Really great artists hold the door. My amazing friend Luciana Erregue-Sacchi is one of those, and this past spring, she collaborated with another, the lovely Adriana Onita, who spearheads the editorial collective that produces The Polyglot. Luciana, as an art historian, wanted to explore the connection between visual and literary aspects of our Canadian canon,…
Category: writing life
Poster Child
How about that? I’m a poster child, at my well-established age. It hadn’t been a career ambition, but it is an honour, to have my face (for better or worse, my own) out there in support of a really great cultural program. Want to know who we are as Canadians? Bring Canadian authors to your…
For the Changing Moon: thoughts on Poems&Songs
My new book is out. The official launch happens Wednesday, October 24th, 7 PM at Audrey’s Books, with special guests, Edmonton’s own Spoken Word Youth Choir, under the direction of the fabulous Gail Sobat. If you’re in our town, come on down. This is book number two, yes, only number two. The long years of…
Death Tango for Three: the Podcast
Last winter, Argentinian born poet and art historian Luciana Erregue-Sacchi invited two writers – myself and the fabulous Nermeen Youssef – to join her on a quest, to encounter, perform and respond to Paul Célan’s masterpiece, the Todesfuge/Death Tango. Over the course of an incredible night, we shared our hearts and minds, resonating like bells…
Life + 70
So, the word in trade negotiations today is that the new agreement for North America, whatever else it may entail, affirms copyright as extending for the life of the author, plus 70 years. Life + 70 I find myself wondering what that means for Indigenous communities, where the concepts of copyright are stringent in their…
A Table, A Room, A Coffee, A Cat: How the Writing Half Lives
We all know the two stereotypes of how writers live: starving in a Dickensian garret, or swanning about in a mansion, courted by the power elites. However, in Canada, in 2018, how do real writers really live? What’s ‘home’ for us? What follows is an extremely non-exhaustive exploration: I asked some working writers. Their answers…
