Big Wilson Is Here!

Well, I've done it - I have published a chapbook! Big Wilson, a narrative long poem, was published last week by Fredericton, NB's Emergency Flash Mob Press, run by the tireless Ian LeTourneau. Here's a little description of what this little book is about:

Music and literature collide in this long poem about grief, loss, and the family bonds that constrain us as much as they hold us together. The hero of this narrative-in-verse rejects the siren call of the stage for a solitary life of authorship, even as he grapples with death – first his brother’s, then his wife’s, and finally his own. Big Wilson is a tender examination of how place, ambition, and those we choose to love ultimately shape who we become. 

Interested in ordering a copy? The best way to do so is through EFMP's website above. This limited-edition chapbook comes hand-numbered and beautifully designed by Ian himself. Don't delay - order your copy today!  

Upcoming Event: Tartan Turban Reading Series #40

Upcoming event alert! Folks, I'm back at the Tartan Turban Reading Series on Friday, September 22 at 7 pm. The evening, hosted and curated by fellow author Lisa de Nikolits, will include readings from Dr. Anita Jack-Davies, myself, and Rummana Chowdry, as well as an interview with Deaf visual artist Peter Owusu-Ansah. 

This will be a hybrid event. If you're in Toronto, you have the option of joining us in person at Barrett and Welsh, 577 Kingston Road Suite #301. The event will also be live-streamed for those who cannot attend in person. Either way, register by picking up your (FREE) ticket from Eventbrite here. 

Hope to see you all on September 22!

Virtual Launch: Rebecca Rosenblum's These Days Are Numbered: Diary of a High-Rise Lockdown

It's been a (slightly) crazy and (very) action-packed summer around here, and I'm excited to plug an event for my wife's new nonfiction book! The virtual launch for Rebecca Rosenblum's These Days Are Numbered: Diary of a High-Rise Lockdown is just about a week and a half away. Join us on Sunday, September 10 from 2 to 4 pm EST when I interview her about the memoir she wrote about the pandemic, in which I'm a major character! It's going to be wild!

Pick up your FREE ticket using the Eventbrite link here. We'll send out the Zoom link a day or two beforehand. See you there!

Announcement: Forthcoming Poetry Chapbook - Big Wilson

Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? It has been FOREVER since I've added a new post to this little blog, and forever since I've had anything noteworthy to share. But finally there is a bit of news on the Mark Sampson front: 

I'm incredibly excited to announce that I will have a poetry chapbook, called Big Wilson, out with new chapbook publisher, Emergency Flash Mob Press, based in New Brunswick, in the next month or two. This is my first book since 2020 and my first chapbook ever. EFMP is run by Ian LeTourneau, one of the mighty forces behind the beloved Poetry Weekend event in Fredericton. Through his chapbook press, he has already published one book, Sue Sinclair's At the Frog Pond: On Ecological Beauty and the Climate Crisis, and has another on the way, Fault Lines and Shatter Cones, by Kim Fahner. I'm so chuffed to have my long poem, Big Wilson, included in the press's inaugural list.

More news to come soon, including how to order your copy, but in the meantime I want to extend a big thanks to Ian for taking this little book on. I can't wait to see the final product!

M.

My Interview with Jamie Tennant about his New Novel, River, Diverted

So look here. Jamie Tennant is an incredible guy. From his radio show Get Lit, hosted on Hamilton's McMaster University campus radio station CMFU, he has interviewed dozens of writers over the years, including myself. In fact, he's interviewed me twice: once for The Slip, and again for All the Animals on Earth. He has always been a kind, thoughtful and generous reader and interviewer. 

So when I heard Jamie had a new novel coming out this fall, called River, Diverted, I made a proposition to him: why don't I come back on his show and turn the tables, interviewing him and giving him a chance to have a bit of the spotlight. Well, that wide-ranging conversation has now aired, and you can listen to it here.  

I also need to thank my fellow authors Terri Favro, Gary Barwin, Michelle 'Shelly' Butler Hallett, Nathan Dueck, and my wife Rebecca Rosenblum, for helping me surprise Jamie with some congrats and kudos from past interviewees.

Anyway, I think you should give the episode a listen, and also buy Jamie's book! 

Poem Reading on the Quarantine Review Podcast

So my little poem, "Legacy Act," published by The Quarantine Review last summer, continues to enjoy a life beyond its initial release. After a recording of me reading the poem was featured about a year ago on the CIUT radio program, Howl, the recording has now reappeared on The Quarantine Review's most recent podcast episode. It's so great to see this piece continue to, erm, tour around.

The podcast episode is great: it also features poems by Conyer Clayton and Kim Fahner, as well as a fantastic interview with S.M. Freedman about her new novel, Blood Atonement. Check it out!

Questionnaire with Canadian Writers Abroad

The online magazine Canadian Writers Abroad, which I occasionally write for, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. I was happy to answer a few questions to help them celebrate. (And yes, that pic below is of me in Korea, taken around 2004.)