April 11, 2003

Bywords and beyond

Literary life transcends the printed page, and yet returns to it. Even after the covers of a book are closed, the exchange between reader and writer can proceed in lecture halls, coffee houses and living rooms. And the venues for these exchanges must themselves be recorded, if only to inform those who would attend.

This principle formed the basis for the poetry newsletter Bywords, established at the University of Ottawa 13 years ago by Department of English Prof. Seymour Mayne, Gwen Guth, a doctoral candidate in the Department of English, and local writer Heather Ferguson, who runs Agawa Press. With a name derived from its Bytown roots, Bywords showcased local literary events and announcements, providing a crucial window on Ottawa's writing community.

Although there has not been a printed version of this publication for the last two years, it recently began a renewed existence on the World Wide Web.

“Ottawa's not just the seat of federal power,” says Mayne. “Those of us who live under the seat do have a local, vibrant culture. We're keeping up a sense of a community of letters. Writers come from so many different communities that we want to give them a sense that they're part of the family.”

Bywords also introduced new writers, poets and prose authors, whose work appeared along with the calendar of events and news items. With support from what was then the Ottawa-Carleton regional government, the editors printed some 500 copies of Bywords every month and distributed them free in bookstores, libraries and galleries.

Mayne and a group of students were doing the bulk of the editorial work. By 2001, having put out more than 100 issues, only one student was assisting Mayne. When he retired from the process, so did the publication.

Late last year, however, Mayne's interest was rekindled by a group of writers and students who wanted to revive Bywords. These included Amanda Earl, Megan McGrath, Christal Steck and Steven Artelle. But in the absence of government grants, Mayne and his fellow editors decided it would be more cost effective to mount this operation on the Internet. And the donation of server space by Internet provider Storm made this prospect all the more practical and attractive.

Mayne refers to this move as “going global.” The readership, which was formerly limited to whoever could find a copy of the newsletter, now conceivably includes the tens of millions of people who surf the Web. Similarly, contributions are now coming from much further afield than the Ottawa area, and the electronic format makes it easier to include significant amounts of text.

In spite of such advantages, Mayne does not want to place his faith in a “virtual” literary community.

“We are still two-legged animals that love rubbing shoulders,” he says. “We like to hear the words spoken out of a live mouth. People love going to a good reading, where there's engaging poetry and avid listeners.”

Mayne cultivated a taste for these activities in the 1960s, when he experienced the vibrant literary life of Montreal, Vancouver and places like New York's Greenwich Village. Bywords reinforces the conclusion of iconic figures such as the 19th century Ottawa poet Archibald Lampman, who insisted that the city had every reason to become a great literary centre.

“Bywords is enabling people to get a better sense of the cultural offerings in Ottawa,” Mayne insists. “And everyone knows that this emanates from the Department of English. It highlights how central the University of Ottawa is, and the fact that the University is serving the public and the artistic community.”

In addition to the electronic version of Bywords, the Department of English has also launched a virtual chapbook series called Friday Circle. This site highlights versions of printed poetry collections written by Department of English alumni and faculty, offering an ongoing archive of their work. Mayne also plans to have the contents of the earlier printed versions of the magazine placed on the new Web site.

“It's a permanent resource,” he says, adding that he would still like to get a printed publication out several times a year. “Electronic media are good, but they don't replace a book. If you go to a reading, you still want to hold the book. But until we get funds to publish in print form, we can showcase and celebrate good poetry on the Web.”

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