Monday, October 29, 2007
The Writers' Show - Writers’ Show - 30 - Kristjana Gunnars, John Gould, Dick Cannings
Bill Schermbrucker (Show #24) interviews Kristjana Gunnars at her home in B.C. About her five books of prose, he says: "all ... are short, intense, meditative. They are passionate fictional memoirs based on events in her own life." Gunnars, who describes her work as "cross-genre fiction, poetry, essays," said in this interview, "Every year we have difficult times, and some writing helps us get through them." The Prowler (1989), Zero Hour (1991), The Substance of Forgetting (1992), The Rose Garden: Reading Marcel Proust (1996), and Night Train to Nykobing (1998), the books discussed in this interview, are all published by Red Deer Press.
John Gould is the author of two collections of very short stories. Kilter, published by Turnstone Press, was nominated for the 2003 Giller Prize. A member of the fiction editorial board at The Malahat Review he talks about how stories are screened and chosen for publication. Ninety-eight per cent of submissions have to be returned to the writer. "Writers wallpaper their offices with rejection slips," he says. "We not uncommonly are sending back material to writers that we really admire." The Malahat Review is celebrating its fortieth anniversary. We here at The Writers' Show have our own memories and send our congratulations.
Dick Cannings, who writes as Richard J. Cannings, is a biologist and bird advocate. Two of his previous titles are The Rockies: A Natural History, and The Birds of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia along with R.A. Cannings and S.G. Cannings. He reads the first chapter, Western Meadowlark, from his new book An Enchantment of Birds. Quotes: "There are only half the number of meadowlarks than there were thirty years ago." And, "But it is agriculture, not urban development, that is the biggest threat to grasslands."
Download MP3 of this EpisodeMonday, October 15, 2007
The Writers' Show - Writers’ Show - 29 - Rhea Tregebov
Rhea Tregebov's latest project is an anthology of translations from the Yiddish, Arguing with the Storm: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers, published by Sumach Press. She reads poems from her most recent book of selected and new poems, alive. She teaches in the UBC Creative Writing Program.
Topics: tandem translating (working with the original translator); literate vs. literal translation; freelancing as a writer; how she approached writing her first novel, The Knife Sharpener's Bell, coming from Coteau Books in 2009. Discussion of pivotal scenes, connective tissue in a novel, compressing narration, the definition of substantive editing, the role of the editor; Michael Harris, retired poetry editor at Signal Editions.
The music is "Father's Nigun" by the Winnipeg group Finjan from their CD Dancing on Water and "Gracias a la Vida," Mercedes Sosa, from the album of the same name.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Arts Arisin' - neil harrower and michael graham and joanna maratta
Monday, October 01, 2007
The Writers' Show - Writers’ Show - 28 - Angie Abdou
Having written everything from academic articles to operational manuals for General Motors, Angie Abdou set herself the task of learning to write fiction. Her first book was Anything Boys Can Do, a collection of stories. About her recent novel, published by NeWest Press, Quill & Quire wrote, "The Bone Cage is well paced and readable, memorable for its fresh perspective on the lives of athletes and the obstacles they must overcome." Thanks to Janet Mayfield for helping with the show.
Angie Abdou taped students in her creative writing workshop at the Sage Hill Teen experience in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
Music, "Fictional World", from the CD Way Past Midnight by Porkbelly Futures, guitar and vocals by writer Paul Quarrington. Info about books you've loved by Paul Quarrington is a click away.
Topics: oral story tellers; fleshing out background characters, first drafts, turning off the censor, the rigorous edit; books helpful to writers: Natalie Goldberg; the book bird by bird by Anne Lamott; the importance of submitting polished manuscripts to publishers; Humber College Mentorship Program; Booming Ground, online mentorship, UBC; Fernie Writers Conference; The Sage Hill Writing Experience; the literary magazine in Edmonton called Other Voices, writer and mentor Elizabeth Harvor; writer Lynn Coady; scroll down the page to Suzette Mayr, Abdou's editor. Hear Angie Abdou's reading on the Voices of Canadian literature, Authors Aloud.
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