Curious links for December 2014 (& beyond...)

1) Check out who Lit Live Reading Series is hosting this Sunday, December 7^th: Jean Rae Baxter, John Terpstra, Waheed Rabbani, Stuart Ross, David Lee and Marilyn Gear Pilling. A typically great roster of eclectic voices and local talent, Lit Live kicks off at 7:30pm at Homegrown Hamilton. Get there early!

2) On December 1^st, writer and publisher Catina Noble shared the winners of her Poetry Contest. The three finalists, in order, are as follows: “Continuum” by Maria Campbell Smith, “Nightmares” by Ruth Latta and “Early November, A Walk in the Forest” by Jason Lamantia. Honourable mentions went to “Blanca” by Kala Kaline and “Huron Sheets Clinic” by me. Keep an eye on Catina Noble’s blog for the publication of the winning poems.

3) Sometimes, when a beloved website falls off of your radar, the upside is re-discovering why you enjoyed it so much in the first place. The Town Crier has been firing on all cylinders lately, covering a wide variety of events, interviews, opinions and reviews. New additions to the collective are really pulling their weight; I recommend Julienne Isaacs' "A Warning to Toronto Writers: Networks Don't Make Literature" as a jumping-off point. It'll resonate no matter which city, town or field you're writing out of.

4) Though not until January, The Hamilton Literary Awards deserve some well-in-advance notice because every category is just too close to call. Consider the Hamilton Arts Council Literary Award finalists for Poetry, Non-Fiction, Fiction and The Kerry Schooley Award here. The winners will be announced January 5^th, 2015 in the Norman and Louise Haac Studio Theatre at the Dofasco Centre for the Arts. RSVP here!