Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
poet. He was the winner of the
Bronwen Wallace Memorial Award
The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to a writer who has not yet published his or her first book. Formerly restricted to writers under age 35, the age li ...
in 2011,"Local poet wins literary prize". ''
Victoria Times-Colonist
The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the Sept. 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ''Daily Co ...
'', April 7, 2011. and his debut collection ''Prologue for the Age of Consequence'', published by House of Anansi Press, was a shortlisted nominee for the
The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', October 7, 2014. In 2018, his chapbook ''Remediation'' was published with JackPine Press. It features artwork by Calgary-based artist Chelsea Rushton.
In 2017, Martens co-founded Palabra Flamenco. This flamenco ''cuadro'' combines flamenco music and dance with English-language poetry and storytelling. Palabra Flamenco is artistic director and dancer Denise Yeo, guitarist Gareth Owen, and singer Veronica Maguire. In addition to his poems, Martens also provides ''palmas'' accompaniment. As of 2018, Palabra Flamenco has performed at the Victoria Flamenco Festival, Victoria Fringe Festival, Victoria Festival of Authors, and the Vancouver Fringe Festival, for a total of sixteen performances of their 60-minute show ''La Palabra en el Tiempo''.
Originally from
Kelowna
Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word ''kiÊ ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,''Boulevard Magazine'', August 2011. Martens currently resides in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. He is a graduate in creative writing from the
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...
. Martens has also served on the editorial board of ''
The Malahat Review
''The Malahat Review'' is a Canadian quarterly literary magazine established in 1967. It features contemporary Canadian and international works of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction as well as reviews of recently published Canadian litera ...
,'' and both on the board of directors for Open Space Arts Society and as literary coordinator for the artist-run centre's ''Open Word: Readings & Ideas'' series.
Works
*''Prologue for the Age of Consequence'' (
House of Anansi Press
House of Anansi Press is a Canadian publishing company, founded in 1967 by writers Dennis Lee and Dave Godfrey. The company specializes in finding and developing new Canadian writers of literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
History
Anans ...