Curious things for October 2013...
1) The small
press market may be more diversified and thriving than ever before but the
scene still hungers for reviews. So many writers, not enough readers. That’s
why we need more sites like Small Press Book Review to get the
word out on interesting and breaking new authors. It looks as though they’ve
been at it for only a few months but there are plenty of new fiction and poetry
titles to read up on, plus an interview or two. They’re also looking
for more writers to tackle the load of review copies they have on hand, hint
hint…
2) Writers
Digest, a bastion of creative advice that hardly needs my reference, recently
published 5 Ways To Be a Good Literary Citizen. Written by Chuck Sambuchino,
the article doesn’t surprise so much as reinforce the life-affirming role
writers can take in shaping a creative community. Sometimes it's easy to overlook the impact you can make simply by sharing a fellow writer's work!
3) Though unfamiliar with Liana Voia, I’m grateful for her efforts in producing a video
series documenting the fall edition of Ottawa’s Small Press Book Fair, which
went down on Saturday, October 12th. Unable to
attend myself, I’ve enjoyed checking out a handful of the twenty-some interviews with poets
and publishers who give Ottawa its literary reputation. Get an overview of her
interviews here or track each
author individually via her Twitter timeline.
4) Lastly, the
Ottawa Poetry Newsletter continues with its popular “On Writing” series as well
as some “Recent Reads” chapbook reviews from me. Following up a timely post on
Marthe Reed’s exploration of repressed femininity (After Swann), the OPN today
features reviews of Gary Barwin’s Seedpod, Microfiche and Monty Reid’s Moan Coach. If these two titles have anything in common, it’s an ability to communicate unspoken
ideas through unassuming means. Do yourself a favour and check out the latest
with above/ground press!
Dear Ryan,
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning my name and the interviews I did at the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair. I am grateful to Rob McLennan for allowing me to do these interviews, and I sincerely hope I did not miss any presenter. Hope to meet you at a future event.
Liana
Hi Liana,
ReplyDeleteHappy to. Twice a year the Jack Purcell Community Centre has an air of magic and your thoughtful interviews captured so much of it. I'm sure those videos will be a useful reference for many curious readers & writers in the years to come. Many thanks!
Ryan