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…
Browsing CategoryEvents
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…
Reading at Draft on Sunday, April 22nd
On Sunday, April 22nd I’ll be participating in the Draft Reading Series. It’s an afternoon event, starting at 2:00 PM (and I’m reading first!) at the S. Walter Stewart Branch of Toronto Public Library (170 Memorial Park Ave.1 block north of Mortimer Ave, 2 blocks west of Coxwell). I’ll be reading with my lovely and talented friend Eufemia Fantetti (who recently won second place in Accenti Magazine writing contest!), as well as Susan Glickman, Amy Lavender Harris, and Lola Lemire Tostevin. April 22nd also happens to be the anniversary of my father’s death, and I can’t think of a better thing to do on that day.…
Two Readings in Toronto
My time in Israel is getting shorter and I’m starting to feel sad about saying goodbye to my family and friends. Every visit is the same: my departure date sneaks up on me, so I end up spending my last week running around the city with a sense of urgency, trying to cram as much quality time with loved ones as possible into my day. Luckily, I have two readings to look forward to in Toronto. On March 21st I’ll be reading at the Pivot Reading Series at the Press Club on Dundas, with Sandra Ridley and Rebecca Rosenblum (great company!)…
Granta 118 Launch in Tel Aviv
Yesterday I went to Granta magazine’s launch in Tel Aviv. When I first heard about it, it felt a little bit like worlds colliding. A few months ago I went to a Granta launch in Toronto; the issue then – Ten Years Later – featured a beautiful story by a friend, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer, and the bookstore in which it was held, Type Books on Queen Street (my favourite bookstore in Toronto) was so packed that we had to stand at the top of the stairs, leaning against the door, and listen to the readers without actually seeing them. Kathryn wrote a…
Readings in Vancouver (Also: a Love Song to East Van)
I love Vancouver. I lived in this city for eleven years, eight of them in East Van. There is nothing quite like East Van anywhere, and for someone like me, that sense of community and belonging in a city half a world away from my home was not something to take for granted. My life in Vancouver was very contained: I worked on Commercial Drive (at Yogis, then at Clove), met Sean on the Drive (drinking coffee and smoking outside Napoli cafe), lived off the Drive (Charles Street, William Street, Napier Street, and Semlin Drive). My favourite coffee shop had…
Reading at Speakeasy
I’ll be reading this coming Thursday, November 24th, 7:30 PM, at Speakeasy Reading Series. That’s right, I’m no longer a host. I passed it on to the new cohort, more specifically to the lovely Naoko Kumagai who now hosts alongside the illustrious Eufemia Fantetti. It was sad to let it go; it was my baby after all, but the good news is that now I get to be a reader! The event will take place at Magpie Tavern, 831 Dundas Street West. I’ll be reading with Adam Honsinger, Judith Thompson, and Paul Vermeersch. Hope to see you there!
the Wolsak and Wynn Launch
The Wolsak and Wynn launch at Ben McNally Books was great. I got to read to a bunch of people who came to hear Barry Dempster read from Dying a Little and were forced to listen to some of my army tales first. Susan Glickman also read from Slice Me Some Truth. Wine and brie were consumed. Good time was had by all.
Reading at The Not So Nice Italian Girls Series
I was an honourary Italian last night! I was invited to read at the ‘Not So Nice Italian Girls Reading Series’ run by the lovely Michelle Alfano and Giovanna Riccio. The theme of the night was hot and seamy (it is August, after all, and we’re talking Mediterranean blood here), so I pretty much just stood in front of a bunch of strangers and read smut. Other readers were the equally smutty (in the most dignified and wonderful way) Elisabeth de Mariaffi, poet Catherine Graham, writer Koom Kankesan, and K.D. Miller. For more photos go here.
Not So Nice Italian Girls…
I’m reading at this, on August 17th, at the Annex Live.