Issue 05 Launch Event Recap!
February 23rd marked the launch of flo. issue 05 | Sojourns and Odysseys, and though the lead-up to the event was a whirlwind of chaos, we can’t describe this launch party as anything short of a success!
Our regular event attendees were undoubtedly thrown for a loop when we were unable to hold our launch at Art House Café, where we have hosted numerous community events in the past. As you may have read on Art House’s Instagram, their event capacity limits have been recently (and very suddenly!) tightened by forces beyond their control, which left our event without a venue only a few weeks away from our highly anticipated issue 05 launch! Needless to say, we worried about how we could host this event successfully without our friends and supporters at Art House.
Luckily, thanks to Ottawa’s incredible community spirit (and our SUPER RESOURCEFUL Events Coordinator, Maya!), we found an alternative location! Despite the short notice, Avant-Garde graciously offered to host us on the evening after our initial launch date. Our contributors were quick to respond to Maya’s panicked email RSVP for the new date and venue, swiftly quelling her anxiety that her first event with flo. would go the way of a first pancake. A last-minute hiccup left her unable to attend. Although she was sad about missing the chance to meet everyone beyond email correspondence, she’s super grateful to have worked with such wonderful contributors—and to hear from several of them that the event went well (this is a personal “thank you!” from Maya).
The day of the event brought its own hurdles. Due to a plethora of wild and unexpected circumstances, only two out of flo.’s five team members could make it to Avant-Garde. The night began in chaos: Maya had car troubles right as she was leaving home, leaving her without a ride to the event; we forgot our square reader to take credit and debit purchases; Senka had to trek to uOttawa to print out her emcee script; and Erin ripped her pants—leaving her to hand sew them as she was leaving the house!
Not only was it a full moon (and therefore a strange and mystical presence was already afoot), but temperatures dipped to a bitter -17 degrees. Senka and Erin stood in an empty bar, wondering what would come of this already crazy night. Then, as if on cue, dozens of people started filing in to escape the cold and enjoy an evening of poetry, stories, and good company. The effects of the evening’s earlier mayhem washed away upon seeing so many people come out for our launch of issue 05 | Sojourns and Odysseys, reminding us of why we love this city and our little literary community.
We kicked readings off right on time with a record number of readers (17!!!) sharing their beautiful poetry and prose about movement. We followed a Tim Hortons’ cup’s adventures on a city bus with Kiran Niet and climbed down Mt. Kinabalu with Susan Johnston. We were transported from Amritsar (thanks to Mekyle Al Qadir) all the way to Chicoutimi (thanks to Emily Cerantola) and back again. We found ourselves in parking lots (Pamela Mosher) and offices (Lana Crossman), from Bank Street (Asli Mahdi) to Tunney’s Pasture (Cara Goodwin). Though we travelled all over the city and across the world to explore what movement means to 24 Ottawa-Gatineau writers, there was no place we would have rather spent that night than right there amongst our incredible flo. community.