht, ed. (Blank Forms Editions 2021)ThisContinue reading “Everyone Talking. a review of books by Gordon Phinn”

Claudia Serea’s Self-Ironic Surrealism in Immigrant Sociopolitical Poetry. a review by Diana Manole

Self-Ironic Surrealism in Immigrant Sociopolitical Poetry Claudia Serea, Writing on the Walls at Night (Unsolicited Press, 2022) History is what we take in, Mom says, the small bites of thepresent. Eat up, dear. It’s all on the table in front of you. (31) Claudia Serea’s excellent new collection of poetry, Writing on the Walls atContinue reading “Claudia Serea’s Self-Ironic Surrealism in Immigrant Sociopolitical Poetry. a review by Diana Manole”

3 poems by Bobby Parrott

Children Look at Me as if behind their eyes were mounted an ancient algorithm tickling testily for me to write my own microtonal subroutine of extinction. As if human life were not the larval stage of the evolution of intelligence in this universe. As if they’ve found the categorical torture in this pseudo-euphoria but cannotContinue reading “3 poems by Bobby Parrott”

4 poems by Mansour Noorbakhsh. WCLJ poet-in-residence

Nowruz 2023 For “Women, Life, Freedom” Hyacinths need the full Sun that comes late winter or early spring. What flowers will make this year attractive to Nowruz? Enshroud with the tattered leaves, clusters of fragrant, schooner stiff, upright stalks, as the growth of your hands. Your hands will bring Nowruz this year. You, who wentContinue reading “4 poems by Mansour Noorbakhsh. WCLJ poet-in-residence”

2 poems by Jonathan Wittmaier

A dumpling does what a dumpling does It floats, it bobs, it tumbles to the floor. On the inside—hollow, nothing but air And some soft squishy dough Fill it with onion, chives, some minced pork; all mashed up in a thick filling, the same way Umma used to do. Savor it, relish it, consider everyContinue reading “2 poems by Jonathan Wittmaier”

3 poems by Benard Berinyuy

Green lands of Nso Nature commemorates the advent of the dry season with extreme beauty in the green lands of Nso. As we wandered down the hills from Netnab, nature with extreme beauty humbled us with pump and pageantry. Was it a Biblical scene of prophets in the countryside or a paint of Jesus’ scenesContinue reading “3 poems by Benard Berinyuy”