Thanks to Chris Faiers word has been raised that Marvin Orbach has passed on.
What a lovely man he was. I only had the briefest correspondences with him over the last couple years. It’s rare for a gentle spirit to come through email. He struck me as such a kind and straight-up sort of man. He was in my thoughts over these last few months thinking of putting another package together for him soon. I kept putting other things to higher priority. In this way one can lose contact with people who don’t agitate for attention.
A librarian he began collecting books at the age of 17 and by 2002 had developed a collection of approximately which has become over 5000 items which he donated to Special Collections at the U of Calgary, many early 19th and early 20th century, rare and ephemeral things of chapbooks, leaflets, pamphlets to document what CanLit was doing. In the last email I got from him he wrote, “Thank you again for taking the time to send me the package. You are helping to preserve the fragile parts of our literary heritage.”
He liked quietly working behind the scenes. A bio by Scott McCrae from over a decade ago said, “Always told about other lives, never asked about yours. That, according to Marvin Orbach, is a librarian’s lot.”
Strange to think someone who was just here, isn’t. And hasn’t been since February 8th. Here are the obituary and memory book.
I do hope Quill & Quire makes a tribute to him.
In the News
Walking for groceries I saw a familiar face. I knew a story was coming but I didn’t know front page. And it was in boxes the afternoon of Wednesday. The paper of March 19th 2015 is thanks to Kitchissippi Times, the story by Anne Boys-Hope and the photos by Kate Settle (who does the Humans of Kitchissippi series).
Now you can read it online at Issu.
Dreamland
Dreamland, issue 5, is launching at Page Boy Books in Prince George, BC. My first ever published short story will be in it.
The readings to launch the issue are at 7 PM, Saturday, March 21st. For those of you who are westward.
Upcoming readings
Wed March 25, 7:30pm
Battle of the Bards, Harbourfront Toronto
The 20 established and upcoming poets selected to grace the IFOA stage this year are: David James Brock, Claire Caldwell, Elizabeth Greene, Kate Hargreaves, Laurence Hutchman, Ellen S. Jaffe, Jill Jorgenson, Ralph Kolewe, Max Layton, Jimmy McInnes, Bruce Meyer, Sarah Pinder, Pearl Pirie, Talya Rubin, Vanessa Shields, Peter Unwin, Zachariah Wells, Shoshanna Wingate, Deanna Young and Liz Worth. IFOA welcomes back NOW Magazine’s Susan G. Cole to host this year’s event. It will be held in the Brigantine Room located in the York Quay Centre (235 Queens Quay West) on the Harbourfront Centre site. Press Release.
Fri March 27, 7pm
Versefest, Ottawa
Reading with Stevie Howell, Marilyn Dumont and JC Bouchard. I’ll do an Ottawa launch of the pet radish, shrunken at one of the best poetry fests going. Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar St
Wed, April 8, 2015, 7:30pm
Launching the Chocolate chapbook, Ottawa
At A Thing for Chocolate, 1262 Wellington At W. A chapbook of cocoa’s rhapsodic delights called Cocoa Cabin with poems by Steven Artlle, Marie Andrée Auclair, Amanda Earl, Susan Glickman, Natalie Hanna, Anna Mioduchowska, Catina Noble, Pearl Pirie, Roland Prevost, Brenda Schmidt, Lisa Timpf and Grant Wilkins. Readings by Steven Artelle and Roland Prevost and more.
Wed April 15, 7-9pm
Great Canadian PoeTrain Launch Event, Ottawa
At Pressed Café with an opening ceremony (blessing by elder Albert Dumont), poetry by Pearl Pirie, Max Middle ad Dennis Reid with Vimeo poetry and an open mic. 750 Gladstone Avenue. More to come.
Sat April 18, 1pm
Best Canadian Poetry 2014 Launch, Ottawa
With Tightrope Books at Octopus Books (116 Third Ave) with David O’Meara, Shane Rhodes, Pearl Pirie and Brent Raycroft.
Thurs April 23, 2015, 7:30 pm
BookThug Season Launch, Toronto
Spring BookThug Season launch at The Garrison, 1197 Dundas Street West, Toronto. Poetry titles include: the pet radish, shrunken by Pearl Pirie, Endangered Hydrocarbons by Lesley Battler, Merz Structure No. 2 Burnt by Children at Play by Jake Kennedy, Their Biography: an organism of relationships by kevin mcpherson eckhoff and A More Perfect [ by Jimmy McInnes
Fri April 24, 2015, 7pm, tbc
BorderBlur, St Catharines
Jake Kennedy, kevin mcpherson eckhoff, Pearl Pirie, Sonja Greckol, Bill Kennedy, and Paul Dutton at the Niagara Artists Centre, 354 St. Paul Street
Sun April 26, 2015, 6:45pm
Writers Fest, Ottawa
BookThug: Let’s Do Launch: Carellin Brooks, Mike Steeves, Pearl Pirie, Jake Kennedy and kevin mcpherson eckhoff at Christ Church (new Festival Café), 414 Sparks Street Details and ticket prices.
Battle of the Bards
I can say I’m reading at 7th Annual Battle of the Bards, following in the Ottawa footsteps of Sandra Ridley and Christine McNair. 4 BookThug authors are up this year.
The 20 established and upcoming poets selected to grace the IFOA stage this year are: David James Brock, Claire Caldwell, Elizabeth Greene, Kate Hargreaves, Laurence Hutchman, Ellen S. Jaffe, Jill Jorgenson, Ralph Kolewe, Max Layton, Jimmy McInnes, Bruce Meyer, Sarah Pinder, Pearl Pirie, Talya Rubin, Vanessa Shields, Peter Unwin, Zachariah Wells, Shoshanna Wingate, Deanna Young and Liz Worth. IFOA welcomes back NOW Magazine’s Susan G. Cole to host this year’s event.
That’s on the 25th in Toronto at Harbourfront. Press Release.