Rob Taylor
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roblucastaylor.bsky.social
Rob Taylor
@roblucastaylor.bsky.social
Poet. Teacher. Editor. Interviewer. Festival Director. Plum memer. Not necessarily in that order. Usually found in Vancouver, Port Moody or Abbotsford. http://roblucastaylor.com/
Pinned
The students in my ENGL 389 class at UFV spent the fall interviewing Canadian authors on their new books. The results were *fantastic*.

The interviews will be published in a variety of magazines throughout 2026. I'll link them all in this thread.
I love to see @chrisbanks6625.bsky.social encouraging folks to pick up a copy of Forests of the Medieval World by Don Coles, though I am way ahead of him 😂

the-wood-lot.ca/2026/01/07/f...
January 7, 2026 at 7:47 PM
Check out the sharp new @gaspereaupress.bsky.social website!
Gaspereau Press – Cultural Outfitters and Literary Wildreness Guides
gaspereaupress.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:45 AM
Q: What is a song over six minutes long that's worth every minute?

A: Fela Kuti's "Everything Scatter."
January 2, 2026 at 5:57 AM
The students in my ENGL 389 class at UFV spent the fall interviewing Canadian authors on their new books. The results were *fantastic*.

The interviews will be published in a variety of magazines throughout 2026. I'll link them all in this thread.
January 1, 2026 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Rob Taylor
In 2026: Generative AI is not inevitable. You can say no. You can refuse. You can reject the disgusting lukewarm slop that the richest and worst people in the world are trying to force-feed you. You can tell them to eat shit and die mad. You can break the machine
December 31, 2025 at 11:41 PM
5 perfect movies

• Maborosi
• Tokyo Story
• A Serious Man
• Paris, Texas
• Aftersun
5 perfect movies

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Everything Everywhere All At Once
• Princess Mononoke
• Pan’s Labyrinth
• Sinners
5 perfect movies

• Mad Max: Fury Road
• Gremlins
• Run, Lola, Run
• Fargo
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire
December 25, 2025 at 6:36 AM
Reposted by Rob Taylor
Thinking about Larry Levis.
December 23, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Reposted by Rob Taylor
whew
December 23, 2025 at 7:10 PM
One of my favourite pieces we've ever commissioned for the Fraser Valley Writers Festival, "Spies" by Russell Thornton, is now up to read over at the FVWF Festival Magazine:
Spies | Fvwritersfest
www.fvwritersfestival.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:36 PM
One heck of a @deadpoetsreading.bsky.social lineup for January!
December 18, 2025 at 9:52 PM
Reposted by Rob Taylor
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!
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
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 12:58 AM
I didn't do a "favourite books" post last year, as I was judging a prize, so here are some of my favourite books from 2024 and 2025 combined. Read them and be happy!

(If it's hard to read, the titles and authors are in the alt text.)
December 15, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Arc is the one lit mag that I read cover to cover, in no small part because of Nancy Jo Cullen's work making it the gathering place to talk poetry in Canada. Thank you, Nancy!
Arc's Fall 2026 issue is the last with our Prose Editor since 2020, so we wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to Nancy Jo Cullen! Her talent and dedication shaped Arc’s pages and defined our prose for the past five years. We are so grateful, Nancy, for everything you have brought to Arc! Thank you!
December 15, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Well hot damn, isn't this wonderful? Weather was just longlisted for my favourite little poetry book prize. And what company! Thank you to @rclas.bsky.social and 2025 judge Cecily Nicholson for this honour.

rclas.com/2025-fred-co...
December 14, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Reposted by Rob Taylor
Progressive Conservative joins Progressive Conservative party
Progressive Conservative joins Progressive Conservative party
OTTAWA - In a stunning move, progressive conservative MP Michael Ma crossed the floor Thursday to the progressive conservative Liberal Party, just a few weeks after similar minded progressive conserva...
www.thebeaverton.com
December 12, 2025 at 6:15 PM
A new @elliesawatzky.bsky.social poem is always cause for celebration! 🥳

"Vaporwave" is up over at @eventmags.bsky.social:
Poetry: "Vaporwave" by Ellie Sawatzky - EVENT
Read an excerpt from Zilla Jones' short story, "Cut Off." Originally published in EVENT issue 53/3.
www.eventmagazine.ca
December 11, 2025 at 12:54 AM
In which I talk a little about my favourite book of the year, @jobitek.bsky.social's "We, the Kindling."

Thank you to @thenewquarterly.bsky.social for the opportunity:
What is Rob Taylor Reading? - The New Quarterly Digital Edition
Rob Taylor talks about his favourite book of 2025 and why it made such an impact. Read More!
tnq.ca
December 10, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Rob Taylor
Read this.

"OpenAI is not a partner—it’s an empire, cloaked in ethics and bundled with a Terms of Service. The university didn’t resist. It clicked ‘Accept.’"

www.currentaffairs.org/news/ai-is-d...
AI is Destroying the University and Learning Itself
Students use AI to write papers, professors use AI to grade them, degrees become meaningless, and tech companies make fortunes. Welcome to the death of higher education.
www.currentaffairs.org
December 4, 2025 at 10:52 PM
No movie has ever captured the spirit of a poet quite as well as when this dude asks for more chicken at the buffet.
A POET | Official Trailer | In Theaters January 30
YouTube video by 1-2 Special
www.youtube.com
December 2, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Support poets and poetry in Canada with a donation to the League of Canadian Poets, which will be matched by DC Reid! Help grow the Member Support Fund:

www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/141439
December 2, 2025 at 8:45 PM
If you're interested in studying poetry in the new year, think about taking "Poetry 1" with @raoulfernandes.bsky.social. January-March via @cs-sfu.bsky.social.

It's an online, asynchronous course you can complete from anywhere, while also having a cohort for workshops and discussions:
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
November 28, 2025 at 9:06 PM
The new issue of @thenewquarterly.bsky.social is here, featuring my interview with Anita Lahey about her two recent books. Go grab a copy!
November 28, 2025 at 12:08 AM
Barry Dempster has died. He left a very beautiful message for everyone, which his niece posted to Instagram. You can read it here:

www.instagram.com/p/DRkvL3bkSV...
Login • Instagram
Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.
www.instagram.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Did you know that the Fraser Valley Writers Festival commissions new writing from Canadian authors, which they debut at the festival? And those pieces are later published in our festival magazine?

Here's a little thread of new writing from some of Canada's best:
November 26, 2025 at 10:52 PM