Featured Author - Ted Elliot

Ted Elliot is a burgeoning force in Montreal's literature scene. In addition to his own writing practice, Elliot co-produces a monthly poetry series at Café Lucci in Montreal. His verse bears an elevated polish and a close attention to detail, and we're pleased to bring you four new poems by this adroit young author. Elliot's work, featured now on The Blasted Tree, includes BACKPACK, XXXI, NEVER A DULL MOMENT ON ELGIN STREET, and FAREWELL PRELUDE. Read these poems, then check out Elliot's bio using the link below.

VIEW TED'S PROFILE

Information about the next Café Lucci reading event (March 4, 2016) can be found HERE.

Feminist Perspectives - Call For Submissions

The Blasted Tree is looking for creative non-fiction for a new series on FEMINISM! The series, to be published online in the coming months, will approach this issue from several perspectives, and we welcome all styles of non-fiction writing, from academic essays to autobiography and beyond. Help us celebrate feminist voices by sharing your wisdom and experience! Please send your original work to theblastedtree@gmail.com by midnight on February 29 for consideration.

Feel free to share this call with the feminists in your life. We'd love to hear from as many people as possible!

Featured Poem - Elegy by Jamal Chandler

Jamal Chandler excels at combining old world erudition with new school sensibilities, crafting poetry both classical in tone and modern in gait. ELEGY is no exception, and we've selected it to feature from among his three poems recently published on The Blasted Tree for it's skillful use of narrative and a special attention to the intersection of auditory and visual elements. Check out Chandler's concrete poem ELEGY, and be sure to follow us online for more great content coming soon!

READ ELEGY

Featured Author - Dana Neily

Hailing from beautiful Victoria, Dana Neily is the newest author on The Blasted Tree's growing line-up of emerging Canadian talent. Neily uses her writing as a means of drawing attention to mental illness and neuroatypical experiences, advocating for compassion and understanding in regards to mental health. ONE DAY'S BATTLE, published in our Short(er) Fiction series, speaks directly to these issues, illuminating the daily struggle between the protagonist and a surreal manifestation of Death. Additionally, we are please to bring you two of Neily's poems, AN ESCAPIST'S FANTASY and the comically titled AIM FOR AN 'OCEAN'S 11' RATHER THAN A 'RESERVOIR DOGS' BUT EITHER WAY WE WILL LOOK KILLER IN SUITS. Read her work online, then check out her bio using the link below!

VIEW DANA'S PROFILE

Featured Story - All Day Breakfast by Michael Smilovitch

Toys aren't the only inanimate objects with rich inner and interpersonal stories. Meet Room and Fan, a couple of "things" who get to know each other through their mutual acquaintance, the human being Tony. All Day Breakfast, Smilovitch's debut on The Blasted Tree, experiments with extreme perspective and abrupt narrative shifts to bring you into the word of every day objects. Just because Tony isn't there doesn't mean his stuff isn't going about its business...

READ ALL DAY BREAKFAST

All Day Breakfast is one of three original stories appearing in our brand new chapbook Short(er) Fiction Vol. 3, now available from The Blasted Tree Store!

Featured Story - Township by Ivan Fischer

Living in the country has it's perks: fresh air, freedom, and lots of terrain to explore. But when the economy begins to struggle, working class people take the first hit. The country then becomes a place of suffocating boredom, desperation, and racial tension. Township is the suspenseful story of Cole and Boyd, two out-of-work young men chasing fortune and adventure down the back roads of rural Canada. Ivan Fischer's anxiety-filled portrait of small town living is free to read online and quality chapbooks of the story can be purchased from The Blasted Tree Store.

READ TOWNSHIP

Featured Story - Wood by Mitch Findlay

When Mitch Findlay submitted this, his second outing with The Blasted Tree, he promised us two things: puppets and sex. Aptly titled, Wood is the darkly funny story of a songbook, a twisted fixation, and the... complicated relationship that follows. Come meet Charlie, Levy, and The Monster, three musical puppets from a beloved children's show who are sure to make a lasting impact on your life. Findlay's hardboiled style never fails to impress, especially when animating such playful subject matter. Read Wood online, then buy the chapbook from The Blasted Tree Store!

READ WOOD

Adrien Smart - Interview and Exclusive Video

The Blasted Tree sat down with author and filmmaker Adrien Smart to talk life, loss, and the making of art. He's a multi-talented UVic student with an impressive array of compositional talents, from writing screenplays and short stories, to performing spoken word poetry and videography. Adrien incorporates his wide range of interests and passions into his craft, and while poetry may be the newest trick in his repertoire, he's clearly a natural. See for yourself in the exclusive video poem he's created for The Blasted Tree, WHITE KNUCKLES/RED TABLECLOTH, catch some of his wisdom on becoming a poet in the interview, and watch a few of his other creations using the link below.

WHITE KNUCKLES/RED TABLECLOTH + INTERVIEW

Featured Story - Your Own Devices by Ivan Fischer

An experimental piece of short fiction by Ivan Fischer, Your Own Devices confronts our over-dependence on smart phones. Whether it be forming a new relationship, catching up with old pals, or finding the way home, our actions are increasingly moderated by technology. Rather than making life better, smart phones may have some all-too-familiar negative consequences. Fischer asks, "What happens when the battery dies?"

READ YOUR OWN DEVICES

Your Own Devices is part of our ongoing Short(er) Fiction series. Volumes 1 and 2 can now be purchased from The Blasted Tree Store!