It looks like the dining hall in Harry Potter, doesn’t it?
But it’s another magical place: a gathering of writers and publishers and the public.
SPoT: Small Press of Toronto, Winter Book Fair.
The unphotographed here includes The Beaverton, a satire newspaper, echolocation, a U of T journal, Cathy Thorne’s Everyday People Cartoons (who also had buttons, magnets, scarves, t-shirts and books on theme), Boardwalk Chocolates, a high school group putting out their 10th issue of Writer’s Ink, Sunnyoutside up from Buffallo, New York, Brick Magazine, and a miniature leather tooled classic books table. And a bunch of other things.
Alan Breistmaster was there, perhaps with Quattro, never made it to that side of the room.
(Photo: right) The fellow’s face is familiar but I forgot to record his name [John Reibetanz] with the lady at Rufus Books. (The Agnes?) I asked her how much to buy the whole table. (Indecision is expensive.) Her letterpress books including Fernando Pessoas Alberto Caeriro poems in English-Portuguese. Normally $45 or so, and sale for the day of SPoT, $25.
Pictured is Anke Tuinman and Jeanne Mott. Making Mud Pies is the first chapbook of their Toronto writers circle. It is more beautifully laid out than most self-published and than some press-published things. Their first chapbook is of short stories.
Vincent Ponka started a press of poetry, short stories and novels this year; Emmerson Street PressI don’t recall who the lady was in the next booth but a lovely smile, eh?
rob mclennan in his spot of sun of above/ground and Chaudiere titles.
The stained glass windows cast their rainbow on the above/ground subscription and Camille Martin’s latest chapbook.
I minded the table awhile.
The Descant booth had bundles of back issues with related theme objects, like cat toys for a cat’s issue, candy for a childhood issue. Er, not childhood issues in that sense, but you know what I mean.
Sheniz Janmohamed has a Tsar book of ghazals called Bleeding Light.
There were all kinds of tables of people painting things in water color, or drawing a monster or graphic novels but my radar went only to poetry.