Wish I could get to more but one does what one can.
Claudia Coutu Radmore launches a moment or two/ without remembering (Two Cultures Press, 2010) at Mother Tongue Books (1067 Bank St. Ottawa) Nov 25, 2010. Mother Tongue shares its space with a few workshop groups where writers can hone their manuscripts.
The collection (with lovely translucent dust jacket, metallic embossed signature from archived marriage certificate, and a family tree map under the back flap) is comprised of poems of stories from the Coutu family of the 1600s-1700s New France. Fascinating little glimpses into Quebec history.
Launch nibbles at the food blog.
I got there a little late. A couple authors were all ready gone but here are a few of the English gg winners: Richard Greene (Boxing the Compass), Linda Gaboriau (Forests) and Robert Chafe (Afterimage) at Nicholas Hoare, Ottawa Nov 25
Allan Casey signing a copy of his Lakeland at Nicholas Hoare, Ottawa.
Tight sharp writing. I really should read far more non-fiction. I don’t know if he writes fiction but it seems to illustrate what you can do sticking to facts. An anecdote of meeting a fellow boat-builder was could take you right there. And his comparison of “the 1970s was the 1960s recut in polyester”.
It was like seeing the difference when someone draws a portrait from out of their head (the lines being thick and cartoonish) then see the same person doing a portrait from someone sitting in front of them (and the accuracy and skill being excellent).
Roger Nash one of the contributors to Pith & Wry: Canadian Poetry (Scrivener Press, 2010) at Tree Nov 23, 2010. There was a flash-reading round of dozens of contributors with about 3 minutes each to share a short poem or part of a poem.
Some of the break time chats (above, below)
At Tree last Tuesday.
Dave Margoshes who was one of the features at Tree, the invited reader of Colin Morton, as well as in the anthology.
Dave impressed audience (a little ripple of attention going thru) as he walked to the podium, put papers down and left it, walking up and down the middle aisle reciting and performing a poem from his most recent book Dimensions of an Orchard (Black Moss, 2010) (Why should that technique be so uncommon?)
I like better than the poem at that link his revisit of Eden where paradise is conceived of as a metaphor for love grown cold and both partners culpable and putting blame elsewhere. He returned to the podium, read a few more poems and then walked out with another poem he had memorized from his other recent poetry collection, The Horse Knows the Way (Buschek, 2009).
Being free of the paper and fully in the oral words makes for a more compelling performance.
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