October stuff I'm doing

It's been a crazy month. Tons of story writing, lots of writing coaching, Word on the Street at the Mansfield Press table, getting those Mansfield books ready, and more.

I'm involved in a few events coming up this week, in Hamilton and Toronto …

ANIK SEE LAUNCH, WITH GUESTS BARWIN AND ROSS

Friday, October 2
7 - 9 pm
The Staircase Theatre
27 Dundurn St. N
Hamilton

Gary Barwin and Stuart Ross join Anik See for the launch of her new book Postcard and Other Stories.

The reading will feature the three authors reading their short fiction.

SHORT FICTION FOR SHORT ATTENTION SPANS

Tuesday, October 6
7:30pm till late
Victory Cafe
581 Markham Street
Toronto

Coach House Books and Freehand Books are teaming up to launch two great new collections of short fiction: Sentimental Exorcisms by David Derry and postcard and other stories by Anik See.

David and Anik will read from their new books at the Victory Cafe, followed by a musical performance by Sigrun Stella (http://www.myspace.com/sigrunstella1).

The evening's festivities will be hosted by the inimitable Stuart Ross, who knows a thing or two about short fiction himself. And he's going to read a new story.

LIVEWORDS: CHICAGO/TORONTO EDITION


Thursday, October 8
Sage West
924 College Street
Toronto

livewords is pleased to welcome Chicago poets, Richard Huttel and Christine Aument; and Toronto poets: Lillian Necakov, Jeff Latosik and Phoebe Tsang; plus our special guest Stuart Ross.

Christine Aument was born and raised in the Chicago area. A class on finding one’s dream spurred her to pursue writing. Her work has appeared in Blood and Thunder: Musings on the Art of Medicine (The University of Oklahoma College of Medicine), Prairie Light Review: In Medias Res (College of DuPage), as well as several publications of the Bloomingdale (IL) Writer’s Workshop. Her poem “Cold Comfort” took 25th place in Writer’s Digest magazine’s Fourth Annual Poetry Contest. “My poetry correspondence with Richard Huttel keeps me writing when life threatens to take over.”

Chicagoan Richard Huttel was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, USA, in 1954. “I started writing poems in earnest in 1979 to try and make some sense of my life.” Huttel is the author of several chapbooks including Rainy Day Cliffhanger (Proper Tales Press), Bucktown Serenade (e.p. press), and The Be Seeing You Variations (Surrealist Poets’ Gardening Assoc.). “Most of the poems I’ve written in the last few decades have been in the context of correspondences with other poets, most durably Lillian Necakov and Christine Aument."

Jeff Latosik’s work has appeared in magazines and journals across the country. His first book, Tiny, Frantic, Stronger, will be published in the spring by Insomniac Press. The film option is still available. Terrence Malick, if you’re out there, please tacitly agree to do the film by making no response to this message whatsoever.

Lillian Necakov lives in Toronto where she has been writing and publishing for the past 30 years. She is the author of Sickbed of Dogs, Wolsak and Wynn 1989, Polaroids, Coach House Press 1997, Hat Trick, Exile Editions 1998, and The Bone Broker, Mansfield Press 2007. Her work has appeared in numerous anthologies and magazines in the U.S.A., Europe, China and Canada, including Surreal Estate: 13 Canadian Poets Under the Influence, Mercury Press, 2004.

Stuart Ross is a Toronto fiction writer, poet, editor, and creative-writing instructor. He has edited many literary magazines, including Mondo Hunkamooga, Who Torched Rancho Diablo?, Dwarf Puppets on Parade, Peter O’Toole, and Syd & Shirley. His most recent poetry books are I Cut My Finger (Anvil Press) and Dead Cars in Managua. Stuart's newest story collection Buying Cigarettes for the Dog, featuring a heap of stories including "Bouncing," "Me and the Pope," and "So Sue Me, You Talentless Fucker."

Phoebe Tsang was born in Hong Kong, grew up in England and currently resides in Canada. Phoebe’s poetry can be found in the anthologies Garden Variety (Quattro Books) and Not a Muse (Haven Books). Journal credits include Asia Literary Review (Hong Kong), Atlas 02 (UK & India), Brand (UK), and Freefall (Canada). Her chapbooks are Solitaires (Lyrical Myrical Press, 2006) and To Kiss the Ground (Press On! 2007). A professional violinist, she is a multi-genre artist who holds a BSc in Architecture from the University of London.

Over and out.