The Word On The Street Rocks Pride!

I live on the corner of Mutual and Gerrard, in a very nice house with a close friend of mine who happens to be one of the stars of Degrassi the Next Generation. I pretty much live in the village, which means when Pride starts I get to party every night. My street gets noisy. There are people everywhere. And there is a real sense of joy and celebration and Toronto all of a sudden feels like the best place on earth (we know that most of the time it isn't).

My Pride experience last year was pretty great. I remember standing and watching the Pride Parade while eating an ice cream cone and thinking “this is quite fun, I think that I can handle this.” And then someone shot me in the eye with a water gun and I actually got kind of mad.

Perhaps I’ve grown a little square in my old age? I’m not even old. But I feel old. I’m 26. And that’s kind of old.

Yes. I’m old.

The Word On The Street is going to be at Pride. We’ll be there on Saturday, June 28th and Sunday, June 29th, starting at 3pm at James Canning Park. We are partnering with Pride to showcase our Proud Voices program and I encourage you to come and join us for an afternoon of readings from some of the best and boldest talents in the queer literary scene. Ivan E. Coyote, Shani Mootoo, Emma Donoghue, Neil Smith and Nalo Hopkinson are just some of the authors participating.

The staff of The Word On The Street will also be there. Please come and say hi. Oh, and please make a donation because we love that kind of grassroots support. We'll also be blogging during Pride Week, bringing you the highs, lows, and outstanding good times we’ll be having, celebrating one of the best and most dynamic events the city has to offer.

Check back here for more updates, for fun anecdotes, celebrity sightings and more. If I’m shot in the eye with a water gun, you’ll be the first to know!

For more info on PRIDE, please visit their website at www.pridetoronto.com

J

08/09

The Factory Theatre announced its 08/09 season and it looks pretty promising, with new work from Andrew Moodie, Florence Gibson and Marjorie Chan (for more info check out their website at: www.factorytheatre.ca)

The play that I’m looking forward to the most is "Scratch," written by a former classmate of mine at the National Theatre School named Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman. Here’s the synopsis:

Anna has lice. Her mother has cancer. Her Aunt buys her a pair of Gap jeans and worries she’s on drugs while Anna lusts after the Poet who looks after her mom. Still, she can’t stop scratching. She can’t get rid of the lice and she can’t face the inevitable.

I remember reading one of the first incarnations of this play. She was in first year. I was in third year. I thought that I was the man, the way most graduating students think they’re the man. I was dating a wonderful girl. I was going to Banff after graduation. I had a show being read at the Factory. Yup. I was the man. I asked if I could read one of her plays just to get a sense of what the young ones were writing. She gave me the play (then called "Lice") and apologized because she had written it when she was 16 and wasn’t sure how good it was.

I read it. And man. It was great. Not just great, but damn great. Some of it was like lava, coming from a place within her that I could never understand. I read it at home. I read it again in the park. I would read it over the phone to my girlfriend to tell her that it was brilliant. I would e-mail excerpts of it to friends and tell them to watch for this play, just watch for it because it was special, the writing was special, Charlotte was special.

See it.

J

Dap That

The mainstream media is all abuzz with footage of Barack Obama giving his wife "dap," or a fist bump before his big speech announcing his victory in the Democratic Primary. "If the nomination of the first African-American candidate for president is itself a historic moment, that little gesture, for many, punctuated the occasion with ethnic style and inherent coolness."

It's funny watching the mainstream media try and make sense of the gesture, and some of their descriptions for it are gold: "it's a knuckle to knuckle kiss," or a "pound of the fist of some sorts," or "possibly a message to Al-Quida?"

It took guts to do it, especially considering how quickly the media can turn anything it doesn't understand into a toxic cesspool of despair. Case in point: when Obama "brushed the dirt off his shoulders" Jay-Z style in response to criticism of his "bitter" comments, the LA Times reported that he had stuck his middle finger up at Hillary Clinton. It was idiotic. But lo and behold, Fox News picked it up, and it was in heavy rotation for a full-day.

"Dap" is all over hip-hop culture, which pretty much means it's part of youth culture, which pretty much means it's part of the culture of right now. Obama is trying very hard to demonstrate that his understanding of the world isn't rooted in the cold war mentality of the dinosaurs in Washington, but of the here and now, the grassroots, the streets, people of every color walking hand in hand through the south side of Chicago fighting them fat-cats in Washington. Obama is a man of the world. Not of Washington. Them dinosaurs toast scotch glasses and smoke cigars. Barack and Michelle "dap."

When Barack and MIchelle did it, it was an ecstatic, non-verbal way of showing respect, dignity, honor and pride. The very concept of the "dap" goes all the way back to slavery. "Though it was born in the black community, some say during the 1960s black power movement, most people - of any color - who haven't made it too far past their 40s have probably given, taken or at least borne witness to some friendly dap."

The gesture spoke to a larger idea. An idea that we gotta celebrate: politics is turning cool. It's turning inspirational. Yup. It's true. We got a hip hop presidency waiting in the wings.

Ain't nothin better than that.

J

PS
Though I think the media could have focused more on what happened after the "dap." He slapped her butt as she walked away. Take that Christian Conservatives!

Wow...

It’s hard to find inspiration in politics.

But sometimes, something wonderful happens that reminds us of how far we’ve come as a people, and how much farther we can go together. Last night Barack Obama made history by becoming the first black man to lead a national ticket for the presidency of the United States. He ran a grassroots, high ideal campaign based on hope and inspiration, and the idea that "we are the change that we've been waiting for." Here at The Word On The Street we celebrate the vibrancy of words and ideas.

Doesn't get much better than this :).

J

BARACK OBAMA
In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.

So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.

So it was for the greatest generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.

So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom's cause.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder, and more just.

And so it must be for us.

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

Yann Martel...

The Factory Theatre has a great little program called "Performance Spring," showcasing some outstanding new plays from some great companies from across Canada. One that should be of interest to y'all is The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, written by Yann Martel. The play is the story of two friends coping with AIDS in the mid-1980s, a time when an HIV positive diagnosis was an almost immediate death sentence. Eric Goulem plays both the narrartor and Paul the unseen character. As Paul struggles to come to terms with his inevitable death, to palliate him, the Narrator invents a game in which the two of them will create a 'secret; story of the Roccamatios, a Finnish family of Italian extraction.

I think it's his first play, and from what I've heard it's pretty great. Oh, and the company that is producing the piece (Infinitheatre), produced one of my own plays last fall and they did a great job so... yeah... check it out!

www.factorytheatre.ca

Luminato’s Literary Program - Enjoy 2008’s Dynamic Line-up

Luminato, Toronto’s Festival of Arts + Creativity, invites you to 2008’s dynamic literary program. 2008 aims to bring Canadian and international authors together around literary and political themes in addition to showcasing new works. The richest discussions occur because of unexpected collaborations.

This year’s line-up includes perspectives on South Asia, a focus on war and politics through illustration, a celebration of a renowned literary master, the launch of the third installment of a city-centric anthology, as well as a festival of short stories.

Celebration of Isaac Bashevis Singer
Sunday, June 8 3pm
Al Green Theatre
Miles Nadal JCC (750 Spadina Ave. @ Bloor)






Award-winning authors David Bezmozgis and Dara Horn pay tribute to a literary legend.

Revered as a master storyteller, Nobel Prize-winning writer Isaac Bashevis Singer explored Jewish life from the landscapes of Eastern Europe to New York. Singer’s superlative ability to weave a tale now finds parallels in a new generation of writers, including two contemporary star authors whose work explores similar themes of immigration, family, politics and, ultimately, compassion.

David Bezmozgis is the author of the much-celebrated Natasha and Other Stories, winner of the City of Toronto Book Award and the Commonwealth Regional Prize for First Book. Dara Horn, named one of Granta magazine’s Top Young American Novelists, is the author of The World to Come, winner of the National Jewish Book Award.

The Political Graphic Novel
Sunday, June 8 7pm
Al Green Theatre
Miles Nadal JCC (750 Spadina Ave. @ Bloor)






From the war in Iraq to the life of Che Guevara, the medium of graphic novels becomes political in this evening of literature, illustration and discussion.

As a medium in which to discuss serious political and historical issues, the graphic novel came of age with Art Spiegelman’s Maus and Marjane Satrapi’s super-hit Persepolis. Join Luminato and host Peter Birkemoe, owner of The Beguiling, Toronto’s top graphic novel and comics bookstore, for an evening with award-winning Canadian author and illustrator Bernice Eisenstein, I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors, who joins underground comics sensation Spain Rodriguez to launch his new book, Che: A Graphic Biography, and Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman for the Canadian premiere of Shooting War, an exploration of the war in Iraq and the influence of alternative news media.

Spotlight on New South Asian Writing
Saturday, June 14 7pm
Al Green Theatre
Miles Nadal JCC (750 Spadina Ave. @ Bloor)







Join host, Shyam Selvadurai, bestselling Canadian author of Funny Boy, Cinnamon Gardens, and Swimming in the Monsoon Sea, for an evening featuring three authors’ very different perspectives on the cultures of South Asia and the West. Hear readings from British poet Daljit Nagra (Look We Have Coming to Dover), winner of the 2007 UK Forward Poetry Prize for best new collection; Canadian author Jaspreet Singh, whose new book Chef explores the complexity of Kashmir; and Padma Viswanathan (The Toss of a Lemon), one of Random House of Canada’s New Faces of Fiction, 2008.

“Fresh, funny and riotously idiosyncratic ... A glorious testament to a rich British-Indian mix.” The Independent – on Daljit Nagra’s Look We Have Coming to Dover, one of the ten best new poetry collections

“One of London’t Hottest New Writers.” Time Out on Daljit Nagra

“Jaspreet Singh’s prose flashes with poetic lyricism.” Montreal Gazette

Diaspora Dialogues: Launch of TOK, Book 3
Wednesday, June 11 8pm
The Drake Hotel Underground.
1150 Queen St. West







Toronto leads the world as one of its most ethnically varied cities. That reality is reflected in the new fiction, poetry and drama commissioned and presented by Diaspora Dialogues, an organization dedicated to building artistic and literary bridges between the city’s many cultures. Luminato is proud to partner with Diaspora Dialogues in launching TOK, Writing the New Toronto, Book 3, the third installment of an anthology celebrating the diverse voices of the city in short stories, plays and spoken-word poetry.

The launch event is a star-studded literary cabaret, showcasing new work from Giller-nominee Alissa York (Effigy); American Library Association Alex Award winner

Judy Fong Bates (Midnight at the Dragon Café); award-winning playwright and poet Daniel David Moses (Almighty Voice and His Wife); spoken-word performer and musician Shauntay Grant; and playwright Yvette Nolan, Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. The evening will also showcase debut work from two emerging Toronto writers and a performance featuring the salsa rhythms of vocalist Lady Son and her Latin fusion band Articulo Veinte.

Festival of the Short Story
In partnership with the Toronto Public Library






Eight authors, six collections of stories and four libraries across the city.

From inter-linked tales of Toronto’s Portuguese community in Anthony De Sa’s Barnacle Love to the dark and humorous tales of Elyse Friedman’s Long Story Short, the sheer variety of short fiction being produced in Canada today is truly breathtaking. The Festival of the Short Story brings together unique combinations of Canadian writers to read from their work and discuss their common craft.

With: Pasha Malla (The Withdrawal Method); award-winning short story writer Ahmad Saidullah (Happiness and Other Disorders); Sharon English (Zero Gravity) whose work has been long-listed for the Giller Prize; award-winning author Caroline Adderson (Pleased to Meet You), and Journey Prize writers Rebecca Rosenblum and David Whitton.

Moderated by Jane Urquhart, Lynn Coady, Caroline Adderson and Russell Smith.

Ticket cost $10*
www.luminato.com
Ticketmaster – 416-872-1111

*10.00 tickets available at TO Tix in Yonge-Dundas Square and includes $2.50/ticket Ticketmaster outlet fees. Additional service charge and handling fees apply to internet and phone bookings. $10 tickets also available at the venue one hour before each performance.

For more information on the programs and authors visit: www.luminato.com/literature

Presenting Sponsor:

And the word of the year is...

Drum roll please...

It's "w00t."

Okay...

"W00t," is a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness. Merriam-Webster's president, John Morse, said "w00t" was an ideal choice because it blends whimsy and new technology. "It shows a really interesting thing that's going on in language. It's a term that's arrived only because we're now communicating electronically with each other," Morse said.

It's really cool what's happening to the written word as more and more of our communication with each other becomes electronic. We're finding ways to condense language to its very essence.

We are all Hemingway when we write: "Miss U. Will b L8. LOL."

Remember when it was all about writing letters to people? I could write I love you in a letter, mail it, and by the time you got it be in love with someone else. Now, I can tell someone I don't "luv" them anymore with my blackberry... which is pretty convenient in-between meetings.

Personally, I think that the honour of the word of the year should have gone to the verb "Facebook" as in "I'll facebook you," or the word "creep," as in "Yo, you're such a creep, stop looking at her profile." Perhaps "creepin" would have been a better choice, as in "yo, stop creepin her page man that's weird."

Facebook. Now that's a blog entry on its own.

Happy Holidays.

J

Want to know what's going on at The Word On The Street this year?

Great news!

The Word On The Street is pleased to announce that four of its featured authors have been nominated for the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize! Elizabeth Hay, who will be reading at this year’s Great Books Marquee, has been nominated for her novel Late Nights on Air. Alissa York, who will make an appearance at the Diaspora Dialogues Tent, was nominated for her novel Effigy. M.G. Vassanji will read from his nominated novel The Assassin's Song and will be joined by another former winner of the prize Richard B. Wright, nominated for his novel October at the Scotiabank Bestsellers Stage!

With The Scotiabank Giller Prize shortlist only 10 days away from being announced, we will unite former winners Vincent Lam, Richard B. Wright and Austin Clarke to join David Staines, who assisted Jack Rabinovitch in building the prize’s creative template, to discuss their “Giller Experience” and the impact that Canada’s foremost literary prize has had on the lives and careers of its winners.

To see these amazing authors and hear their amazing new works, check out The Word On The Street, Sunday, September 30, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m at Queen’s Park.

Oh, and want to know who's going to be at this year's The Word On The Street?

Of course you do!

If you want a sneak peak then visit our website at:

http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/toronto/whats_on_schedule.asp

See you Sunday!

Words, Words, Words...

Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote that words are the skin of living ideas. We here at Foreword agree. We are fascinated by words: they look great, they’re dangerous, and they’re prettier than Paris Hilton. This is the first of a series of articles in Foreword that will be about the power of words and ideas - this one courtesy of VoicePrint.

Enjoy.
Jason

___


Silly rabbit…Braille is for kids
By: Kim Mannix Vermette

All readers embrace the special joy that comes from opening a favorite book, taking in the words on a page and letting their imagination paint vivid pictures in the absence of visual images. Sometimes we’re so inspired by the power of words that we dream of penning our own stories or poems and sharing our creations with others.
For 17-year-old Carolyn Naylor, a Nova Scotia native with low-vision, that dream came early in life. At age 11, she began putting her ideas to the page. “I love writing stories,” says Carolyn. “It’s fun, it makes me happy and it’s probably my most favorite thing to do.”

Carolyn’s efforts to become fluent in Braille are on-going, but her commitment to learning it has brought reward. Last year Carolyn entered the Creative Writing and Braille Accuracy Competition, hosted each year by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), as part of its Braille Conference held in Toronto each October. She won top prize in her age category.

While the competition is a great way for blind and vision-impaired Canadians to show off their creativity, there’s a bigger purpose to the competition: to showcase the CNIB’s belief in the importance of Braille literacy. Shelagh Paterson, the director of advocacy, sales and marketing with the CNIB library in Toronto, explains that learning to read and write Braille is as important for persons who are blind or vision impaired as learning to read and write print is for sighted people. “Reading Braille is equivalent to reading print. Both ensure literacy, which we all need to have to function in society,” she says VoicePrint, a division of The National Broadcast Reading Service, shares CNIB’s belief in the importance of literacy and access to the written word for all people. This year VoicePrint will be participating in the annual Braille Conference in October by serving as host of a workshop that will investigate new programming ideas of specific interest to Braille users. VoicePrint listeners can look forward to unique programming focused on Braille, the Braille user, and the CNIB's annual children's short-story competition.

For more information about VoicePrint, to access a broadcast schedule and more details about its special Braille-related programming, visit www.voiceprintcanada.com

Looking for a great summer read?

Visit The Word On The Street's contest page for a chance to win an amazing summer reads prize pack courtesy of HarperCollinsCanada!

Summer Reading Rules!

When I was growing up, summers in the city were spent taking trips to the pool, going to camp and spending hours sitting in the back of the car on road trips that never seemed to end. Filling the time in between, I read. A lot. Though the occasional trip to the bookstore allowed me to start my own collection of books, the bulk of my reading material came from the local library. Afternoons would be spent with my mom and brothers browsing the shelves, stocking up on books, and then getting a popsicle from the neighbouring corner store (if we were lucky).

Recently I’ve noticed ads popping up on the TTC for the Toronto Public Library’s TD Summer Reading Club. I can remember participating in an earlier version of the program when I was a kid (a construction paper cut-out with my name up on the bulletin board in the children’s section seems to ring a bell). Browsing the program’s site (http://tdsrc.torontopubliclibrary.ca/) makes me realize how the internet has changed the way that kids across the city access the library’s services. The theme this summer is “Lost Worlds” and kids can submit the titles of the books they’ve read, and post reviews for ones they’ve loved or hated. Just a few days into summer vacation and there’s already quite a bit of action on the site—and 483 books read-to-date. It’s one big virtual bulletin board for kids across the city to share their picks for the summer. A little different than the summer reading club I remember, but still lots of fun. And if it gets kids reading, what could be better than that?

Kate Edwards

Debut novelist lands six-figure U.K. deal

The Quill & Quire reports that Toronto resident Sean Dixon's debut novel, "The Girls Who Saw Everything" has just been purchased by HarperCollins U.K. as part of a two-book, six-figure deal.

Oh. My. Allah. How awesome is that?

Sean is known mostly as an actor and a playwright, and I know him as a teacher (he taught at The National Theatre School of Canada). He dramaturged by friend Ryan Griffith's graduating production "Drift" and the resulting play was lovely and sad and full of heart. I'm currently in the process of writing a play called "K" about a young girl lost in a terrible, wonderful place, full of magic and knights and demons and all that jazz, and my dramaturg recommended I read Sean's play "The End of the World Romance" to get a sense of what a fairy tale for adults should sound like.

I read it. It was lovely.

I just wanted to use this space to congratulate Sean for making it happen! For writing what he wants and being rewarded for it.

He gives us young writers hope :).


Jason Maghanoy

Book Expo: A collection of thoughts.

I collected a lot of business cards at Book Expo.

Clive Barker was there. He is a very famous writer. He wrote a series of books that were later turned into the Hellraiser series of horror films that traumatized me in my youth. It was nice to see him.

There were a lot of free books. I didn't really want any of them. Well...

There was one book on display that I wanted, The Tudors: Collection of Screenplays. The Tudors is a great series on Showtime about Henry the VIII that stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I read the first few pages of the book and I just had to have it. The writing was sexy and alive and crackling with wit. To get the book I sort of stalked it all day... seriously... just sort of hung around the Simon and Schuster exhibit like one of those creepy guys you read about. Did it work? Well. I went up to who I thought was the friendliest person at Simon and Schuster and asked if I could take it (even though I wasn't allowed). The friendly old man said yes. He had a copy in his car. He could just use that one for the display. He handed me the book and I was happy. I've already read the whole thing.

I ran into an old friend of mine from high school whom I haven't seen in years. She was sitting by the Scholastic Exhibit. We made eye contact, and I wasn't sure it was her. But then when she said my name and started hugging me I assumed it was her... because who would do that to a stranger?

Her name is Katherine. We worked in theatre together. We also went to Prom together. I have this picture of us bowling after prom (at 3am). I am wearing a wife beater and she is wearing a really nice red dress. We looked like the best couple ever... even though we've never dated. She now works at Stratford. She was at Book Expo through The World's Biggest Bookstore (where she used to work). We talked for an hour (while I was supposed to be looking for boxes to pack our exhibitor table at the end of the day). She is doing well. She looks exactly the same. I wonder if she thought the same thing about me?

She did say that I seemed happy.

Which was nice to hear.

Because everyone wants to appear happy.

My first Book Expo was a great experience. Already looking forward to next year.

Jason Maghanoy

Gotta Love LuminaTO!

I saw a really great show at the Factory Theatre last night called "Tough." It's part of this thing the Factory is doing called "The Walker Project," which is part of LuminaTO. The piece, written by Canadian Playwright George F. Walker and directed by Ken Gass, had a ton of energy, some really innovative staging, and a strong, young cast that really brought Walker's work into a fuller relief.

What I loved about the show was that it was all about "transformation:" the Factory Studio was transformed into a long rectangle, and the audience sat around it; while the ethnically diverse ensemble cast all interchanged with each other, with 11 actors playing the three hander and bringing their own personalities and interpretations to the characters as they rotated from scene to scene.

The play was a great example of what theatre could be in Toronto: Sharp. Imaginative. Relevant.

SEE IT!

Jason

PS
I'm off to Book Expo this weekend. Pretty excited. I'm gonna try and bring my manuscript and like... drop it on the floor or something... hopefully one of the big publishers will pick it up.

Not likely :).

The Word On The Street and Disapora Dialogues

If you didn't know, The Word On The Street is going to be teaming up with Diaspora Dialogues this year, as part of Nuit Blanche. Let's just say it's going to be a multi-media extravaganza with words and images and drawing all crashing together. I'm pretty excited about this partnership because I've worked with Diaspora Dialogues before - they've been a major sponsor of the CrossCurrents New Play Festival at the Factory Theatre (which I've done the past two years). I love that they're trying to bring ethnically diverse stories and story-tellers to the forefront, and showcase the dynamic, multi-cultural tapestry of Canada.

What's more Canadian than that?

They've recently teamed up with PEN Canada in something called: "The Taxi Project."

What happens when you pair up 7 of Toronto’s top artists with 7 outstanding writers in exile, give them 7 hours to develop a 7 minute presentation based on a theme revealed that day? You get the TAXI Stand Jam – an exciting evening of performance, music, theatre, writing, and surprises presented by PEN Canada and the Art for Real Change (ARC) Collective.

The featured artists are legendary Dumbek player Suleiman Warwar; award-winning dub poet d’bi.young; creator of the RED Festival and multidisciplinary artist Lisa Pijuan-Nomura; multi-disciplinary Metis performing artist Jani Lauzon; the soulful tunes of Rosina Kazi from Lal; visionary dancer BaKari Lindsay and Sudanese-Canadian musical genius Waleed Abdulhamid.

The featured writers in exile are Sheng Xue, Benjamín Santamaría Ochoa, Genc Tirana, Martha Kumsa, Tahir Aslam Gora, Emma Beltrán and Reza Baraheni.

The Jam will be hosted by spoken word artist Naila Keleta Mae.

It takes place on Tuesday, June 5th, 2007 at 8pm, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander Street (south of Wellesley at Yonge)

$10 suggested admission at the door

All welcome. Bring your imagination.

For more information please contact Anjula Gogia at agogia@pencanada.ca or 416.703.8448 x23 or visit www.pencanada.ca

I urge you guys to check it out. I think it's gonna be pretty special.

Jason Maghanoy

A big splash on the other side of the pond

A series of articles recently released have revealed that Canadian literature is receiving a great deal of admiration and attention overseas. Industry mag, the Quill and Quire has reported that poet Ken Babstock, (whose most recent book of poems Airstream Land Yacht was featured at The Word On The Street in 2006,) has been invited to a poetry festival in Berlin. Invited as well are eleven other poets including Paul Vermeersch, Tim Lilburn, Suzanne Buffam, Karen Solie, and six francophone poets. The delegates will participate in a workshop with 12 German poets, in which they will do translations of each other’s poems with the help of prepared word-for-word literal translations and interpreters. The translations will later be published in a trilingual anthology.

Reported recently in the Toronto Star, for the first time in its history, the Budapest Book Festival has shone a spotlight on Canada and Canadian literature. No non-European country has been featured previously in the event's 14-year history. Six Canadian authors, among them Anna Porter, Joseph Boyden and Sharon Pollock, travelled across the Atlantic to be present for the launch of Hungarian translations of their work. Alice Munro, was also invited but declined the invitation to visit Hungary for the launch of Csend, vetkek, szenvedely, the Hungarian version of her story collection Runaway.

Now is as great a time as ever to visit your local bookstore and pick up something one of your fellow Canadians has written recently. Every year, hundreds of Canadian works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays go into print adding more and more volume to the voice of Canadian literature. Make this year yours to celebrate Canadian literature.

source and source

Raw Shark is Delicious!

Following up on a post from a few weeks ago, here's more on the Raw Shark Texts.

Last night a couple of us from the office decided to head down to the Raw Shark Texts launch at the SPIN Gallery -- what a show! The gallery is a really great space, big and bright, very malleable, and had enough room for the HarperCollins team to assemble a mock-up of the boat 'The Orpheus' featured briefly in the book.

HarperCollins also treated the assembled booklovers to a special book-bonus: 'In every country except Canada," said author Steven Hall, "the book starts on page 3. However, in Canada the story begins on page -22." The publisher created only 100 copies of a special Chapter 0 only available in Canada that starts the story even earlier than Hall had originally anticipated.

Hall was a lovely man to speak with, in turns both proud of his books success and flattered by the out-pouring of admiration by the books' (and the publicity campaigns') fans. All in all, a fantastic evening, supported by Pages This Is Not a Reading Series.

You Can Make it BIG!

Great news for all those Torontonians who typically burst at the seams with ideas: there's a new event in Toronto perfect for spilling your idea guts out to. Except instead of getting the rolled eyes and you-must-be-nuts stares from your fellow TTC riders, creative folks can all convene in a single time and place to pitch their ideas to real, actual industry professionals.

iCan Pitch invites well-respected members of the film and television community to participate in this unique event, designed to offer writers and ‘creative types' the chance to pitch their fresh ideas in a fast paced, exciting environment. It's an ideal opportunity for the power brokers in the film and television industry to find a “diamond in the rough”, and to help shape the lives and careers of many talented, aspiring Canadian writers.

Word from event organizers is that last year's debut event sold-out uber-quickly and was incredibly successful. Aside from pitching your ideas to industry professionals, the event gives you a chance to network with other folks just like you and attend useful and inspiring workshops to refine your craft and your pitch.

Writing about Writing about Writing

It's great to read and read and read, but if you're a writer, eventually you'll have to stop reading (and become, dare I say, 'aliterate'?) and start writing. Before that happens though, and most especially if this is the first time it's happening, you'll want to read this first.

In a SlushPile.net article unpacking the book, Scott McKenzie, says that the ocean of DIY writing is full of garbage reference books, and in contrast to that, Mosley really seems to know what he's talking about.

But Mosley's book is neither the first nor the last place any aspiring writer should look to. In the city of Toronto there are dozens of writers organizations who will gladly share their experiences and expertise in the writing life, and be equally glad to hear your version of things too. How fortunate for readers of Read. Write. Think! that our all-new website, coming this April, will have a directory of support for writers!

95.8% -- No Surprise To Us

An interesting study was recently released about the reading habits of Canadians -- here are some highlights:

• 86.7% of the population 15 or older read a newspaper (22.6 million Canadians);
• 78.2% read a magazine (20.4 million Canadians);
• 66.6% read at least one book (17.4 million Canadians);
• a total of 95.8% read at least one of these items (25.0 million Canadians); and
• 52.5% read a newspaper, a magazine and a book in 2005 (13.7 million Canadians).

• 42.6% of the population 15 or older read a magazine at least once a week (11.1 million
Canadians)

• 40% of the population 15 or older read at least one book each month (i.e. 10.5 million Canadians read at least 12 books during the year)

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