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Jared Bland leaves The Walrus, becomes Anansi’s new managing editor

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More from Mark Medley | @itsmarkmedley

Jared Bland, longtime managing editor of The Walrus, is leaving his position at the magazine and joining House of Anansi, it was announced on Wednesday.

Bland, who also oversaw the magazine’s fiction and poetry sections, becomes Anansi’s new managing editor effective July 1. He’ll also become Anansi’s new poetry editor.

“As Anansi grows it has become obvious that we need someone of Jared’s experience to help us manage our editorial processes, and his particular expertise and love of poetry is an added benefit that makes him perfect for the job,” said House of Anansi president and publisher Sarah MacLachlan in a press release.

Jared Bland studied English literature at the University of Toronto, where he began a Ph.D. that was to focus on Canadian poets Al Purdy and George Johnston. He sits on the board of directors of PEN Canada, is a member of the International Visitors Committee in association with the International Festival of Authors, and is the editor of an anthology, Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules, published in 2011 by McClelland & Stewart. He is originally from Springfield, Illinois.

The Afterword asked Bland about the new job, and leaving The Walrus.

Q: This news is going to come as a shock to a lot of people. How long has this move been in the works?  

A: This particular move sort of evolved out of conversations Sarah MacLachlan and I have been having for a few months. She’d asked me to join the Anansi poetry board as chair, working alongside Ken Babstock, Adam Sol, and Karen Solie to shape Anansi’s poetry program. I’d agreed, and we were going to announce that soon. But last week Sarah asked me if I’d be interested in a different position, one that would incorporate the work I’d agreed to do on poetry, and bring me to Anansi full time. So this precise job has not been in the works long at all.

Q: What attracted you to the job at Anansi?  

A: Everything, basically — the people who work there, the people who run the company, the authors they publish, the goals and dreams the house has, the atmosphere in the office, the very interesting role they’ve carved out for themselves in the Canadian publishing landscape. I’m an enormous admirer — a fan, really — of what they’ve been doing, and so my attraction operates on that basic level of enthusiasm for the people and the projects.

Q: They’ve given you the title of Managing Editor; what does that mean?  

A: It’ll mean a few different things. I’ll be working with Melanie Little, Janie Yoon, Kelly Joseph, and, of course, Sarah MacLachlan on editorial processes and work flow. I’ll be working with the poetry board on the poetry publishing program. I’ll sit on the acquisitions board, and contribute what I can to help shape the overall list at Anansi. So there will be a few different components to the work.

Q: Are you going to be acquiring new titles and/or editing?  

A: I don’t anticipate doing a lot of acquiring, really. As far as editing, I think I’ll probably work on a few projects from time to time, when it makes sense for me to do so. Anansi has a group of really talented editors already in place — the books are in incredibly good hands. But I do hope to chip in here and there.

Q: You’ve also been named Anansi’s new poetry editor. What plans do you have for the poetry list?

A: Ah, that’s a big question. I’m very excited about this part of the position, and it’s an enormous honor to work with Ken, Karen, and Adam, three poets whose work I admire greatly. My general plan, I suppose, is to do whatever I can to further enhance Anansi’s reputation as one of the best publishers of poetry in Canada. It’s a remarkable program already; I’ll hope to work with the board to make it even more so.

Q: What will you miss most about The Walrus?

It’s been a pleasure and a source of true pride to work at The Walrus, and of course I’ll miss being a part of this incredible magazine. But mostly I’ll miss the people, all of them, from editorial and art to circulation and development, who make up an extraordinarily talented and dedicated team. And I’ll especially miss the wisdom and guidance and friendship of my bosses, the incomparable John Macfarlane and Shelley Ambrose, who’ve been very gracious as I turn to this new project.

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