Summer's Up, Up and Away
Woo! Summer
The Flurry of Activity Winds Down
It's been a great spring season at various reading series. Thanks to everyone here who came out to the Ottawa small press fair this last week! It was a great deal of fun, as it always it, seeing what's new, chatting like a CanLit reunion. phafours press put out 3 mini chapbooks this time by Alicia Cumming, Michael Dennis and Anita Dolman. (More about that below.)
I snagged a few finds, including handmade paper which I will put up on displace once our re-doing the floor is done. Books, I haven't opened. I (urp) overindulged in the book budget department this spring. Even with reading a book every 3 days as I have been, I'm falling way behind on what enters the house. Lots of summer reading on tap. Deliciousness that doesn't get stale.
The next episode of Literary Landscape is on at 93.1fm in Ottawa this Thursday at 6:30pm or podcasting from CKCUfm.com. I'll be talking with the delightful Bren Simmers whose book, Hastings-Sunrise I thoroughly enjoyed. Very life affirming, playful and good solid writing.
Another quick mention, Ellen Kombiyil's first collection, Histories Future Perfect has arrived. Always exciting to see in the page poems you saw develop.
In other reading I'd recommend, Farnam Street, a weekly roundup of deeper reach thought of how to live optimally. The author's based in Ottawa.
If you want to add to your summer reads...or promote the contest. Until Sunday, if you want copies for friends, you can enter (until Sunday only) a thing at GoodReads and win one of 3 copies from the good people at BookThug.
It's almost time to going on lower spin for the summer. One more event then I'm done until late fall. You may recall a poem of mine from Filling Station was chosen to be part of 2014's Best Canadian Poetry Anthology from Tightrope. There's one more launch of that this season, this time in New York City, this Tuesday at Bryant Park. People seem really jazzed to do a reading there. It sure is a nice city. Look forward to seeing folks I rarely see, of like Ellen previously mentioned, who I've only seen online. What has the next stretch of the High Line done? Keen to explore Poet's House. 60,000 volumes of poetry, free and open to the public. I have a feeling I won't be able to absorb much. But any progress is progress. I like the random chaos factor of not knowing what I might encounter that could set in motion some deflection into interesting chains of events and ideas.
Did I mention that phafours is now at Etsy? I'll extend the 4 month trial another 4 months at least. You can get the mini chapbooks or most any of the backlist.
The experiment with credit card sales at fairs has been pretty good. They skim 2.75% but sales increase by 1/3. All in all Square has been on the level, good.
Blogwise, lately in vegetarian & vegan food at Eaten Up there's the new discovery of the finally opened gelato sandwich shop at Parkdale and Wellington. We've been a few times and each time was exceptional. People who know how to do food. Best gelato this side of Rome. Bella Via.
July marks my 1 year anniversary at the Centretown Buzz with the food column Planet of the Scapes. And I'm branching out. My first article for the Kitchissippi Times is due to be in the next issue with coverage of the first Prose in the Park Festival. What a well-attended and well-organzized event that was. Intelligent discussions with sweet rapport.
What else? Oh, for those who want to check. Some people have said some really nice things about radish. Over at my author site www.pearlpirie.com there's more reviews under the new Radish area. And a couple more things under the interviews section.
Is that a wrap? I think so. Until next time, keep reading and keep writing,
and have yourselves a beautiful summer.
Pearl