CHANGES AT ARC

After a combined 31 years of service, John Barton and Rita Donovan are stepping down as co-editors of Ottawa-based Arc: Canada's National Poetry Magazine, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in print in 2003. After seeing the magazine's two anniversary issues - Don Coles at 75, Arc at 25 and Ottawa Poetry Now - into print, John and Rita feel that this is a good time to pass the gauntlet to the next generation of Ottawa's aspiring poets, editors, and publishers.

Under their tenure, the magazine enjoyed many successes, including the establishment of the Poem of the Year Contest, the Diana Brebner Prize for Poetry, and the Critic Desk's Award; the publication of We All Begin in a Little Magazine, a 20th-anniversary anthology of the best poems to have appeared in Arc; and Gold and Silver wins in the poetry category of the 2001 National Magazine Awards.

John Barton, an Ottawa poet who is a three-time winner of the Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry as well as a recipient of the Ottawa-Carleton Book Award, joined the board in 1987. In 1990, he became Arc's co-editor alongside Nadine McInnis. John's accomplishments include sound fiscal management and the expansion of Arc's financial base. In January 2004, he will move to Victoria, B. C., to become the editor of The Malahat Review. He is at work on his ninth collection of poems.

Rita Donovan, Ottawa novelist whose books have won the Ottawa-Carleton Book Award and the CAA/Chapters Award for Fiction, joined the board as Associate Editor in 1988. She replaced Nadine McInnis as co-editor in 1995, a position she held valiantly for eight years. Rita's many contributions include the coordination of a growing roster of submissions and the administration of the Poem of the Year Contest. Rita plans to pursue her own writing and is at work on her sixth novel. John and Rita thank past and present members of the Arc editorial board for their continued and unflagging support. The magazine's accomplishments and growth are the results of tireless collaborative work.

Arc's new board will assume full management of the magazine in January 2004. It is composed of new and current members:
Anna Adamek, Circulation
Andrea Fajrajsl, Production
Matthew Holme,s Reviews
Anita Lahey, Managing Editor
Kel Morin-Parsons, Financial Planning
Stacey Munro, Web Master
Barbara Myers, Promotion
Cheryl Sutherland, Associate Editor
Rob Winger, Awards and Contests

John and Rita are proud of their years with Arc and encourage everyone to support the new board by sending the magazine their best poetry, articles, and reviews; by entering its many contests; by consulting its web site; and by buying every issue as they appear on newsstands everywhere or through subscription.

For more information about the changes at Arc, e-mail us at arc.poetry@cyberus.ca
Arc: Canada's National Poetry Magazine
Box 7219
Ottawa, Canada, K1L 8E4
www.cyberus.ca/~arc.poetry