Two launches will be held to celebrate my new collection of poems, Watching a Man Break a Dog’s Back: Poems for a Dark Time. Both in Nelson on April 1, and in Vancouver on June 1, I’ll be partnering with musicians I performed with to launch previous books in 2017 and 2018.

In Nelson, Vernon singer-songwriter and author John Lent will be joining me for the launch reading at the Oxygen Art Centre, 320 Vernon St. (alley entrance) at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, April 1. Performing with John will be his brother Harry, who also has enjoyed a long career as a guitar player and singer. Their April 1 participation at my launch will be a homecoming of sorts for them: in 1973-74 they performed for a year at the Sub Pub belonging to the students’ association of Nelson’s Notre Dame University, where John formerly taught English.

John, a perennial Nelson favourite, performed before a packed house in May 2018 at the Oxygen Art Centre launch of my book of essays, If You’re Not Free At Work, Where Are You Free. Most recently in Nelson, he read from his own new book of poems, A Matins Flywheel, at the Nelson Public Library this past October.

In Vancouver, I’ll be joined by the folk/blues/roots/singer-songwriter ensemble Fraser Union for the launch of Watching a Man Break a Dog’s Back on Monday, June 1 at 7 p.m. in the Alice MacKay Room, lower level, Vancouver Public Library central branch, 350 West Georgia St. Fraser Union has existed for more than 35 years, with current membership consisting of Roger Holdstock, Barry Truter, Kathy Griffin and Henk Piket. The group performed before 100 people in the same location at the launch in June 2017 of my previous collection of poems, Helpless Angels.