Big announcement: PQL has decided to halt all print production in favour of an ebook-only distribution arrangement.

Ha. Like that would happen.

APRIL FOOL’S!

This cheeky little monkey knows what April Fool's is all about.

(To be totally and absolutely clear in case the concept of April Fool’s is, by some twist of fate, NOT part of your culture, this is what we like to call a big fat lie.)

OK, so PQL is NOT halting production of its lovely and ridiculously well-made print books. In fact, we have announced a whole new season of them on our home page! Check out our six exciting new titles arriving this fall. Don’t forget to spare a glance over the upcoming spring titles as well.

Also, feel free to subscribe to the blog using the button to the right, so you can follow the PQL blog with ease and in relative comfort.

What’s Happening This Month

At PQL.

We are proud to present Governor General’s Award winner Leon Rooke’s newest book of poetry, aptly titled The April Poems. The collection presents a a zany and poignant portrait of the inimitable April and her husband Sam, two delightfully idiosyncratic characters who experience the humour, confrontation and joy of domestic life as well as the sorrow that follows when death shatters their partnership. I’ve been excited for this book since last year, when I first fell in love with the poems about “the mature damsel who travels with a shotgun under her dress,” so I am definitely looking forward to finally seeing it in the wild!

We are also excited for the release of Lotería Jarocha, Alec Dempster’s collection of vibrant linoleum-block prints. The images it contains visually document Dempster’s experience of the son jarocho folk music culture of his native Mexico. This collection is especially interesting because of the way it stimulates the senses, evoking the oral tradition of son jarocho with a visual and written tribute.

Aren't these covers just lovely?

In Toronto.

Join PQL and Alec Dempster for the fun-filled launch of Lotería Jarocha, sponsored by Marc Glassman’s TINARS and co-presented by Dos Mundos Arts & Culture in support of Hispanic Heritage Month. There will be a Q&A session at 7:30, to be followed by a lively round of lotería, the Latin American game of chance. You will also be treated to music by Dempster’s band, Café Con Pan.

When: Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Where: Lula Lounge, 1585 Dundas Street West in Toronto
Doors Open: 6:30 p.m.
Show Starts: 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $5.00 at the door, or free if you purchase the book.

For more information, visit the Lula Lounge web site.

In Grimsby.

The Porcupine’s Quill will be attending Wayzgoose 2013, the 35th annual Book Arts Fair in Grimsby this year. It’s a great opportunity for practitioners of traditional book-related crafts to come together and show off their wares to each other and to the public.

When: Saturday, April 27, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Where: Grimsby Public Art Gallery, 25 Adelaide Street
Admission: Free!

Visit the Grimsby Public Art Gallery web site for more details.

In the World.

April 1st is April Fool’s Day, so gird your loins and get ready to be pranked.

Earth Day falls on April 22nd. Recycle a bottle, hug a tree, or just take a moment to appreciate the natural world.

And finally, a passing nod to some of the few things we can count on in life: death and taxes. Because you can’t get through April without thanking the government for cheerfully requisitioning your money. Again.

"Just take it man, OK? Just take it!"

From the Intern’s Corner.

March was a hodgepodge of little things—tweaking tip sheets, creating web pages for titles coming out this fall, modifying some website and blog functionality … and sending out what feels like 2.3 million emails.

I’m also happy to report that, after investing hours uploading bibliographic information in PExOD, (and re-uploading, and re-re-uploading…) I can now safely say that I have tamed the beast. It took some time, but PExOD and I have now become somewhat wary friends. But perhaps that’s a story for another blog…

Just tidying up the old to do list. Moppin' away...

As always, happy reading,

Stephanie