Spring news/New spring
Sounds Good
all systems go, go, go and go.
The launch season is here. We BookThugs done 'Thugged the province. The turnout was great in numbers and energy in Toronto (picture below at the Garrison), St. Catharines and Ottawa. Have I read to that many before at once? I'm not sure. It was a lovely warm crowd with friendly folks.
I'm in awe of fellow writers. And Jay and Hazel that can herd together such a mixture of strange and similar things.
Jake Kennedy, and kevin mcpherson eckhoff gave unique takes on their books each time. Here's kevin taking it into the audience in Ottawa as Sanita reads his chemical composition.
What is authorship or identity? It doesn't exist in isolation. One isn't one's true self when alone any more than one feel's one's true weight in zero gravity. The idea of having others read or compose one's own "biography" is interesting.
Hearing Paul Dutton read is always a pleasure. I think that's my 4th or 5th time, not counting the CD-version. Hearing A More Perfect [ by Jimmy McInnes a second time (first at Battle of the Bards) impressed as much on the second round.
For those of you who read your emails promptly, tonight is sound poetry performance. [On left picture from Writers Fest because be darned if I can locate the picture from practice.] What? Where?
Platform Gallery, 51 A Young Street (around the corner from the new location of g101). There within the vernissage of abstract art by Dan Sharp, Ted Willis and Georgia Mathewson, a performance of The Quatuor-Gualuor of jwcurry, Georgia Mathewson, Rachel Lindsey and Brian Pirie doing Aviary and a few other pieces. For She Was a Visitor by Robert Ashley and Richard Truhlar's Glass on the Beach, a few extra voices will come in, Robert Rosen, Alistair Larwill, and Pearl Pirie.
What else, ?
A recent CKCU [archive here] has a snippet from the launch of Cocoa Cabin and an episode soon is with David O'Meara.
My #95books in a year challenge is going again. I'm at book 41. I'm looking to improve my rates of reading queer writers and people of colour because so far this year I'm batting 1% and 8% respectively. (Pretty sad.) If we don't consciously choose our defaults will go with the cultural flow instead of influencing ourselves and therefore the equity of current.
The rout/e poetry installation on Petrie last fall is mostly intact. poems by David Groulx and Roland Prevost still stand. Sandra Ridley's on a subject of water is out in the water. Blaine Marchard's was taken, post and all and my poem has joined the forces of ephemerality as well.
The summer issue of Arc magazine will have an article by me of chapbook reviews. Watch for that in stores or in your subscription.
My next jaunts include Authors for Indies day —which I hope to be live tweeting from my pesbo account at twitter—travels thru Quebec soon and out to New York City. Should be exciting.
Details on Upcoming Readings Wed, May 2, 2015, 12:00-2pm
Authors for Indies Day, Ottawa
I'll be on hand at Books on Beechwood, 35 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa for the first annual independant bookstore day love-in— Authors for Indies Day. Over the course of the day from 10 a.m. onwards will be: Rachel Eugster, Allison Van Diepen, Susan Delacourt, Elizabeth Todd, Max Turner, Sherrill Wark, Emily-Jane Hills Orford, Nicola Vulpe, Susan Taylor Meehan, Sarah Jennings, Catina Noble, Benoit Chartier, and Jean Boisjoli, Susan Delacourt, Alex Binkley, Mike Young, Barbara Fradkin, Susan Atkinson, and Pearl Pirie. It's an author meet 'n' greet with refreshments. Come see authors, buy books, take a look from 10am to near closing. 4 bookstores in Ottawa and hundreds of authors of all genres across Canada are participating.
Wed, May 14, 2015, 8:00pm
A B Series, Ottawa
Ottawa Art Gallery, 2 Daly Ave. Co-reader: Colin Browne of Vancouver.
Tues May 19, 2015, 7:30pm
Twigs & Leaves Reading Series
Café Twigs, 85 rue ste anne, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec
Mon, June 1, 2015, 7:30pm-10pm
Brick 40th Anniversary, Ottawa
40th anniversary celebration including several poets sharing favorite parts from The Grey Islands by John Steffler. Readers include: Susan Gillis, Pearl Pirie, Sandra Ridley, Deanna Young, Peter Richardson and Phil Hall. Upstairs the Carleton Tavern (223 Armtrong St) with music by Call Me Katie.
Tues June 23, 2015, 7-8:30pm
Word for Word welcomes Canadian Poets, NYC
Best Canadian Poetry launch as part of Word for Word featuring the Canadian Poets: George Elliott Clarke, Aaron Kreuter, Kateri Lanthier, Pearl Pirie, Wanda O’Connor, Medrie Purdham, Brent Raycroft, Carl Watts and Special Guest: Sonnet L'Abbe, 2014 Best Canadian Poetry Guest Editor.Check bryantpark.org And until next time, keep reading, and keep writing,
Pearl