This week's word of the week over at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English:
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A year of celebration in honour of Capt. Robert Bartlett
From CANADIAN PRESS
July 22, 2008
***
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Famed Newfoundland mariner Capt. Robert Bartlett will be honoured in 2009 with a yearlong provincewide celebration that includes arts programs and travelling exhibitions.
Bartlett, who died in 1946, explored the Arctic throughout the first half of the 20th century.
Next year is the centenary of the famous 1909 Peary polar expedition in which Bartlett played "an essential role," said former Lt.-Gov. Ed Roberts, who chairs the steering committee for the celebration organized by the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Bartlett captained American explorer Robert Peary's ship, the Roosevelt, and commanded the sledge party to within 240 kilometres of the North Pole.
"In an age when Arctic exploration was as novel and pioneering as space travel is today, it was a man from Newfoundland and Labrador who was leading expeditions," said Roberts.
Read the rest of the article, or visit the official Celebrating Bartlett 2009 website.
***
An unabridged audio recording of The Last Voyage of the Karluk, by Capt. Robert Bartlett, narrated by Frank Holden, is available from Rattling Books.
A fictionalized Capt. Bartlett figures prominently in Michael Winter's The Big Why. The Big Why, narrated by Robert Joy, is also available from Rattling Books.
July 22, 2008
***
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Famed Newfoundland mariner Capt. Robert Bartlett will be honoured in 2009 with a yearlong provincewide celebration that includes arts programs and travelling exhibitions.Bartlett, who died in 1946, explored the Arctic throughout the first half of the 20th century.
Next year is the centenary of the famous 1909 Peary polar expedition in which Bartlett played "an essential role," said former Lt.-Gov. Ed Roberts, who chairs the steering committee for the celebration organized by the Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Bartlett captained American explorer Robert Peary's ship, the Roosevelt, and commanded the sledge party to within 240 kilometres of the North Pole.
"In an age when Arctic exploration was as novel and pioneering as space travel is today, it was a man from Newfoundland and Labrador who was leading expeditions," said Roberts.
Read the rest of the article, or visit the official Celebrating Bartlett 2009 website.
***
An unabridged audio recording of The Last Voyage of the Karluk, by Capt. Robert Bartlett, narrated by Frank Holden, is available from Rattling Books.
A fictionalized Capt. Bartlett figures prominently in Michael Winter's The Big Why. The Big Why, narrated by Robert Joy, is also available from Rattling Books.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Feature film based on Joel Thomas Hynes' Down to the Dirt headed for TIFF
Excerpt from JUSTIN BRAKE's piece
in Friday's Telegram
July 18, 2008
***
The works of three Newfoundland and Labrador filmmakers have been recognized by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and are among its 2008 official selections.
Sherry White, Jordan Canning and Justin Simms were ecstatic to learn the films they submitted to the festival were chosen by the selection jury, which announced the Canadian programming at a Tuesday news conference in Toronto.
Simms' debut feature-length film, "Down to the Dirt," an adaptation of Newfoundland author Joel Thomas Hynes' novel of the same title, will be screened as part of the festival's Canada First! series, which focuses on the work of first-time directors as well as those presenting a movie at the festival for the first time.
Hynes stars in the film alongside an all-star cast, including Newfoundlanders Bob Joy, Mary Lewis, Jody Richardson and White (who also shares a co-writing credit for the screenplay). The movie also features the former lead singer of Canadian rock band the Headstones, Hugh Dillon.
Read the rest of the article.
***
Audio books featuring a number of the actors in Justin Simms' film are available from Rattling Books:
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by Joel Hynes, Sherry White, and Jonny Harris
Coasting Trade by Robin McGrath, narrated by Robert Joy, Rick Boland, and Anita Best
The Big Why by Michael Winter, narrated by Robert Joy
Open by Lisa Moore, narrated by Lisa Moore, Holly Hogan, and Mary Lewis
Lure of the Labrador Wild by Dillon Wallace, narrated by Jody Richardson
In the Chambers of the Sea by Susan Rendell, narrated by Anita Best, Deirdre Gillard-Rowlings, Joel Hynes, Susan Rendell, Janet Russell, Janis Spence, Francesca Swann, and Agnes Walsh
in Friday's Telegram
July 18, 2008
***
The works of three Newfoundland and Labrador filmmakers have been recognized by the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and are among its 2008 official selections.
Sherry White, Jordan Canning and Justin Simms were ecstatic to learn the films they submitted to the festival were chosen by the selection jury, which announced the Canadian programming at a Tuesday news conference in Toronto.
Simms' debut feature-length film, "Down to the Dirt," an adaptation of Newfoundland author Joel Thomas Hynes' novel of the same title, will be screened as part of the festival's Canada First! series, which focuses on the work of first-time directors as well as those presenting a movie at the festival for the first time.
Hynes stars in the film alongside an all-star cast, including Newfoundlanders Bob Joy, Mary Lewis, Jody Richardson and White (who also shares a co-writing credit for the screenplay). The movie also features the former lead singer of Canadian rock band the Headstones, Hugh Dillon.
Read the rest of the article.
***
Audio books featuring a number of the actors in Justin Simms' film are available from Rattling Books:
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by Joel Hynes, Sherry White, and Jonny Harris
Coasting Trade by Robin McGrath, narrated by Robert Joy, Rick Boland, and Anita Best
The Big Why by Michael Winter, narrated by Robert Joy
Open by Lisa Moore, narrated by Lisa Moore, Holly Hogan, and Mary Lewis
Lure of the Labrador Wild by Dillon Wallace, narrated by Jody Richardson
In the Chambers of the Sea by Susan Rendell, narrated by Anita Best, Deirdre Gillard-Rowlings, Joel Hynes, Susan Rendell, Janet Russell, Janis Spence, Francesca Swann, and Agnes Walsh
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Figgy Duff reunion article in the Independent
‘Musical miracle’
Figgy Duff’s bi-coastal reunion shows one of this summer’s hottest tickets
By MANDY COOK
Saturday, July 19, 2008
When Noel and Phil Dinn played what would be their very first Figgy Duff gig at an exhibition opening for Gerry Squires at Memorial University’s gallery, they were so green they had yet to choose an official band name. Phil Dinn can’t recall exactly who it was, but a faceless member of the audience that mid-1970s night can claim rights to the now legendary title.
“That was our first concert, it was myself and Noel and this keyboard player, Wayne Smith, and the three of us did this little thing in the corner — it was very low budget,” he laughs over the phone from Halifax.
“Somebody named us Figgy Duff, because of the pudding, because we looked so peculiar in this big gallery and Gerry’s paintings are like mountains, some of them, and some are little tiny things, and here we were against his colours, his ferns, his lighthouses, and somebody named us Figgy Duff. So there you go, it stuck.”
Today Figgy Duff is synonymous with Newfoundland folk-rock royalty. At that time, the young, trailblazing members of the band — along with other local cultural icons like Sandy Morris and Neil Murray — were on a mission to unearth the hidden cache of traditional tunes belonging to the inhabitants of the province’s outports and inject them with the energy of electric guitars.
The band combed the island with tape recorders and Ontario folklorist Kenneth Peacock’s Songs of the Newfoundland Outports in hand. They knocked on the doors of the people listed in the National Museum of Canada’s compilation of traditional Newfoundland folk music.
Approaching the older generation of Newfoundland musicians — people like Emile Benoit, Rufus Guinchard and Minnie White, who performed publicly for the first time in their 60s — with instruments rather than academic notepads yielded different results.
“You could see as you go through (Peacock’s) translations, he just didn’t get what the people were saying … we’d go in and play and break the tension that way, by creating the joyful situation, where the university student was much more reserved, not so much a musician, but somebody looking for a degree in folklore. We’d come in and make the party and all the goodies would flow from that.
”The newest “goodie” comes in the form of Figgy Duff Live: Silver Reunion, the eagerly anticipated recording of the band’s 25th anniversary concert at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s in 1999. The album will be officially launched at the Bella Vista nightclub Aug. 7 (The Ducats will open), followed by a performance at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in Bannerman Park Aug. 10. The band will then travel to the province’s west coast, where artists such as Ron Hynes, Mark Bragg, Anita Best and Des Walsh will perform a tribute show at the Writers at Woody Point festival Aug. 12 and 13. A late night gig and jam will close out the festivities at the Woody Point Legion.
When asked about coming back with a bang, singer Pamela Morgan says play dates began to develop as soon as the final master recording was completed in Oxfordshire, England. Bookings “snowballed” from there, she says, particularly with the unanimous agreement from all band members to get back together to mark the occasion.
Read the rest of this article at the Independent.
Figgy Duff’s bi-coastal reunion shows one of this summer’s hottest tickets
By MANDY COOK
Saturday, July 19, 2008
When Noel and Phil Dinn played what would be their very first Figgy Duff gig at an exhibition opening for Gerry Squires at Memorial University’s gallery, they were so green they had yet to choose an official band name. Phil Dinn can’t recall exactly who it was, but a faceless member of the audience that mid-1970s night can claim rights to the now legendary title.
“That was our first concert, it was myself and Noel and this keyboard player, Wayne Smith, and the three of us did this little thing in the corner — it was very low budget,” he laughs over the phone from Halifax.
“Somebody named us Figgy Duff, because of the pudding, because we looked so peculiar in this big gallery and Gerry’s paintings are like mountains, some of them, and some are little tiny things, and here we were against his colours, his ferns, his lighthouses, and somebody named us Figgy Duff. So there you go, it stuck.”
Today Figgy Duff is synonymous with Newfoundland folk-rock royalty. At that time, the young, trailblazing members of the band — along with other local cultural icons like Sandy Morris and Neil Murray — were on a mission to unearth the hidden cache of traditional tunes belonging to the inhabitants of the province’s outports and inject them with the energy of electric guitars.
The band combed the island with tape recorders and Ontario folklorist Kenneth Peacock’s Songs of the Newfoundland Outports in hand. They knocked on the doors of the people listed in the National Museum of Canada’s compilation of traditional Newfoundland folk music.
Approaching the older generation of Newfoundland musicians — people like Emile Benoit, Rufus Guinchard and Minnie White, who performed publicly for the first time in their 60s — with instruments rather than academic notepads yielded different results.
“You could see as you go through (Peacock’s) translations, he just didn’t get what the people were saying … we’d go in and play and break the tension that way, by creating the joyful situation, where the university student was much more reserved, not so much a musician, but somebody looking for a degree in folklore. We’d come in and make the party and all the goodies would flow from that.
”The newest “goodie” comes in the form of Figgy Duff Live: Silver Reunion, the eagerly anticipated recording of the band’s 25th anniversary concert at the Delta Hotel in St. John’s in 1999. The album will be officially launched at the Bella Vista nightclub Aug. 7 (The Ducats will open), followed by a performance at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in Bannerman Park Aug. 10. The band will then travel to the province’s west coast, where artists such as Ron Hynes, Mark Bragg, Anita Best and Des Walsh will perform a tribute show at the Writers at Woody Point festival Aug. 12 and 13. A late night gig and jam will close out the festivities at the Woody Point Legion.
When asked about coming back with a bang, singer Pamela Morgan says play dates began to develop as soon as the final master recording was completed in Oxfordshire, England. Bookings “snowballed” from there, she says, particularly with the unanimous agreement from all band members to get back together to mark the occasion.
Read the rest of this article at the Independent.
Friday, July 18, 2008
To Dublin With Love airs on Bravo this Sunday at 8 p.m.
An excerpt from JOHN DOYLE's Column
From Friday's Globe and Mail
July 18, 2008
...
To Dublin With Love (Sunday, Bravo!, 8 p.m.) is a documentary about the posse from the March Hare going to Ireland last year. The March Hare is an arts institution in Newfoundland, a travelling assortment of poets, writers and musicians who go from place to place to lighten the burden of the gloom in the grim March days. It being the 20th anniversary last year, the Hare sent a bunch of its stalwart artists to Ireland.
The doc, made by Barbara Doran, is more about the Hare (started by the late poet Al Pittman, who receives much praise) than it is about Ireland. There are very pretty, touristy scenes of Dublin and the Irish landscape. And there is commentary from Des Walsh, Lisa Moore, Michael Crummey and others, but little sense of how the Irish might connect with Newfoundland artists. I can tell you a bit about that. I suggested to my mom and dad that they check out the March Hare in Dublin and they did. Crummey told them how to pronounce "Newfoundland" as Newfoundlanders do, and my father educated Crummey on how to recognize a good pint of Guinness and a poor one. Yes, they connected.
Read the rest of John Doyle's Column.
*********************
Audio recordings by several of the Newfoundland authors featured in To Dublin with Love are available from Rattling Books:
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by Joel Hynes, Sherry White and Jonny Harris
Hard Light: 32 Little Stories by Michael Crummey, narrated by Michael Crummey, Ron Hynes and Deidre Gillard-Rowlings
Open by Lisa Moore, narrated by Lisa Moore, Mary Lewis and Holly Hogan
From Friday's Globe and Mail
July 18, 2008
...
To Dublin With Love (Sunday, Bravo!, 8 p.m.) is a documentary about the posse from the March Hare going to Ireland last year. The March Hare is an arts institution in Newfoundland, a travelling assortment of poets, writers and musicians who go from place to place to lighten the burden of the gloom in the grim March days. It being the 20th anniversary last year, the Hare sent a bunch of its stalwart artists to Ireland.
The doc, made by Barbara Doran, is more about the Hare (started by the late poet Al Pittman, who receives much praise) than it is about Ireland. There are very pretty, touristy scenes of Dublin and the Irish landscape. And there is commentary from Des Walsh, Lisa Moore, Michael Crummey and others, but little sense of how the Irish might connect with Newfoundland artists. I can tell you a bit about that. I suggested to my mom and dad that they check out the March Hare in Dublin and they did. Crummey told them how to pronounce "Newfoundland" as Newfoundlanders do, and my father educated Crummey on how to recognize a good pint of Guinness and a poor one. Yes, they connected.
Read the rest of John Doyle's Column.
*********************
Audio recordings by several of the Newfoundland authors featured in To Dublin with Love are available from Rattling Books:
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by Joel Hynes, Sherry White and Jonny Harris
Hard Light: 32 Little Stories by Michael Crummey, narrated by Michael Crummey, Ron Hynes and Deidre Gillard-Rowlings
Open by Lisa Moore, narrated by Lisa Moore, Mary Lewis and Holly Hogan
Thursday, July 17, 2008
True Romance in the Globe from Michael Winter
True Romance
So she dated my brother. She was still my first love
MICHAEL WINTER
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
July 17, 2008 at 8:45 AM EDT
It started in the new year. We drove to Little Rapids and I shovelled snow off the pond, hungover, and just lay there next to the aluminum shovel and watched her white leather skates flash in the sunlight. This was after my brother parked his truck on blocks, broke up with her and lit out from Newfoundland for Alberta.
In spring I drove Donna down to Bottle Cove and tested the pans of ice, jumping from floe to floe - copying she called it. In summer we kayaked around Shelbert Island in the Humber River without life jackets and had bonfires on the beach at Benoit's Cove and shone the headlights of my father's Toyota on the shore when the capelin rolled in at 2 in the morning.
Read the rest here.
*****************
Michael Winter is the author of The Architects Are Here, The Big Why and This All Happened.
So she dated my brother. She was still my first love
MICHAEL WINTER
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
July 17, 2008 at 8:45 AM EDT
It started in the new year. We drove to Little Rapids and I shovelled snow off the pond, hungover, and just lay there next to the aluminum shovel and watched her white leather skates flash in the sunlight. This was after my brother parked his truck on blocks, broke up with her and lit out from Newfoundland for Alberta.
In spring I drove Donna down to Bottle Cove and tested the pans of ice, jumping from floe to floe - copying she called it. In summer we kayaked around Shelbert Island in the Humber River without life jackets and had bonfires on the beach at Benoit's Cove and shone the headlights of my father's Toyota on the shore when the capelin rolled in at 2 in the morning.
Read the rest here.
*****************
Michael Winter is the author of The Architects Are Here, The Big Why and This All Happened.
An Evening with Uncle Val this Friday night at the LSPU Hall in St. John's
An Evening with Uncle Val
(presented by Andy Jones Productions for one night only!
July 18 at 8pm)
Andy Jones, as Uncle Val, is a hilariously indignant 70-year old retired fisherman, displaced from his outport home. The year is 1987, and Uncle Val is now trapped in the "big city" of St. John's. Homesick, Val struggles to figure out what life has left to offer him. Is there anything of use for a senior citizen in the suburbs to do? Is there any mystery or magic left for him to discover? Will his grandchildren survive an afternoon of his babysitting?
Written by Andy Jones and Michael Jones Sr.
Performed by Andy Jones.
Directed by Lois Brown.
Tickets $15/$12 Available at the LSPU Hall Box Office Ticket information
*********************
Letters from Uncle Val written and performed by Andy Jones is available from Rattling Books.
(presented by Andy Jones Productions for one night only!
July 18 at 8pm)
Andy Jones, as Uncle Val, is a hilariously indignant 70-year old retired fisherman, displaced from his outport home. The year is 1987, and Uncle Val is now trapped in the "big city" of St. John's. Homesick, Val struggles to figure out what life has left to offer him. Is there anything of use for a senior citizen in the suburbs to do? Is there any mystery or magic left for him to discover? Will his grandchildren survive an afternoon of his babysitting?
Written by Andy Jones and Michael Jones Sr.
Performed by Andy Jones.
Directed by Lois Brown.
Tickets $15/$12 Available at the LSPU Hall Box Office Ticket information
*********************
Letters from Uncle Val written and performed by Andy Jones is available from Rattling Books.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Letter from Dillon Wallace of Hubbard's death in Labrador in the New York Times archive, May 24, 1904
HUBBARD'S TERRIBLE DEATH IN LABRADOR; Letter from Dillon Wallace Tells of Starvation.
New York Times
March 24, 1904, Thursday
The first authentic information of the death of Leonidas Hubbard, Jr., the magazine writer, who starved to death in the interior of Labrador in October last, was received in this city yesterday.
Read the rest here.
*****************
The story of Leonidas Hubbard's death was told by Dillon Wallace in Lure of the Labrador Wild. The unabridged audio book edition of Lure of the Labrador Wild, narrated by Jody Richardson is available from Rattling Books.
New York Times
March 24, 1904, Thursday
The first authentic information of the death of Leonidas Hubbard, Jr., the magazine writer, who starved to death in the interior of Labrador in October last, was received in this city yesterday.
Read the rest here.
*****************
The story of Leonidas Hubbard's death was told by Dillon Wallace in Lure of the Labrador Wild. The unabridged audio book edition of Lure of the Labrador Wild, narrated by Jody Richardson is available from Rattling Books.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
A sample of entries for our Cartoon Caption Contest
Here is a selection of captions from the entries we've had thus far for our Razorbill Cartoon Caption Contest:
"I can hear the ocean."
"why the hic does that dumb razorbill keep listening to the march of the penguins?"
"If you're not listening to Rattling Books, you're just takin' up space."
"It's urban white noise...I find it relaxing."
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Independent article on Andy Jones and Mark Bragg's Sound Symposium project Songalogues
Songalogues
Sound Symposium makes for fascinating fusions of music and words; Jones and Bragg reunite
By MANDY COOK
Saturday, July 05, 2008
It’s the start of a summer day and the sun is splintering through the glassed-in atrium of The Fairmont Newfoundland in St. John’s. Despite the early hour, actor Andy Jones and musician Mark Bragg have no problem launching into an impromptu rendition of their music-and-monologue Sound Symposium piece — “Songalogues” — for an Independent photographer.
While Bragg fills the air with his trademark off-kilter piano music, Jones leans over the gleaming top, recounting the tale of Reverend Freep’s Christmas Message in rapid-fire detail.
“‘You give me the money!’ I shouted. ’Tis Christmastime and it’s time for you to pay back. You haven’t got any money?’ I laughed,” Jones bites off, eyebrows knitted severely.
Later, after the photograph has been tended to, Bragg outlines the back story of Reverend Freep and how the so-called Christian brother verbally assails a homeless bum who begs for change. As collaborators for the 14th Sound Symposium — the biennial summertime musical multi-disciplinary extravaganza — it has been the multi-instrumentalist’s challenge to put Jones’ character to music.
As it turns out, the Reverend provided fertile creative fodder.
“I wrote the song Stars Fall for that monologue,” says Bragg. “With Andy’s ideas and imagination, there were terrific characters, and for the song I was able to take images from the events, rhyme them up and let ’er loose.”
For their July 5 performance date at the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John’s, Bragg and Jones will perform two songalogues, each comprised of a monologue and song.
In addition to Reverend Freep, a character based on local ministers featured on CJON television’s Thought of the Day, Jones has written a monologue in response to Bragg’s song, For Rose.
While hesitant to reveal too much before opening night, Bragg does say there are some “sordid” events that transpire throughout the song.
Read the rest here.
*****************
Andy Jones and Mark Bragg will be appearing at the Sound Symposium gala concert tonight (Saturday July 5) at the Arts and Culture Centre.
Sound Symposium makes for fascinating fusions of music and words; Jones and Bragg reunite
By MANDY COOK
Saturday, July 05, 2008
It’s the start of a summer day and the sun is splintering through the glassed-in atrium of The Fairmont Newfoundland in St. John’s. Despite the early hour, actor Andy Jones and musician Mark Bragg have no problem launching into an impromptu rendition of their music-and-monologue Sound Symposium piece — “Songalogues” — for an Independent photographer.
While Bragg fills the air with his trademark off-kilter piano music, Jones leans over the gleaming top, recounting the tale of Reverend Freep’s Christmas Message in rapid-fire detail.
“‘You give me the money!’ I shouted. ’Tis Christmastime and it’s time for you to pay back. You haven’t got any money?’ I laughed,” Jones bites off, eyebrows knitted severely.
Later, after the photograph has been tended to, Bragg outlines the back story of Reverend Freep and how the so-called Christian brother verbally assails a homeless bum who begs for change. As collaborators for the 14th Sound Symposium — the biennial summertime musical multi-disciplinary extravaganza — it has been the multi-instrumentalist’s challenge to put Jones’ character to music.
As it turns out, the Reverend provided fertile creative fodder.
“I wrote the song Stars Fall for that monologue,” says Bragg. “With Andy’s ideas and imagination, there were terrific characters, and for the song I was able to take images from the events, rhyme them up and let ’er loose.”
For their July 5 performance date at the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John’s, Bragg and Jones will perform two songalogues, each comprised of a monologue and song.
In addition to Reverend Freep, a character based on local ministers featured on CJON television’s Thought of the Day, Jones has written a monologue in response to Bragg’s song, For Rose.
While hesitant to reveal too much before opening night, Bragg does say there are some “sordid” events that transpire throughout the song.
Read the rest here.
*****************
Andy Jones and Mark Bragg will be appearing at the Sound Symposium gala concert tonight (Saturday July 5) at the Arts and Culture Centre.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Razorbills are not Penquins
A number of people have mistaken the birds in our Cartoon Caption Contest as penquins. They are in fact Razorbills, the bird on which the Rattling Books logo above is based. Their latin name is Alca torda. Rattling Books is the audio publishing imprint of Alca Productions Inc.
Guess where Alca Productions got its name?!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Rattling Books Razorbill Cartoon Caption Contest
Cartoon Caption Contest
You can enter your caption here as a comment or visit rattlingbooks.com and enter your caption on the "Contact Us" page.
You could win a yaffle of Rattling Books!
This contest will last for the month of July with winners announced early in August.Three Winners will get to pick their prize of 3 Rattling Books titles each.
By entering you agree that Rattling Books may post your entry on our website, blog or facebook pages so that others may also enjoy them.
Razorbill Cartoon by Jennifer Barrett.
Cuslett's Tramore Theatre summer season 2008
TRAMORE PRODUCTIONS INC. is a community-based, non-profit arts organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the unique cultural legacy of the Cape Shore and Placentia Bay area of Newfoundland. For eight seasons our distinctive programming has successfully drawn audiences from the region, the province, and around the world, with each year proving more prosperous than the last.
2008 Summer Season:
July 5th.
Seniors Meet N' Greet/Dance" 9:00-12:00 at the Cuslett Art Center Admission is FREE (BYOB)
July 26th.
'Old Time' ballad singing, storytelling concert and dance. 8:00 P.M. Music by "Route 100"
August 15th. , 16th., 22nd, 23rd.,29th. & 30th.
First View of the Sea- written and directed by Agnes Walsh. Featuring actors-Connie Newhook, Mildred Dohey and Paul Rowe. 8:00 P.M.
Agnes Walsh is the founder and artistic director of Tramore Productions Inc. Born in Placentia, she has worked in professional theatre for over twenty-five years. Her writing has won numerous awards and has taken her on tour across Canada, the United States, Ireland and Portugal. She founded the Tramore Theatre Troupe on the Cape Shore of Placentia Bay, as well as the Bere Island Theatre Troupe in West Cork, Ireland. An award-winning poet and fiction writer, as well as playwright, Ms. Walsh is committed to working in rural Newfoundland and rural Ireland.
Find out more about Tramore Theatre.
************************************
In the Old Country of My Heart by Agnes Walsh is available as an audio book cd or digital download from rattlingbooks.com
2008 Summer Season:
July 5th.
Seniors Meet N' Greet/Dance" 9:00-12:00 at the Cuslett Art Center Admission is FREE (BYOB)
July 26th.
'Old Time' ballad singing, storytelling concert and dance. 8:00 P.M. Music by "Route 100"
August 15th. , 16th., 22nd, 23rd.,29th. & 30th.
First View of the Sea- written and directed by Agnes Walsh. Featuring actors-Connie Newhook, Mildred Dohey and Paul Rowe. 8:00 P.M.
Agnes Walsh is the founder and artistic director of Tramore Productions Inc. Born in Placentia, she has worked in professional theatre for over twenty-five years. Her writing has won numerous awards and has taken her on tour across Canada, the United States, Ireland and Portugal. She founded the Tramore Theatre Troupe on the Cape Shore of Placentia Bay, as well as the Bere Island Theatre Troupe in West Cork, Ireland. An award-winning poet and fiction writer, as well as playwright, Ms. Walsh is committed to working in rural Newfoundland and rural Ireland.
Find out more about Tramore Theatre.
************************************
In the Old Country of My Heart by Agnes Walsh is available as an audio book cd or digital download from rattlingbooks.com
Monday, June 30, 2008
National Post list of Canadian Summer Festivals: Newfoundland section
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Canadian Festivals by the National Post
A feast of festivals this summer
National Post Published: Friday, June 27, 2008
From west to east, here's a roundup of some of this year's biggest fetes:
...
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR• Every year some 50,000 spectators cram into St. John's for the Royal St. John's Regatta (stjohnsregatta.org), the oldest sporting event in North America. This year's race is on Aug. 6 at Quidi Vidi Lake.• Also in St. John's, the George Street Festival (July 31-Aug. 5) features live music every night in the heart of the city• The 14th-annual Sound Symposium (July 3-13, soundsymposium.com) presents an eclectic mix of daily concerts including a must-attend daily Harbour Symphony.• Join a host of authors including Michael Crummey and Paulette Bourgeois at this year's Winterset in Summer Literary Festival on the Eastport Peninsula (Aug. 8-10, wintersetinsummer.ca).• Finally, to partake of some traditional Newfoundland Irish music and culture, get your toes tapping to the Avalon Peninsula and the Southern Shore Shamrock Festival (July 26-27, ssfac.com).
Canadian Festivals by the National Post
A feast of festivals this summer
National Post Published: Friday, June 27, 2008
From west to east, here's a roundup of some of this year's biggest fetes:
...
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR• Every year some 50,000 spectators cram into St. John's for the Royal St. John's Regatta (stjohnsregatta.org), the oldest sporting event in North America. This year's race is on Aug. 6 at Quidi Vidi Lake.• Also in St. John's, the George Street Festival (July 31-Aug. 5) features live music every night in the heart of the city• The 14th-annual Sound Symposium (July 3-13, soundsymposium.com) presents an eclectic mix of daily concerts including a must-attend daily Harbour Symphony.• Join a host of authors including Michael Crummey and Paulette Bourgeois at this year's Winterset in Summer Literary Festival on the Eastport Peninsula (Aug. 8-10, wintersetinsummer.ca).• Finally, to partake of some traditional Newfoundland Irish music and culture, get your toes tapping to the Avalon Peninsula and the Southern Shore Shamrock Festival (July 26-27, ssfac.com).
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Maiden Vein: word of the week at REDEFiNE iT & a poem by Mary Dalton
Maiden Vein
(Poem by Mary Dalton in Merrybegot)
So you’d trick death,
Gallivant out to sail in, jack-easy?
Know the signs; keep a keen eye.
If you’ve a mind to flout storms
And the jaws of fierce weather,
Scan the maiden vein:
Gale or soft breeze –
It’ll prance out at dawn
From where the maiden vein
In the night sky spills its silver.
And you a lamb to the slaughter –
Or king of the harbour.
********************
Maiden Vein is the word of the week over at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English.
The poem Maiden Vein by Mary Dalton is found in her collection entitled Merrybegot. The unabridged audio book edition of Merrybegot is performed by Anita Best and Patrick Boyle and is available from Rattling Books.
(Poem by Mary Dalton in Merrybegot)
So you’d trick death,
Gallivant out to sail in, jack-easy?
Know the signs; keep a keen eye.
If you’ve a mind to flout storms
And the jaws of fierce weather,
Scan the maiden vein:
Gale or soft breeze –
It’ll prance out at dawn
From where the maiden vein
In the night sky spills its silver.
And you a lamb to the slaughter –
Or king of the harbour.
********************
Maiden Vein is the word of the week over at REDEFiNE iT: Dictionary of Newfoundland English.
The poem Maiden Vein by Mary Dalton is found in her collection entitled Merrybegot. The unabridged audio book edition of Merrybegot is performed by Anita Best and Patrick Boyle and is available from Rattling Books.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
The 2008 Northwords Writers' Festival came to a close last Saturday with the De Beers Canada Reading Gala at NACC
Northwords festival a success
Alix McNaughtNorthern News ServicesPublished Friday, June 20, 2008
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The 2008 Northwords Writers' Festival came to a close last Saturday with the De Beers Canada Reading Gala at NACC.
Featured authors Richard Van Camp, Anita Daher, Michael Crummey, Lesley Choyce, Bernice Morgan, Annelies Pool and Jennifer Storm read from their works to cap off the three days of the festival.
Running from June 12 to 14, this was the third annual Northwords Festival, and according to Van Camp, this year's president of the board, it was a great year.
"I think it was a complete success. We packed the Ski Club, we packed Javaroma, and we did great at the NACC. I'm just so proud of everybody," he said.
Authors from Yellowknife, the North and right across Canada attended Northwords, participating in the readings, storytelling, open mics, one-on-one mentorships, panel discussions and workshops.
Read the rest here.
Alix McNaughtNorthern News ServicesPublished Friday, June 20, 2008
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The 2008 Northwords Writers' Festival came to a close last Saturday with the De Beers Canada Reading Gala at NACC.
Featured authors Richard Van Camp, Anita Daher, Michael Crummey, Lesley Choyce, Bernice Morgan, Annelies Pool and Jennifer Storm read from their works to cap off the three days of the festival.
Running from June 12 to 14, this was the third annual Northwords Festival, and according to Van Camp, this year's president of the board, it was a great year.
"I think it was a complete success. We packed the Ski Club, we packed Javaroma, and we did great at the NACC. I'm just so proud of everybody," he said.
Authors from Yellowknife, the North and right across Canada attended Northwords, participating in the readings, storytelling, open mics, one-on-one mentorships, panel discussions and workshops.
Read the rest here.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Justin Brake gives a heads up on The Nickel in The Telegram
Nothing like the Nickel
Film festival attracts entries from home and away
JUSTIN BRAKE Special to The Telegram
The Nickel Independent Film Festival is celebrating its eighth anniversary this year with five days of screenings and a series of workshops for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and the public.The event, which runs June 24-28, will showcase 47 new films from various countries, including England, Spain, Ireland, Japan, Germany and the United States, as well as more than a dozen productions from Newfoundland.
The evening screenings, during which the majority of the films are shown, run from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at LSPU Hall each night during the festival. Two 10:30 p.m. late-night screenings have been incorporated into the schedule to offer horror movie buffs an opportunity to see all the scary flicks in one shot, and to make time for Spanish director Emsi Primo's feature-length drama "My Way."
............
Simms' first feature length film "Down to the Dirt," which features a slew of Newfoundland talent including Joy, Joel Hynes - whose novel inspired the movie - Mary Lewis, Sherry White and Jody Richardson, will be shown at Empire Studio 12 as part of a pre-festival fundraiser event June 23 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $15 at Capitol Video on Military Road.
Read the Rest Here.
Film festival attracts entries from home and away
JUSTIN BRAKE Special to The Telegram
The Nickel Independent Film Festival is celebrating its eighth anniversary this year with five days of screenings and a series of workshops for filmmakers, screenwriters, actors and the public.The event, which runs June 24-28, will showcase 47 new films from various countries, including England, Spain, Ireland, Japan, Germany and the United States, as well as more than a dozen productions from Newfoundland.
The evening screenings, during which the majority of the films are shown, run from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at LSPU Hall each night during the festival. Two 10:30 p.m. late-night screenings have been incorporated into the schedule to offer horror movie buffs an opportunity to see all the scary flicks in one shot, and to make time for Spanish director Emsi Primo's feature-length drama "My Way."
............
Simms' first feature length film "Down to the Dirt," which features a slew of Newfoundland talent including Joy, Joel Hynes - whose novel inspired the movie - Mary Lewis, Sherry White and Jody Richardson, will be shown at Empire Studio 12 as part of a pre-festival fundraiser event June 23 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets are available for $15 at Capitol Video on Military Road.
Read the Rest Here.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Breakwater Books Poetry Party tonight, June 19
As part of the League of Canadian Poets Festival and Conference in St. John's Newfoundland this weekend Breakwater Books is hosting a Poetry Party!
tonight, June 19 , 7 pm
at the Breakwater Office Building, 100 Water Street
wine and words with some of Newfoundland and Labrador's best poets, the evening features Boyd Chubbs, Carmelita McGrath, Christopher Pratt, Tom Dawe, Larry Small and Mary Dalton.
******************
Merrybegot, by Mary Dalton (the unabridged audio book), performed by Anita Best and Patrick Boyle is available from Rattling Books.
tonight, June 19 , 7 pm
at the Breakwater Office Building, 100 Water Street
wine and words with some of Newfoundland and Labrador's best poets, the evening features Boyd Chubbs, Carmelita McGrath, Christopher Pratt, Tom Dawe, Larry Small and Mary Dalton.
******************
Merrybegot, by Mary Dalton (the unabridged audio book), performed by Anita Best and Patrick Boyle is available from Rattling Books.
League of Canadian Poets Poetry Festival and Conference in St. John's Newfoundland starts Friday June 20
League of Canadian Poets
is meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland at the Battery Hotel
June 20 -22
click here for the program
is meeting in St. John's, Newfoundland at the Battery Hotel
June 20 -22
click here for the program
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Comedy Fest starts with An Evening with Uncle Val tonight!
St. John's Comedy Festival opens June 18
with Andy Jones and An Evening with Uncle Val
An Evening with Uncle Val: starring Andy Jones.
Wed, June 18, 2008, 8 PM at BELLA VISTA
Tickets on sale at Mile One Box Office (open 12PM - 5PM daily), by phone at (709) 576-7657, (toll free) at 1 800 361-4595 or online at the following links:
BUY TICKETS NOW
******************
Letters from Uncle Val can also be heard through an audio recording that Andy Jones did with Rattling Books.
Letters from Uncle Val is available as an Audio CD or mp3 Digital Download from rattlingbooks.com.
with Andy Jones and An Evening with Uncle Val
An Evening with Uncle Val: starring Andy Jones.
Wed, June 18, 2008, 8 PM at BELLA VISTA
Tickets on sale at Mile One Box Office (open 12PM - 5PM daily), by phone at (709) 576-7657, (toll free) at 1 800 361-4595 or online at the following links:
BUY TICKETS NOW
******************
Letters from Uncle Val can also be heard through an audio recording that Andy Jones did with Rattling Books.
Letters from Uncle Val is available as an Audio CD or mp3 Digital Download from rattlingbooks.com.
St. John's Comedy Festival features three talents also found at Rattling Books
The St. John's Comedy Festival
From June 18 to 22, twelve of Canada's top comedians will crack ribs in the City of Comic Legends.
get the details here.
Among the Comedy Festival Line up are
Andy Jones,
Robert Joy and
Jonny Harris
who can also be found on the following Rattling Books recordings:
The Big Why by Michael Winter, narrated by Robert Joy
Letters from Uncle Val written and performed by Andy Jones
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by the author, Jonny Harris and Sherry White.
From June 18 to 22, twelve of Canada's top comedians will crack ribs in the City of Comic Legends.
get the details here.
Among the Comedy Festival Line up are
Andy Jones,
Robert Joy and
Jonny Harris
who can also be found on the following Rattling Books recordings:
The Big Why by Michael Winter, narrated by Robert Joy
Letters from Uncle Val written and performed by Andy Jones
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes, narrated by the author, Jonny Harris and Sherry White.
Listen to Talking Books program about Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes online
From the CBC Radio Talking Books podcast site:
May 31/08 - "Down to The Dirt" Down to The Dirt, an award-winning debut novel has just been made into a film starring the author, Joel Thomas Hynes. Ian and his guests tackle the gritty novel.
[mp3 file: runs 26:06]
*********************
Down to the Dirt by Joel Thomas Hynes was also produced as an unabridged audio edition, narrated by the author, Sherry White and Jonny Harris. Available as an MP3 CD or Digital Download from Rattling Books.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
ReLit Awards (very) longlist announced
ReLit Awards (very) longlist announced
June 17, 2008
Author Kenneth J. Harvey has announced the longlist for the eighth annual ReLit Awards, which recognize works published by independent presses. The winners will be announced at an event during the Ottawa International Writers Festival in October.
Short fiction
Up on the Roof by P.K. Page (The Porcupine’s Quill)
The Goldfish Dancer by Patricia Robertson (Biblioasis)
Seven Openings of the Head by Liane Keightley (conundrum press)
What Belongs by F.B. Andre (Ronsdale Press)
The Breakdown So Far by M.A.C. Farrant (Talonbooks)
The Penance Drummer by Lois Braun (Turnstone Press)
Black Rabbit by Salvatore Difalco (Anvil Press)
Bix’s Trumpet by Dave Margoshes (NeWest Press)
Boys by Kathleen Winter (Biblioasis)
In a Mist by Devon Code (Invisible Press)
At the Bottom of the Sea by Peter Dube (DC Books)
Six Ways to Sunday by Christian McPherson (Nightwood Editions)
One Day it Happens by Mary Lou Dickinson (Inanna Publications)
A Feat of Longing by Sarah Klassen (Coteau Books)
Long Story Short by Elyse Friedman (House of Anansi Press)
The Woman Who Walks on Glass by Christiane Frenette (Cormorant Books)
All in Together Girls by Kate Sutherland (Thistledown Press)
Long After Fathers by Roberta Rees (Coteau Books)
Novel
The Reckoning of Boston Jim by Claire Mulligan (Brindle & Glass)
I, Tania by Brian Joseph Davis (ECW Press)
The Outlander by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi Press)
Shelf Monkey by Corey Redekop (ECW Press)
Orphan Love by Nadia Bozak (Key Porter Books)
The Milk Chicken Bomb by Andrew Wedderburn (Coach House Books)
Glass Voices by Carol Bruneau (Cormorant Books)
Macdonald by Roy MacSkimming (Thomas Allen Publishers)
Dirtbags by Teresa McWhirter (Anvil Press)
Homing by Stephanie Domet (Invisible Press)
The Flannigans by M.T. Dohaney (Flanker Press)
The Silent Time by Paul Rowe (Killick Press)
The Convictions of Leonard McKinley by Brendan McLeod (3-Day Books)
A Place of Pretty Flowers by Jerrod Edson (Oberon Press)
Brother Dumb by Sky Gilbert (ECW Press)
Big White Knuckles by Brian Tucker (Vagrant Press)
As Good as Dead by Stan Rogal (Pedlar Press)
Be Good by Stacey May Fowles (Tightrope Books)
Coureurs de Bois by Bruce MacDonald (Cormorant Books)
Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall (Cormorant Books )
The Book of Beasts by Bernice Friesen (Coteau Books)
Where White Horses Gallop by Beatrice MacNeil (Key Porter Books)
Correction Road by Glen Dresser (Oberon Press)
Smuggling Donkeys by David Helwig (The Porcupine’s Quill)
74 Miles Away by J.D. Carpenter (Dundurn Group)
Post by Arley McNeney (Thistledown Press)
White by Rob Mclennan (Mercury Press)
The Skin Beneath by Nairne Holtz (Insomniac Press)
Room Tone by Gale Zoe Garnett (Quattro Press)
Soucouyant by David Chariandy (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Be Wolf by Wayne Tefs (Turnstone Press)
Snow Candy by Terry Carroll (Mercury Press)
Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor (Inanna Publications)
The Housekeeping Journals by Jim Mason (Turnstone Press)
Planet Reese by Cordelia Strube (Dundurn Group)
The Prison Tangram by Claire Huot (Mercury Press)
Crown Shyness by Curtis Gillespie (Brindle & Glass)
The Flush of Victory by Ray Smith (Biblioasis)
Delible by Anne Stone (Insomniac Press)
Pulpy & Midge by Jessica Westhead (Coach House Books)
The Hole Show by Maya Merrick (Conundrum Press)
Poetry
Made Beautiful by Use by Sean Horlor (Signature Editions)
The Bindery by Shane Rhodes (NeWest Press)
Natural Disasters by Andrea MacPherson (Palimpsest Press)
My Mother Agrees with the Dead by Susan Stenson (Wolsak & Wynn)
ths is erth thees ar peopul by bill bissett (Talonbooks)
Falsework by Gary Geddes (Goose Lane Editions)
Vermeer’s Light by George Bowering (Talonbooks)
Going Around with Bachelors by Agnes Walsh (Brick Books)
Full Depth by Micheline Maylor (Wolsak & Wynn)
My Etruscan Face by Gianna Patriarca (Quattro Press)
The Stone Skippers by Ian Burgham (Tightrope Books)
Erratic by Donna Kane (Hagios Press)
Accidental Animals by Michael Trussler (Hagios Press)
The Shovel by Colin Browne (Talonbooks)
Loyalty Management by Glen Downie (Wolsak & Wynn)
All Things Said & Done by Marita Dachsel (Caitlin Press)
Sitcom by David McGimpsey (Coach House Press)
Two Hemispheres by Nadine McInnis (Brick Books)
Selected Portraits by Ron Charach (Wolsak & Wynn)
Thin Moon Psalm by Sheri Benning (Brick Books)
Rental Van by Clint Burnham (Anvil Press)
Muybridge’s Horse by Rob Winger (Nightwood Editions)
High Speed Through Shoaling Water by Tom Wayman (Harbour Publishing)
Songs for the Dancing Chicken by Emily Schultz (ECW Press)
Impersonating Flowers by David Bateman (Frontenac House)
The Discipline of Undressing by K. Louise Vincent (Leaf Press)
Combustion by Lorri Neilsen Glenn (Brick Books)
Quotidian Fever by Endre Farkas (The Muses’ Company)
Domain by Barbara Nickel (House of Anansi Press)
Torch River by Elizabeth Philips (Brick Books)
O, Clytaemnestra! by Judith Fitzgerald (Oberon Press)
Soft Geography by Gillian Wigmore (Caitlin Press)
I Cut My Finger by Stuart Ross (Anvil Press)
Earth’s Crude Gravities by Patrick Friesen (Harbour Publishing)
Adagio for the Pressured Surround by Steven Ross Smith (NeWest Press)
Red Bird by Ian Roy (BuschekBooks)
I’m Not Going to Lie to You by Michael Blouin (Pedlar Press)
Beatitudes by Hermenegilde Chiasson (Goose Lane Editions)
Making Bones Walk by Alex Boyd (Luna Publications)
Cleavage: A Life in Breasts by Marilyn Gear Pilling (Black Moss Press)
The Sweet Fuels by Erin Knight (Goose Lane Editions)
Found by Souvankham Thammavongsa (Pedlar Press)
More to Keep Us Warm by Jacob Scheier (ECW Press)
Woodshedding by S.E. Venart (Brick Books)
Broken Vessel by Harry Thurston (Gaspereau Press)
Old Winter by Anne Le Dressay (Chaudiere Books)
The Love Song of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Sharon McCartney (Nightwood Editions)
The Tablecloth Trick by Rick Crilly (ECW Press)
Last Water Song by Patrick Lane (Harbour Publishing)
AEthel by Donato Mancini (New Star Books)
All Our Wonder Unavenged by Don Domanski (Brick Books)
The Bone Broker by Lillian Necakov (Mansfield Press)
Why Are You So Sad? by David W. McFadden (Insomniac Press)
Last Scattering Surfaces by Gil McElroy (Talonbooks)
Hands Reaching in Water by Gary Hyland (Hagios Press)
Floors of Enduring Beauty by Steve Venright (Mansfield Press)
June 17, 2008
Author Kenneth J. Harvey has announced the longlist for the eighth annual ReLit Awards, which recognize works published by independent presses. The winners will be announced at an event during the Ottawa International Writers Festival in October.
Short fiction
Up on the Roof by P.K. Page (The Porcupine’s Quill)
The Goldfish Dancer by Patricia Robertson (Biblioasis)
Seven Openings of the Head by Liane Keightley (conundrum press)
What Belongs by F.B. Andre (Ronsdale Press)
The Breakdown So Far by M.A.C. Farrant (Talonbooks)
The Penance Drummer by Lois Braun (Turnstone Press)
Black Rabbit by Salvatore Difalco (Anvil Press)
Bix’s Trumpet by Dave Margoshes (NeWest Press)
Boys by Kathleen Winter (Biblioasis)
In a Mist by Devon Code (Invisible Press)
At the Bottom of the Sea by Peter Dube (DC Books)
Six Ways to Sunday by Christian McPherson (Nightwood Editions)
One Day it Happens by Mary Lou Dickinson (Inanna Publications)
A Feat of Longing by Sarah Klassen (Coteau Books)
Long Story Short by Elyse Friedman (House of Anansi Press)
The Woman Who Walks on Glass by Christiane Frenette (Cormorant Books)
All in Together Girls by Kate Sutherland (Thistledown Press)
Long After Fathers by Roberta Rees (Coteau Books)
Novel
The Reckoning of Boston Jim by Claire Mulligan (Brindle & Glass)
I, Tania by Brian Joseph Davis (ECW Press)
The Outlander by Gil Adamson (House of Anansi Press)
Shelf Monkey by Corey Redekop (ECW Press)
Orphan Love by Nadia Bozak (Key Porter Books)
The Milk Chicken Bomb by Andrew Wedderburn (Coach House Books)
Glass Voices by Carol Bruneau (Cormorant Books)
Macdonald by Roy MacSkimming (Thomas Allen Publishers)
Dirtbags by Teresa McWhirter (Anvil Press)
Homing by Stephanie Domet (Invisible Press)
The Flannigans by M.T. Dohaney (Flanker Press)
The Silent Time by Paul Rowe (Killick Press)
The Convictions of Leonard McKinley by Brendan McLeod (3-Day Books)
A Place of Pretty Flowers by Jerrod Edson (Oberon Press)
Brother Dumb by Sky Gilbert (ECW Press)
Big White Knuckles by Brian Tucker (Vagrant Press)
As Good as Dead by Stan Rogal (Pedlar Press)
Be Good by Stacey May Fowles (Tightrope Books)
Coureurs de Bois by Bruce MacDonald (Cormorant Books)
Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall (Cormorant Books )
The Book of Beasts by Bernice Friesen (Coteau Books)
Where White Horses Gallop by Beatrice MacNeil (Key Porter Books)
Correction Road by Glen Dresser (Oberon Press)
Smuggling Donkeys by David Helwig (The Porcupine’s Quill)
74 Miles Away by J.D. Carpenter (Dundurn Group)
Post by Arley McNeney (Thistledown Press)
White by Rob Mclennan (Mercury Press)
The Skin Beneath by Nairne Holtz (Insomniac Press)
Room Tone by Gale Zoe Garnett (Quattro Press)
Soucouyant by David Chariandy (Arsenal Pulp Press)
Be Wolf by Wayne Tefs (Turnstone Press)
Snow Candy by Terry Carroll (Mercury Press)
Stealing Nasreen by Farzana Doctor (Inanna Publications)
The Housekeeping Journals by Jim Mason (Turnstone Press)
Planet Reese by Cordelia Strube (Dundurn Group)
The Prison Tangram by Claire Huot (Mercury Press)
Crown Shyness by Curtis Gillespie (Brindle & Glass)
The Flush of Victory by Ray Smith (Biblioasis)
Delible by Anne Stone (Insomniac Press)
Pulpy & Midge by Jessica Westhead (Coach House Books)
The Hole Show by Maya Merrick (Conundrum Press)
Poetry
Made Beautiful by Use by Sean Horlor (Signature Editions)
The Bindery by Shane Rhodes (NeWest Press)
Natural Disasters by Andrea MacPherson (Palimpsest Press)
My Mother Agrees with the Dead by Susan Stenson (Wolsak & Wynn)
ths is erth thees ar peopul by bill bissett (Talonbooks)
Falsework by Gary Geddes (Goose Lane Editions)
Vermeer’s Light by George Bowering (Talonbooks)
Going Around with Bachelors by Agnes Walsh (Brick Books)
Full Depth by Micheline Maylor (Wolsak & Wynn)
My Etruscan Face by Gianna Patriarca (Quattro Press)
The Stone Skippers by Ian Burgham (Tightrope Books)
Erratic by Donna Kane (Hagios Press)
Accidental Animals by Michael Trussler (Hagios Press)
The Shovel by Colin Browne (Talonbooks)
Loyalty Management by Glen Downie (Wolsak & Wynn)
All Things Said & Done by Marita Dachsel (Caitlin Press)
Sitcom by David McGimpsey (Coach House Press)
Two Hemispheres by Nadine McInnis (Brick Books)
Selected Portraits by Ron Charach (Wolsak & Wynn)
Thin Moon Psalm by Sheri Benning (Brick Books)
Rental Van by Clint Burnham (Anvil Press)
Muybridge’s Horse by Rob Winger (Nightwood Editions)
High Speed Through Shoaling Water by Tom Wayman (Harbour Publishing)
Songs for the Dancing Chicken by Emily Schultz (ECW Press)
Impersonating Flowers by David Bateman (Frontenac House)
The Discipline of Undressing by K. Louise Vincent (Leaf Press)
Combustion by Lorri Neilsen Glenn (Brick Books)
Quotidian Fever by Endre Farkas (The Muses’ Company)
Domain by Barbara Nickel (House of Anansi Press)
Torch River by Elizabeth Philips (Brick Books)
O, Clytaemnestra! by Judith Fitzgerald (Oberon Press)
Soft Geography by Gillian Wigmore (Caitlin Press)
I Cut My Finger by Stuart Ross (Anvil Press)
Earth’s Crude Gravities by Patrick Friesen (Harbour Publishing)
Adagio for the Pressured Surround by Steven Ross Smith (NeWest Press)
Red Bird by Ian Roy (BuschekBooks)
I’m Not Going to Lie to You by Michael Blouin (Pedlar Press)
Beatitudes by Hermenegilde Chiasson (Goose Lane Editions)
Making Bones Walk by Alex Boyd (Luna Publications)
Cleavage: A Life in Breasts by Marilyn Gear Pilling (Black Moss Press)
The Sweet Fuels by Erin Knight (Goose Lane Editions)
Found by Souvankham Thammavongsa (Pedlar Press)
More to Keep Us Warm by Jacob Scheier (ECW Press)
Woodshedding by S.E. Venart (Brick Books)
Broken Vessel by Harry Thurston (Gaspereau Press)
Old Winter by Anne Le Dressay (Chaudiere Books)
The Love Song of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Sharon McCartney (Nightwood Editions)
The Tablecloth Trick by Rick Crilly (ECW Press)
Last Water Song by Patrick Lane (Harbour Publishing)
AEthel by Donato Mancini (New Star Books)
All Our Wonder Unavenged by Don Domanski (Brick Books)
The Bone Broker by Lillian Necakov (Mansfield Press)
Why Are You So Sad? by David W. McFadden (Insomniac Press)
Last Scattering Surfaces by Gil McElroy (Talonbooks)
Hands Reaching in Water by Gary Hyland (Hagios Press)
Floors of Enduring Beauty by Steve Venright (Mansfield Press)
Four Canadian Eco-Poets by Catherine Owen
Four Canadian Eco-Poets
Don McKay, Di Brandt, Don Domanski and Dionne Brand
© Catherine Owen
Jun 16, 2008
Poets have always celebrated nature. Now in a time of ecological crisis, their voices, speaking out against planetary plunder, are even more essential.
Poets have always been witnesses to the world. In this time of ecological crisis, poetry speaks to the need to be aware of the other, to conserve resources and to fight back against globalization's takeovers of other cultures' languages, neighbourhoods and ecosystems. These recent books of poetry by four important Canadian poets testify to the responsibility we have towards the planet and to the joy the earth can bring us when we accept the interconnectedness of all life.
Don McKay's Strike/Slip
Infused with the language of geology, McKay's collection turns to the very materials the earth is made of, its hard source, for his poems. Opening with the question, "Who are you?" and concluding, "You are the momentary mind of rock," Strike/Slip (McClelland & Stewart, 2006) explores the erosions of the self's destructive incursions on the planet as the ego is replaced by devotion and attention. McKay makes stone and bird the stars of his book, never losing his sense of musicality and humour. For instance, his commemorations of birdsong implies that the tunes carry messages such as, "Watch your asses, creatures of the Neogene."
read the rest here
****************
Don McKay's latest release is Songs for the Songs of Birds, an audio recording with Rattling Books of poems by Don McKay selected on the themes of birds, birding and flight.
Don McKay, Di Brandt, Don Domanski and Dionne Brand
© Catherine Owen
Jun 16, 2008
Poets have always celebrated nature. Now in a time of ecological crisis, their voices, speaking out against planetary plunder, are even more essential.
Poets have always been witnesses to the world. In this time of ecological crisis, poetry speaks to the need to be aware of the other, to conserve resources and to fight back against globalization's takeovers of other cultures' languages, neighbourhoods and ecosystems. These recent books of poetry by four important Canadian poets testify to the responsibility we have towards the planet and to the joy the earth can bring us when we accept the interconnectedness of all life.
Don McKay's Strike/Slip
Infused with the language of geology, McKay's collection turns to the very materials the earth is made of, its hard source, for his poems. Opening with the question, "Who are you?" and concluding, "You are the momentary mind of rock," Strike/Slip (McClelland & Stewart, 2006) explores the erosions of the self's destructive incursions on the planet as the ego is replaced by devotion and attention. McKay makes stone and bird the stars of his book, never losing his sense of musicality and humour. For instance, his commemorations of birdsong implies that the tunes carry messages such as, "Watch your asses, creatures of the Neogene."
read the rest here
****************
Don McKay's latest release is Songs for the Songs of Birds, an audio recording with Rattling Books of poems by Don McKay selected on the themes of birds, birding and flight.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Special Offer: Buy Full Set of 10 Audio CD Titles and Save 30%
The following Rattling Books titles are available in the traditional Audio CD format (as opposed to MP3 CD format):
Crummey, Michael
Hard Light: 32 Little Stories
Dalton, Mary
Merrybegot
Grenfell, Sir Wilfred
Adrift on an Ice Pan
Holden, Frank
Judge Prowse Presiding
Jones, Andy
Letters from Uncle Val
McGrath, Robin
Coasting Trade
McKay, Don
Songs for the Songs of Birds
Steffler, John
The Grey Islands
Walsh, Agnes
In the Old Country of My Heart
Weale, David
The True Meaning of Crumbfest
SPECIAL OFFER 30% Discount!
Purchase the full set of ten titles in Audio CD format and recieve a 30% discount.
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