Whimsy in Granite: Hope Cemetery
18 May 2011
THERE IS NO ROOM
FOR SECOND PLACE.
THERE'S ONLY ONE PLACE,
AND THAT'S FIRST PLACE.
-- Inscription on Davis soccer ball gravestone, Hope Cemetery, Barre VT.
Detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei appears to be tense. No kidding.
17 May 2011
The artist Ai Weiwei, who has not been seen since he was apprehended by Chinese authorities on April 3, 2011, has been permitted a visit by his wife, the artist Lu Qing.
Bravo to CALQ on its Forum on Quebec writing -- with an aside
13 May 2011
I find myself wondering if there might be a storytelling session for children in English one of these days -- an Heure du conte en anglais. All of which is reason to be encouraged by the organization of the Forum itself -- and by the evident care taken to be inclusive.
From Kenneth Radu: Stepping Out of Line - An Appreciation of the Poetry of Susan Gillis
12 May 2011
In these poems there’s much ado about walking and climbing, using one’s legs in muck and water, and leaving behind one’s footprint in the sand. We can take the walk to mean an entire poetic apprehension of the poet’s experience in the world. Yes, I quite like that.
From Kim McKenzie Galvez: On Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei
11 May 2011
Bringing the art world together to condemn Ai Weiwei's disappearance.
From Kenneth Radu: Comment on Writing in the Time of Nationalism
10 May 2011
"Written in a gracefully accessible prose and enlivened by a wry wit, unaffectedly modest but confident in tone, alert to resentments and undercurrents, on this subject which she knows so intimately and thoroughly, Leith’s book is a necessary read. Besides, I am indexed. And one feels one has arrived when one has been indexed." -- Kenneth Radu
The Future of Quebec Writing documents, news
6 May 2011
For those who cannot be there, and for those who can.
The Future of Quebec Writing
5 May 2011
Weekend Forum on Quebec writing at the Grande Bibliothèque.
Publishers' Weekly Publisher Cevin Bryerman in Montreal
4 May 2011
“The world is changing, and we’re trying to change with it.”
The book industry needs to get its act together: Petition to boycott HarperCollins
4 May 2011
Pitched battles between publishers and librarians are not going to help anyone survive the digital revolution.
The courage to speak truth against the lies of tyrants
21 April 2011
I have to speak for the generations who don’t have any way to speak out. Before they speak out the first sentence, they are crushed. I also have to speak out for the people around me who are afraid… So I want to set an example: You can do it. And this is OK, to speak out. -- Ai Weiwei
From Yan Liang: Ai Weiwei's Disappearance
19 April 2011
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
18 April 2011
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!!!™
16 April 2011
The real poetry happening on this continent? The playoffs.
The Quebec e-opportunity?
16 April 2011
Quebecers are less than excited by le livre numérique.
Accelerating change in the book world
12 April 2011
"The change from print-books to e-books is happening even faster than Heather predicts." -- Bruce Batchelor
Opening Night in Quebec City
11 April 2011
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
7 April 2011
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
5 April 2011
"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
3 April 2011
“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
2 April 2011
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.
