Welcome to Rufus Books
Loose your moose! We've updated our website, sure as spring has sprung...
Rufus Books Publishing is an independent small press based in Toronto specialising in the creation of quality publications by poets primarily from Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Using the best papers and techniques that adhere to traditions of old as well as a view to the modern, transcendence of the word in its best possible expression into tangible book form is the focus and celebration of all our publications. As such, the artwork, graphic design, and printing are vital in the production of the unique books, chapbooks, and broadsides created by Rufus Books Publishing.
News & Notes
Jeremy Clarke's "Host" on exhibition at Eton's Verey Gallery until 14 June 2026
30 March 2026
"Host" comprises an edition of seven original poems by Jeremy Clarke DMT-printed onto a sheet of watercolour paper that the poet left on a London rooftop in Bloomsbury over a winter from 21 Dec 2016 to 20 Mar 2017. One of these is on exhibit as part of "Elemental", that tells of Eton College's cultural relationship with the material world.
Foursome at the Poetry Café joined by wonderful Open Mic guests
27 March 2026
It was an engaging and memorable night of poetry at The Poetry Café in Covent Garden with featured poets Scott Elder, Prue Chamberlayne, Michael Lee Rattigan and host Michael Shann. The Open Mic was amply enjoyed with such an array of readings and experiences. What a night it was! Thank you for coming, and let's meet again someday.
John Reibetanz's poems of HIDDEN TREASURES in bloom at Aeolus House
20 March 2026
Fifteen ekphrastic poems written by John Reibetanz for HIDDEN TREASURES, a chapbook of artworks by Péter Cserháti published in 2012, have been collected in a new publication, FOUND IN TRANSLATION (Aeolus House, 2025), in which eight artworks are wonderfully reproduced, including a relief sculpture in colour on the cover. Spring green never looked so attractive.
Recent & Forthcoming Titles
Molly, Etc.
SCOTT ELDER
"Scott Elder's small, seemingly slight poem, 'Your Neighbour Will Catch You', packs quite a punch. It is the matter-of-fact statement like the opening line 'The way is not clear' that pulls the reader into a sophisticated litany of imagery and rhetorical questions that juxtaposes against each other like pieces of a broken puzzle. It is once elegiac and fluid, each re-reading rendering another layer."
— Malika Booker
Uncertain Densities
IAIN BRITTON
"Uncertain Densities is a call to bring intimacy back into the act of observation, to touch the world — as Britton says — with our eyes. His exploration of touch doesn’t stop at the poems: the physical book itself is a delight to hold. The slight indent of the letterpress-printed title on the thick, textured handmade paper gives the impression that words are meant to be felt as well as read."
— Keziah Cho, THE INDIEPENDENT
Stone Hours
JEREMY CLARKE
"Reading Jeremy Clarke's poems is like watching something emerge out of the consciousness of the street. The language too feels its way along: precise, tenderly inventive. The place is littered with stray voices and brief psalms — beautiful, tiny adjustments to the progress of the book. It is, in effect, a religious process, with its prayers and psalms and hymns, a kind of liturgy for the permanent in the fleeting."
— George Szirtes
Launches, Readings & Other Happenings
24 MAR 2026
The Archangel
1 King Street
Frome, BA11 1BH
@ 7 to 9 PM
BOOK LAUNCH
Poetry, Pizza, Pints & Open Mic
Join us in celebrating the launch of Molly, Etc., a new chapbook by Scott Elder, also featuring poets Prue Chamberlayne, and host Mandy Pannett.
2 for 1 pizzas for the first 10 guests
RSVP for free tickets and/or your Open Mic slot.
27 MAR 2026
The Poetry Café
22 Betterton Street
London, WC2H 9BX
@ 7 to 9 PM
LIVE READING
From Dublin to London & Open Mic
In the bosom of Covent Garden, let your hearts be touched by poems from Molly, Etc., a new chapbook by Scott Elder, with featured poets Prue Chamberlayne, Michael Lee Rattigan, and host Michael Shann also reading.
RSVP for free tickets and/or your Open Mic slot.
"I am only interested in poetry, which occurs more often in verse than in prose."
— John McGahern
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