It’s November 1st, and we all know what that means—time to dash to the store and stock up on enough clearance-priced Halloween candy to keep you going until Christmas. No? Just me?

OK, well here’s one you’ll probably get: it means Election Day for our neighbours in the good old U.S. of A.

OK, America. Time to put on your game faces and get ready to rumble.

I can’t wait. Admittedly my anticipation is partially due to the fact that watching the antics of the two presidential candidates has all of the drama and gory entertainment value of gladiatorial combat. Or, you know, the Hunger Games. But truth be told, I’m mostly just stoked that there’s an end in sight to all of those dreadful political ads. You see, I live in the border city of Windsor, where at least eighty percent of all of the over-the-air television channels come in from Detroit or Toledo. I’m sure you can imagine the amount of airtime dedicated to attack ads and other nonsense purchased not only by the presidential nominees, but also by congressional, senatorial and gubernatorial hopefuls. Let’s not even get into the committees and lobbies who want to get their two cents in, nor those special interest groups hoping to pass or block certain proposals from being enacted. It’s exhausting. I almost miss those mind-numbingly generic pharmaceutical commercials, or those needlessly gritty car ads.

But for all my griping, come November 8th, I’ll won’t be able to resist tuning into the American news, popping some popcorn and watching the whole sordid business of politics unfold.

Either that, or read The Hunger Games.

What’s happening this month?

At PQL.

What’s up next in November, you ask? Well, the long-awaited Portraits of Canadian Writers will be hot off the press, so look for that coming your way soon.

Also of note…. Did you know that the beloved Canadian poet P. K. Page was also a respected visual artist? Learn more about her fascinating artistic development—and her artwork in The Art of P. K. Irwin.

In Toronto.

Kicking off November events is Niki Koulouris. The author of The sea with no one in it will be reading as part of the Art Bar Poetry Series at the Free Times Café on College Street.

Plus, are you looking for a chance to chat us up and check out our latest releases? We’ll be participating in the Meet the Presses Indie Literary Market this year. Stop by the Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre on Bloor Street West on November 19th. Can’t wait to see you there.

In Hamilton.

Jarrett Heckbert will be launching his wordless novel, Metamorphadox at the James Street Bookseller and Gallery in Hamilton. Stop by to get your book signed and chat with this young artist.

In Surrey.

West-coasters take note! Bob Bossin’s very successful one-man show, The Songs and Stories of Davy the Punk, will be featured as part of this year’s Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival. Bob will entertain audiences at the White Rock South Surrey JCC on November 27.

In the world.

As if we need an excuse to snuggle up and share a good book.

August 9th is Book Lovers Day. Well, the date is actually contested, but seeing as we celebrate Book Lovers Day pretty much every day, well, will it really change anything?

November 20th is Absurdity Day. An entirely senseless day? How deliciously dangerous. I must begin making plans.

And finally, November 25 is Black Friday. I would recommend staying in, safe from the crowds, and letting your fingers do the shopping … on our website, for all your print and digital book needs! (See what I did there? That shameless marketing push? Just checking.)

From the porcupette’s corner.

For some reason, September always feels like a productive month for me. Maybe it’s the back-to-school feeling in the air. Whatever it is, it meant that I feel pretty good about the Spring 2017 season. We’ve got a lot of completed manuscripts in hand, and our pre-sales conference with the fine folks at the LPG went off without a hitch. We’ve got some manuscript coding happening (for more on that process, see here), and a book already out for copyediting. I don’t want to get big-headed or anything, but there’s something in the air. It smells like progress.

Time’s a-marching on, and what’s that about idle hands? We like to stay productive.

Thanks for catching up with us on this lovely fall day.

As always, happy reading!