A-Frame News: Al and Eurithe Purdy Poetry Prize/Stuart Ross Workshop

 

from Jean Baird

March 25, 2026 A few spots are still available for the Stuart Ross workshop, details below. THE GREAT POETRY HEIST Sunday April 26, 2026 at 1 - 3 p.m. ET, via zoom Stuart Ross offers a fun and productive workshop for poets at all levels of  experience. We will explore strategies for mining the works of contemporary  poets to create our own poems, employing a range of strategies involving  ethical thievery, faux translation, ruthless erasure, unconscious collaboration,  and affectionate imitation. Arrive with an open mind and leave with a heap  of new poems unlike any you’ve written before. Stuart Ross is the author of 23 full-length books, most recently the poetry  collection The Sky Is a Sky in the Sky, the Trillium Book Award–winning  memoir The Book of Grief and Hamburgers, and the short story collection  I Am Claude François and You Are a Bathtub. He has received the Canadian  Jewish Literary Award for Poetry and the ReLit Award for Short Fiction, as  well as the Harbourfront Festival Prize for his contributions to Canadian  literature. Stuart has led scores of workshops in Canada, Chile, and the  U.S., and has taught at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies  for a decade. He was writer in residence at Queen’s University and the  University of Ottawa and has mentored at the Banff Centre. Stuart lives  in Cobourg, Ontario, just down the highway from Ameliasburgh. To register for the class send an e-transfer for $20 to info@alpurdy.ca Enrollment is limited.  Canadian Gothic   https://www.alpurdy.ca/donate/ Thank you for your consideration, and your support!

Copyright © 2026 Al Purdy A-frame Association, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have supported the Al Purdy A-frame Association. Our mailing address is: Al Purdy A-frame Association 401--4542 West 10th Ave., Vancouver, BC V6R 2J1 Canada

On An Icy Minneapolis Street: Patrick Connors poem

 By Patrick Connors 

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. 

It was their final, most essential command.” - George Orwell, 1984

Renee Nicole Good was a citizen of the United States.

She was a wife, a mother, a poet, and a human being.

On January 7th, she engaged in civil disobedience.

She idled her car crossways and blocked two lanes.

An ICE agent approached the left front of her car.

She said, “That’s fine, dude. I’m not mad at you.”

He advanced on her, recording with his cell phone.

She reversed, turning left, as she tried to get away.

If she had been trying to run him over, she would 

have turned right in reverse, then turned hard left.

She turned left in reverse to get the open space 

to turn right. The ICE agent shot her three times.

He shot her point blank, turned and walked away,

called her a hateful name for all the world to hear.

On an icy Minneapolis street, in broad daylight,

Renee Nicole Good was murdered in cold blood.

*This poem is also in Where Words Defeat Bullets, published last week on Asemana Books, and available on Amazon and Lulu.

Canadian Hero Niilo Makela Remembered from Spanish Civil War: Charlie Angus

 

A Northern Hero Remembered CHARLIE ANGUS / THE RESISTANCE MAR 20   READ IN APP   Spain has shown the world how to stand firm in the face of authoritarian threat. They were the first country to refuse Donald Trump’s demand to support his illegal war in Iran. This heroic stance came as Spain commemorated a great but forgotten Canadian war hero. On March 16 at Guiamets cemetery, a plaque was unveiled in honour of Niilo Makela from Timmins, Ontario. He gave his life fighting for the freedom of the Spanish people. As the former Member of Parliament for Timmins, I was honoured to contribute remarks that were shared during the ceremony. I pointed out that this wasn’t just about remembering a battle that took place 88 years ago; it was about recommitting to the strong links between Canada and Spain today. The fascists are once again on the move. It falls to democratic countries to meet the moment. Here is the message that was delivered: “As the former member of Parliament for Timmins, I pay tribute to Niilo Makela. He was one of the North’s most heroic sons. I thank the people of Spain for cherishing the memory of this young man, who was only 20 years old when he left the mines of Timmins to fight for freedom for the people of Spain. Niilo’s life is a story of sacrifice, dedication and fearlessness in the face of fascist aggression. This commemoration comes at a crucial moment for both Spain and the people of Canada. The fascist threat has risen again. Around the world, we are watching the attack on democracy and the rule of law. Niilo Makela reminds us that we are bound together in this struggle. He teaches us that an injury to one is an injury to all of us. Canada paid a huge sacrifice in the fight against the fascists in Spain. We owe it to their memory to ensure that the fascists of today are pushed back and defeated. No pasaran.” I am pleased that people in Spain remember Makela’s incredible sacrifice. We could do well to remember that sacrifice here in Canada.  Makela was from my hometown, but I never knew anything about him. In school, we were never taught about the incredible sacrifice of ordinary Canadians who went to fight the fascists when the leaders of the West were convinced that appeasement and accommodation were the most reasonable response to tyranny. Our Prime Minister, Mackenzie King, thought that Herr Hitler had “affectionate” eyes. But young Niilo Makela wasn’t fooled. The Finnish Canadian miner had been reading the newspaper reports describing the fascist attack on the fledgling Spanish democracy. He made the decision that if no government was willing to help the people of Spain, then he would put his own life on the line. Makela was one of 1700 Canadians who defied their government and slipped aboard freighters, trekked through mountains and travelled under assumed names in order to defend the Spanish democracy from a fascist coup. They joined thousands of volunteers from around the world who came to fight the fascists in Spain. Most of the Canadians were assigned to the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, which was made up of volunteers from the United States. Many of the international volunteers had come for ideological reasons. Many were young communists. A number had come out of the universities. But the Canadians were different. They were dock workers. Farmhands. Miners like Makela. They knew how to use a gun. The commissars noted that the Canadians made “poor communists.” The Canadians didn’t go to Spain to argue ideology. They weren’t good at discipline and following rules. They went to fight and kill fascists. And they were good at it. Very good. They soon gained a reputation as the “fighting Canucks.” And they wanted to form a distinctly Canadian unit. On Dominion (Canada) Day 1937, the Mackenzie-Papineau brigade (named after the founders of the 1838 rebellion) was officially formed. But it wasn’t just Canadians who signed up for this brigade. Milton Herndon, a black labour activist from Chicago, served as leader of the third section of the Canadian battalion. On October 13, 1937, he was killed trying to help the wounded during a brutal battle at Fuentes de Ebro. In a piece written in the November 1938 issue of the Volunteer for Liberty, Frank Smith described how the Canadians held on in the face of withering German artillery fire. It was a battle that cost the life of Lieutenant Lionel Edward of Edmonton: “Our boys, who clung to their battered trenches despite the terrific shelling permitted the enemy to advance within rifle and machine-gun range and then opened devastating fire on them. Driving the fascists back with enormous losses. The enemy was completely routed. The boys in the Battalion still refer to that position as ‘Suicide Hill’ or ‘Edwards Hill.’” This was the first major battle where the Canadian unit was put to the test. It was a helluva test. Trapped by murderous machine gun and artillery fire, the Republican line appeared to be disintegrating. The Canadians were surrounded, and the demand came from the fascists for a full-scale surrender. “We have no orders except to hold the lines,” responded Major Ben Smith, who was later killed. Niilo Makela had established himself as a leader among the Canadians and became the battle leader of the Mac-Paps. He led the breakout. The fascist forces came at the Canadians with tanks, but the Mac Paps, armed only with rifles and some machine guns, refused to give ground. They pushed the tanks back. During the terrible retreat from the Ebro River in March 1938, the Canadians were left behind as the others crossed to safety. Their mission was to buy time so the volunteers from other countries could get to safe ground. Niilo Makela was in charge of stopping the fascist tanks. His comrades had so much faith in him that they believed him to be indestructible. But the 21-year-old was killed on March 16th. The Republican leadership was so distraught that they suppressed the news of his death because they were terrified it would leave the retreating soldiers in despair. A plaque was placed on the wall of a building in a nearby village. Despite the valour of men like Makela, Spanish democracy could not hold. It had been sold out from day one. The western nations blockaded badly needed supplies while fascist Francisco Franco was being heavily armed by the Nazis and the fascists in Italy. Mussolini sent nearly 800 planes, 2000 cannons, and 10,000 machine guns. Hitler used the Luftwaffe to terror bomb the civilians. The Mac Paps and other international volunteers were forced to make do with makeshift weapons, some trucks, and a few planes. By October 1938, the beleaguered Republican government knew it could no longer hold on. As part of an attempt to win better terms from the fascists, they agreed to ask the international volunteers to leave Spain. It left the Spanish people at the mercy of fascists. Everyone knew this. On October 29, 1938, the surviving Mac Paps marched for the last time through the streets of Barcelona. The crowds covered them in flowers. The women ran from the sidelines to hug, kiss and thank them. With tears in their eyes, they sang the Internationale with its stirring vision of global solidarity: Let no one build walls to divide us Walls of hatred nor walls of stone Come greet the dawn and stand beside us We’ll live together or we’ll die alone But even as they hugged and wept in the streets of Barcelona, everyone knew that darkness was falling on Spain. A darkness that would soon descend on Europe. There were only 600 Canadians left of the 1700 men who had gone to fight. Many were wounded or maimed. Canada, a nation of only 11 million people, had sent the fourth largest contingent of volunteers to the fight. Only the French International Brigade paid the kind of price in blood that Canadians did. Within a year, thousands of other young Canadians would be heading to Europe to fight the fascist forces who had honed their murderous skills fighting against men like Makela and Herndon. I wish that I were writing this as a way of paying tribute to history. But these are lessons we need to learn today. There can be no peace through appeasement with fascism. We must remember the heroism of young men like Niilo Makela, who gave his life fighting for the liberty of people he had never met. He gave his life for the cause of democracy over tyranny. Today as Spain defies Trump the commemoration of Niilo Makela reminds us of our shared history in fighting for liberty and standing up to fascist aggression. We stand together at this moment - Canada and Spain.  We say “Elbows Up”; the Spanish volunteers said “No Pasaran” (they shall not pass). Charlie Angus / The Resistance is a reader-supported publication — please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Thank you. Upgrade to paid This post is public — feel free to share it. Share Thank you for reading Charlie Angus / The Resistance. If you’d like to upgrade to a paid subscription your support will help keep this project independent and sustainable. I’m grateful to have you here - thank you for your support. Upgrade to paid   LIKE COMMENT RESTACK   © 2026 Charlie Angus PO Box 74173, Ottawa RPO Beechwood, Ontario K1M 2H9  Unsubscribe

Trump crumbling under Iran stress test: Daily Kos

 

The Conversation by Markos: Trump’s movement is crumbling under the Iran stress test   This week’s top staff stories on Daily Kos all had one through line: President  Donald Trump’s Iran war is fracturing everything around it—his coalition, his  credibility, and the GOP’s political footing. Failing isn’t new to Trump. He’s done it time and again in life, but he’s  always been bailed out—by bankruptcy, by his lawyers, by his friends,  and by his cult-like MAGA base.  But with Iran, he’s finally created a problem so big, so consequential,  that his usual tricks don’t work. He can’t bluff his way out of it. He can’t  tweet it away. He can’t bully reality into submission. He can’t bury it in  lawsuits. This is a real crisis with real consequences, and he’s stuck with  it. Trump is isolated, harming the global economy, without allies, all while  undermining the rules-based order that delivered decades of prosperity  and operating without even the pretense of an endgame in Iran.  That Iran-fueled fracture isn’t theoretical—it’s happening in real time. Start with the most jarring example: Marjorie Taylor Greene slams Trump for putting America last Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia—once the queen bee  of the MAGA movement—hasn’t just stepped off that train, she’s become  one of its loudest critics. Trump’s Iran war has pushed her dissent to a  place that would’ve been unthinkable just months ago. Remember, Greene built her name around defending Trump at all costs,  and look where that got her. What’s more shocking—that a MAGA  Republican believed in her principles enough to break off when the  movement abandoned them, or that she’s one of the very few who did?  That’s a serious question. I can’t decide.  That tension runs through the rest of the week’s coverage. Trump is  trying to sell a war that doesn’t make sense even on its own terms—leaning  on dubious claims, contradictory justifications, bizarre declarations of  success, and outright fabrications to explain why the U.S. is suddenly  all-in on Iran. Trump lies about chat with 'former president' to justify Iran war Trump lashes out as Iran war spirals out of control Trump says it's no biggie that Putin is helping Iran No sugar-coating it: Daily Kos needs your help. We are reader funded, and can't write these stories without your suppot. Can you chip in $5 today? Donate $5 That last headline is worth sitting with. Imagine a Democratic president  shrugging at a foreign power helping an enemy attack Americans. It  would dominate the political landscape. No one would defend it, especially  not other Democrats. Republicans, however, just shrug.  Yet, as the world burns and Americans feel the pain of higher energy costs  and more economic instability, Trump is still focused on what he’s always  focused on: Trump continues crazed quest to ruin the nation's capital Pentagon promotes obscene perk to lure new employees   What we’re left with is a split-screen presidency. On one side, a spiraling  foreign conflict with real global consequences. On the other, the same  corruption and grievance-driven distractions that defined his first term.  There’s no indication those halves will ever converge into anything  resembling coherent leadership. The Republican Party has tied itself fully to Trump, but it has no clear  way to defend what he’s doing. They can’t rely on him to deliver on  core promises—lower prices, fewer wars—and their old message  discipline has collapsed. Conservatives are left trying to explain the unexplainable, tied to him whether it helps them or not. This year,  it won’t. House GOP's new midterm message is a real loser Republicans suddenly don’t give a damn about high gas prices Top GOP donor warns of Antichrist—wait, what? When your coalition includes elected officials breaking ranks and  major donors drifting into conspiratorial thinking, it’s a sign the center  isn’t holding. And pretending high gas prices aren’t a problem isn’t  a strategy—it’s the political equivalent of sticking one’s head in the sand. Put it all together, and the pattern is clear. This isn’t just another chaotic  week in Trump’s presidency. It’s a stress test. His war is testing the limits of his movement, the discipline of his party,  and the patience of the American people. We’re seeing what happens  when a governing style built on impulse, grievance, and spectacle collides  with real-world consequences. So far, the result isn’t ambiguous. It’s exactly what anyone paying attention knew would happen. We're not asking for much   The average donation to Daily Kos has been just $9.44. These donations may seem small, but they're a big deal to us. In fact, they are our largest source of income. We literally couldn't do the work we do without them. Can you join thousands of other Daily Kos readers and help us with a donation of $9.44 right now? Donate $9.44 You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from Daily Kos. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or manage which newsletters you receive.