Raoul Fernandes
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raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Raoul Fernandes
@raoulfernandes.bsky.social
510 followers 160 following 140 posts
Poet, dad, and library guy | (he/him) | Wrote a book called Transmitter and Receiver (Nightwood Editions) | Poetry editor for EVENT Magazine | lives on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ (Vancouver) raoulfernandes.com
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Raoul Fernandes @raoulfernandes.bsky.social · 24d
Got my copy of the Walrus @thewalrus.ca in the mail this bright morning at the very end of 2025, that features this poem. Honoured to be alongside poems by Tom Wayman, Molly Peacock, and @katerilanthier.bsky.social 😍
A poem entitled Speakerphone by Raoul Fernandes. (Msg me if youd like a transcript)
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Last few days to join this online poetry class I teach, so please consider and/or share with peers that might be interested! The class needs at least one more student to run 🤞
raoulfernandes.bsky.social Raoul Fernandes @raoulfernandes.bsky.social · Dec 5
Hey, if you're up for an hearty engagement with poetic forms and strategies in the New Year, do consider Poetry 1, the online, asynchronous class I run at SFU. There'll also be workshopping with a group of peers and potential one-on-one sessions with me. Check it out! www.sfu.ca/continuing-s...
Poetry 1
<p>Poetry is often described as a conversation—with the self, the world, and the work of other writers.</p><p>In this introductory course, you'll gain the tools you need to enter the conversation thro...
www.sfu.ca
January 17, 2026 at 1:19 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Agh, such a gorgeous poem. "How did we get here?" indeed ❤️
toddedillard.bsky.social Todd Dillard @toddedillard.bsky.social · 12d
Really, really happy to have a new poem in one of the first literary journals I ever read as a teen trying to find poems in the world. Here’s “After A Few Beers, My Uncle Asks Me How” in The Southern Review.
After a Few Beers, My Uncle Asks Me How for Uncle Tommy do you write a poem? It's like laying bricks, I say. You put down one word, then another, and after a while you've made this path. Bullshit, my uncle says. Tell me the truth. The trick, I say, is the bricks can be anything. A window, the moon, even snow. Snow, my uncle says. I remember when I was stationed in Germany in the 80’s. There was this huge field outside the base. It was the kind of cold that yanks your balls up into your stomach, so much snow you'd smoke a little hash and forget the planet you were on was earth. I was on guard duty. Some civilian on a snowmobile raced out of the woods and rocketed across the field, waves of powder foaming up around him. I remember I shouted: Hey Man! Hey man you're trespassing! But he didn't hear. I didn't hear the gun fire, but when he fell off I knew why. And the snowmobile growling like some animal. I ask my uncle, If you could catch the bullet, if you could turn the bullet into anything else, what would you pick? My uncle takes a long drink. Shit man, he says. Maybe a bird? And it appears: a little white bird in his hands, its wingtips freckled with red. What do you feed the bird? I ask, and, like a piece of bread, my uncle tears a corner off the field. The bird pecks it from his palms. How did we get here? my uncle asks, but there's so much snow, we can’t see the path. Before us, a dark wood. You hear that? my uncle asks. And I do. Something's in there. Something ancient, growling. Second page of the poem in the journal; the entire poem is in the previous image and here: After a Few Beers, My Uncle Asks Me How for Uncle Tommy do you write a poem? It's like laying bricks, I say. You put down one word, then another, and after a while you've made this path. Bullshit, my uncle says. Tell me the truth. The trick, I say, is the bricks can be anything. A window, the moon, even snow. Snow, my uncle says. I remember when I was stationed in Germany in the 80’s. There was this huge field outside the base. It was the kind of cold that yanks your balls up into your stomach, so much snow you'd smoke a little hash and forget the planet you were on was earth. I was on guard duty. Some civilian on a snowmobile raced out of the woods and rocketed across the field, waves of powder foaming up around him. I remember I shouted: Hey Man! Hey man you're trespassing! But he didn't hear. I didn't hear the gun fire, but when he fell off I knew why. And the snowmobile growling like some animal. I ask my uncle, If you could catch the bullet, if you could turn the bullet into anything else, what would you pick? My uncle takes a long drink. Shit man, he says. Maybe a bird? And it appears: a little white bird in his hands, its wingtips freckled with red. What do you feed the bird? I ask, and, like a piece of bread, my uncle tears a corner off the field. The bird pecks it from his palms. How did we get here? my uncle asks, but there's so much snow, we can’t see the path. Before us, a dark wood. You hear that? my uncle asks. And I do. Something's in there. Something ancient, growling. Cover of the 2026 Winter Edition of The Southern Review featuring a blue-black background with a woman’s long white hair
January 13, 2026 at 8:24 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Looking forward to seeing these awesome poets present awesome poets tomorrow! I'll be hosting. See you there!
deadpoetsreading.bsky.social The Dead Poets Reading Series @deadpoetsreading.bsky.social · 19d
Happy new year, everyone! Reminder that our first Dead Poets reading of the year is this Sunday, Jan. 11th. Featuring these amazing poets: Joseph Dandurand, Heidi Greco, Elee Kraljii Gardiner and Christopher Levenson. Hope to see you there! 3 p.m., Outsiders and Others gallery.
January 11, 2026 at 7:34 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Thinking whenever I get a rejection, I'll applaud the magazine (not for the rejection necessarily, but the good work they do). Recently got one from Sixth Finch, which is so aesthetically beautiful and chock-full of great art and poems. Check it out sixthfinch.com @sixthfinch.bsky.social
Sixth Finch
Sixth Finch: a quarterly online journal of poetry and art. The current issue features poems by Kirstin Allio, Ellie Black, Rebecca Boyle, Sébastien Luc Butler, Laura Bylenok, David Ehmcke, Sarah Green...
sixthfinch.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:10 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Didn't know #smallpoemsunday was a thing but glad it's a thing and I just happen to have some Bill Knott on me
Poem by Bill Knot - Fingerprints look like ripples/because time keeps dropping/another stone into our palm
January 4, 2026 at 9:56 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Hey, if anyone has been curious about taking my online Poetry 1 course at SFU, there will be a free online Open House where you can learn about the class and do a fun little writing activity. Check it out! www.eventbrite.ca/e/creative-w...
Creative Writing Open House
Want to make a writing a bigger part of your life? Join us to preview our upcoming creative writing courses.
www.eventbrite.ca
January 4, 2026 at 9:48 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
My other publication for 2025, which I'm just as proud of as The Walrus one (if not more?) as I think it more clearly shows the moves I'm making in my poems these days
January 2, 2026 at 7:16 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Always here for John Darnielle's new years eve thread, every year ❤️
themountaingoats.bsky.social the Mountain Goats @themountaingoats.bsky.social · 24d
When you get the reputation of being the guy with the encouraging words on New Year's Eve, it can start to come through as a little pressure -- what if the situation on the ground is worse than usual? what if people are more scared than they usually are, and with cause? what use are good vibes then?
January 1, 2026 at 10:31 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Got my copy of the Walrus @thewalrus.ca in the mail this bright morning at the very end of 2025, that features this poem. Honoured to be alongside poems by Tom Wayman, Molly Peacock, and @katerilanthier.bsky.social 😍
A poem entitled Speakerphone by Raoul Fernandes. (Msg me if youd like a transcript)
December 31, 2025 at 10:25 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Appreciate this little fractally friend in the cafe where I'm writing
A kind of succulent I think growing beside a window
December 30, 2025 at 8:04 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Love this roundup of reflections on Sandy Shreve and her work. I know that she helped put together the indespensable In Fine Form anthology (which I teach) but didn't know she was responsible for Poetry in Transit! Thanks for putting this together, Rob!
roblucastaylor.bsky.social Rob Taylor @roblucastaylor.bsky.social · Dec 18
On the 35th anniversary of Sandy Shreve's first book, I asked poets and artists to talk about the impact Sandy, her art and community work have had on their lives.

Without Sandy we wouldn't have Poetry in Transit, the In Fine Form anthology, etc., so folks had a lot to say!

@eventmags.bsky.social
“An Uncommon Eye”: Reflections on the Life and Work of Sandy Shreve - EVENT
One of the first friends I made in the poetry world was Sandy Shreve. Despite our gap in age and experience, Sandy took in this wide-eyed budding poet as a peer. I remember one day walking with Sandy ...
www.eventmagazine.ca
December 18, 2025 at 7:31 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Hey, just a reminder that @eventmags.bsky.social is open for submissions for this month and January. I am excited to read your new poems! BIPOC writers are especially encouraged to submit www.eventmagazine.ca/submit/
Submit - EVENT
What We’re Looking For We generally have two open submissions windows during the months of July and August and December and January. Submission windows will close on the last day of the month, or when...
www.eventmagazine.ca
December 8, 2025 at 7:12 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Hey, if you're up for an hearty engagement with poetic forms and strategies in the New Year, do consider Poetry 1, the online, asynchronous class I run at SFU. There'll also be workshopping with a group of peers and potential one-on-one sessions with me. Check it out! www.sfu.ca/continuing-s...
Poetry 1
<p>Poetry is often described as a conversation—with the self, the world, and the work of other writers.</p><p>In this introductory course, you'll gain the tools you need to enter the conversation thro...
www.sfu.ca
December 5, 2025 at 7:11 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Also why I'm in Seattle
Empty stage at Neptune Theatre with The Mountain Goats backdrop
December 4, 2025 at 3:38 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Not a great picture, but a great Seattle bookstore (i.e. sizable poetry collection!) that's been around the same number of years as I've been alive
Raoul outside Magus Used Books
December 4, 2025 at 1:24 AM
Reposted by Raoul Fernandes
eventmags.bsky.social
Congratulations to the EVENT contributors with poems in Biblioasis's Best Canadian Poetry 2026. Order your copy from Biblioasis here: www.biblioasis.com/shop/new-rel...
November 27, 2025 at 12:00 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
thanks to @seanorr.bsky.social for continuing to live-skeet these voices. Reading them feels like a long-poem unrolling in real time. And nice to see a poet friend here, Daniela Elza! "Community is not the absense of danger but the presence of care." ❤️
seanorr.bsky.social SEAN ORR @seanorr.bsky.social · Nov 19
378: Daniela Elsa. gig worker. Opposed. Not a lot to ask for line by line. Listen to patriotic homeowners asking to be taxed. Community is not the absence of danger but the presence of care. Reads from her book “scarcity”.
November 20, 2025 at 12:43 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
This was such a great afternoon. So proud to be a part of organizing this series and so charmed by poets stepping up to reanimate the poems of those who have left us.
deadpoetsreading.bsky.social The Dead Poets Reading Series @deadpoetsreading.bsky.social · Nov 18
It was a delightful afternoon at Outsiders and Others with these lovely poets: Justyna Krol, Betsy Warland, Cabil Martinez de la Cruz, and Kyle McKillop 🤩 Thanks to everyone who came out to our final reading for the year! See you in 2026!
group photo of poets Justyna Krol, Betsy Warland, Cabil Martinez de la Cruz and Kyle McKillop
November 18, 2025 at 8:44 PM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
8-yr-old: "ya got any burnbacks for me, papa?" (right after burning me)
November 16, 2025 at 12:01 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Aw yeah! Congrats, Bren! 🤩
writerstrust.bsky.social Writers' Trust of Canada @writerstrust.bsky.social · Nov 13
Bren Simmers wins the $60,000 #LatnerGriffin Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize, supported by The Albert and Temmy Latner Family Foundation and Scott Griffin. Congratulations! #WTAwards #canlit
November 14, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Reposted by Raoul Fernandes
ljenstad.bsky.social
Local politics is where change happens. Hundreds of people are speaking up today about the Vancouver budget. This city councillor is acknowledging every single speaker by providing a summary.

My heart is warmed by all this engagement.
seanorr.bsky.social SEAN ORR @seanorr.bsky.social · Nov 13
Budget hearing continued after short recess. 157: environmental lawyer (?)Reads poem. 158: raised in east van. This is austerity and hasn’t been asked for. I’ve been lucky enough to use public services. Breaks my heart to think they won’t get same quality. Few people asked for this police budget.
November 13, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Reposted by Raoul Fernandes
houseofanansi.bsky.social
🏆 The WINNER of the 2025 Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry is ...

✨ WELLWATER by Karen Solie! ✨

🔗 Learn more about WELLWATER here: https://houseofanansi.com/products/wellwater #GGBooks #GGBooks2025
November 6, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Raoul Fernandes
deadpoetsreading.bsky.social
Hey friends, our next reading is 3 weeks away! It will feature Betsy Warland (reading H.D.), Justyna Krol (reading Adam Zagajewski), Cabil Martinez (reading Jim-Wong Chu), and Kyle McKillop (reading Bill Knott).

It all happens November 16th, 3pm at Outisiders and Others. Save the date!
November 3, 2025 at 6:13 AM
raoulfernandes.bsky.social
Super thrilled to have Dora's poems in this issue 🤩 I also got to read a draft of her new book and it's sooo good
eventmags.bsky.social Event Magazine @eventmags.bsky.social · Oct 20
DORA PRIETO is a Vancouver-based poet and a 2025–27 Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. Her debut collection, Girl Tejido, is forthcoming with House of Anansi (April 2027).

Find two of Prieto's poems in EVENT 54/2: www.eventmagazine.ca/product/even...
October 20, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Raoul Fernandes
vedraven.bsky.social
There's a quote by Assata Shakur, one I think of pretty much every day.

"Nobody in the world, nobody in history, has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to the moral sense of the people who were oppressing them."

Truth.

Keep fighting against oppression, as she did all her life.
September 26, 2025 at 6:46 PM