Happy Canada Day to all the Canucks, honorary Canucks, wanna-be Canucks … pretty much anyone who agrees that the word colour ought to contain a ‘u’, that the beaver is a proud and noble animal, and that hockey is the greatest sport in the land.
The beaver is a proud and noble animal whose powerful teeth and jaws are concealed by its otherwise cuddly appearance. This is likely a metaphor for the Canadian spirit. You don’t get a spot on our coinage for nothing!
We here at the Quill are dedicated to bringing you fantastic books from the best Canadian writers, whether they be newly discovered rookies with new and interesting voices, or veteran wordsmiths whose works are highly respected. To sweeten the patriotic pot, so to speak, we also print all of our books in-house, at the shop in Wellington County in Ontario, and we source our paper from Cascades Fine Papers at their mill in St. Jerome, Quebec.
Can’t get much more Canadian than that!
So if you’re not the type to wave a giant flag, or dress up in full costume, or boldly paint your face with the maple leaf, consider picking up a genuine Canadian article to read and enjoy.
What’s happening this month?
At PQL.
We’re busy as ever getting ready for the upcoming Fall 2014 season. First on the list is Marika Deliyannides’ debut work of fiction, Bitter Lake, which is slated for release in August—so soon!
If you’re looking to read a few oldies-but-goodies, we have a few reprints that you might find interesting. Alice Through the Looking-Glass is back in print in honour of the current run of the play in Stratford. It’s absolutely magical—highly recommended. Also on deck to be reprinted is Robyn Sarah’s beloved book of poetry, A Day’s Grace. We’ll be sure to let you know when it’s available so you can pick up your copy.
In Toronto.
PQL poet Bruce Meyer is a very busy man. The Barrie Poet Laureate will be at The District Oven promoting his new chapbook for Lyrical Myrical on July 6, but pst! We hear that there will be a short reading from The Seasons, his latest book with The Porcupine’s Quill, as well.
In Victoria.
West coast poetry buffs will be excited to attend the launch of Jan Zwicky’s collaboration with photographer Robert Moody. Vittoria Colonna will launch at the beautiful Munro’s Books on July 6. All are welcome, so stop by and get your copy signed.
NOTE: There’s still time to win your copy of the book! Enter here before July 6 for your chance to win.
In Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Fringe Festival will take place this month, with lots of unique and interesting productions going on. The Songs and Stories of Davy the Punk, Bob Bossin’s one-man show based on Davy the Punk will be playing if you’re looking for some music and laughs. Playing Wednesday, July 16 – Sunday, July 27 at Colin Jackson Studio at Portage Place.
In Parry Sound.
George A. Walker will be featured at the Festival of the Sound this year in Parry Sound. Stop by the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Arts on Friday, July 18 to see some of his recent work.
In Orillia.
Fresh out of Perry Sound, you can see George A. Walker’s The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson exhibit at the Leacock Summer Festival. The Orillia Museum of Art and History will host.
In the world.
So many patriotic holidays to choose from. Canada Day, Independence Day in the USA, Bastille Day in France…. Whatever your nationality, celebrate in style!
For the less patriotic among us, July 13 is Embrace Your Geekness Day. Let’s all watch Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica and Big Bang Theory and talk about software programming and consumer electronic devices. Book geeks might like to talk about their favourite book series or binding practices or typography. Whatever flips your pancake, people!
And here’s a holiday I can get behind: National Cheesecake Day falls on July 30. Um. Yes please. I’ll take a slice or five.
A pig. Which is most definitely what I will make of myself on National Cheesecake Day.
From the intern’s corner.
Never a dull moment here at The Porcupine’s Quill. Contests and awards and promotions—oh my!
I love a good free book, and I bet you do, too. The previously mentioned Vittoria Colonna giveaway will run for five more days only. Enter to win today! And don’t forget to sign up for our mailing list if you want to keep informed of contests in the future.
I am so proud to be a porcupette today! We found out that not one but two of our recent books took prizes at this year’s ForeWord IndieFab Book of the Year Awards. Congratulations to Jason Guriel, whose fantastic book of literary criticism, The Pigheaded Soul, won Gold in the Essays category. And a hearty well done to Tom Smart, whose book, Jack Chambers’ Red and Green, took silver in Philosophy. Finally, thanks to all the PQL authors whose works were shortlisted for the awards. You all did great!
I’m also happy to introduce a number of site improvements that we instituted at the end of June. Of particular interest is the new features section on our home page. You’ll see an attractive set of images that will tell you about new releases, awards, and other special pages on our site. Feel free to click around and see what’s new.
Happy reading!
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