Phil Hall and Rachel Simpson were launching their new Apt 9 chapbooks Nov 24th at Raw Sugar.
Claudia Coutu Radmore also launched her last Apt 9 chapbook, Accidentals, which won the bpNichol Award. Cameron has put together 1100 items of fine literature to date with his press, each chapbook handsewn with love and grace.
If you missed the Apt. 9 launch, you missed the season’s books because the two new titles sold out the last copies at the launch. But, thanks to the recording wizardry of Cameron and crew, you can hear the readings here.
Also in November, there were pre-launch readings at Tree. Daphne Marlatt read some of her already published wonderfulness but also sneak peaks at her new spring 2013 Talon book, Liquidities, Vancouver Poems Then and Now and the process of writing it from the 1970s version of the poems. She’s in her 3 city tour ending in Toronto. David O’Meara was reading excerpts from his future collection of 2014 from Brick.
There was a quite a line-up for autographs after. (More were waiting to the side chatting while the line shortened.) The night also had open mic including Guy Simser, including a poem of entering a church wherein he wrote, “I am undressed by liturgical harmonies”
Vivian Vivassis read a new poem at open mic. Louise Carson read from her collection, Rope. You can see the open mic with Tree videos, for those who didn’t opt out.
Rod Pederson is stepping down after 3 years as sole artistic director. Margaret Zelinski is one of the new artistic directors.
Deanna Young will be one of the Artistic Directors. Carol Stephen will be the new treasurer and the third artistic director.
Likewise, after the pre-fair reading, Michael Lithgow (left) reading from Waking in the Tree House at the Carleton Tavern above/ground reading Nov 16, 2012 sold out all his copies but the stores and press have more. A quote? “I liked that we could reach back past ourselves with gestures more subtle and ridiculous than we were.” Christian McPherson was reading from Cube Squared (This sequel will be coming from Nightwood 2013-14).
David Blaikie won the Tree Reading Series chapbook contest in 2011 for his entry, Farewell to Coney Island, which appeared with Tree Press in 2012. He read from new work, including this tidbit: “a parade of all we are and all we aren’t at any given moment”. Rachael Simpson’s chapbook Eiderdown (Apt 9 Press) appeared and disappeared in Fall 2012. A fragment? “Preservation is disruption”.