“My version of writer-in-residence is a little bit louder than most.”

For years, rob mclennan has been one of Ottawa’s most recognizable poets, between his plethora of poetry books, his hyper-generative above/ground press, the Ottawa Small-Press Book Fair and piles of other literary miscellany. He grew up in a dairy farm and, at age 19, moved an hour’s drive west to Ottawa. “The longest I’ve ever been away from home, in one single place, is nine days,” he says. That is, before he started a nine-month stint as the writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta.

The main goal of mclennan’s residency is the completion of his novel-in-progress, Missing Persons. While his debut novel, White, was told in very small fragments, mclennan is trying something new in Missing Persons. “I’m extending the small scenes as far as I can,” he says. “The same amount of stuff happens, but it could take two pages to get there.”

Mclennan isn’t content to work on a single project. He’s organizing readings, publishing chapbooks, interviewing Edmonton writers and working on two other major projects: an Edmonton-specific poetry manuscript and a creative non-fiction book. “Poems fall out of me at the same rate that they would at home, but they’re playing with different rhythms and geographies,” he says. “I’m just trying to figure this shit out, and trying to see if I can do a creative non-fiction book. Maybe I can’t. The fear of not knowing what you’re doing can actually make a project far better — you’re so afraid of it sucking, of looking like an idiot, that you work harder at it. Art should not be about comfort.”

As part of the annual writer-in-residence exchange between the U of A and U of C, mclennan will read from his work at the Husky Oil Great Hall (Rosza Centre, University of Calgary) on February 11, 7:30 p.m.

The flywheel reading series rings in Chinese New Year with style by presenting a cavalcade of local artists. Wakefield Brewster, Amy Joy Hild, Kirk Ramdath and Natalie Simpson present their poetry and fiction, while Dale Lee Kwong (recent Calgary champion of the 2008 CBC Poetry Face-Off) brings her play, Sweet and Sour Secrets, to life with the help of local actors Jade Cooper, Emiko Muraki, Jasmin Poon, Elan Pratt, Ben Tsui and Francine Wong. Don’t miss the action at McNally Robinson (120 8 Ave. S.W.) on February 7, 7 p.m.

The Sustainable Calgary Book Club returns, this time looking at The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It’s Too Late by Thom Hartmann. It’s a lengthy title for an extremely influential book, and you can learn more at McNally Robinson on February 10, 2:30 p.m.

Shed those Monday night blues with a dose of the Bard. This week’s instalment of Monday Night Shakespeare, with Dr. James Black, turns its lens onto Coriolanus with “Doing the State Some Service.” Head over to the Boris Roubakine Recital Hall (Craigie Hall, University of Calgary) on February 11, 7:30 p.m., for your regular dose of good ol’ Billy Shakespeare.

There are book clubs aplenty this week, including the debut of Baby’s First Book Club. Facilitated by actress and playwright Melanee Murray, parents are invited to bring their babies and toddlers for an hour of stories, music and games. This free weekly program takes place Wednesday mornings at Pages Books (1135 Kensington Rd. N.W.), starting February 13, 10 a.m. Call 283-6655 to register.

Never Trust a Cowboy with One Spur — I’m not quite sure why, but this seems like solid advice. Shelley Repka’s new book is a collection of 12 short stories, based on her 30 years of personal dating experience. Think you want to date a cowboy? Think again, at McNally Robinson on February 13, noon.

Ready for some untraditional tales of romance? Check out Love Birds, a new trio of performances by Calgary artists that explores the quirky side of romance. First up, dancer Truus Verkley presents Suzy, a video dance that shows the physicality of love. Then, poet Jocelyn Grossé teams up with James Dangerous and Donald Jones for anthropomorphic madness in An Anatomy of Everything. Finally, author and Citytv’s dating dame, Melanie Jones, performs her solo show, STAT(us): Love in 20-Second Sound Bites. Head up to birds & stone (204 16 Ave. N.W., basement of the Unitarian Church), January 13 to 16 at 8 p.m., and check out the shows for only $10.

It’s Valentine’s Day. What better time to expand your dating horizons? Linda Healing’s new book requires no explanation beyond the title: Regaining Your Passion: Doing it Right the Second Time through Online Dating. Log in at McNally Robinson on February 14, noon.

If online dating isn’t your thing, bring your real-life date to the Poetic Challenge for the Poetically Challenged. In a love-themed poetry parlour game called “Bouts-rimés,” Pages Books will provide the rhymes and you make up the lines. The winner receives a limited edition Penguin Classics Audio Books collection and the runners-up get stuff too. Head over to Pages Books on February 14, 7:30 p.m., to prove your poetry skills.