We may come to regret our joy at the arrival of summer as August continues. The number of thunderstorms we have had in Toronto this July is staggering. They have precluded many outdoor activities. I have had to cancel a sailing adventure in Lake Ontario, a trip up to cottage country, and even a foray out to the pub. Dare I say it? I am beginning to miss winter. But the storms are spectacular; whatever else you say of them, they are that. And nothing is better than curling up inside (safe and sound) and watching a storm rage outside.
July has been a quiet time for us at the Quill (despite the extreme weather outside). The beginning of the month saw George A Walker’s exhibit at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition at Nathan Phillips Square, but aside from the Walkers’ brave foray into the insufferable summer heat of downtown Toronto, we have kept events to a minimum in July as we took a much needed breather before the busy fall season.
And fall is nearly here. If you’ve been to any malls lately, you’ll have noticed that summer clothes are all on sale. The mob has hit the sale racks and with a vengeance. If you want to buy a bikini for that late summer trip up to the cottage, you’re out of luck—unless you’d like the picked-over remains of mismatched tops and bottoms rammed into bargain bins at the back of the store.
Fall at the Quill has meant starting production on our Fall titles. This month saw the completion of A Calendar of Days, a calendar featuring fifteen original wood engravings by members of the Wood Engravers’ Network. The calendar will go on sale this month. We have also begun production of R Murray Schafer’s My Life on Earth and Elsewhere, due for release in October at Koerner Hall with the Esprit Orchestra. But enough about what’s happening now, how about what’s happening this month??
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What’s happening this month?
In Toronto. If you thought Mark Lavorato would take a break after his string of launches across Montreal and Toronto, you were wrong. In August, Mark returns to Ontario for a series of readings to promote his debut collection of poetry, Wayworn Wooden Floors. Find Mark at ArtBar on Tuesday, August 28, in Toronto.
Mark Lavorato • Wayworn Wooden Floors • ArtBar, Pauper’s Pub, 539 Bloor St W • August 28, 8pm
In Hamilton. Following his reading in Toronto, Mark will be making his way out to Hamilton to read at Lit Live. Lit Live is a monthly reading series. They recently featured fellow PQL poet, George Amabile. Mark will be reading on Sunday, September 2, at the SkyDragon Centre.
Mark Lavorato • Wayworn Wooden Floors • Lit Live, SkyDragon Centre, 27 King William Street• September 2, 7:30pm
A Calendar of Days returns from the binder's with new spiral binding.
From the intern’s corner.
I have been in publicity mode these past couple of weeks, slowly but surely securing readings and events for our Fall season. You will have Nicole Dixon’s tour to look forward to this November following the release of her debut short story collection, High-Water Mark. Nicole will be traveling from her home in Nova Scotia to Ontario for readings in Hamilton, Kingston, Toronto, and Sarnia. Look for more about this exciting tour on our events page.
In other news, I am getting ready to go to Simon Fraser University for a week to take advantage of the summer seminars. My predecessor Caleigh Minshall attended SFU as well and has a great deal to say about it in her blogs here and here. Though I will be away, I will keep you up-to-date on my goings on at Simon Fraser. I’ll be attending seminars on social media, eBooks, and HTML 5, so there will be lots of fun tidbits to share.
Also, a special congratulations to Trisha, winner of our Wanderlust/Back+Forth review contest! Trisha will be receiving the graphic novel of her choice in the mail. Well done, Trsisha!
Some light reading to prepare for my trip to British Columbia.
