From Yan Liang: Ai Weiwei's Disappearance
After 60 years of absolute power, the Chinese Communist Party is more fragile than the world thinks – and has trouble dealing with any criticism or challenge, especially from its own people.
From Tom Ložar: How to learn Italian
What was it Christ said? Unless you be like little children, you cannot be great poets.
From Judith Fitzgerald: April Is the Coolest Month, or, GO HABS GO!!!™
The real poetry happening on this continent? The playoffs.
The Quebec e-opportunity?
Quebecers are less than excited by le livre numérique.
Accelerating change in the book world
"The change from print-books to e-books is happening even faster than Heather predicts." -- Bruce Batchelor
Opening Night in Quebec City
Looking forward to getting together with the other festival participants: Todd Denault, Sheree Fitch, Paul Kropp, Rabindranath Maharaj, Andrew Potter, Ami Sands Brodoff, Claire Holden Rothman, Alexander MacLeod, Nigel Thomas, Charles H. Mountford and John Whitt.
Becoming a writer in the digital age
Some writers will choose not to self-publish. They may prefer not to spend the time it takes to edit, publish, market and sell their own work. But if they do wish to self-publish, it is now possible to do so without losing face and without losing money. That’s the game changer.
Brave New (Book) World: New York publishing guru Mike Shatzkin in Montreal
"We are living through an extraordinarily dynamic period of change
from which no one will escape unscathed." -- Mike Shatzkin
From Yan Liang: The Terracotta Warriors Go West
“The First Emperor could never have dreamed that 2200 years later, his terracotta soldiers would travel to almost every corner of the world, while he still rests in his mysterious underground palace.”
From Margaret O'Brien: John Vaillant's The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival
The Tiger is a Poe-like thriller, an analysis of post-perestroika economic disintegration (with plenty of black humour included), a treatise on biodiversity, an overview of paleoanthropology, and a completely absorbing read. But its essence is an intricate and measured plea for humans to understand and value our co-existence with the natural world.