Reading at the Rivoli on November 13 at the launch of Shane Joseph’s and Brian Mullally’s new books was a lot of fun. Black Art Entertainment and Shane opened the evening with themed music about writing and writers. Shane’s songs were a pleasant surprise-I hadn’t known he was an excellent songwriter, guitarist and performer as well as a writer. Everyone was feeling relaxed and mellow for Brian’s first reading from A Patch of Blue. I followed as guest reader with poems from The Risks of Remembrance and then Shane read from The Ulysses Man. A second set and then thank you’s from Sarah, publisher of Blue Denim Press, wrapped up an interesting and enjoyable evening. I am halfway through both books – it’s a habit of mine to have several books on the go at one time – and like what I’m reading.
On December 4 my friend Marilyn Luciano drove us out to Mississauga and found our way to the Courtney Park Branch of the library to read at a fund-raising tribute for P.K.Page sponsored by the League of Canadian Poets and organized by Anna Yin. Featured poets were Richard Greene, Elana Wolff, Allan Briesmaster and Honey Novick. After intermission there were 8 other readers, including an eleven year old girl who read a charming poem. I read PK Page’s “On a Far Shore”, a glosa from her book Coal and Roses, and “Call and Response, Two Voices”, from “Norway Poems” in The Risks of Remembrance. I hadn’t been to Mississauga for many years. I knew that it had long been a city but was taken aback by the size of it and the huge, dark, bulky apartment towers, cities in themselves, surrounded by highways and speeding cars. Where do people go for a walk?
The year’s events wound up (for me) with a surprise, an invitation to the launch of Linda Stitt’s new book With a Will, at the Portobello Restaurant and Bar on Bay St. As well as hearing music and song from various performers, and excerpts from Linda’s book, she generously gave the floor to other writers. I read the wonderful “Address at Simon Fraser” from The Essential P.K.Page, poems selected by Arlene Lampert and Thea Gray, and my poem, “For the Time Being” from Shadows Light. Having “rejoined the writing world” (her words) my friend Diz Altshul read her poem, “I am a Survivor” and a prose piece about the travails of parenthood. A lively afternoon is immortalized in many photos taken by Linda’s daughter Paula which you can see on Linda’s web page. Linda plans a monthly reading series at the Portobello. I am honoured to be invited as a guest poet on February 5th and a featured poet on March 4th—more news about these dates will be on my events page.
Thankfully fading from memory in the leading-up-to-Christmas hustle and bustle is 4 weeks of computer hell transitioning from an 8 year old IMac to a new Mac Mini with stand alone screen. Recalcitrant data migration and a faulty operating system (ingeniously discovered by Lars at Beach Mac) meant weeks of frustration. My dear old iMac is still with me, and will go to the island this summer for my annual 12 week writing marathon. I have never found another computer with a flexible, writer friendly screen that moves in all directions and is a boon to tired neck and shoulders. My daughter Hilary tells me there are monitor arms out there that I could use with the new screen. Meanwhile, 8 years between upgrades means a steep learning curve and I’m still finding my way in the new program.
Having just celebrated the usual riotous family Christmas, I look forward to a peaceful January to tackle a couple of writing projects which have been too long on the back burner. Then the reading circuit begins at the Portobello on February 4 and, on February 12, at the Draft Reading Series where I will be reading excerpts rom my as yet unpublished book, We All Become Stories.
Best wishes to everyone for a happy and creative new year — and especially to the indefatigable John Parry whose editorial skills make writing revisions almost pleasurable!