Toronto Reading

article posted 6 hours ago

Next Tuesday, March 16th, I’m giving a reading at This Ain’t The Rosedale Library in Toronto, along with Sparrow and Steve Venright. (A line-up I’m very happy to be part of!)

Here are some the details:

Tuesday March 16, 8 PM at This Ain’t The Rosedale Library Bookshop, 88 Nassau St. in Kensington Market (416) 929-9912

And there’s more info on line at:
http://thisaintblog.wordpress.com/

If you’re free and in town that night, it would be great to see you!

Arts Funding News

article posted 4 days ago

It looks like, after the debate around the recent Games, there is more distressing news on arts funding in B.C. Some West Coast friends drew my attention to this piece in the Globe.
I suspect most of you will find it of interest, and concern.

Some Press

article posted 37 days ago

There’s a short piece about me and my work up at Capital Xtra.

Enjoy!

The Decade in Books

article posted 71 days ago

I’m not usually a fan of “Top Tens” or “Round Ups” in general, but this one does provide a sort of handy, if personal, overview of a ten year period that has seen significant change (and the signs of more change to come) in the world of books and publishing.
Enjoy!

Light-Fingered Literati

article posted 78 days ago

The perennial (or cyclical?) appeal of certain authors make them the targets of a particular kind of young male reader, one is told .

Funnily enough I remember browsing at my local mega-machine bookstore and finding a locked glass case containing Camus, some Beat Writers, some Hemingway and Amis (among others) standing out in the middle of the floor.

I asked a sales person why they’d taken such an unusual approach to merchandising… and was told that these were the most frequently pinched titles in the store. Hence the locked case.

Funny how the narratives of youthful alienation call up their own doom… or maybe its just that alienated adolescent guys are always willing to do something foolish.

Toronto Reading

article posted 98 days ago

This Saturday, December 5th, I’ll be reading as part of the Proust & Company Series at the Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto, along with Steven Bereznai and RM Vaughan. If you’re in Town and free that evening, please do come on by.

Here are all the details:

Saturday December 5, 8 to 10 PM
Glad Day Bookshop (upstairs)
598A Yonge Street, Toronto
416 961 4161

http://www.proustandcompany.com/

Hope to see you!

And That was the Year...

article posted 112 days ago

Oxford has picked the word of the year… and it’s “unfriend.”
You can find a piece about it here, if you want more info.
Me, I’m just reeling with the boatload of implications about that even being the word of the year…

The Editor Strikes Back

article posted 119 days ago

If you want a chuckle, have a look at this amusing comment on – and illustration of – the remarkable devaluation of editorial skills (and just plain clear writing) in the contemporary world. Don’t need in-house editors? Hmmm… and sigh…

What the ...

article posted 144 days ago

Here’s some news about a happy little ritual to brighten your Halloween, a good old fashioned book-burning . Oddly enough, since it’s a Christian church organizing the event, the immolated titles will include Bibles.

Guess only King James’ translators had the real, authentic divine inspiration guiding them.

Oh, and just when you thought it couldn’t get any stranger, apparently chicken will be served.

Now, how do those deep breathing exercises go again….

What's Happening with Literary Criticism?

article posted 169 days ago

The sad decline of reviewing and book coverage continues to be a both a pressing concern and a lively topic of discussion. In this interview one of the German-speaking world’s best known critics speaks her mind.