I am terribly saddened to report the death of Prince George poet Barry McKinnon. Barry and I, with Nadine Maestas and George Stanley edited the first anthology of Cascadia poetry Make it True: Poetry From Cascadia in 2015. Barry died on Monday, October 30, 2023 due to multiple organ failure.I drove to PG to interview him in 2015 and you can hear his brilliant work and self-effacing vibe here: https://paulenelson.com/2015/08/04/barry-mckinnon-interview/
I expect there will be a proper obituary soon and a memorial is being planned for Spring 2024. See Rob McClennan’s memorial here. Meantime:
Some photos of Barry’s visit to Cascadia College in March 2016:
Barry McKinnon, Paul E Nelson, March 2016 Cascadia College
Barry McKinnon, Paul Nelson, Judith Roche, Jared Leising
Thank you so much for the “Make it True” interviews you reposted here. I’m only part way through those, but had to thank you immediately. My day is brightened and my sense of purpose renewed, and I laughed.
Bless you Martha.
Thank you
Thank you Paul for what you did to help us remember Barry. And thank you for your amazing poem about Barry. You nailed it.