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…
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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…
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.
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…
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.…
Interview with Shalom Life
I had a smooth landing in Toronto, and though it didn’t really make my goodbyes any easier or less sad, I am happy to be home. My Pivot reading went well: Sandra Ridley and Rebecca Rosenblum both gave fantastic readings, and I finally got to meet my new best friend whom I met on Twitter recently, fabulous fiction writer and avid blogger Amanda Leduc who shares my book-birthday-season: her novel will be coming out with ECW in Spring 2013! I also had my first official interview the other day and it’s already up on ShalomLife.com. I think I managed…
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…