Category Archives: Reading

Readings Made Simple: A workshop with Andrew J Borokowski

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Last month I attended the Readings Made Simple workshop hosted jointly by The Writers Union of Canada and Diaspora Dialogues and led by Andrew J Borokowski. The event was a fun one, held in four parts:

  1. Andrew asking us about our public reading experience and sharing insights from his own experience
  2. An opportunity for us to read our work in a circle and get feedback
  3. A brief break followed by general stage/mic set up information and stretching
  4. An opportunity for us to read our work on stage through a mic

The workshop was insightful – an afternoon well spent. Key takeaways from the event for me included the following pointers from Andrew:

  • “The challenge [with readings] can be how to get the poet out of the way – to let the words sing themselves” (so true!)
  • A reading is intended to convey the gist or flavour of a story, chapter, or book, and hopefully encourage your audience to buy what you are reading. As a result, material needs to be…
    • Introduced (think about how you will do this/think about your introduction in advance)
    • Bridged (if you are reading from separate sections of the work)
    • Relative (think of how separate components of the reading relate to one another)
  • Control your gestures. Let your voice speak. Deliver your reading with honesty and conviction and “lift it up” (look up at the audience to bring your work to life)
  • If you’re extra nervous, invite a friend to be part of the audience and tell them the story
  • Ultimately “it’s telling the story, not giving a reading“

My absolute favourite part of the workshop: the gentle reminder that readings are often central to an author’s promotional strategy and, though many authors may dread the public speaking aspect of it, the reading is not about the author – it’s about the work.

Thanks to Andrew, TWUC and DD for hosting a great event!

Cappuccino at the Supermarket

Recap: Inanna Publications Spring Book Launch No. 2

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Every cry in the vortex
Is the search for terra firma

Every repetition the desire
For new earth, as it were

A firmer future, a newer here;
Sand castles that do not disappear

– travel tips by Adebe DeRango-Adem

 

Yesterday I attended Inanna Publications Spring Book Launch No. 2. The event was to launch four books – all of which I would recommend:

  • Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Donna Decker
    A novel about the imagined lives of three women as they approach the date of the Montreal Massacre
  • Terra Incognita by Adebe DeRango-Adem
    A collection of poems that “explore various racial discourses and interracial crossings buried in history’s grand narratives”
  • Moments of Joy by Cecilia Frey
    A novel that explores how a dysfunctional family comes to terms with “the capricious workings of fate and the human heart” as the patriarch of a family dies of cancer
  • A Hero by Charlotte Mendel
    A novel that entwines the stories of a state war with familial conflict

I must admit that I have never before felt like more of a country mouse than I did at the beginning of Wednesday evening. I left work early for the almost-two-hour drive to the city, tried my best to find parking, and then hunted up some dinner. I know all of this together doesn’t sound like it should be such an ordeal, but I was particularly mortified when I entered a small cafe and ordered “anything on the menu with meat,” only to be told I was in a vegan establishment (surrounded on all four corners by other vegan/vegetarian establishments) – a far cry from the selection of Swiss Chalet/Harveys/Pizza Hut that I am used to in my town. It’s not that I am opposed to vegan food – I quite enjoyed my vegan pizza – but it did hit home how out-of-my-element I was.

Let’s be honest – I’m a writer. My element is being alone, in a quiet room, with a notebook for company. I’m not always the best at meeting new people, networking, or being in social situations in general, which is maybe why it’s been so many months since the last book launch I attended. BUT… when the readings started…

I was enthralled. Taken in by the dry humour of Cecilia Frey, the passion of Charlotte Mendel, the intensity of Donna Decker, and sheer poetry of Adebe DeRango-Adem.

There’s something to say about getting out of your comfort zone, only to find it again. I might like being alone, but I also like to hear beautiful, beautiful writing just as much. I was able to find the latter at Inanna’s second book launch event. And, at the end of the night, I left feeling rejuvenated – the part of me that maybe doesn’t get out that often refreshed, ready to move about my day-to-day life again.

I left the event remembering that writing is my way of searching for terra firma – to find new earth. And sometimes, when I’m lucky, I do.

Inanna Publications Spring Book Launch No. 2 Event Info

Inanna Publications Toronto Spring Book Launch No.2

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Inanna Publications Spring Book Launch No. 2 Event Info

Inanna Publications Spring Book Launch No. 2 Event Info

Next Wednesday, May 27, I will be attending Inanna Publications Second Spring Book Launch featuring readings by Donna Decker, Adebe DeRango-Adem, Cecilia Frey and Charlotte Mendel. The free event is being held in Supermarket in Kensington Market (268 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON).

Since moving further up north, I haven’t been out and about in Toronto as much as I used to be, and I’m really looking forward to this event. It will be even better with a few familiar faces around to catch up with, so I encourage all my writing, arts, and literary pals to come out and attend 🙂

Speaking of Inanna and book launches, I may have some exciting news to share in a little while. But, until then, all I can say is… stay tuned and I hope to see you all there!

52 Book Challenge Follow Up

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Ever since posting about it on YorkScene, a few people have asked me how my 52 Book Challenge  has been going.

I have a confession to make: Even after two years of participating in the 52 Book Challenge and publicly proclaiming my continued dedication to it in 2011… This year, I have read a total of 0 books.

How is it possible that I haven’t finished reading a single book in the past 3 months?

I have nothing to defend myself with except to say that life kind of just happened this year. In addition to a full-time day job, I am also enrolled in a post-grad course working towards my CAPM, and am enrolled in the Humber School for Writer’s Correspondence Course in Creative Writing. The day job takes up a good chunk of my time (at least 8 hours, of course), and when I come home at night my choice is to either complete Project Management or Creative Writing homework. Often I choose to do Project Management work because I feel guilty not acing something that could so benefit my career. As for reading, it takes the back burner because I feel foolish putting something so “impractical” first.

Halfway through February, however, I noticed something odd. I was dissatisfied and grumpy all the time. I couldn’t figure out why, except that I hardly had time to meet my deadlines, spend with my family and friends and, most frustrating of all, to read. Yet again, passion fell prey to practicality.

The practical matters of life seemed to choke out all sense of creativity. By the end of the day, after pushing paper and numbers and numerous cups of coffee, the urge to write was gone. It’s hard to justify giving time to creativity and books when other “more important” things are at play.

I realized things had to change. Even if I had a higher pay cheque, or the entire alphabet in certifications after my name, I realized I wouldn’t be happy if I couldn’t confront the awful beast of writing, and I could never relax if I couldn’t ease my mind with books. As a result, I decided to make the effort to read more. And I’m almost close to the end of my first book of 2011 (Ilustrado by Miguel Syujco. It really is as masterful as everyone says it is!).

How have your reading challenges been going? And how do you make time in your life for the things you love? Does creativity or passion ever take the backseat to the everyday and, if so, how do you find a balance? Give me tips, please. I’m still trying to navigate the fine line between art and real life.

Book Launch: Farzana Doctor’s Six Metres of Pavement

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What happens when you make the biggest mistake of your life? Farzana Doctor’s newest book, Six Meters of Pavement, deals with questions of regret and redemption in the story of a father who accidentally kills his baby daughter by forgetting her in the backseat of his car.

Early in March, the Toronto-based This is Not a Reading Series hosted the book launch for Farzana Doctor’s latest book, offering a night of good conversation, storytelling and music at the Gladstone Hotel. To read more about my night at the Gladstone, check out my Live in Limbo article here.

 

Shop Spotlight: Heroes World

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In light of my previous post about nice places, the Markham-based comics and games store, Heroes World, is a really, really nice place. You may have heard me mention Heroes World before – I only have good things to say about it – but it was a real pleasure for me to write a full-length feature on the store, which appeared on the home page of CGMonthly.com.

To hear more about this comics and games shop and the role it plays in the Markham community, check it out. If you live in Markham, Heroes World is your best bet on finding the comic or obscure game of your choice. This place single-handedly provided for my game board addiction and recommended half the awesome comics I’ve reviewed. Hopefully they can do the same for you!

 

The Central: A love story, Or Skullkickers: A review

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Months and months ago, I attended the launch of Jim Zubkavich’s Skullkickers, Issue 1. Taking place on September 22, I hopped over to the Beguiling for my first time ever before heading to the Central for the launch and some drinks.

To be honest, I felt quite lost in the Beguiling. If you’ve never been, it’s a small comic book shop spanning the height of a two-story building. With narrow paths through packed shelves, I felt bewildered and out of place in a shop where everyone seemed to know each other’s names. As someone who’s just a tad (#understatement) socially awkward and naturally reclusive, I kind of wanted to go home. No doubt the Central would also be chock full of friends and family. Attending the launch would practically be like crashing a party! But I had travelled all the way and had agreed to meet an old co-worker next door, so I headed over (quite reluctantly, I’ll admit).

When all was said and done, I’m glad I went. It was fun seeing a friend and meeting old acquaintances. Even more, it was nice to meet the author and hear him talk about his comic journey and creation.

A month later I drafted up a review and sent it over to C&G Monthly, where it now appears here!

I know this coverage is coming 5 months late, but I wanted to give special tribute to Skullkickers and that evening spent at the Central. My acquaintance with that small bar led to many nights spent drinking apricot beer to the slow jams the venue plays after midnight, and attending other events such as the Plasticine Poetry nights held once a month. And those nights led to memorable moments with new and old friends, the rediscovery of long-forgotten music, and the introduction to poets I love and admire, like Jacob Scheier.

Events like those held at the Central – ones that can bring you out of your comfort zone and into something better, newer, and more exciting – serve as breaths of fresh air in an otherwise routine, predictable sort of life.

Wow! Did I digress! The reason why I originally sat down to write this article was so I could post my Skullkickers link. But then again, I set Skullkickers apart because it recalls a moment for me – a place and time I think of fondly. I strongly advise you guys to check out the local arts and culture scene happening in your town.

And for Toronto readers, is there anything coming up that I should check out? I’m looking for another breath of fresh air!

New Graphic Novels on CGMonthly.com

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I recently checked out CGMonthly.com and noticed a whole bunch of reviews I’d written that I’d failed to post about. If you’re looking for your next comic read, maybe you can check out a few of the books featured below:


Looking for something beautifully drawn and deeply touching? Check out Cyril Pedrosa’s Three Shadows – a tale of a father’s struggle to protect his child from three shadowy menaces.

Looking for something psychedelic and mind-bending? Try out Dash Shaw’s Body World, which traverses the plain of what happens when a new drug is found in the middle of suburban paradise.

Looking for something kickass and uber popular? Pick up any of the Scott Pilgrim books, such as Scott Pilgrim’s Infinite Sadness or Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together.

Looking for a coming of age read? Skim by Mariko Tamaki deals with a teenage girl learning about her sexuality.

Looking for a fantastical bildungsroman? Amulet Book 1 by Kazu Kibuishi is the first in a series of an other world adventure.

Looking for a graphic novel that grapples with issues of belief and the afterlife? Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel by is a gripping adventure with a deeper meaning.

Hopefully the above will satisfy your artists’ thirst. Each one is worth a read. Enjoy!

 

52 Books 2010

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Happy New Year everyone! To celebrate the passing of the year, let’s talk books and reading.

In 2009, I started keeping track of the books I read for the 52 Book challenge – a challenge that encouraged people to read a book a week.

Though I’ve always read regularly, it was fun to track my progress. Within my first year of participating, I learned a lot more about why reading was important to me. Furthermore, taking note of books and pages provided me with an added sense of accomplishment akin to those kindergarten days when teachers would add a sticker to your reading worm with each book read. As a result, I took up the challenge again in 2010. Below is a recap of my progress.

# Title Author Pages
1 Fired Up Jayne Ann Krentz 368
2 How We Die: Reflections of Life’s Final Chapter Sherwin B. Nuland 304
3 Elizabeth Costello J.M. Coetzee 224
4 The Fire-Dwellers Margaret Laurence 320
5 The 4-Hour Workweek, Expanded and Updated Timothy Ferriss 416
6 The Line Olga Grushin 336
7 The Stone Angel Margaret Laurence 316
8 The Surrendered Chang-Rae Lee 480
9 Even the Dogs Jon McGregor 208
10 A Thread of Sky: A Novel Deanna Fei 368
11 The Breakwater House Pascal Quiviger 208
12 Big Swim Cary Fagan 128
13 Home is Beyond the Mountains Celia Barker Lottridge 192
14 The Fate of the Artist Eddie Campbell 96
15 Blankets Craig Thompson 592
16 What Becomes Al Kennedy 232
17 February Lisa Moore 320
18 Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness Byran Lee O’Malley 192
19 Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together Bryan Lee O’Malley 216
20 BodyWorld Dash Shaw 384
21 Skim Mariko Tamaki 144
22 AEIOU or An Easy Intimacy Jeffrey Brown 224
23 Three Shadows Cyril Pedrosa 272
24 The Household Guide to Dying Debra Adelaide 352
25 The Adventures of Daniel Boom aka Loud Boy #4 Grow Up David Steinberg 96
26 The Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin 320
27 Good Night, Commander Ahmad Akbarpour 24
28 Young Samurai: Way of the Dragon Chris Bradford 448
29 The Wide-Awake Princess ED Baker 272
30 What Momma Left Me Renee Watson 240
31 No Language is Neutral Dionne Brand 56
32 Alex Rider: Skeleton Key Graphic Novel Anthony Horowitz 176
33 The Retreat David Bergen 328
34 Beanworld Book 1: Wahoolazuma Larry Marder 272
35 The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future Dav Pilkey 176
36 Exit Lines Joan Barfoot 336
37 A Place Within: Rediscovering India M.G. Vassanji 464
38 Children of the Day Sandra Birdsell 416
39 The Uninvited Tim Wynne-Jones 368
40 Beatrice and Virgil Yann Martel 224
41 Ghostopolis Doug Tennapel 272
42 Amulet Book 1: The Stonekeeper Kazu Kibuishi 192
43 Amulet Book 2: The Stonekeeper’s Curse Kazu Kibuishi 224
44 Amulet Book 3: The Cloud Searchers Kazu Kibuishi 208
45 The Lizard Cage Karen Connelly 448
46 Batman: Year 100 Paul Pope 232
47 What They Wanted Donna Morrissey 352
48 Superman: Red Son Mark Millar 160
49 The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1 Robert Kirkman 1,088
50 Angelspeake: How to Talk With Your Angels Barbara Mark, Trudy Griswold 128
51 No Way Back Rick Mofina 480
52 Reading Like a Writer Francine Prose 320
53 Jpod Douglas Coupland 528
54 Gladiator Boy 1: A Hero’s Quest David Grimstone 112
55 Fear the Worst Linwood Barclay 544
56 Ender’s Shadow Orson Scott Card 384
16,780

Hardest Book to Read: The Household Guide to Dying. No offence to the author, but this was the slowest, most uninteresting book I’ve read all year. Trying to finish this book was painful and slow.

Most read author of 2010: Kazu Kibuishi. Thanks to Scholastic, I received the first three books in the Amulet series. I really enjoyed all three, and wrote a review of Amulet Book 1 for C&G Monthly this year.

Most fun book: Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card. I’m definitely not much of a sci-fi fan, but Ender’s Shadow had me hooked. I’m now in the process of reading the rest of the Ender series, and my first book of 2011 was Ender’s Game!

Most beautiful book: Three Shadows by Cyril Pedrosa, which I also reviewed for C&G Monthly.

Perception-altering reads: Reading like a Writer by Francine Prose. I read this book while I was in the midst of a writer’s block dry spell. Francine Prose was the kick in the butt that I needed, infusing me with renewed excitement to write and read.

Most Informational: How We Die by Sherwin B Nuland. I don’t generally enjoy non-fiction, but Nuland’s book was factual while being beautifully written and philosophical enough to keep my attention.

Notable reading: A Thread of Sky by Deanna Fei. I’ve already written two glowing reviews of Fei’s novel, one in the Side Street Review and another on this blog. Check it out!

I’m a tad disappointed that I couldn’t read more books than I read last year, but at least I didn’t read less. Like I realized last year, reading isn’t about the quantity of books that you read anyways, but the quality.

For a more in-depth recap of my year of reading, somewhat similar to my 2009 recap on MiaHerrera.com, check out my blog posts on YorkScene.com and NerdGirlPinups.com.

2011 marks another new year of reading. So far I’ve only read one book – Ender’s Game. I’m pretty hooked on the Ender series. It’s not a bad way to start off another 52 book year! Care to join me for 2011?

Back to School 2011: Humber School for Writers

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As I mentioned earlier, I was rejected for the YRAC grant – the application for which I’d sent simultaneously along with my application to the Humber School for Writers. Shortly after receiving rejection to the YRAC grant, I received acceptance into Humber – an acceptance that was exhilarating in its affirmation that perhaps I wasn’t a tone-deaf writer after all, but also off-putting due to the program’s cost.

Initially, I’d only received preliminary word of my acceptance into the program via e-mail, which gave me time to sit on the offer and think. Sure, acceptance was great, but could I reasonably afford the entire cost of the program at this time? Christmas was coming up along with a slew of family birthdays and celebrations.

I began my vigil at the mailbox again, waiting for my hardcopy response from Humber. Within 2 weeks, I received my acceptance, along with a $1000 Writer’s Trust scholarship!

If acceptance into Humber was thrilling, the scholarship was beyond thrilling –  it was heady and intoxicating . On top of that, with the scholarship, the cost of the program didn’t seem so daunting.

So with all that said and done, I’m happy to say that I’m a January 2011 student of Humber College’s School for Writers – mentee of Sandra Birdsell, award-winning author of Children of the Day.

I’ve already ordered my recommended course books and have started in on some early reading. Even reading one of the recommended texts, Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose, has me itching for more. I absolutely cannot wait to start this January!