Tessera

Misha Solomon

@mishasolomon.bsky.social

Matthew King @cincinnatusc.bsky.social · last mo.

#SealeyChallenge 2026 Day 11/31: double feature of a couple of above/ground chapbooks, "Where the Bear Was" from Biodôme by Stephanie Bolster, and "Golden Lion Tamarin" from Biodôme: A Bestiary after Stephanie Bolster by Misha Solomon

Where the Bear Was

is a garden, a cavern, cordoned off,
ferns raised in shade.
The bars that held
the bear, held back the clamour up above, remain.
During the occupation a Nazi soldier
dropped his helmet in and the bear, bored, sported it awhile,
was ordered killed, the cavern closed.
A patch of shine its forehead rubbed
across the bars. Nearby, a statue of a bear,
its nearest, sweetest places polished gold
by children. To the left,
a bear saunters, circling
the pool, ducks as it passes the spray,
looks up, shakes its head, moves on. Chestnut blooms
fall among the ivy and the ferns.
Once this was not even Paris.

Golden Lion Tamarin

Even the briefest distance is divisible
by the degrees of impending closeness as I
span the space between us. I am the husband of
her life and I would forever raise our children,
run my fingers through her golden mane, sleep soundly
in the holes we find in trees. Here's a game we like:
I shriek to find her in a crowd, though I know she’s
just a branch below. I chirp to warn her danger
comes, but it’s the same danger that does us no harm.
I’ve never wanted anyone but her, but thought
each day I’d get the chance to choose her once again.
My love is undiminished by the lack of choice—
still, while noting that her leftmost digit made that
divot, I sense choice could have made my feelings grow.

Cover of Biodôme: A Bestiary after Stephanie Bolster by Misha Solomon

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · last mo.

above/ground press author activity: Gregory Crosby, Gary Barwin, Derek Beaulieu, Misha Solomon, Susanne Dyckman, Melissa Eleftherion + Valerie Coulton, @monostich.bsky.social @derekbeaulieu.bsky.social @mishasolomon.bsky.social @garybarwin.bsky.social ; abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2026/08/some...

some author activity: Crosby, Barwin, Beaulieu, Solomon, Dyckman, Eleftherion + Coulton,

Gregory Crosby has new work in the Spotlight series ; Gary Barwin has work up at NewPoetry.ca ; Gary Barwin interviews Derek Beaulieu ; Mish...

abovegroundpress.blogspot.com

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · last mo.

Canadian Poets Series #34 : Misha Solomon / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @pressassembly.bsky.social @montrealprize.bsky.social ; peripetyandortronies.blogspot.com/2026/08/cana...

peripetyandortronies.blogspot.com

The Fiddlehead @fiddlehd.bsky.social · 2mo ago

In our latest interview poetry editor Chuqiao Yang asks Melanie Power, winner of our 2025 Poetry Contest, about the creation and construction of her winning poem "Ode to the Bakeapple." thefiddlehead.ca/content/inte...

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 2mo ago

happy thirty-third birthday sale, above/ground press! , in which an anniversary begins to be celebrated, / @meetthepresses.bsky.social @montrealprize.bsky.social @griffinpoetryprize.bsky.social @ottawasmallpress.bsky.social ; abovegroundpress.substack.com/p/happy-thir...

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 2mo ago

don't forget! Misha Solomon and Stephanie Bolster's above/ground press chapbook launch in Montreal! July 9, 2026 / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @montrealprize.bsky.social @canadianpoets.bsky.social ; abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2026/06/mish...

Misha Solomon and Stephanie Bolster chapbook launch in Montreal! July 9, 2026

Montreal poets Misha Solomon ( Misha Solomon’s BIODÔME: A Bestiary after Stephanie Bolster ) and Stephanie Bolster ( BIODÔME: Twentieth An...

abovegroundpress.blogspot.com

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Misha Solomon and Stephanie Bolster above/ground press chapbook launch in Montreal! July 9, 2026 / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @montrealprize.bsky.social @mtlreviewofbooks.bsky.social ; abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2026/06/mish...

Misha Solomon and Stephanie Bolster chapbook launch in Montreal! July 9, 2026

Montreal poets Misha Solomon ( Misha Solomon’s BIODÔME: A Bestiary after Stephanie Bolster ) and Stephanie Bolster ( BIODÔME: Twentieth An...

abovegroundpress.blogspot.com

Tolu Oloruntoba @tolu.ca · 3mo ago

Best Canadian Poetry 2027 will be published on November 17, 2026. It was the honour of a lifetime to serve as guest editor, working alongside the brilliant series editor, Anita Lahey.

Book Cover: Best Canadian Poetry 2027 Selected by Tolu Oloruntoba There is a small mustard-colored moose against a magenta background, which the text is also presented against.

Book Publishers Association of Alberta @abbookpub.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Edmonton’s Bestselling Books for the week ending June 21, 2026! #ABbooks @audreysbooksyeg.bsky.social @magpiebooks.bsky.social

Edmonton Bestseller List for the week ending June 21, 2026. A PDF of the list can be found on our website.

FICTION

1. Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke (Knopf Canada)
2. The Great Gathering Place - Naomi McIlwraith, illus. Onedove (Kids Can Press) *Alberta Author
3. The Last Mandarin - Louise Penny and Mellissa Fung (Minotaur Books)
4. Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (Ballantine Books)
5. Carl's Doomsday Scenario - Matt Dinniman (Ace)
6. Whistler - Ann Patchett (Harper)
7. The Correspondent - Virginia Evans (Crown)
8. Dungeon Crawler Carl - Matt Dinniman (Ace)
9. The Final Six - Alexandra Monir (HarperCollins)
10. Armada - Ernest Cline (Ballantine Books)

Edmonton Bestseller List for the week ending June 21, 2026. A PDF of the list can be found on our website.

NON-FICTION

1. kiskisomitok ᑭᐢᑭᓱᒥᑐᐠ - reuben quinn (Talonbooks) *Alberta Author
2. The Outrage Cure - Alika Lafontaine M.D. (HarperCollins Publishers) *Alberta Author
3. The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction - Ursula K. Le Guin (Ignota Books)
4. Writing in the Flesh - Thomas Waugh (McGill-Queen's University Press)
5. Sourdough Infinity - Emily Hoven (Anstruther x Hedon) *Alberta Author +Alberta Publisher
6. The Book of Birds - Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris (House of Anansi)
7. The Scenic Geology of Alberta - Dale Leckie (Broken Poplars) *Alberta Author
8. The Republic of Alberta - Tyler Dawson (Sutherland House Publishing) *Alberta Author
9. A Field Guide to the Birds of Alberta - David R. Scott (Heritage House) *Alberta Author
10. Soft as Bones - Chyana Marie Sage (House Of Anansi Press) *Alberta Author

Edmonton Bestseller List for the week ending June 21, 2026. A PDF of the list can be found on our website.

POETRY

1. Descântec For My Split Tongue - Adriana Onițǎ (Palimpsest Press) *Alberta Author
2. sometimes, forest - Elee Kraljii Gardiner (Talonbooks)
3. My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet - Misha Solomon (Brick Books)
4. A Rebellion of Care - David Gate (Convergent Books)
5. Dad Era - Jordan Abel (Coach House Books) *Alberta Author
6. ?bédayine - Kaitlyn Purcell (Metatron Press) *Alberta Author
7. Dog and Moon - Kelly Shepherd (University of Regina Press) *Alberta Author
8. Crohnic - Jason Purcell (Arsenal Pulp Press) *Alberta Author
9. A Single Syllable of Wild - Angela Waldie (Frontenac House) *Alberta Author +Alberta Publisher
10. South Side of a Kinless River - Marilyn Dumont (Brick Books) *Alberta Author

Book Publishers Association of Alberta @abbookpub.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Calgary’s Bestselling Books for the week ending June 18, 2026! #ABbooks @shelflifebooks.bsky.social

Calgary's Bestselling Books Weekending in June 18, 2026. See the full list on our website.
FICTION

1. Field Notes for an Imaginary Mythology - Alex Benarzi (self-published) *
2. Marika and the Auction - Helen Metella (Your Nickel's Worth Publishing) *
3. The Correspondent - Virginia Evans (Crown)
4. Whistler - Ann Patchett (Harper)
5. The Calamity Club - Kathryn Stockett (Doubleday Canada)
6. Fate - Ian Hamilton (House of Anansi Press)
7. The Forgotten Midwife - Laura Anthony (Gallery Books)
8. Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke (Knopf Canada)
9. Land - Maggie O'Farrell (Knopf Canada)
10. Riverwork - Lisa Robertson (Coach House Books)

Calgary's Bestselling Books Weekending in June 18, 2026. See the full list on our website.
NON-FICTION

1. London Falling - Patrick Radden Keefe (Bond Street Books)
2. Rogues - Patrick Radden Keefe (Vintage)
3. Sublime - Yvonne Blomer (Caitlin Press)
4. Say Nothing - Patrick Radden Keefe (Vintage)
5. Strong Ground - Brene Brown (Random House)
6. My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet - Misha Solomon (Brick Books)
7. Jesus is a Voyeur - Bret Crowle (Frontenac House) * +
8. The Snakehead - Patrick Radden Keefe (Vintage)
9. Kathie the Mail Girl's Mother's Cookies - Julie Van Rosendaal (self-published) *
10. Empire of AI - Karen Hao (Penguin Books)

Jenny Wong @jenwithwords.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thursday night, I got to attend the final book launch stop for @mishasolomon.bsky.social’s stunning poetry collection ‘My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet’ with guest readers @pittella.bsky.social, @effervescentvoid.bsky.social, and Bret Crowle! Congratulations, Misha!!!

Carlos A. Pittella @pittella.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thrilled to celebrate @mishasolomon.bsky.social's debut collection alongside another alchemical friend, @effervescentvoid.bsky.social 🥁 If you're zooming in/near/thru Calgary/Mohkínstsis, come land in our poetry's nest❗ Jun/18 | 7PM Owl's Nest (815A 49th Ave SW) 👉 owlsnestbooks.com/events/51798...

Flyer for the launch of Misha Solomon's poetry collection "My great-grandfather danced ballet" (Brick Books), featuring the book cover with the torso of a barefoot male ballet dancer. Above the cover, the pictures of the 4 readers, including Misha, Bret Crowle, Madelaine Caritas Longman, and Carlos A. Pittella. The flyer also includes event info: Thursday, June 18, 7PM, Owl's Nest Books (815A 49th Avenue SW, Calgary).

Sarah Wolfson @sarahwolfson.bsky.social · 3mo ago

So grateful to have a poem forthcoming in Best Canadian Poetry. Thank you to @thewalrus.ca for first publishing “And Then Came the Day” and to guest editor @tolu.ca for selecting it for this anthology.

Biblioasis@biblioasis.bsky.social · 3mo ago

New from The Bibliophile: Announcing this year's contributors for the Best Canadian Essays, Poetry, and Stories anthologies! Congratulations to all of the writers selected 🎉 digitalbibliophile.substack.com/p/best-canad...

Graphic announcing the Best Canadian 2027 contributors, featuring the covers for the three anthologies.

Misha Solomon @mishasolomon.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thrilled to have my "Meditations in an Emergency" in Best Canadian Poetry 2027. Kinda flabbergasted that this is the 3rd poem from my debut to appear in BCP. So grateful to @biblioasis.bsky.social, to Anita Lahey, and to @tolu.ca. And what a bonus that @sarahwolfson.bsky.social is in there with me.

Biblioasis@biblioasis.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Carlos A. Pittella @pittella.bsky.social · 3mo ago

"the poems of Biodôme don’t mine the difference between life & imagination, they fuse life with imagination, allowing life & imagination to, if you’ll allow me, shit at one another. These are poems of beauty without beautification" —from Misha Solomon's amazing intro to Stephanie Bolster's biochap❤️‍🔥

Misha Solomon@mishasolomon.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Writing this introduction was the greatest honour of my “career”!

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Publishing-in-Transit: Cole Swensen zoom-interviewed Jennifer Baker, rob mclennan + Misha Solomon on above/ground press for Brooklyn Rail, / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @jenniferbaker.bsky.social ; , the recording is now online, in case you missed it, abovegroundpress.substack.com/p/publishing...

Misha Solomon @mishasolomon.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Looking forward to this online event on May 20: brooklynrail.org/event/2026/0...

Publishing-in-Transit: above/ground | The Brooklyn Rail

Poets Jennifer Baker, rob mclennan, and Misha Solomon join Rail contributor Cole Swensen for a conversation on Zoom.

brooklynrail.org

rob mclennan@robmclennan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

rob mclennan, Misha Solomon + Jennifer Baker zoom-interview May 20th! / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @jenniferbaker.bsky.social @pressassembly.bsky.social @caitlinpress.bsky.social , to be conducted by Cole Swensen on above/ground press for Brooklyn Rail, abovegroundpress.substack.com/p/rob-mclenn...

Misha Solomon @mishasolomon.bsky.social · 4mo ago

BC! My book and I are coming your way! Vancouver on Wednesday (May 20) at Iron Dog Books with Leah Horlick, @estmcphee.bsky.social, and Lauren Peat! RSVP here: irondogbooks.com/events/47630...! Victoria on Friday (May 22) for Planet Earth Poetry with @zoeidadickinson.bsky.social!

Coach House Books @coachhousebooks.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Misha Solomon on his poem, 'Reading “Having a Coke with You” at My Best Friend’s Wedding,' included in On Occasion: Poems for the People. Read his full interview: occasionalpoems.ca/interviews/m...

An excerpt from Misha Solomon's interview for occasionalpoems.ca, on an orange-red gradient background. "What is the occasion of your poem?

My best friend’s wedding!

How did the occasion of your poem shape the form that your poem took?

At the wedding, I read ‘Having a Coke with You’ by Frank O’Hara, as part of a creative take on the Seven Blessings ritual at Jewish weddings. My occasional poem is about that experience, drawing on some elements of form and language from the O’Hara poem itself."

Bio page for Misha Solomon: "Misha Solomon is a homosexual poet in and of Tiohtià:ke/Montréal. He is the author of the full-length collection My Great-Grandfather Danced Ballet (Brick Books, 2026) and of two chapbooks: FLORALS (above/ground press, 2020) and Full Sentences (Turret House Press, 2022). His work has appeared in Best Canadian Poetry, Arc Poetry Magazine, Geist, The Malahat Review, Maisonneuve, and The New Quarterly.

Read his poem, ‘Reading “Having a Coke with You” at My Best Friend’s Wedding,’ in On Occasion: Poems for the People."

Sarah Wolfson @sarahwolfson.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Coming up next week at Montreal’s Librairie Paragraphe Books! Thurs, May 21, 5 to 7 pm. Looking forward to reading with fellow local poet Stephanie Bolster and visiting poet Rhea Tregebov @rheatregebov.bsky.social. Thanks to the League of Canadian Poets @canadianpoets.bsky.social for its support.

Poets Stephanie Bolster, Rhea Tregebov, and Sarah Wolfson pictured on an event notice for a May 21 Three Poet Reading from 5 to 7 pm at Librairie Paragraphe Books in MTL.

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

some above/ground press author activity: Rae Armantrout, rob mclennan, ryan fitzpatrick, Mahaila Smith, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, Meghan Kemp-Gee, Stephanie Bolster + Misha Solomon / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @ryanfitzpublic.bsky.social @mahailasmith.ca ; abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2026/05/some...

some author activity: Armantrout, mclennan, fitzpatrick, Smith, Saklikar, Kemp-Gee, Bolster + Solomon,

Rae Armantrout has four poems up at Granta ; rob mclennan is interviewed via Coach House for the On Occasion anthology ; there's also a heft...

abovegroundpress.blogspot.com

Christina Shah @christinashah.bsky.social · 4mo ago

A big thank you to @argobookshop.bsky.social for hosting @mishasolomon.bsky.social, @isabellawangbc.bsky.social and me for a reading in Montréal recently! What a fantastic evening! A special thank you to our wonderful host, @sarahwolfson.bsky.social!🙏📕🌠💕 @nightwoodeditions.bsky.social #brickbooks

Christina Shah, Isabella Wang, Misha Solomon and Sarah Wolfson during the Q&A at the triple launch at Argo Bookshop in Montréal.

Shelagh Rowan-Legg @shelaghrowanlegg.northsky.social · 4mo ago

The poetry-inclined in Montréal! ON OCCASION: POEMS FOR THE PEOPLE edited by @queyras.bsky.social from @coachhousebooks.bsky.social launches Tuesday May 12th / mardi 12 mai, 7pm, Librarie De Stiil. Readings by me, @mishasolomon.bsky.social @csuther.bsky.social @pslycnrd.bsky.social and more!

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Manahil Bandukwala, Ben Ladouceur and Misha Solomon are reading RIGHT NOW in Ottawa! all to help launch Solomon’s poetry debut with Brick Books, // @mishasolomon.bsky.social @manahil.bsky.social @pressassembly.bsky.social @bookhugpress.bsky.social

Misha Solomon @mishasolomon.bsky.social · 4mo ago

TONIGHT in OTTAWA @robmclennan.bsky.social @manahil.bsky.social

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 5mo ago

new from above/ground press: , Zhang, Yeager/Burgoyne, Rudy, Harder, Solomon, Bolster, Baker + mclennan + The Peter F Yacht Club #36, / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @susanrudy.bsky.social @ezhang77.bsky.social ; abovegroundpress.substack.com/p/new-from-a...

Misha Solomon @mishasolomon.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Writing this introduction was the greatest honour of my “career”!

periodicities : a journal of poetry and poetics@periodicities.bsky.social · 5mo ago

newly posted: Misha Solomon : INTRODUCTION: Stephanie Bolster's BIODÔME: Twentieth Anniversary Edition / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @palimpsestpress.bsky.social ; periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/05/mish...

rob mclennan @robmclennan.bsky.social · 5mo ago

newly posted at @periodicities.bsky.social : Misha Solomon : INTRODUCTION: Stephanie Bolster's BIODÔME: Twentieth Anniversary Edition / @mishasolomon.bsky.social @canadianpoets.bsky.social ; periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2026/05/mish...

Misha Solomon : INTRODUCTION: Stephanie Bolster's BIODÔME: Twentieth Anniversary Edition

When it was confirmed that Stephanie Bolster was to be my thesis supervisor for my poetry MA, I wrote to rob mclennan to a...

periodicityjournal.blogspot.com

Christina Shah @christinashah.bsky.social · 5mo ago

TONIGHT!! MONTRÉAL- last leg! I'm reading with amazing poets @mishasolomon.bsky.social and @isabellawangbc.bsky.social, hosted by @sarahwolfson.bsky.social !💕📕🌠 See you there! Argo Bookshop- 1841-A Rue Ste. Catherine O. 7 pm. @nightwoodeditions.bsky.social @argobookshop.bsky.social

White poetry reading poster with Isabella Wang, Christina Shah, and Misha Solomon, hosted by Sarah Wolfson at Argo Bookshop.

Misha Solomon @mishasolomon.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Excited for this!

Sarah Wolfson@sarahwolfson.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Coming up this week: Christina Shah launches her poetry collection if: prey, then: huntress. Misha Solomon and Isabella Wang will also read from their new books. Come help welcome these poets to Montreal’s oldest English language bookstore! RSVP: www.ticketsource.com/argo-booksho...