Suzanne Alyssa Andrew's Blog: The PROCESS blog, page 11

Could there ever be another Massey Hall?

I went on an epic behind-the-scenes tour of the storied concert hall and interviewed some fascinating historians, along with people trying to make it easier for concert venues to exist in Toronto, AND Jasmyn Burke from Weaves for my latest feature.

I invite you to read the piece in NOW magazine, and find out what we can learn from Massey Hall’s history.  

Leonard Cohen: a crack in everything

I interviewed John Zeppetelli, curator of Musée d’art contemporain de Montreal’s Leonard Cohen exhibit about why Cohen’s work is so meaningful.

The interview went into great depth, to my delight (I could have discussed Cohen’s work all day) and you can read the published Q&A here, on the Quill & Quire website. 

My favourite part was when Zeppetelli said, “I think anybody who is even mildly sensitive or sentient for that matter will respond to Leonard.”

If you’re in Montreal, you can catch the exhibition on now until April 9, 2018.

I reviewed the Tori Amos concert!

In pinch-me-is-this-real news, I got to review the Tori Amos concert at Massey Hall for NOW magazine.

It was a magical show, and she performed a touching tribute to Gord Downie by covering The Tragically Hip. My editor even found a fan’s video of that online to add to the story!

Read the review here!

All of This, the comic book!

The ashcan (preview) of the comic book I’ve been working on with illustrator Jonathan Kociuba is hot off the presses in time for Canzine on Saturday at the Art Gallery of Ontario! 

This is a limited edition print version of the first pages of the comic book. Over the coming months we’ll be releasing new instalments of the story as a web comic. 

The full print version of the comic book should be out sometime in 2018!

Stay tuned for more!

Q3 recap: restructuring!

Every summer my freelance business slows down, briefly, before picking up again in fall. This summer I took the opportunity to look at what’s working in my freelance business and what’s not, and make a few changes. The result is a new offering I’ll be launching very soon, in addition to all my usual freelance writing and editing services. Watch for the announcement in coming weeks!

I also started writing about music and books for NOW magazine! See all my articles for NOW to date. 

Besides continuing with some steady existing clients, including Kids Help Phone in Q3, I welcomed new client, Luminato. 

Oh! And I won second prize in the Matrix LitPop contest!

Looking forward to a busy and productive fourth quarter!

Five sci-fi books by Toronto authors that we’re excited to read

This fall give your anxiety-fizzed mind a break with an escape to another world. Even dystopian tales can help you feel better, because it’s really not as bad as all that – yet.

Here are five new sci-fi books from Toronto authors that will take you on magical, macabre adventures without having to leave your cosy reading nest. Read the full article I wrote for NOW magazine to find out more.

Drab Majesty concert review

My latest music article for NOW magazine is about an electronic duo from L.A., and their performance made for quite the story. It was so much fun to write about!

Read it here:

Drab Majesty turned the Baby G into a post-punk church service

Knife Fork Book, Metatron and Pow Pow Press

I wrote three new short articles recently for NOW magazine and Quill & Quire. Enjoy!

Toronto’s only poetry shop is looking for a new home - and financial support

Metatron forges a beautiful path for emerging poetry and fiction

Pow Pow Press expands, with a mission of bringing Quebec comics to the world

LitPop Awards 2017: Second Prize

Exciting news! My new short story, “Evidence,” about a crime that happens at a band’s last show, placed second in the fiction category for the annual LitPop Awards hosted by Matrix Magazine. My story is told entirely in text messages and Facebook posts collected as evidence by the detectives investigating the case.

“Evidence” will run in an upcoming issue of Matrix Magazine this fall.

Read the official announcement from Matrix Magazine.

Article about Chaos & Star Records

I had the pleasure of interviewing the team from BookThug and the musicians and authors involved in the first three records released under the Chaos & Star Records label.

Here’s an excerpt from the story.

Toronto publisher BookThug launches a record label

The brainchild of Broken Social Scene member Andrew Whiteman, Chaos & Star will specialize in collaborations between musicians and authors

Vinyl enthusiasts who like to read and readers who enjoy music have something new to collect.

Toronto-based literary press BookThug has started Chaos & Star, a music imprint that’s launching with a series of three collaborative 7-inch records pairing Canadian musicians with poetry.

Though they feature readings by BookThug authors Jacob Wren, Liz Worth and Jennifer LoveGrove, they’re more than just readings set to music. All were intended as full collaborations, giving authors a say in the music composition and musicians a chance to help shape how the words are experienced.

The label is the brainchild of Andrew Whiteman, best known as a member of Broken Social Scene and frontman for Apostle of Hustle. He has made it his career mission to meld music and literature.

“I used to work at Coach House Books in Toronto, and ever since then poetry’s been my passion,” Whiteman says over the phone from Montreal.

His recent music project, AroarA, draws on poetry by Alice Notley that he discovered online via PennSound, an archive of poets reading their own work.  

After experimenting with soundscapes composed around poetry recordings, Whiteman found himself playing poetry samples onstage in 2009 during an Apostle of Hustle tour stop in Lawrence, Kansas, where he was invited to a party at the former home of beat poet William S. Burroughs.

“I played my music there, and they understood right away,” Whiteman says. Inspired, Whiteman developed a project called Sonic Poetry after returning to Canada.

Three years ago he talked to BookThug publisher Jay MillAr, and Chaos & Star and the collaborations evolved from there. Read the rest of the story