Robin McGrath On Labrador, Nursery Rhymes, Marbles - And "Annabel"

Robin McGrath is one of Newfoundland and Labrador's most prolific writers, and she's also a scholar of the North. Read a recent interview with McGrath in the Northern Poetry Review, in which she ranges far and  wide and eloquently on various topics.

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Coasting Trade is Rattling Books' audio book edition of Robin McGrath's "performance for three voices." Narrated by Robert Joy, Rick Boland and Anita Best, Coasting Trade is available as an audio CD or an MP3 download.

Canadian Writers On New Copyright Legislation: The Plot Thickens

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Ooops . . . This blog erroneously reported earlier in the week that Richard Cumyn was the Cumyn in the above video. But no, he's Richard Cumyn's brother, Alan, also a writer. (Did their mother read War and Peace during those long months of pregnancy? Attend creative writing classes? Was she frightened twice by runaway bookworms?) Apologies to the Brothers Cumyn - but, you have to admit, the resemblance is strong. (The photo is of Richard Cumyn.)

Anyway, there are at least two Cumyns writing dandy fiction in Canada, but we have only one of them on tap. Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Richard Cumyn's short story "My Future in Insurance," narrated by Charlie Tomlinson. This story is available as a single MP3 download, and it's also part of the EarLit Shorts 3 audiobook collection of short fiction, available as an MP3 download or an MP3 CD.

Joel Thomas Hynes Has New Movie In Works

Author and actor Joel Thomas Hynes is about to become a director. Hynes is currently looking for production money for Clipper Gold, a short film about moose sausages, relationships and tea. If you'd like to contribute to this project, click here. (You could end up on a Hynes motorcycle tour of Newfoundland's Southern Shore, or written into his next manuscript - check it out.)

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Follow this link to listen to excerpts from Rattling Books' audio versions of Joel Thomas Hynes' fiction - short, long and non, available as individual MP3 downloads or MP3 CDs. (Click on the images under the bio.)

CBC's Canada Reads Not Delivering The Real Goods?

According to a recent article in the National Post, CBC's annual Canada Reads - "CBC's annual battle of the books, where five Canadian personalities select the book they think Canadians should read" - may be directing Canadians away from good literature. (Mavis Gallant and Alice Munro were dumped by certain Canadian celebrities one year.) Click here to read a Post contributor's take on Canada Reads.

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Rattling Books thinks Mavis Gallant is just swell, and would never dump her. Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Gallant's Montreal Stories, narrated by Audie-nominated narrator Margot Dionne. Montreal Stories is available as an MP3 download or an MP3 CD.

Freedom To Read Week, February 20 - 26

This week is Freedom to Read Week. Think Canadians are free from the worst excesses of censorship? Click here for a list of some of the books (including Huckleberry Finn and Kevin Major's Hold Fast) and magazines people have recently tried to get banned from our country's libraries and schools. Sometimes successfully.

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Feel free to sample Rattling Books' fine audio productions. Follow this link to listen to excerpts from great poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short fiction and children's literature, available as MP3 downloads and audio or MP3 CDs.

Beverly Akerman: "The Meaning of Children"

Read The Globe and Mail's review of Canadian writer Beverly Akerman's debut collection of short stories, The Meaning of Children.

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An audio version of Beverly Akerman's short story "Tumbalalaika," included in The Meaning of Children, will soon be available from Rattling Books. To listen to excerpts from other works of short fiction by some of Canada's finest authors in the genre, click here. Short fiction from Rattling Books is available as single MP3 downloads, or as audio CD or MP3 CD collections (which can also be downloaded).

Andy Jones And Abbie's Table, St. John's, February 19

Newfoundland actor and writer Andy Jones and the Growing Up, Up In Cove Collective will present a performance based on the Abbie Table at the Eastern Edge Gallery in St. John's on February 19.




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Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Andy Jones' Letters from Uncle Val, narrated by the author. Letters from Uncle Val is available as an audio book CD and an MP3 download.

Michael Winter In The Running For Commonwealth Writers' Prize

Canadian writer Michael Winter's novel The Death of Donna Whalen has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize (Canada and the Caribbean). Follow this link to read about Canada's domination of these awards this year.

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Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Michael Winter's The Big Why, narrated by Robert Joy. The Big Why is available as an MP3 audio book CD or an MP3 download.

Anita Best And The Ballad

Follow this link to read an interview with Newfoundland singer and folklorist Anita Best about the ballad in Newfoundland culture.

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Listen to Anita Best reading the poem "Jesus and His Gashes," from Rattling Books' audio edition of Mary Dalton's Merrybegot, available as an audio book CD or an MP3 download.

Happy Valentine's Day From Rattling Books

Ophelia's Valentine's Song

To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day,
All in the morning betime,
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber- door;
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more.
By Gis and by Saint Charity,
Alack, and fie for shame!
Young men will do't, if they come to't;
By cock, they are to blame.
Quoth she, before you tumbled me,
You promised me to wed.
So would I ha' done, by yonder sun,
An thou hadst not come to my bed.

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Give your love (or yourself, or both) the gift of literature to listen to in honour of the day: download a story or audio book from Rattling Books. Click here to sample our wares.

Valentine's Day 2011: War And Love

Listen to e.e. cummings' poem "My Sweet Old Etcetera," in which the author muses upon war and love.

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Click here to listen to excerpts from some of Canada's finest poets musing upon various things. Rattling Books' poetry audio books are available as audio CDs or MP3 CDs, and MP3 downloads.

Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland And Labrador Celebrates Valentine's Day With Poetry Readings

On Sunday, February 13, the Writers' Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador will be presenting Ain't Poetry Grand 4, a Valentine's eve fundraiser at the Ship Pub in St. John's featuring poetry readings by Michael Crummey, Tom Dawe, Danielle Devereaux, Monica Kidd, Michel Savard and Des Walsh.

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Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Hard Light: 32 Little Stories, a collection of poems by Michael Crummey. Hard Light is available as an audio book CD or an MP3 download.

Kathleen Winter's "Annabel" Wins Indie Literary Award

Kathleen Winter's debut novel, Annabel, has placed first in the literary fiction category of the inaugural Independent Literary Awards. For more information about the Independent Literary Awards, click here.

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Listen to excerpts from Rattling Books' audio editions of Kathleen Winter's short stories "The Destination," (narrated by Merrill Francis), "His Brown Face Through the Flowers" (narrated by Nicola Hawkins) and Sleep, Little Baby" (narrated by Mark Callanan). These stories are available as individual MP3 downloads, and are also featured on EarLit Shorts 1, a collection of short fiction by Winter, Joel Thomas Hynes and Carmelita McGrath.

Rattling Books produces Canadian audiobooks in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Jessica Grant Reads At MUN's Petro-Canada Hall, February 10

Memorial University's current Writer in Residence, Jessica Grant, will be giving a public reading at the Petro-Canada Hall on Thursday, February 10. For more information, follow this link.

Grant's debut novel, Come, Thou Tortoise, won the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Evergreen Award, and was a finalist for the Young Adult Canadian Book Award and a nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.




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Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Jessica Grant's short story "The Princification Process," narrated by the author. This story is available as an individual MP3 download, and is also featured on EarLit Shorts 3, an audio book collection of short fiction.

Russell Wangersky: Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away

Read Russell Wangersky's musings on the relativity of time.

Listen to excerpts from Rattling Books' audio edition of Russell Wangersky's short stories McNally's Fair (narrated by the author) and Echo (narrated by Charlie Tomlinson). These stories are available as individual MP3 downloads, and are also featured on EarLit Shorts 2, an audio collection of short fiction by Wangersky, Prudence Grieve, Catherine Hogan Safer and Claire Wilkshire. EarLit Shorts 2 is available as an MP3 CD or an MP3 download.

Jessica Grant: "Writers Write In A Voice They Can't Speak With"

Read an interview with Jessica Grant, in which she talks about how she got her start as a writer, and discusses her new position as Writer in Residence at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Listen to an excerpt from The Princification Process,"Rattling Books' audio edition of a short story by Jessica Grant, narrated by the author. The Princification Process is available as an individual MP3 download, and is also featured on EarLit Shorts 3, a collection of short fiction by Grant, Richard Cumyn, Steven Heighton, Susan Rendell, Patrick Warner and Emily White.

Richard Cumyn And John Steffler Read At University of New Brunswick, February 7

Richard Cumyn and John Steffler will be reading at the University of New Brunswick, Saint John, on Monday, February 7, as part of the Lorenzo Reading Series. For details, click on the UNB photo.

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Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' audio edition of Richard Cumyn's short story "My Future in Insurance," narrated by Charlie Tomlinson. This story is available as an MP3 download, and it is also featured on EarLit Shorts 3 , an audio book collection of short fiction.

Follow this link to hear an excerpt from Rattling Books' unabridged audio edition of John Steffler's poetry collection The Grey Islands, narrated by the author, Frank Holden, Janis Spence, Deidre Gillard-Rowlings and Darryl Hopkins.

Kathleen Winter On Line: "We Drank Cachaca and Smoked the Green Cheroot"

Click here for Kathleen Winter's on-line journal, We Drank Cachaca and Smoked the Green Cheroot.

Listen to excerpts from Rattling Books' audio editions of Winter's short stories
"The Destination," "His Brown Face Through the Flowers," and "Sleep, Little Baby." These stories are available as individual MP3 downloads. They're also featured on EarLit Shorts 1, a collection of short fiction by Winter, Joel Thomas Hynes and Carmelita McGrath. EarLit Shorts 1 is available as an MP3 audio book CD or an MP3 download.

Rattling Books produces Canadian audiobooks in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Andy Jones As "Uncle Val," Saint John, February 4

Comedian Andy Jones will be presenting Letters from Uncle Val at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John, New Brunswick, on Friday, February 4. (For details, click on the photo.) Uncle Val is a displaced elderly out-harbour gentleman, learning to adjust to life in the suburbs of St. John's, Newfoundland.

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Listen to an excerpt from Rattling Books' unabridged audio edition of Letters from Uncle Val, available as an audio book CD or an MP3 download.

Rattling Books produces Canadian audiobooks in Newfoundland and Labrador.