What a lovely surprise to see a review of my poetry collection, Exile on a Grid Road, in the journal Canadian Literature this week!
It made me happy, so I’m happy to share! (Exile is available from the publisher, Thistledown Press, as well as online booksellers such as McNally Robinson, Chapters and Amazon.ca.
Thanks, Canadian Literature, and reviewer, Natalie Boldt!
~~~~~
My poetry collection, Exile on a Grid Road, is among books featured at Thistledown Press.
It’s on sale through the publisher this week only (until Dec. 11), and at 30% off, that makes it a bargain at only $9 and change.
(And I am in amazing company for this sale…)
See http://www.thistledownpress.com/ for more info, and to order online.
~~~~~
A local brewpub, The Bushwakkers, has decided to set up a Writers Corner, featuring new books by local authors.
I’ve donated a copy of Exile on a Grid Road, and have been asked to take part in the launch of the library, er, shelf this weekend.
Here are the details, from the Saskatchewan Writers Guild website:
TIME: 3:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Bushwakker Brewpub, 2206 Dewdney Ave, Regina
Bushwakker Brewpub, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Program, will be unveiling a new space dedicated to celebrating the recent works of Saskatchewan published authors. What will begin as one shelf will hopefully grow into a large library showcasing our province’s wordsmiths. Pub patrons are encouraged to peruse a copy whilst enjoying a pint. Enjoy select readings from some of Bushwakker’s patron writers.
Event Emcees will be Saskatchewan Poet Laureate Gerry Hill and Tracy Hamon, the SWG Program Manager. With presentations from:
Those interested in donating a copy of their books to the Bushwakker Library can contact the Bushwakker Bar Manager, Grant Frew.
(And all are welcome – no charge, but drinking age only, please. I mean, it’s bar…)
~~~~~
Selling books — or trying to — can be both fun and frustrating, as recently came home to me (again) when I joined a pilot book table project at a Regina grocery store.
On the positive side, it was mildly entertaining watching the shoppers pass by, and counting the ways they tried to avoid eye contact with this unexpected specimen between the nuts and flowers, a local poet.
(Simple aversion of glance; sudden rapid movement towards sale items; furtive checking of shopping lists; intense conversations with partners, staff or random shoppers…)
Last week, I read at the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild’s Words in the Park series — except that a thunderstorm moved in, and so we read in the Regina Public Library theatre, instead.
It was fun to meet and share the stage with local writers Bob Friedrich and Cat Abenstein.
This reading series is held once a week at lunchtime, throughout the summer in Regina, usually in Victoria Park. It’s a good chance to get out and get fresh air — and a hit of local literature, too.
~~~~~
This week, I met in Regina with Sutina Chou, who is going Coast to Coast, interviewing writers about their work and their thoughts on national literature and identity.
Sutina is a student at McMaster University — and as I am a Mac grad myself (Hons English and Spanish), it was interesting to hear news about the old campus and school direction.
This project is funded by an award that aims to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange. I’m looking forward to reading Sutina’s findings.
The recent Poetry and a Pint event at Bushwakkers Brew Pub was a great idea from Saskatchewan’s current Poet Laureate, Gerald Hill. At least, that’s what I’ve heard from many of the people who dropped by to have a drink and listen to local Regina writers read their new work.
And so, in memory of the event (I’m in the process of updating my writing blog, so yes, I am remembering all of this), my favourite photo. Of me, at least. Even if it isn’t really a photo of me.
~~~~~
If you’ve read my other blogs, you’ll know I have passion for Prairie wildflowers and birds. Spring is the time for new sightings of both: the birds are migrating north, and the Prairie Crocuses — one of our first flowers — are blooming again on our hillsides.
(Yes, we have hills in this part of Saskatchewan; they fall down the sides of our glacier-scrubbed valleys, instead of going up from the flat land, they way they do in other parts of the world.)
I often wish I knew more about our flora and fauna; I get frequent requests for identifications, and would love to be more helpful! But my interest stems from a love of photography — and an enjoyment of rambling outdoors.
I have a camera, a bunch of reference books, and many blog posts documenting what I’ve seen, and that’s about all. I’m not a botanist or biologist, but you don’t need to be either to enjoy nature.
I’ll be posting new photographs of flowers, birds and other wildlife on PrairieNature.blogspot.ca and PrairieWildflowers.blogspot.ca. Drop by, if you’re interested. Winter is gone — it’s time to get and explore!
~~~~~
The New Voices reading, with apprentices in the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild 2016 Mentorship Program, is one of my favourite literary events.
This year, I am honoured to host the Apprentice Readings.
When: April 28, 2016, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Artesian, 2627 13th Avenue, Regina.
Who: Jason Heit, Ashleigh Mattern, Katerina Nakutnyy, and Dora Mushka.
Heit, Mattern, Nakutnyy and Mushka have all been working for four months with professional mentors. I’m really looking forward to hearing them!
This event is always fun because it’s a chance to hear very new work and gain fresh insights into the direction that writing in Saskatchewan may take in the near future. It’s also a chance to meet new and established writers, so if you live in Regina and have been wondering what this writing world is all about, please drop by and say hi!
I was in the SWG Mentorship Program several years ago, and worked on short fiction with Dave Margoshes, a Saskatchewan writer whose path first crossed mine way back when we were both staff reporters with The Sun in Vancouver, B.C. (I would have been very surprised then if someone had looked in a crystal ball and told me that I’d move from the realm of ‘just-the-facts’ to ‘whatever makes a good story’… And yes, I do have a collection of short stories that I plan to expand and send out to greet the world in print…. One day…)
The New Voices reading is FREE, and all are welcome. For more information, click the poster at right, or visit skwriter.com.
~~~~~
Regina, SK, writers — there are still a few spots left in the Marketing for Writers Workshop I’m leading this week.
It’s hosted by the Regina Public Library as part of the RPL’s Writes of Spring!
That’s this Wednesday — April 6, 2016 — from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the Regent Place branch on north Albert Street.
I’ve talked to more than a dozen writers from emerging to established (and several publishers, too) to gather tips on marketing — and those will all be shared.
Here’s what the blurb in the Library events guide says:
“Get started promoting your writing — and yourself as a writer. This two-hour workshop, led by a writer with an MFA in Creative Writing and a background in communications, marketing and freelance writing, will help you to identify your strengths, create strong pitches for your work, and write your own personal marketing plan. We’ll also discuss tips and tools for effective promotion. Registration required. Teens welcome.”
Register on line, at: http://www.reginalibrary.ca/events/booking.php?id=4142
Please share, or come and join the fun!
~~~~~