Author Archives: bookgaga

What I read (and where I read it) in 2015

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Here are the books I read in 2015, with links to reviews (here on this blog or on Goodreads) where I have them. (I confess that I didn’t get many books fully reviewed this past year. I’ll try to improve in that department in the upcoming year.) As I’ve done in previous years, this is an exhaustive, “all of” list, not a “best of” list.

I continued my commitment in 2015 to a daily devotion to at least one poem … and usually more, as friends on Twitter continued to generously share their poem choices and reflections via the #todayspoem hashtag. Now four years in, I haven’t missed a day, both contributing and enjoying selections from others in this edifying and vital communal experience. I’ve now pondered the works of well over 800 unique poets, writers, songsmiths and wordsmiths I’ve revisited or unearthed myself, and countless more via others wielding that often revelatory hashtag. On into its fifth year, I’m continuing with my #todayspoem habit every day heading into 2016, and I hope many will continue or join anew.

I also celebrated some uniquely beautiful books in 2015, including:

Here are the books I read, reread and read aloud in 2015. Wherever I go, I try to carry a book with me, so for each book, I’m also going to try to recall where I was when I was reading it.

  1. The Gallery of Lost Species
    by Nina Berkhout
    (reread)

    I read this book at my desk in my home office, as I prepared the readers’ guide / book club questions for this book, offered by House of Anansi Press.

  2. Mrs Killick’s Luck
    by Christina Fitzgerald

    As this book is in somewhat delicate condition, I never took it out of the house. I read this book at my desk in my home office and at the dining room table.

  3. Hard Light
    by Michael Crummey
    (reread)

    I toted this book everywhere – on the subway, on the streetcar, in coffee shops while waiting to meet up with friends.

  4. Fire and Air
    by Erik Vlamincky, translated by Paul Vincent

    This is another book I recall reading on transit.

  5. The First Bad Man
    by Miranda July

    Not only did I take this book with me on transit, but I was finishing the last few pages as I took the subway to see Miranda July at an Appel Salon event at the Toronto Reference Library.

  6. 10:04
    by Ben Lerner

    I was so wrapped up in this book that I had it with me when we went to see The New Pornographers at the Danforth Music Hall in early February, and I was reading it before the show started.

  7. Life is About Losing Everything
    by Lynn Crosbie

    I was definitely reading this book on the subway.

  8. The Devil You Know
    by Elisabeth de Mariaffi

    I read this book several times on the subway, including when I went to the Rowers Reading Series to hear Elisabeth de Mariaffi read from it. (She read a section I’d already read, if I recall correctly …)

  9. Into the Blizzard
    by Michael Winter
    (read aloud)

    This book was our (my husband and I) read aloud book over winter 2015. Typically, I read aloud while my husband concocts wonderful dinners for us – he’s an amazing chef. So, most read aloud time is in our cozy kitchen, around the cooktop island, accompanied by a glass or two of wine.

  10. Breathing Lessons
    by Andy Sinclair

    Both the engrossing story and the neon book cover brightened up a few subway rides.

  11. Backup Singers
    by Sommer Browning

    I remember reading this poetry collection in the kitchen and at the dining room table.

  12. Her Red Hair Rises With the Wings of Insects
    by Catherine Graham

    I took this poetry collection with me on a few errands, and I recall dipping into it while in the vet clinic waiting area, for example.

  13. Safely Home Pacific Western
    by Jeff Latosik

    This poetry collection accompanied me on several subway rides.

  14. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
    by Michael Chabon

    I read this book in my home office as I followed along online as part of the One Book, One Chicago reading sprints. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is a lively, addictive read perfectly suited to that participatory format. Our dog Fionn was often my company during reading sprints.

  15. My October
    by Claire Holden Rothman

    I recall reading this book on a restaurant patio on a surprisingly warm spring evening while waiting for a friend.

  16. The Road In Is Not The Same Road Out
    by Karen Solie

    I won a copy of this at the Anansi Poetry Bash, and started reading it on the subway ride home that very evening.

  17. Human Voices
    by Penelope Fitzgerald
    (reread)

    This is another delicate book not allowed out of the house. I recall reading it snuggled in my favourite reading chair and in bed.

  18. A Serious Call
    by Don Coles

    I recall that this poetry collection was my calming companion when I got stuck on the subway for a protracted delay one evening.

  19. One Night in Mississippi
    by Craig Shreve

    I distinctly remember reading this book at the cottage in early spring.

  20. Close to Hugh
    by Marina Endicott

    I got in some late spring/early summer porch reading with this wonderful book.

  21. Daddy Lenin and Other Stories
    by Guy Vanderhaeghe

    I remember reading this book in the comfy reading chair in our loft bedroom at the cottage.

  22. I Shall Not Hate / A Gaza Doctor’s Journey
    by Izzeldin Abuelaish

    I recall the bright sunshine at the cottage contrasting sharply with this somber but ultimately inspiring book.

  23. Something Crosses My Mind
    by Wang Xiaoni, translated by Eleanor Goodman

    I remember reading this poetry collection both at the cottage and at home.

  24. Tell
    by Frances Itani

    I definitely remember reading this book while relaxing on the dock at the cottage. In fact, I was so engrossed in it at one point that when I glanced up, a loon was swimming very close to the dock.

  25. Just Kids
    by Patti Smith

    This is another book I gobbled up while relaxing on the dock at the cottage.

  26. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
    by Lynn Crosbie

    I vividly recall reading a large chunk of this book on a long drive home from the cottage.

  27. Split
    by Libby Creelman

    I read this book at the cottage, on the dock, on a sunny rock, and indoors when the bugs were fierce.

  28. Loving Day
    by Mat Johnson

    When I’m alone at the cottage, I read while I’m eating. I recall reading this book at the cottage dining room table, with sunlight trickling in through the trees at the front of the cottage, with the pages of the book propped open with a chunk of quartz that I keep expressly for book-propping-open purposes.

  29. The Green Road
    by Anne Enright

    Not only did I savour this book while alone at the cottage, but I had a wonderful discussion about it with one of my cottage neighbours while walking the dogs one morning.

  30. Wrapped in Plastic – Twin Peaks
    by Andy Burns

    I have very fond and vivid memories of reading this book, accompanied by a mini binge watch of Twin Peaks on DVD, over a few rainy days alone at the cottage. I set up a portable DVD player in the loft bedroom, curled up in a comfy chair with book, popcorn and bourbon, and had myself a wonderful, spooky time with Agent Cooper et al.

  31. Daydreams of Angels
    by Heather O’Neill

    I remember reading this book in the waiting room at the doctor’s office. I’m always very glad to bring my own reading material to waiting rooms …

  32. What You Need
    by Andrew Forbes

    I definitely recall reading this book on a number of subway and streetcar rides.

  33. Fifteen Dogs
    by Andre Alexis

    This book was another much appreciated transit companion … although the book rendered me verklempt more than one in public.

  34. Outline
    by Rachel Cusk

    This book was my travel companion on a sunny autumn day when I took the subway to Harbourfront for Word on the Street, then took the Spadina streetcar and subway to the High Park Reading Festival, and then took the subway home in the evening when the High Park poetry readings were over.

  35. Martin John
    by Anakana Schofield

    Is it kind of ironic that I read this book on the subway?

  36. Malarky
    by Anakana Schofield

    This book was another constant transit companion.

  37. Arvida
    by Samuel Archibald, translated by Donald Winkler

    I carried this book with me to and fro on the subway to International Festival of Authors (IFOA) events, and often read it between events, too.

  38. Sideshow Concessions
    by Lucas Crawford

    In addition to Arvida, I also had this poetry collection with me during IFOA visits. Before a reading, I recall sitting upstairs in the Queens Quay building, gazing out at Lake Ontario, reading a few poems from this collection, alternating with stories from Arvida.

  39. How You Were Born
    by Kate Cayley

    I remember purchasing this very fine short story collection at IFOA. I remember reading it during a wintry visit to the cottage.

  40. Twoism
    by Ali Blythe

    I distinctly recall reading this poetry collection on the subway, and getting a look from a young woman across from me of that special recognition that readers give each other.

  41. The Good Dark
    by Ryan Van Winkle

    This poetry collection was another fine transit companion.

  42. His Whole Life
    by Elizabeth Hay

    I tend to drift off after just a few pages when I read in bed, but this book held my attention and often kept me awake, but in a good way.

  43. Dear Leader
    by Damian Rogers

    I distinctly recall reading this poetry collection while sitting in a pub, having a beer and waiting to meet my husband for dinner. I was especially grateful to have those poems for company, as all the screens in the pub, which normally showed sporting events, were all tuned to some infuriating and violent breaking news about which I’d had enough.

  44. Makarska
    by Jim Bartley

    This novel was an excellent and absorbing subway companion during a week when I had a lot of appointments, meetings and errands to run.

  45. Confidence
    by Russell Smith

    I was reading (and being charmed by) this book at a restaurant while waiting to meet a friend for dinner, followed by the Tafelmusik rendition of Handel’s Messiah at Koerner Hall.

  46. A Whole Life
    by Robert Seethaler

    I was reading this book as we drove from Toronto to Kitchener on Christmas morning to visit with family.

In 2015, I read 31 works of fiction (novels and short story collections), 11 poetry collections and 4 works of non-fiction.

Currently in progress, heading into 2016:

  • Hope Makes Love
    by Trevor Cole

  • Just Watch Me – The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau: 1968-2000
    by John English
    (read aloud)

    This book was particularly comforting and almost talismanic to read during the interminable 2015 federal election campaign.

Looking back fondly on my 2015 reading, looking forward eagerly and with anticipation to my 2016 reading, I’ll simply conclude (as I’ve done in previous years) …

It’s not how many you read that counts. It’s that you read that counts.

2015 literary events … and looking ahead to 2016

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As I observed in 2014, we’re tremendously blessed here in the Greater Toronto area and beyond that, to southwestern Ontario, with a year-round wealth of live events through which one can experience the joy of the written word. You can hear those wonderful words read aloud, you can meet the writers, you can purchase their works (and often get them signed or inscribed), you can celebrate with fellow booklovers. The places in which these experiences take place run the gamut, from libraries, bookstores, lecture and performance halls, to pubs, coffee shops and living rooms. It’s important to support local and regional events, but if you have fewer live options in your neck of the woods, more and more, you can still be part of literary events in the ether, as readings and panels are broadcast and livestreamed online. You can be in a remote location or under the weather and in your jammies and you can still partake of literary delights.

Reviewing my 2015 literary outings (most of them to live events, but also a few online), it looks like I went to about the same number of events, but to somewhat less of a range of venues sponsored by specific organizations, publishers and so on. This year, Toronto Public Library’s programming (between their eh List Canadian literature offerings and their Appel Salon events) seemed to hit a very appealing sweet spot, and we found ourselves heading to a number of their events.

With every event I attended, I did my best to tweet in advance that I was attending, and then where possible and with the permission of those with whom I was attending, I tweeted quotes from and observations about the events while they were in progress. I’ve captured a selection of those tweets, including retweets from others attending the same events, here:

 

As it was heading into 2015, my goal in 2016 is to do even more, if I can, to support authors, publishers and booksellers by attending and talking about their events.

toronto-public-library
January 22, 2015
Appel Salon – Toronto Public Library
Venue: Toronto Reference Library
Writer: Peter Carey
Host/moderator: Jared Bland
Peter Carey, Australia’s two time Man Booker Prize winner, read from and discussed his new novel Amnesia with The Globe and Mail‘s Arts Editor Jared Bland.

toronto-public-library
January 29, 2015
Appel Salon – Toronto Public Library
Venue: Toronto Reference Library
Writer: Miranda July
Host/moderator: Sheila Heti
Filmmaker, artist and writer Miranda July enjoyed a congenial interview with author Sheila Heti, in front of a very receptive capacity audience. Read more about the event here, and replay it here.

one-book-one-chicago
February – April, 2015
One Book, One Chicago Reading Sprints for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
It was a reading event promoted primarily for readers living in Chicago, but because it included an online read-along component, I was able to take part in the One Book, One Chicago Reading Sprints for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon from Toronto. The program is described here, and I wrote here about what I got out of it, which was a great experience reading a captivating book.

rowers-reading-series
March 2, 2015
Rowers Reading Series
Venue: Central, Markham Street, Toronto
Writers: Elisabeth de Mariaffi, George Murray, Waubgeshig Rice, Kathleen Winter
Host/moderator: Heather Wood
The Rowers Reading Series is a monthly literary reading series based in Toronto, which runs the first Monday of the month, from October to June. The series showcases the finest poetry, fiction and nonfiction writers from diverse backgrounds, as well as selected emerging writers. The reading series was incorporated in May 2007. The March 2nd, 2015 lineup is described here.

ifoa2
April 9, 2015
McClelland & Stewart Poetry Night at International Festival of Authors (IFOA)
Venue: Brigantine, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Madhur Anand, Dionne Brand, Kevin Connolly, Lorna Crozier, Liz Howard, Cassidy McFadzean
Host/moderator: Jacob McArthur Mooney
Read more about this event here.

Since its inception in 1974, the International Festival of Authors (IFOA), which started as the Harbourfront Reading Series, has played an important role in the cultural life of Canada. IFOA presents the finest international novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers and biographers, and provides Canadian writers with an internationally recognized forum in which to present their work. IFOA events range from weekly readings to their annual fall literary extravaganza to initiatives for younger readers.

anansi-logo
April 15, 2015
Anansi Poetry Bash
Venue: The Tranzac, Toronto
Writers: Shane Book, A.F. Moritz, Erin Moure, Karen Solie, David O’Meara reading on behalf of Elise Partridge
Host/moderator: Damian Rogers
This was yet another evening of compelling readings from the latest crop of fine poetry coming from House of Anansi Press, a storied Canadian publishing company founded in 1967 by Dennis Lee and David Godfrey, and early publisher of Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Matt Cohen and other writers forming the foundation of modern Canadian literature.

shabe-sher
April 28, 2015
Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night)
Venue: Beit Zatoun, Markham Street, Toronto
Writers: Timaj Garad, David Bateman
Host/moderator: Bänoo Zan
Read more about this event here.
The most diverse poetry reading and open mic in Toronto, for more than two years Shab-e She’r has been bridging the gap between diverse poetry communities, bringing together people from different ethnicities, nationalities, ages, disabilities, religions (or lack thereof), poetic styles, voices and visions.

toronto-public-library
May 19, 2015
Toronto Public Library Author Talk and Lecture Series
Venue: North York Public Library
Writer: Anne Enright
Host/moderator: Marci Ien
Man Booker Award-winning bestselling author Anne Enright read from her latest, The Green Road and was then interviewed by Canada AM’s Marci Ien.

toronto-public-library
May 27, 2015
Toronto Public Library Author Talk and Lecture Series
Venue: North York Public Library
Writer: Marina Endicott
Host/moderator: Alissa York
Giller-shortlisted Marina Endicott visited with her new comic novel, Close to Hugh. She and author Alissa York enjoyed a warm, wide-ranging conversation.

griffin-logo2
June 3, 2015
Griffin Poetry Prize 2015 shortlist readings
Venues: Koerner Hall, Toronto + livestream
writers: Eleanor Goodman, Wang Xiaoni, Marek Kazmierski, Wioletta Greg, Michael Longley, Spencer Reece, Shane Book, Jane Munro, Russell Thornton
Host: Scott Griffin
Founded in 2000, the Griffin Poetry Prize is the world’s largest prize for a first edition single collection of poetry written in English, with international (including translation) and Canadian prizes. The Griffin Trust For Excellence In Poetry aims to spark the public’s imagination and raise awareness of the crucial role poetry plays in our cultural life. One of the most coveted Canadian arts events tickets are those to the annual Griffin Poetry Prize shortlist readings, which are now generously shared via livestream so poetry lovers around the world can enjoy them.

toronto-public-library
September 17, 2015
Toronto Public Library eh List Author Series
Venue: Toronto Public Library Beaches Branch
Writer: André Alexis
André Alexis read from Fifteen Dogs, which was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award and longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize at the time of the reading. The book went on to win the Giller Prize and the Writers’ Trust award.

toronto-public-librarySeptember 24, 2015
Appel Salon – Toronto Public Library
Venue: Toronto Reference Library
Writer: Salman Rushdie
Host/moderator: Brent Bambury
Read more about and replay the audio of this event here.

word-on-the-street
September 27, 2015
Word on the Street
Venue: Harbourfront, Toronto
In its new Harbourfront Centre location, Toronto Word on the Street (one of several Word on the Street festivals across Canada) invited booklovers to participate in hundreds of author readings, discussions, and activities, and shop in a marketplace that boasts the best selection of Canadian books and magazines anywhere.

September 27, 2015
High Park Reading Festival
Venue: High Park, Toronto
Writers: Liz Howard, Amanda Jernigan, Jim Johnstone, Stevie Howell, Phoebe Wang, Anna Yin, Jeff Latosik, Ian Williams, Priscila Uppal, Ken Babstock, Alexandra Oliver, Damian Rogers, Madhur Anand, Ben Ladouceur, A.F. Moritz, Robin Richardson, Daniel Renton, Julie Cameron Gray, Helen Guri, Laura Clarke, Bardia Sinaee

project-bookmark
October 1, 2015
#RaiseAGlass4Alistair for the Bookmark for Alistair MacLeod’s No Great Mischief
On October 1, 2015, Project Bookmark launched the 14th bookmark on Canada’s literary trail, commemorating Alistair MacLeod’s No Great Mischief on Cape Breton Island. Part of the cross-Canada celebration included a virtual toast using the hashtag #RaiseAGlass4Alistair.

ifoa2October 24, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Poets’ Summit
Venue: Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Brecken Hancock, Talya Rubin, Zachariah Wells
Host/moderator: Erin Balser
Read more about this event here.

October 25, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Short and Sweet
Venue: Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Samuel Archibald, Kate Cayley, Tim Conley, David Constantine
Host/moderator: Steven W. Beattie
Read more about this event here.

October 25, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – At Language’s Edge: Poetry in Translation
Venue: Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Anna Aguilar-Amat, Erín Moure, Martí Sales
Host/moderator: Oana Avasilichioaei
Read more about this event here.

October 25, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Poets reading
Venue: Pub Hub, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Brecken Hancock, Kate Hargreaves, Jeff Latosik, Andy McGuire, Talya Rubin, Zachariah Wells, Liz Worth
Host/moderator: Oana Avasilichioaei
Read more about this event here.

October 27, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Artist talk with John Burnside
Venue: Pub Hub, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writer: John Burnside
Host/moderator: Steven W. Beattie
Read more about this event here.

October 27, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Poets reading
Venue: Studio Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Claire Caldwell, Ulrikka S. Gernes, Stevie Howell, Damian Rogers, Deanna Young
Host/moderator: Jessice Moore
Read more about this event here.

October 28, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – 25th Anniversary of CBC Radio’s Writers & Company
Venue: Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Aleksandar Hemon, Caryl Phillips, Zadie Smith
Host/moderator: Eleanor Wachtel
Read more about this event here.

October 30, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Best Canadian Poetry Launch
Venue: Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Barry Dempster, Richard Greene, Stevie Howell, Amanda Jernigan, Jeff Latosik, Jacob McArthur Mooney, A.F. Moritz, Shane Neilson, Hoa Nguyen, Alexandra Oliver, Karen Solie, Priscila Uppal
Hosts/moderators: Jacob McArthur Mooney, Molly Peacock
Read more about this event here.

October 31, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Authors reading
Venue: Brigantine Room, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Michel Basilières, Farzana Doctor, Milan Jesih, Anakana Schofield
Host/moderator: Ania Szado
Read more about this event here.

October 31, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – In Conversation with Damian Rogers and Karen Solie
Venue: Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Damian Rogers, Karen Solie
Host/moderator: Ken Babstock
Read more about this event here.

October 31, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Authors reading
Venue: Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Kate Cayley, Elizabeth Hay, Mark Anthony Jarman, Jim Shepard
Host/moderator: Sheniz Janmohamed
Read more about this event here.

November 1, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – In Conversation with Rosemary Sullivan
Venue: Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers/guests: Chrese Evans, Rosemary Sullivan
Hosts/moderators: Anne Michaels, Grace O’Connell
Read more about this event here.

November 1, 2015
International Festival of Authors (IFOA) – Poetry Games
Venue: Lakeside Terrace, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Writers: Christian Bök, Claire Caldwell, Richard Greene, Stevie Howell, Andy McGuire, Shane Neilson, Alexandra Oliver, Damian Rogers, Dane Swan, Priscila Uppal
Host/moderator: Steven W. Beattie
Read more about this event here. (Andy McGuire was later crowned the competition winner.)

scotiabank-gillerprize
November 9, 2015
Scotiabank Giller Prize 2015 finalist readings
Venues: Koerner Hall, Toronto + livestream
writers: André Alexis, Samuel Archibald, Rachel Cusk, Heather O’Neill, Anakana Schofield
Hosts/moderators: Richard Crouse, Carol Off
The Giller Prize was founded in 1994 by Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller, who passed away from cancer the year before. The award recognized excellence in Canadian fiction – long format or short stories – and endowed a cash prize annually of $25,000.00, the largest purse for literature in the country. Over 20 years later, the prize now provides $100,000 to the winner and $10,000 to each finalist. Part of the celebration of the finalists for the prize includes public readings and presentations of the nominated works, which are also presented via livestream.

al-purdy-poster
December 8, 2015
Al Purdy Was Here documentary
Venue: Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, Toronto
Writers: Al Purdy, Leonard Cohen, Margaret Atwood + more
Host/moderator: Director Brian D. Johnson
What does it take to carve out a career as a poet? Why on earth would anyone attempt it? Al Purdy Was Here is the portrait of an artist driven to become a great Canadian poet at a time when the category barely existed. Al Purdy is a charismatic tower of contradictions: a “sensitive man” who whips out a poem in a bar fight; a factory worker who finds grace in an Arctic flower; a mentor to young writers who remained a stranger to sons. Purdy has been called the last, best and most Canadian poet. “Voice of the Land” is engraved on his tombstone. But before finding fame as the country’s unofficial poet laureate, he endured years of poverty and failure. Learn more here.

toronto-public-libraryDecember 10, 2015
Toronto Public Library eh List Author Series
Venue: Toronto Reference Library
Writers: John Geiger, Alanna Mitchell
Award-winning Canadian science journalist Alanna Mitchell and John Geiger, CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society presented Franklin’s Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus.

To get the new year off to a promising start, I hope to attend the following:

pivot-readings
January 6, 2016
Pivot Readings
Venue: The Steady Café, Toronto
Writers: Derek McCormack, Andy McGuire, Jane Munro
Host/moderator: Jacob McArthur Mooney
Learn more here.

… and who knows where it will go from there!

As I asked last year, I’d love to get your comments, here or on Twitter (sent to @bookgaga, please), on your favourite literary events of the past year, and what you’re looking forward to in the new year.

  • Did you attend any of the events listed above?
  • Did you see any of these same authors, but at different festivals, venues, etc.?
  • What were your favourite literary events of the year?
  • Who are your favourite literary programmers in your area?
  • Did you attend any virtual literary events last year?
  • What literary events are you looking forward to attending in the new year?
  • Who would you like to single out for praise for championing and organizing literary events in your community?

A Rewording Life, by Sheryl Gordon

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A very special journey celebrating words and memory, in support of research into dementia

When Sheryl Gordon witnessed her mother, Yolande, losing her words to dementia, Sheryl developed a wrenchingly acute appreciation for the meaning of words … and that bittersweet realization inspired the creation of A Rewording Life. Sheryl reached out to over a thousand Canadians for whom words are vital – writers, editors, poets, journalists, performers, musicians, as well as sculptors, fashion designers, teachers, comedians and more – and asked them to contribute vibrant, unforgettable sentences using out of the ordinary words, to fight back against an affliction that makes words disappear.

rewording-bookMany of the contributors are well known, including Yann Martel, Terry Fallis, Miriam Toews, Measha Brueggergosman, Tony Dekker, Emma Donoghue, Joel Plaskett and many more. Some of the contributors are, well, folks like me. Like many, I have family and friends who have been affected by dementia, so it feels particularly gratifying to try to strike back at it with the power of words.

I’m not even sure the title of “writer” really fits, but heck, I wrote this sentence:

rewording-zaftig

Two yoga mats over, the rosy-cheeked zaftig woman energetically, if clumsily yet cheerfully, went with the flow.

Interwoven among the myriad lively contributions are eight essays by Sheryl, the initial letters in the titles spelling out dementia. Scattered as the concept might seem, Sheryl hopes readers will embrace it. As she points out, confusion is, after all, the nature of this disease.

So, embrace it you should. In the process, you can help support organizations battling dementia. Half of the profits of each book will go to the Alzheimer Society of Canada.

Learn more about Sheryl, A Rewording Life, its worthy cause and all its amazing contributors at

www.arewordinglife.com.

Wrapped in Plastic, by Andy Burns

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bookcover-wrapped-in-plasticThis slim collection of essays is an infectious appreciation of arguably (well, you get no argument from me) one of the most influential and defining creations ever to come out of television, the David Lynch / Mark Frost collaboration Twin Peaks. Author and pop culture aficionado Andy Burns (editor-in-chief of pop compendium web site Biff Bam Pop!) has packed his reflections with myriad details that will captivate longtime fans of the surprisingly short-lived show, bolstered with unique interviews with Twin Peaks writers, cast members and other principals and expanded accessibly with cultural and historical references and antecedents. The book also recommends itself as a great starting point for those new to Twin Peaks, as it moves forward from the show’s 1990-91 run to current programs that were clearly influenced by, benefited from and have paid homages to the Lynch/Frost pioneering creativity.

Wrapped in Plastic is a great accompaniment to a revisit/binge watch of the original program, especially the stunning and singular pilot movie. (I know, because that’s what the book inspired me to do, perfectly timed to some rainy afternoons during a cottage vacation week.) The book also reads well with such related books as The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch and Lynch on Lynch, creator David Lynch’s fascinating conversations with Chris Rodley about the Lynch oeuvre in which Twin Peaks is clearly central. Come to think of it, even Lynch’s Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity offers insights into both his process … and even that of charming and enigmatic Twin Peaks protagonist FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper. The book is also a marvellous stopgap as those captivated by the original show await its continuation and/or resolution and/or who knows as it is reimagined by Mr. Lynch in the near future.

The Broken Hours, by Jacqueline Baker

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Over the moon only starts to describe how thrilled I am to welcome Canadian writer, poet and playwright Leslie Greentree as a guest reviewer here. Her second collection of poetry, go-go dancing for Elvis, was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. (Enjoy excerpts here and here.) I reviewed her short story collection A Minor Planet for You here. Oral Fixations, Greentree’s first play, co-written with Blaine Newton, was premiered in late 2014 by Ignition Theatre in Red Deer, Alberta. You want to follow her on social media, where her thoughts on things literary and theatrical are insightful and damned funny. You want to pay attention to her book recommendations and keep your ear to the ground for future literary announcements of her own …!

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1936. A bleak and rainy night in Providence, Rhode Island. An impoverished Arthor Crandle makes his way to the home of his mysterious new employer, horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Crandle is desperate for work, unfamiliar with Lovecraft’s fictions, and all too ready to overlook his employer’s idiosyncrasies. Crandle’s approach to the dark house is met with words of foreboding from a neighbour and, once within, no sign of his employer. And his initial ascent up the dim staircase becomes his first encounter with the dark presence that inhabits the landing.

The reader needs no familiarity with the work of H.P. Lovecraft to delight in the slow, delicious burn that is The Broken Hours. This work of gothic-style fiction is based in a solid knowledge of the work of H.P. Lovecraft and the final year of his life; from those points of fact, Jacqueline Baker builds her spooky world with a masterful hand, piling eerie moment on eerie moment, interspersed here and there with an uneasy, short-lived relief.

That first night, as Crandle makes his way past the landing, calling out to his unresponsive employer, he pauses for a moment, chilled at a sudden thought: “The unnatural, studied silence coming from the other side of the door was neither that of someone having just gone out nor of someone at focused work or even in deep sleep. Rather it was the stillness of someone’s strained listening, just on the other side. Watching, perhaps, through the crack there.”

The passive Crandle continues on to bed, clutching a letter that he discovers on the hall table. He adjusts to communicating with his reclusive employer through sporadic notes, and begins his work transcribing a haunting Lovecraft story. And then the beautiful Flossie arrives, bringing a certain light – and even more questions – into the house. Where is her roommate? In fact, where are all the women referenced by Lovecraft, and Crandle himself – an aunt, a mother, an estranged wife – a bevy of women just out of reach, apparently on their way back to this creaking, breathing house where the furniture shifts, where mysterious lights and figures appear and disappear? And what of the white-clad girl who drifts through the night garden?

The book is replete with images of damp, of bloat – a gleeful celebration of the moist and its shuddery effect on readers. Rain, damp clothing and heavy, humid skies are only the beginning. When Crandle first encounters the presence on the landing, he says that the air changed: “I do not know how else to describe it. It darkened, became more dense. The carpet grew unpleasantly thick beneath my shoes, a swollen thing.” Ugh. Lovely.

Crandle’s passivity, at first the recognizable response of a desperate man, begins to take on an eerie tone of its own: he arrives at Lovecraft’s home penniless. He’s also faint with hunger, but he sets aside the meagre and unappetizing fare Lovecraft provides. The house has no mirrors. As the narrator occasionally catches glimpses of himself in windows, he realizes he has lost weight, neglected to shave – indeed, become unrecognizable to himself.

And then there’s the letter Crandle’s employer has begged him to deliver to Lovecraft’s hospitalized mother. He can’t seem to do it; the days get away on him, only partly through Flossie’s welcome distractions. The unfulfilled mission builds anxiety in the reader’s mind even as it seems to escape Crandle’s. And the reader’s sense of unease with our narrator builds.

The creepy beauty of this novel lies in Baker’s steady, relentless build of atmosphere, a slow piling on of realizations and new questions. She sets us inside striking colour palettes: the gothic greys of dim rooms and heavy skies are offset by occasional moments of gilded light over distant buildings, flickering lights seen through night windows. And Crandle notes a lighter palette of cool purples and mauves in moments of reprieve: in the morning light, and as splashes of violet cushions and drapes that Flossie incorporates into her apartment. The same palette that offers temporary respite, however, is then mirrored in threatening skies that don’t quite rain, and – in perhaps the most disturbing scene of the entire book – in a monstrous, bruise-coloured tentacle Flossie and Crandle discover on the beach.

This is a book filled with moments where the reader feels – as Crandle does – that much of the action is happening just at the corner of your vision. Baker knows how to chill a reader more effectively than through ghouls shrieking out from the dark places. Things slither, our imagination grows: a jar of baby teeth scatters across the rug in a dimly lit room, a stone is lifted in a darkened yard, a hand passes over a nest of baby rats.

Early on, Crandle says, “I wonder, sometimes, what lives in us. I wonder what comes calling, what we invite inside.” It’s a sentiment the reader slowly catches up with – a slow and creeping recoil that leads inexorably to a twisty ending.

Crandle says, “If you want your secrets kept, they say, cloak them in candour.” On finishing The Broken Hours, you’re left with a satisfied crawling sensation, one that makes you want to wait a little while, to chew on what you saw and what you didn’t see, to move only slowly from the secrets of the moody mauve setting toward whatever candour you might find.

2015 reading list (so far)

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As I’ve done in years past, I’m taking a look at (well, near) the halfway point in the year at the books I’ve read so far, with links where they exist to books that I’ve reviewed (either here on this blog or briefly on Goodreads). As I’ve always pointed out, it’s a competition with no one but myself, but it is always useful and interesting to stop and reflect a bit where one is at with one’s reading, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Of the 24 books I’ve read so far this year, 2 were non-fiction, 7 were poetry and the balance of 15 were fiction (novels and short story collections). Three of the books were rereads. Two books were works in translation. Fifteen of the books were by Canadian writers. One book was read aloud in its entirety (er, over a period of time, not in one sitting), which is a wonderful way to share the experience with another reader/listener.

  1. The Gallery of Lost Species
    by Nina Berkhout
    (reread)

  2. Mrs Killick’s Luck
    by Christina Fitzgerald

  3. Hard Light
    by Michael Crummey
    (reread)

  4. Fire and Air
    by Erik Vlamincky, translated by Paul Vincent

  5. The First Bad Man
    by Miranda July

  6. 10:04
    by Ben Lerner

  7. Life is About Losing Everything
    by Lynn Crosbie

  8. The Devil You Know
    by Elisabeth de Mariaffi

  9. Into the Blizzard
    by Michael Winter
    (read aloud)

  10. Breathing Lessons
    by Andy Sinclair

  11. Backup Singers
    by Sommer Browning

  12. Her Red Hair Rises With the Wings of Insects
    by Catherine Graham

  13. Safely Home Pacific Western
    by Jeff Latosik

  14. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
    by Michael Chabon

  15. My October
    by Claire Holden Rothman

  16. The Road In Is Not The Same Road Out
    by Karen Solie

  17. Human Voices
    by Penelope Fitzgerald
    (reread)

  18. A Serious Call
    by Don Coles

  19. One Night in Mississippi
    by Craig Shreve

  20. Close to Hugh
    by Marina Endicott

  21. Daddy Lenin and Other Stories
    by Guy Vanderhaeghe

  22. I Shall Not Hate / A Gaza Doctor’s Journey
    by Izzeldin Abuelaish

  23. Something Crosses My Mind
    by Wang Xiaoni, translated by Eleanor Goodman

  24. Tell
    by Frances Itani

Currently in progress:

  • Just Kids
    by Patti Smith

  • Laws & Locks
    by Chad Campbell

  • Just Watch Me: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau: 1968-2000
    by John English
    (read aloud)

How is your reading going so far in 2015?

How do you read a poetry collection?

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book-goodman-wang-somethingHow do you read a poetry collection?

  • in one sitting, in the order in which the poems are presented in the collection
  • a few poems at a time, but still in the order in which the poems are presented in the collection – reading over a period of time, interspersed with other reading
  • dipping in and out in no particular order

… or in some other fashion …? Does it depend on the poet, on whether or not it is a first read or a re-read, if the collection is new work versus selected/collected?

My most recent poetry read was Something Crosses My Mind by Eleanor Goodman, translating from the original poems in Chinese by Wang Xiaoni. I read the collection a few poems at a time, in the order in which the poems are presented in the collection, and read it over a period of time, interspersed with other poetry, fiction and non-fiction reading.

Evergreen, by Rebecca Rasmussen

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I’m delighted to welcome Celia Ristow as the latest guest reviewer to contribute to this blog. Celia is a respected technical communications professional with an abiding love for literature of all kinds. She offsets many hours spent in front of a computer with ample hammock-and-good-book time.

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At times touching and poignant, at others brutal, tragic and refreshingly honest, Rebecca Rasmussen’s Evergreen is a study in contrasts; and yet throughout, the story moves forward with the certainty and ease of time itself. Like the river that flows through the centre of this multi-generational epic, and the enduring beauty of the natural foliage for which it is named, Evergreen is a story of endurance, resilience and promise. Although somewhat overstated at times, Rasmussen carefully and skillfully develops a delicate balance between contrasting forces — contrasts in character, story and setting — emerging in the end as an unquestionable narrative of hope and redemption.

The plot opens with newlyweds, Eveline and Emil, as they set up their first home in Evergreen, a remote corner of the Minnesota woods in the 1930s. After Eveline’s somewhat unconventional arrival at their wilderness cabin — a Lady of Shalott figure, asleep in a rowboat without paddles — she and Emil eke out an existence from the land and river around them. It is a traditional, if somewhat familiar tale of two pioneers in unforgiving surroundings, full of struggle yet reward, a new baby boy, Hux, and marital happiness, until Emil must return to Germany to care for his ailing father.

The story becomes centered around a trio of characters at this point — all of whom paint a portrait of compelling conflicts and contradictions — as Eveline is sustained by her straight-talking, rough-around-the-edges neighbour and friend, Lulu, and her husband, Reddy. Rasmussen brings the characters of Lulu and Reddy to life with ease. Like her worn coonskin coat, Lulu has endured much and survived with a clear and unflappable view on the events and people around her. She accepts and cherishes Reddy for who he is — the “honourable” alcoholic who travels to town for regular drunken binges, but always returns with supplies; who once saved Lulu from a life of prostitution and now fills the role of “good father” to her son, Gunther. Within the larger story, Lulu and Reddy are two characters who have lived and continue to play out Rasmussen’s theme of hope and the redeeming power of love.

Like the somewhat tarnished pasts of Lulu and Reddy, the idyllic tale of Eveline and her friends is suddenly tarnished itself with the rape of Eveline by a seemingly charming government surveyor, Cullen O’Shea, and the subsequent birth of a baby girl. Here Rasmussen delves into the utterly dark world of a rape victim as she explains how Eveline had “never felt so deeply hated”, conveying Eveline’s shame, fear and self-blame as she cannot seem to forget the “boyish” dimples that led her to trust O’Shea in the first place. And yet throughout this dark episode and following it, Rasmussen never lets us lose sight of the beauty and reassurance in nature, whether it be the inevitable return of spring and “tender green buds” to Evergreen or the little bird, Tuna, who feeds and sings without fail outside Eveline’s cabin.

Fearing Emil’s reaction to the baby born of this violation, Eveline leaves the baby at the Hopewell Orphanage, a name fraught — perhaps not so subtly — with the same contradictions Rasmussen has evoked previously. A place of supposed “hope”, the head nun at the orphanage develops a torn love/hate relationship with the girl, bestowing one her the demon name, Naamah. Despite dreams of finding her mother, and her view of the enduring evergreens from the orphanage — “Green as far as she could see” — Namaah inevitably leaves Hopewell and winds up a prostitute.

From here, Rasmussen moves the story forward easily, re-introducing the themes hope and redemption when Hux goes in search of and eventually finds his long-lost sister. The story now focuses on a new trio in Evergreen, Hux, Naamah and Lulu’s son, Gunther, who like the previous generation, continue to live a rough but idyllic life in their (now deceased) parents’ former cabins. As the story progresses with Gunther’s marriage to Naamah and the birth of their daughter, Racina, it becomes increasingly evident that the struggles and conflicts within Naamah have not dissipated. Afraid she “will do something terrible” to Racina, she abandons her, leaving her to be raised by the rough but dependable Gunther — a slightly over-stated echo of the past with Eveline’s abandonment of Naamah, and Lulu and Reddy’s predictability, but this thread weaves the generations and the story together in a way that seems perfectly natural and in its own way, reassuring.

Throughout Evergreen, Rasmussen evokes the beauty of the wilderness with vivid detail, taking its fundamental contradictions of brutality versus beauty, isolation versus connection as a backdrop to the struggles within the characters themselves. Occasionally somewhat forced — the image of Racina running into her mother’s arms at the conclusion of the story might seem somewhat Disney-like to some — and the evergreen imagery a little insistent at times, the story is compelling. The internal struggles of the characters are well-developed, and the plot moves forward at a steady pace so that we cannot help but read on. It’s a feel-good story, an honest portrayal of troubled lives, but reassuring in its simple yet affirmative final phrase, ‘Love was’.

Thank you to the author, Rebecca Rasmussen, for providing a complimentary copy of Evergreen.

My October, by Claire Holden Rothman

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bookcover-my-octoberClaire Holden Rothman reimagines Hugh MacLennan’s Canadian literature classic Two Solitudes through the eyes and voices of an extended family touched in various ways by Quebec’s October Crisis. Rather than using her characters as symbols and thematic representations, however, Rothman creates palpably believable human beings touched by social, political and cultural forces, not just those buffeting Quebec in the 1970s, but reaching back to World War II. Beyond those external forces and influences, other connections and secrets are interwoven in the lives of prominent francophone author Luc Levesque, his wife Hannah, who is also the English translator of his works, and their troubled teenage son Hugo. There is an imperative tone to the “My” in the book’s title, driving home that what has happened in this pivotal month affects each character very differently, tests their strength and resourcefulness as individuals and challenges them collectively as a family.

700 poets … and me

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A little postscript …

A little over a year ago, my lively poetry-inspired virtual table welcomed 500 poets and translators. Now, 200 more poets and translators have joined a festive gathering that now verges on … well, the possibilities (revelations, touching civility, mayhem …) are breathtaking. As you scan through the list below, you’ll see pairings of poet guests that are poetry unto themselves.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been tweeting a #todayspoem tweet every day since December 26, 2011, inspired by this. In addition to revisiting and going deeper in my own poetry collection, #todayspoem has compelled me to go further afield in print and online, and my daily tweets have reflected both my own explorations and those sparked by other generous and eclectic #todayspoem contributors. While I continue to imagine what this 700 poets and translators I’ve tweeted would have to say to each other if I sat them at a table … again, I’m fantasizing about the new guests who will be joining them in the days, weeks and months to come.

The following are links to more information about each of the unique poets, lyricists, writers who stray into the poetic and translators from whose work I’ve tweeted in just over three years. I’ve highlighted new additions in bold, but in fact, I’ve done my best to check every link in this post to ensure that each provides something interesting, useful – or in the case of a few souls that have managed to elude the all-seeing eye of the interwebs, at least something identifying – timely, whimsical and so on. The links include personal and professional web sites, blogs, journals, articles, interviews, reviews, essays, biographies, obituaries, appreciations and bibliographies.

I kind of hope that these might be starting points for others to explore these artists, too. The excerpts from their work that I incorporated into #todayspoem tweets are also saved as part of the Today’s Poem Pinterest board.

Image from Project Gutenberg’s Manners & Cvftoms of ye Englyfhe, by Richard Doyle

The collective effect of all the todayspoem contributors is warm, powerful, inspiring, too. steviehowl, I love what others share every day.

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