I was invited to take part in a unique project this year. The Amber Archives is an annual participatory art project operated by artist John Paul Robinson. Artists of every discipline submit works to be included in the archive, which John then reproduces on ceramic disks encased in pine resin and sealed in Amber Time Capsules. Yes, you heard right. Time capsules. He calls it the Amber Archives, because it imitates the process by which tree resin is fossilized into amber. As written on the website, “Once the Amber Time Capsules are sealed they are placed in a secret geological location conducive to the…
Browsing CategoryEvents
Reviews, Interviews and Events (and Why I Love Book Bloggers)
Tickets for the Vancouver International Writers Festival have gone on sale today, and apparently some events are already sold out! Here are the links to my two events, Faces in the Conflict, with Nadeem Aslam, Michael Winter, and D.W. Wilson (buy it here) and Out of Place, with Xiaolu Guo and Silvia Moreno-Garcia (buy it here). More about how to buy tickets here. And here is a short video about the festival, just because. **** The Victoria Writers’ Festival has also started their ticket sale. I’m participating in two events; the first one is Love Familiar, readings and panel discussion with Dede Crane, Matt Rader, and Shaena Lambert.…
The Best Place on Earth is Going Places: Fall Events
I love summer. It is my favourite season. In my early twenties I chased sunshine and managed to live in perpetual summer for four years. I spent much of that time on beaches, dressed in sarongs and bikini tops, shells braided into my hair, swinging on hammocks and sleeping in huts on the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, the Med. I arrived in Vancouver at the end of this four-year stretch, on the first day of summer of all days. I brought with me a suitcase overflowing with tie-dye tank tops, flimsy halter tops, and summer dresses…
‘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…
Reading at Luminato’s Literary Picnic
On Saturday afternoon (June 22nd) I’ll be reading at Luminato Festival’s A Literary Picnic. It’s an exciting, free event at Trinity Bellwoods Park: fifty authors reading on three different stages—“Woodstock meets Bookstock,” as the press release put it—then signing books and spreading blankets on the grass to engage with readers. The theme of the event is Beginnings, which is appropriate since my first Luminato experience, four years ago, was only days after Sean and I moved to Toronto from Vancouver. We drove into the city on a stormy spring day, our turquoise Jetta packed to the brim with boxes, and…
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…
Let’s Do Brunch
I’ll be participating in ‘Well Read Mornings’ on April 13th, 11:30am, at the Gardiner Museum. This unique event will include a delicious brunch in the stunning Gardiner Café (in which I will be doing my best to avoid spilling food on my dress), a reading from The Best Place on Earth, and a discussion of the book with Helen Walsh, Spur Festival’s director. To buy tickets to this event (did I mention that the price includes a yummy brunch?) and to other events, go here.