Ariel Gordon's Blog, page 87

Reprint: The Next Chapter

I was so tickled, back in November, to be granted an in-person interview with Shelagh Rogers for CBC's The Next Chapter, which focuses on Canadian writers/songwriters.

Shelagh was in town to host the Canadian Folk Music Awards and so was doing as many 'Winnipeg-writer' interviews as she could fit into her schedule.

One of which was with my boss, bookstore owner Kelly Hughes. His interview aired almost right away, which given its timeliness made sense, but ever since, Monday mornings have included a certain amount of breathless web-searching:

"The Next Chapter website! The NEXT CHAPTER WEBSITE...oh. I'm not on the schedule this week. Okay, on to my fav. webcomics for consolation..."

But this week, specifically today, I'm on The Next Chapter! Which is SUCH GREAT FUN.

Here is the line-up:
* Richard Van Camp on The Moon of Letting Go
* Royal Wood on The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy
* Ariel Gordon on Hump
* Timothy Taylor on his day job as a banker
* Cathy Gildiner reviews Superdad: A Memoir of Rebellion, Drugs and Fatherhood by Christopher Shulgan

But back to the interview itself for a moment.

I'd trundled over to the CBC studios on Portage Avenue, trying not to think too much about what she might ask or what I might answer. And was greeted and taken into the studio right away.

Once I'd plunked myself down, it was exciting, seeing the copy of Hump that she'd marked up (or had marked up for her, I don't much care...). Just sitting there at her elbow.

Most exciting, however, was how gracefully she introduced me and my book.

It sort of made me want to weep, which of course doesn't help when you're trying to present yourself as being both thinking AND feeling.

Weepiness is, apparently, my reaction to any lit kindness meted out to me.

Sigh...but also: FUN!

Hands on: George Elliott Clarke, take two

Another shot of the notebook. Because I couldn't help myself.

Hands on: George Elliott Clarke

* * *

When I went to pick up GEC for his reading of new works, he had this football of literature under his arm.

"That!" I exclaimed. "That is what I want to photograph for your 'hands on'..."

He then revealed that it contained his hand-written first drafts of poems from his newest manuscript. And that while he composes directly on the computer when he is writing fiction, he almost always hand-writes first drafts of poetry.

Later, when it was splayed out on the table, post-reading, he admitted to some sheepishness about this most unusual notebook.

"I got it at Stratford, of all places...but I'm sort of ashamed because it's sort of pretentious."

The surrounding crowd murmured that they liked it. Colin Smith, poetry scalawag, took one look and said, "No, it's dreadful. You should be fucking ashamed." At which GEC boomed with laughter....

* * *

George Elliott Clarke was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, a seventh-generation Africadian. He is a poet, playwright, novelist, and critic, with a Governor General's Award for Poetry and a Martin Luther King Achievement Award among his many honours. His works include several acclaimed collections of poetry, including Whylah Falls and Execution Poems, the libretto for the jazz opera Beatrice Chancy, the novel George and Rue, and several plays. Clarke lives in Toronto where he is the EJ Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature at University of Toronto.

Reprint: Authors Aloud

I've been eying Trevor Cole's Authors Aloud website for a couple of years.

Cole collects - and broadcasts - audio readings by poets and fiction writers. He also solicits what he calls insights, which are commentaries about the writing or the writing life.

Here's what Cole had to say about my reading:

"Late Delivery

I should have had this reading from Winnipeg poet Ariel Gordon up a while ago, so my apologies to her and to you.

Because it really is a lovely reading — from Gordon's 2010 collection Hump, which is largely about motherhood and pregnancy.

Gordon also provides a terrific Insight recording that will resonate if you've ever been a new parent hoping to have time enough left in your days to do something other than parent 24/7.

All in all a fine addition to AuthorsAloud, and well worth waiting for. I hope you'll check out Ariel Gordon's reading and Insight here." - TC

Anyways, besides the goodness of the conceit, the reason that I'm excited about being on Authors Aloud is that there are many other good Canadian poets: 38 to be exact.

As of this morning, I'm number 39. Which is SUCH GREAT FUN.

Call * Response

Launch of Call * Response: Present, Past and Beyond
Alchemical Press

Thursday Mar 24, 8:00 pm
McNally Robinson Grant Park
Prairie Ink Restaurant

Thirty-six local photographers, visual artists, writers and lyricists tell the story of Winnipeg's punk music scene in gritty detail.

Includes unpublished photos of Propagandhi, the poster art of Steve Hallick, writing from Ian Lodewyks, Andrew Neufeld's top-ten shows, photos by Doug Humiski and all sorts of crazy stuff.

Call * Response is a big hardcover, LP size (12" by 12") book, with sixty-four pages of punk rock mayhem and glory displayed in colour and b&w, published by Alchemical Press.

Experience youth and live music in Winnipeg and support Kids Help Phone.

* * *

I copy-edited this book, back in December, in a day and a half. From PDF galleys.

And it nearly killed me (10 pages of single-spaced notes...) but it was nifty to work with the Alchemical Press boys.

I just got my copy tonight and am thoroughly impressed with the tightness of the design, especially the way they balanced text and image.

Yay! Fun!

Photo from Assiniboine Forest, Winnipeg, MB. February 14,...

Photo from Assiniboine Forest, Winnipeg, MB. February 14, 2011.

* * *

Beautiful walk in the forest...but after most of the winter away from the forest, I'm extreeeeemely rusty with the camera. And this year, there's HEAPS of snow and so there's fewer mushrooms to be seen.

But still...the forest!

Hatchet! Throwing!

Soft shoe

* * *

We've been snowshoeing this winter, thanks to Fort Whyte and their store of rentable snowshoes.

I was completely underdressed today, despite the warm temperatures.

But the train wail almost drowned out Aa's "I wanna go hooooome...." And after we soft-shoed our way from duck box to duck box to see if there were eggs in them, we built a horned snowman.

There's something infinitely satisfying about walking through a patch of untouched snow...and not winding up mired to the thighs.

Speaking of which, the WFP poetry column is due this week. And though I know I usually wail about how behind I am, I'm especially behind this month. Sigh...

Hands on: Julie Wilson, take two

Flicker-y hands. Pretttttttty.

Hands on: Julie Wilson

* * *

Julie wanted to be "doing something tech-y" for her hands-on portrait. But then SHE DID HER READING FROM HER iPad! I NEVER! (Doesn't she know that paper absorbs nervous-reading-sweat?)

* * *

Julie Wilson is a professional publishing fan, writer and blogger. The literary voyeur behind the SeenReading.com and the editor of BookMadam.com, she thinks reading looks good on you. She's also the author of Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion (ECW Press) written as Becca Wilcott. Follow Julie on Twitter: @BookMadam @SeenReading