Nightlight by David Barrick

David Barrick launches his debut poetry book, Nightlight, published by Palimpsest Press. Patterned on a series of dream states, Nightlight delves into the surreal nature of the human imagination. Featuring special guest readings by poets Madeline Bassnett, Tom Cull, Blair Trewartha and Melissa Schnarr. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Please Note: This event will be masked and socially distanced.

David Barrick is the author of Nightlight (Palimpsest Press, 2022) as well as the chapbooks Incubation Chamber (Anstruther Press, 2019) and Two Dreams: Stratford and The Copyist (The Alfred Gustav Press, 2022). His poetry has been published in The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Prairie Fire, EVENT, and other literary journals. David won first runner up prize in Pulp Literature’s 2021 Magpie Award for Poetry. He teaches writing at Western University and is Managing Director of Antler River Poetry.

Madeline Bassnett is a poet and English prof. living in London Ontario. She is the author of Under the Gamma Camera (Gaspereau, 2019), which was longlisted for the RCLAS Annual Fred Cogswell Award, two chapbooks, and a work of literary criticism. Her most recent work can be found in CV2 and The Dalhousie Review.

Tom Cull teaches creative writing at Western University and was Poet Laureate for the City of London from 2016-2018. His first collection of poems, Bad Animals, was published in 2018 by Insomniac Press. His second collection, Kill Your Starlings is forthcoming from Gaspereau Press. Tom is the director of Antler River Rally, a grass roots environmental group he co-founded in 2012 with his partner Miriam Love.

Melissa Schnarr is an Anishinaabe [Potowatomi/Ojibwe] and Haudenosaunee [Mohawk] writer from London, Ontario. She is a band member of Bkejwanong Territory with family relations in Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Indigenous Education at Western University and serves as the chair for the Indigenous Writers’ Circle. Her work has appeared in TNQ, The Windsor Review, Luna Station Quarterly and Yellow Medicine Review.

Blair Trewartha’s first collection of poetry, Easy Fix was published by Palimpsest Press in 2014 and shortlisted for the Relit Award. He is the author of three chapbooks: Break In (Cactus Press, 2010), Porcupine Burning (Baseline Press, 2012), and human energy (Anstruther Press, 2022) and his poetry has appeared in Carousel, Prism, Event, Existere, CV2, The Dalhousie Review, and Prairie Fire Magazine. He received an honourable mention in Arc’s 2016 Poem of the Year contest, and third place in Prairie Fire’s 2020 Bliss Carmen Poetry Contest.