Okay, just a few words first. I recently discovered Wordless Wednesday. On Wednesdays, bloggers around the world post an untitled photo on their blog. No captions. No words. Because, you know, a photo is worth a thousand. So since this is my first time, here are a few more words by Susan Sontag, from her book On Photography: “To take a photograph is to participate in another person’s (or thing’s) mortality, vulnerability, mutability. Precisely by slicing out this moment and freezing it, all photographs testify to time’s relentless melt.” —Susan Sontag And just a few more (and then I promise…
Browsing CategoryPhotos
Signing Books at Chapters Indigo
I had fun signing books at Chapters Indigo in Eaton Centre Toronto.
Unravel the Tangle
My piece, “Unravel the Tangle,” which I wrote about my father and his poetry, was published in Room Magazine this month. After the essay about my mom (“Yemeni Soup and Other Recipes,” published in Grain) garnered so much attention last month, I was pleased to see the tribute to my father finally in print. I had wanted to write about my father for years, but wasn’t sure how. It felt too big, too raw, too difficult, even thirty years after his death. The title of the piece, Unravel the Tangle, is a line from one of my father’s poems. My…
‘Yemeni Soup’ Wins a Western Magazine Award
Late last night, as I woke up to breastfeed, I found out that ‘Yemeni Soup and Other Recipes‘ won gold at the Western Magazine Awards! (The gala was too late for me to follow on Twitter, because of the time difference with Vancouver.) The piece (originally published at Grain Magazine) just won silver at the National Magazine Awards last week. I am shocked and delighted! Now I have to call my mother (whom the piece is about) and inform her of this new development… In other news, I had a great time at the Literary Picnic, a part of the Luminato…
A Confession (Plus Upcoming Readings)
I have a confession to make: I haven’t been completely straight with you these past few months. Some huge, life-changing things were happening (aside from the publication of my first book) that I neglected to mention here. The reason for this omission is that I’m superstitious (or as I wrote in my National Post essay: I’m a knock-on-wood-mantra-chanting-afraid-of-the-evil-eye type). I know it’s silly. In fact, it’s ridiculous. It’s also extremely tiring to keep knocking on wood and spitting and blurting mantras and trying not to jinx things. But I can’t help it. It’s not entirely my fault: in Israel (and…
Photos from the Book Launch
Yes, I know it’s been two months, but better late than never, right? I had two wonderful photographers documenting the launch. My friend, Danielle Nakouz, who is a budding photographer (and who was unnecessarily nervous about the gig, as you can see below!)and Nikki Mills, who’s a beautiful professional photographer based in Toronto. Both did an amazing job. I couldn’t be more pleased. I already posted some of Danielle’s photos here. I finally had time to sort through the rest and here are some of their best shots. …
Photos from Spur Festival
Here are some photos from my event at Spur Festival, taken by Biserka Livaja. Mostly, it’s an excuse to show off my huge belly, a week before my due date. Up until the last minute I wasn’t even sure I would be able to make it, but luckily, my baby decided to hang out for a couple more weeks… I had a blast!
The Best Place on Earth First Month Recap
It’s hard to believe but it’s been over a month since The Best Place on Earth was released! Probably because so much has happened. It finally feels like spring in Toronto, the sun is shining, the tree in the backyard has begun to bloom, I packed up my parka in favour of a lighter coat (not leather jacket weather yet, I’m afraid), and the grass in the front yard turned vibrant green. Exciting times! I wanted to catch up on some of the coverage that The Best Place on Earth has received this past month. The biggest news is that…
Book Birthday Week
My book and I had quite a week last week. Last Tuesday, March 19th, was my book birthday, the official publishing date I’ve been waiting over a year for. I went swimming that morning, a form of meditation, a way to calm down the swimming in my head. It helped. Then Sean and I visited two Book City stores and checked out my books on the display table, got to sign them and pose with them and smell them (I keep sniffing them; it’s becoming a problem). Then we went to Chapters, where Sean rearranged a table to give my…
The Book Lover’s Ball
I suck. I went to the Book Lover’s Ball and took no photos. I was so dazzled by the glamorous ball gowns, the snazzy VIP lounge (which Tanis Rideout and I snuck into), the dancers on stage in their flimsy outfits, and my awesome table of Toronto Public Library’s employees, that I forgot to take photos. To remedy my mistake, here’s a link to a blog post by Not My Typewriter (who is clearly a better blogger than I am) with some photos, and another link to Open Book Toronto, with some red carpet photos. What else can I tell…