If you missed the game, don’t fret! We'll be running practice rounds all the way until the real fun begins April 17th-19th, with the 2-Day Poem Contest.
ID: grey background, green text - "2-Day Mini Contest Winner ! 'beavers move into their starter homes' by Tazi Rodrigues
Follow the links in our bio to read the poem and register for the 2-Day Contest!
Congrats to Tazi and thank you to everyone who participated! We hope you had fun, and that you feel proud of the poems you wrote using some of our favourite words from previous 2-Day Contests.
We are thrilled to announce the winner of the first 2026 Mini 2-Day Contest!
Tazi Rodrigues (a.k.a. @smallpaperbirch ) is our winner, for “beavers move into their starter homes" written using the words “etiolate,” “saraband,” and “bog.”
You can now order the issue, confident in its status as no longer AWOL, to enjoy all of the above, as well as a bundle of new reviews and our usual batch of beautiful poems.
contemporaryverse2.ca/issues/winte...
The response to this form was so great that what we’d planned as a special one-off for our fiftieth anniversary, we now plan to make an annual staple in our publishing practice. Stay tuned for the reopening of this form this spring, and for all the poets we’ll discover together as a result.
On the topic of emerging writers, this issue features the debut print publications of no fewer than nine poets, all of whom submitted to our form that specifically sought out new writers ...
“Excited” doesn’t quite cover how we feel to be sharing an interview with poet, novelist, and art journalist Eileen Myles, discussing existence as devotion, how to be a lifelong writer, and favourite and least favourite lesbian movies; a must-read for admirers of Myles and emerging writers alike.
This issue marks our return to business as usual—though of course our “business as usual” means the exciting task of publishing all new work and getting to share it with you (not to mention sweating over a certain important shipment seemingly lost in the mail).
Last year we celebrated CV2’s 50th anniversary with a swath of special issues of the magazine, all centered around birthdays and milestones and looking back at our first fifty years ...
We found the Winter Issue!
We're happy to report that the mystery of the missing 3 boxes of magazines has been solved! Our first issue of 2026 is here, and we sure are happy to see it.
Read on below! Order your copy here! contemporaryverse2.ca/issues/winte...
Closed!
ID: grey graphic with green text. Text - 2-Day Mini Contest (repeated three times), Etiolate, Saraband, Bog.
- Only one poem may be entered per participant.
- Poems can be Tweeted at us, DMed to us, popped in this thread - just get them in on time along with a screenshot showing you’re registered for the April contest!
- Each word must be spelled exactly as provided. The words may not be used as proper nouns.
- Each word must be used in the proper context to qualify.
✨THE RULES✨
- Each word must be used at least once in the body of the final entry. Words may be used in the title, but must also appear in the body of the poem.
If we select you as our winner, your poem will be featured on our social media, and you can choose between having your registration reimbursed, or you can gift it to a friend!
You now have six hours to use these three words to write a poem and then send it in to us for judging!
In order to play, you must be registered for the 2-Day Poem Contest (link in bio).
It’s Mini Contest Time!✨
Welcome back for the 2-Day Poem Contest Warm Up Round, today only! Follow the instructions below to play along.
✨3 words, 6 hours, 1 winner✨ 12pm-6pm CT✨
Words:
Etiolate
Saraband
Bog
✨Ready, Set, Write! ✨
Sweet memories from last weekend's poetry zine workshop!
Facilitated by dedicated zine-maker Anneliese Schoppe and CV2's managing editor Ava Glendinning, this workshop walked participants through the process of creating a collective zine using writing and collage.
- Each word must be used in the proper context to qualify.
- Only one poem may be entered per participant.
- Poems can be DMed to us, popped in this thread - just get them in on time!
THE RULES
- Each word must be used at least once in the body of the final entry. Words may be used in the title, but must also appear in the body of the poem.
- Each word must be spelled exactly as provided. The words may not be used as proper nouns.
...
To play, you must be registered for the 2-Day Poem Contest (see below). If selected as our winner, your poem will be featured on our social media, and you can choose between having your registration reimbursed or gifting a free registration to a friend!
contemporaryverse2.ca/2-day-poem-c...
CONTEST ALERT!
Get ready to write! This Saturday is the first 2026 2-Day Poem Contest warm-up round! We've got 3 tricky words from previous years' contests to get you in the zone.
12pm-6pm CT Saturday, Feb. 28th
3 words, 6 hours, 1 winner
I'm reading online Tuesday night at the launch of the Winter 2026 issue of CV2, / @cv2magazine.bsky.social ;
, just a quick note, in case such interests,
robmclennan.substack.com/p/im-reading...
featuring readings by Sarah DesRosiers-Legault, Anna Gilmour, Ryanne Kap, Annisha Lashand, rob mclennan, Amanda Merpaw, and Justin Timbol. Online event. Pre-registration is required. Head to the link in our bio for more info.
Image ID: Text on an beige background with navy blue text and borders. Text: Winter Issue Launch. You're invited! Join us for an evening of poetry from our Winter Issue,
❄ Join us for the launch of the Winter 2026 issue! ❄
Our winter issue is special because we specifically sought out work from poets who are celebrating their first print publication- we have no fewer than nine such poets! We ❤️ to support EMERGENCE!
featuring readings by Sarah DesRosiers-Legault, Anna Gilmour, Ryanne Kap, Annisha Lashand, rob mclennan, Amanda Merpaw, and Justin Timbol. Online event. Pre-registration is required. Head to the link in our bio for more info.
Image ID: Text on an beige background with navy blue text and borders. Text: Winter Issue Launch. You're invited! Join us for an evening of poetry from our Winter Issue,
