Page Fright: A Poetry Podcast

Mallory Tater joins Page Fright to talk about her new poetry collection, Lockers are for Bearcats Only. Andrew's stoked about National Poetry Month. It's a great conversation!--Mallory Tater is the author of four books, two collections of poetry and two novels: This Will Be Good, Lockers are for Bearcats Only, The Birth Yard, & Soft Tissue (forthcoming, 2028). She was the publisher of Rahila’s Ghost Press, a now-retired chapbook press. Mallory currently lives in Vancouver, where she teaches at the University of British Columbia’s School of Creative Writing. --Andrew French (They/Them) is a queer poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published four chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (Alfred Gustav Press, 2025) and Fists You've Called Home (Pinhole Poetry, forthcoming 2026). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They have hosted this podcast since 2019.

Kashayar "Kess" Mohammadi drops by to talk their latest poetry collection, The Book of Interruptions. Andrew asks about bringing new life to old poems. It's a blast!--Khashayar “Kess” Mohammadi (They/Them) is a queer, Iranian born, Toronto-based Poet, Writer and Translator. They are the winner of the 2021 Vallum Poetry Prize and the author of “Book of Interruptions”, out with Wolsak and Wynn. Their sixth full length poetry manuscript is forthcoming with Ugly Duckling Presse.--Andrew French (They/Them) is a queer poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published four chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (Alfred Gustav Press, 2025) and Fists You've Called Home (Pinhole Poetry, forthcoming 2026). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They have hosted this podcast since 2019.

Mary Dalton joins Andrew to chat about editing this year's edition of Biblioasis' Best Canadian Poetry series. Andrew listens in to three readings from featured poets Erin Moure, Kevin Irie, and Sue Sinclair while chatting with Mary along the way. It's a fun one to start the year!--Mary Dalton is the author of six books of poetry, among them Merrybegot, Red Ledger, Hooking, and Interrobang, as well as a prose miscellany, Edge: Essays, Reviews, Interviews. The book version of her 2020 Pratt Lecture, The Vernacular Strain in Newfoundland Poetry, was released by Breakwater in 2022. She lives in St. John's, Newfoundland.--Andrew French is a queer poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published four chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (Alfred Gustav Press, 2025) and Fists You've Called Home (Pinhole Poetry, forthcoming 2026). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They have hosted this podcast since 2019.

Nick Thran joins the podcast LIVE at the Fraser Valley Writers' Festival in Abbotsford, BC, to chat about his new book Existing Music. Andrew wonders about time in music and the passage of time. It's a joyous return to in-person Page Fright!--Nick Thran’s newest collection of poems is Existing Music. His previous books include the mixed-genre collection If It Gets Quiet Later On, I Will Make a Display (2023) and three previous collections of poems. Earworm (2011) won the 2012 Trillium Book Award for Poetry. His poems have been anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry and The Next Wave: An Anthology of 21st Century Canadian Poetry. Thran lives on unceded Wolastoqey territory (Fredericton, NB), where he works as an editor and bookseller.--Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They have hosted this podcast since 2019.

Arleen Paré stops by to chat about her latest poetry collection, encrypted. Andrew asks about Coleridge and video games. It's a fun time!Arleen Paré is a writer with ten collections of poetry, based in Victoria, BC. She has been short-listed for the BC Dorothy Livesay Award for Poetry and has won the American Golden Crown Award for Poetry, the Victoria Butler Book Prize, a CBC Bookie Award, and a Governor Generals’ Award for Poetry.Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They have hosted this podcast since 2019.

Natalie Lim is back with her debut poetry collection, Elegy for Opportunity! Andrew talks about capturing connection in poems. It's a great reunion!--Natalie Lim (she/her) is a Chinese-Canadian poet living on the unceded, traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples (Vancouver, BC). She is the author of a full-length book of poetry, Elegy for Opportunity (Wolsak & Wynn, 2025) and a chapbook, arrhythmia (Rahila's Ghost Press, 2022). Winner of the 2018 CBC Poetry Prize and Room Magazine’s 2020 Emerging Writer Award, her work has been published in Arc Poetry Magazine, Best Canadian Poetry 2020 and elsewhere.--Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

Marc Perez comes on the show to talk about chapbooks, form, and his debut full-length poetry collection, Dayo. Andrew asks about finding the right form for your poem. It's a great time!--Chapbook launch info: Featuring Marc Perez , Andrew French, and Kevin Spenst! See you on Saturday, April 19, 5pm at the Teck Gallery SFU Harbour Centre, Vancouver.--Marc Perez is the author of Dayo (Brick Books, 2024) and the chapbook, Domus (Anstruther Press, 2025). His work has appeared in The Fiddlehead, EVENT, CV2, PRISM international, and Vallum, among others. In his free time, he likes to wander with his camera and document fleeting moments around the city.--Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (forthcoming with Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

Annick MacAskill is back to talk compiling her latest collection, Votive (Gaspereau Press). Andrew asks about book length and queer poems. It's a good one!--Annick MacAskill is the author of four full-length books of poetry, including Shadow Blight (Gaspereau Press, 2022), which won the Governor General's Award. Her most recent collection is Votive (Gaspereau Press, 2024). She is also the publisher of Opaat Press, a micropress focused on publishing pamphlets of individual poems. MacAskill lives in Kjipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), on the traditional and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq. --Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (forthcoming with Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

Rob Madden joins Andrew to discuss grief and masculinity, writing alongside photography, and his chapbook second hand smoke (Pinhole Poetry, 2024). It’s a rich discussion! -- Rob Madden is a writer living on the traditional and unceded territories of the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations in the City of North Vancouver, BC. His chapbook second hand smoke was published in 2024 by Pinhole Poetry, and has had work published in Grain, Prairie Fire, SubTerrain and other literary magazines. He holds a certificate in Creative Writing from the Writer’s Studio at SFU from 2005. -- Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (forthcoming with Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

The 100th episode(!) of Page Fright, in which Andrew hosts a live reading featuring four poets (Estlin McPhee, Kyle McKillop, Jane Shi, and Rob Taylor) at Massy Arts Society to celebrate 5 years and 100 episodes of poetry interviews! The poets share their writing with the audience, and Andrew gets overwhelmed! -- Estlin McPhee is a writer and librarian who lives on the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples. Estlin holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and is the author of the poetry chapbook Shapeshifters (Rahila’s Ghost Press, 2018). Their writing has appeared in journals across North America; for many years, they co-organized REVERB, a queer reading series in Vancouver. Estlin's debut poetry collection In Your Nature is forthcoming in spring 2025 with Brick Books. Kyle McKillop is a poet and teacher who completed his MFA in creative writing at UBC. His poems have appeared in CV2, tuesday poem, English Practice, the Sustenance anthology of BC food writing, and a couple of chapbooks, among others. He is a past president of the BC Teachers of English Language Arts, the Surrey English Teachers’ Association, and the Royal City Literary Arts Society, and he lives on the traditional and unceded territory of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Stó:lō, and other Coast Salish nations. Jane Shi lives on the occupied and stolen territories of the xʷməθkʷəýəm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. Her writing has appeared in the Disability Visibility Project blog, Briarpatch Magazine, and The Offing, among others. She is the winner of The Capilano Review's 2022 In(ter)ventions in the Archive Contest and author of the chapbook Leaving Chang'e on Read (Rahila's Ghost Press, 2022). Her debut poetry collection echolalia echolalia is out now with Brick Books. She wants to live in a world where love is not a limited resource, land is not mined, hearts are not filched, and bodies are not violated. Rob Taylor is the author of five poetry collections, including Strangers and The News, which was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. His new collection, Weather, was published in May from Gaspereau Press. Rob is also the editor of What the Poets Are Doing: Canadian Poets in Conversation and Best Canadian Poetry 2019. He teaches creative writing at the University of the Fraser Valley, and lives with his family in Port Moody, BC, on the unceded territories of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples. -- Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (forthcoming with Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

Jim Johnstone joins the show to discuss his new poetry anthology celebrating 10 years of Anstruther Press, The Anstruther Reader. Andrew asks about chapbooks, full-lengths, and turning off "editor brain." It's an informative chat! -- REGISTER: PAGE FRIGHT LIVE! AT THE FRASER VALLEY WRITER'S FESTIVAL -- Jim Johnstone is a Toronto-based poet, editor, and critic. He is the author of seven collections of poetry, most recently The King of Terrors (Coach House Books, 2023), as well as a collection of essays titled Bait & Switch (The Porcupine's Quill, 2024). Johnstone is a senior editor at Palimpsest Press, where he recently published The Anstruther Reader: Ten Years of Poems, Broadsides, and Manifestos. -- Andrew French is a poet from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (forthcoming with Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

Natasha Ramoutar is back to talk about her new poetry collection, Baby Cerberus. Andrew emphasizes the fun they've had writing lately. It's truly a fun one! -- Natasha Ramoutar is a writer of Indo-Guyanese descent from Toronto. Her debut collection of poetry, Bittersweet, published in 2020 by Mawenzi House, was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. She was the co-editor of Feel Ways, an anthology of Scarborough literature. She is a senior editor with Augur Magazine and serves on the editorial board at Wolsak and Wynn. Her second collection of poetry Baby Cerberus will be released October, 2024. -- Andrew French (they/them) is an author from North Vancouver, British Columbia. They have published three chapbooks, most recently Buoyhood (forthcoming with Alfred Gustav Press, 2025). Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University and an MA in English from UBC. They write poems, book reviews, and have hosted this very podcast since 2019.

Kevin Spenst returns to talk Hearts Amok: A Memoir in Verse. Andrew celebrates a year of Page Fright. It's a fun episode for all! ----- Listen to more episodes of Page Fright here. ----- Kevin Spenst, a Pushcart Poetry nominee, is the author of Hearts Amok, Ignite, Jabbering with Bing Bong (both with Anvil Press), and over a dozen chapbooks including Pray Goodbye (the Alfred Gustav Press), Ward Notes (the serif of nottingham), Flip Flop Faces and Unexpurgated Lives (JackPine Press), and most recently Upend (Frog Hollow Press). His work has won the Lush Triumphant Award for Poetry, been nominated for both the Alfred G. Bailey Prize and the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry, and has appeared in dozens of publications including Event, the Malahat Review, subTerrain magazine, Prairie Fire, CV2, the Rusty Toque, BafterC, Lemon Hound, Poetry is Dead, and the anthology Best Canadian Poetry 2019. He co-organizes the Dead Poets Reading Series, and teaches Creative Writing at Vancouver Community College. He lives on unceded Coast Salish territory (Vancouver) with the love of his life Shauna Kaendo. ----- Andrew French is an author from North Vancouver, British Columbia. Andrew holds a BA in English from Huron University College at Western University, and is pursuing an MA in English at UBC. He writes poems, book reviews, and hosts this very podcast.