Antony Di Nardo Interview @ The Torontoist by Jake McArthur Mooney at Vox Populism: Seeing the World Through Poem Coloured Glasses

My interview with globetrotting Canadian poet Antony di Nardo is now up at The Torontoist Books Page. It’s been a few weeks since the last in the Critical Interview Series posted, so it’s good to get back on that horse. Di Nardo’s book, Alien, Correspondent (one of two he published this past Spring, strangely enough) has been one of the great surprises of my reading year. It’s a sort of long-lead travelogue derived from the poet’s many years spent living in Beirut. I don’t usually use this space to explicitly tell people what to read but, just this once: You should read this book. I really can’t think of a reader of Canadian poetry who wouldn’t find something to love here. It’s politically and culturally complex, but quite personal. The lines are beautifully assembled, despite the appearance of a certain rambling anecdotal casualness.

For the full article, go to http://voxpopulism.wordpress.com/2010/07/24/antony-di-nardo-interview-the-torontoist/

“I run into on a Sunday night an oratorio
performed by the brass blare of taxicabs
herding fares along the listless streets
of Beirut. Shout ye triumphant, they blast…”

from “Correspondent (Notes for a Mideast Solstice)”
Scroll down for the rest of the poem

Antony di Nardo is the author of two new collections, Soul on Standby (Exile Editions) and Alien, Correspondent (Brick Books). The latter is a collection of outsider pieces taken from the poet’s years spent living in Beirut, Lebanon. It’s a surprising book; as successful an act of reportage as a collection of personal lyrics. Di Nardo’s tone is mature, concerned, and almost radically apolitical at times, a thorough and meticulous attempt at documenting and translating an experience too massive for simple accounting, but too specific for the blunt force of the proclamation. It’s also a surprisingly beautiful work, filled with a sneaky craftsmanship that belies its formal casualness and twists the rhythmic presentation of the lyrics in unexpected ways.

Di Nardo exchanged emails with Torontoist’s poetry columnist, Jacob McArthur Mooney, while journeying home from Beirut, through Paris, and finally back to Ontario soil. Their correspondence follows, edited somewhat for space.

To read the full interview, go to http://books.torontoist.com/2010/07/the-poem-then-becomes-the-correspondence-an-interview-with-antony-di-nardo/

Ever read a really great poem and want to ask the poet questions about it? This week, I asked Halifax poet Lorri Neilsen Glenn about her poem “You think of Meister Eckhart,” winner of The Malahat Review’s 2010 Open Season Award for Poetry.

For the full poem and conversation, go to http://speakingofpoems.blogspot.com/2010/07/ever-read-really-great-poem-and-want-to.html

Lorri Neilsen Glenn discusses how poetry can help us build a culture of peace and speaks about her participation in the Peace Celebration Dinner at Mount Saint Vincent University at 7 p.m. tonight – other performers are The Elastic Millennium Choir and Dream for Real.

The Peace Conference is being held from July 7 to 10 at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax.  “Being the Change:  Building a Culture of Peace” is its theme.

You can hear the interview with Lorri and a reading of her poem “Wild” from Lost Gospels, a new poetry collection published by Brick Books in February 2010 here  http://www.cbc.ca/informationmorningns/2010/07/poetry-for-peace.html

CBC radio Corner Brook interviews Randall Maggs, the recipient of the $25,000 Kobzar Literary Award for 2010, for his acclaimed hockey saga Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems.  March 8, 2010

For the full podcast, see

http://castroller.com/podcasts/TheWestCoast/1507452-March%208/10Randall%20Maggs/Literary%20Award

CBC radio Gander interviews Randall Maggs – Leigh Anne Power is the host of the Central Morning Show – Randall’s interview is at the end of this 25 minute podcast – March 9, 2010

http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?23#ref23

CBC radio Corner Brook interviews Randall Maggs, the recipient of the $25,000 Kobzar Literary Award for 2010, for his acclaimed hockey saga Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems.

For the full podcast, see

http://castroller.com/podcasts/TheWestCoast/1507452-March%208/10Randall%20Maggs/Literary%20Award

photo courtesy of fieldtrip – Behind a reading scene – December 4th, 2009 by Brendan McNally – David O’Meara and the Plan 99 Reading Series

“I never thought we’d celebrate the tenth anniversary,” says David O’Meara of Plan 99, the Ottawa “gold standard” reading series he co-founded with Chris Swail in 1999. “I’m just saying so,” Dave adds, “because at the beginning we weren’t sure we knew what we were doing.” Dave points to the name of the series itself as an example of this. “The name came partly from the year we started, and partly as a play on the name of the sci-fi movie Planet 9 from Outer Space.”

But figure things out and celebrate they did, marking the milestone this past October with a special reading hosted by the Ottawa International Writer’s Fest.

When Dave isn’t pulling pints at the Manx Pub, he’s busy writing poems that have established himself “as one of the best contemporary poets in Canada”  according to Canadian Notes & Queries. He’s also organizing guests for his timeslot on CKCU-FM’s Literary Landscapes, and he’s planning Plan 99.  “I carry my notebook with me, pencil ready.” Dave says, recently returned from a reading tour of festivals across Canada to promote his most recent collection, Noble Gas, Penny Black. Doing out of town readings is a great way to keep my ear to the ground. Like when I pencilled Karen Solie in after she told me she had a new collection coming out.”

Poet David O’Meara organizes the Plan 99 Reading Series. 

Unlike others reading series around Ottawa, Dave and Chris decided to focus only on out of town authors to begin with. This was so Plan 99 wouldn’t just repeat the success or format of other series. Modestly, Dave tells me, “We wanted to add something new to Ottawa’s literary scene.”

But saying that Plan 99 has added something new is an understatement. Over the past decade the series has brought celebrated Canadian poets, novelists and authors down the steps to the cozy atmosphere of the Manx Pub on Elgin Street. It’s one thing to pack a bar on a busy Friday night, quite something else to jam it packed on a quiet Saturday afternoon, when readings are usually held. There is nothing like being in a small bar with sixty other people, all quietly listening to the eloquence of Robyn Sarah, the insights of Carmine Starnino, the raw power of Ken Babstock or the drama of Lisa Moore.

“The nature of reading is that our stories, our narratives, are read, in private. It’s a very solitary thing,” Chris tells me when we have time to chat, after he’s finished helping his kids with their homework. “And what I’ve always liked about Plan 99 is that it’s one of those rare occasions where people can publicly acknowledge, validate and personally thank the writers who have greatly influenced who we are, and how we think about being Canadian. It really is an honour and a privilege to be able to help present that.”

Dave and Chris didn’t just choose the Manx as the location for Plan 99 because they work there. “Though it helps,” Dave laughs on a quiet afternoon in the pub. “But really, it’s the perfect space. Not to big, not to small. Aside from the financial support of the Pub, which is very important, the staff is very culturally engaged, so they give a huge amount of moral support to Plan 99.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40NpkuYj0fE&feature=player_embedded

David O’Meara reading “The Game” from Noble Gas, Penny Black. Brick Books. 

Plan 99 is also supported by Canada Council for the Arts. Which means Dave has to organize the readings up to six months in advance, making sure he’s got all the proper forms filled out for the funding to help him welcome the cream of Canada’s literary crop to the Manx.

On the day of the readings Dave is busy organizing the incidental things, hooking up the microphone, coordinating with the kitchen, which closes for the reading. The Manx doesn’t play piped in music, or have televisions sets, which is a great feature for people who want to have quiet conversations. So another job Dave has is to gently inform those patrons there is a reading coming up, inviting them to stay, but pointing out the sign that says, “Shhhhhh….reading in progress.”

As far as a personal motivation, Dave has, “always had a deep and abiding interest in literature so I’ve enjoyed hosting the series and it’s been a great ten years.”

Another understatement, because it’s been way more than great. 

photo courtesy of fieldtrip [see above]

The Plan 99 Reading Series continues, hosting two more excellent readings before Christmas at The Manx Pub, 370 Elgin Street.

This Saturday, November 28^th, Kingston writer Mark Sinnett reads, followed by Toronto based Karen Solie next Saturday, December 5^th.  Both readings are at 5pm.  Thanks to the Manx and the Canada Council, readings are free.

For more information on the series, email Chris Swail at chrisswail@rogers.com

David O’Meara’s next reading in Ottawa is at the House Band Reading Series, Thursday December 17^th, 9-11pm, at Raw Sugar Café, 692 Somerset Street West. $5.00, or pay what you can.

Brendan McNally is a graduate of the Humber College School for Writers, Creative Writing Mentorship Program. He also runs the House Band Reading Series.

http://www.ottawatonite.com/2009/12/david-omeara-and-the-plan-99-reading-series/

Ten Questions with John Barton - Open Book talks to John Barton about reading, writing and his ninth collection of poems, Hymn (Brick Books). He will be reading at the Art Bar Poetry Series at Clinton’s on Tuesday, October 13. See Open Book’s events page for details. 

Open Book: Toronto:  Tell us about your latest book. 

John Barton:  Why not ask the most difficult question first? The answer: Nothing? Everything? Okay, I won’t duck the question. Hymn puts words to the music of disappointment and aspiration that gay men often feel in the pursuit of — and during the detours they take, consciously and unconsciously, on the way to and away from — love. The journey is as much geographic and aesthetic as it is carnal and emotional: put it this way, the search for love causes men to cover a lot of carnal topography, which they mark, and which shapes how they voice what they come (not in the ejaculatory sense) to see and feel. Hymn is as much about the profane as it is about the sacred. 

OBT:

Did you have a specific readership in mind when you wrote your book? 

JB:

Though the book examines the erotic lives of gay men, I think it will appeal to the general reader of poetry. I believe that we read for two purposes: (1) to see ourselves in the text and (2) to learn something new in order to make our worlds larger. This encourages me in the belief that the audience for my book is everybody — as long as everybody—and by this, I don’t mean “everyman,” boys and girls — holds the same view. I hope I will not be disappointed. After all, reading is a social contract. 

OBT:

Describe your ideal writing environment. 

JB:

A quiet room, a desk, a good chair and a computer that is not connected to the Internet. 

OBT:

What was your first publication? 

JB:

In 1978, “The Revelation,” my first poem in print, appeared in The Gasoline Rainbow, a student-run annual at the University of Alberta; the magazine’s co-editor was Lorna Crozier, who was then completing a Master’s degree in English. In 1981, I collected the poem in A Poor Photographer, my first book. 

OBT:

Describe a recent Canadian cultural experience that influenced your writing. 

JB:

I reread Margaret Atwood’s Surfacing and, in response, a short poem about how the book — or more importantly, the Canadianness of the book — was instrumental in my decision to become a writer. 

OBT:

If you had to choose three books as a “Welcome to Canada” gift, what would those books be? 

JB:

Marion Engel’s Bear
Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion
Al Purdy, The Collected Poems 

OBT:

What are you reading right now? 

JB:

Louise Glűck’s Descending Figure, Barry Dempster’s Love Outlandish, Scott Symon’s Place d’Armes and the September 14, 2009, issue of The New Yorker. 

OBT:

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received as a writer? 

JB:

Have the courage of my own convictions. 

OBT:

What advice do you have for writers who are trying to get published? 

JB:

Be diligent, have faith in your own work and don’t get discouraged. Remember, especially in literary publishing, that taste is a factor governing decisions to accept or reject. Finding a publisher is often as much about finding a right fit that is based on shared sensibility as it is about excellence. That said, always aim high by continuing to work on your craft and how it realizes your content. 

OBT:

What is your next project? 

JB:

I am working on two books of poems, one a collection of poems employing traditional literary forms, the other a documentary project about three gay men active in twentieth-century New York’s arts community, Lincoln Kirstein, the co-founder of the New York City Ballet, painter Paul Cadmus and photographer George Platt Lynes.

For more information about Hymn, please visit the Brick Books website http://www.brickbooks.ca/?page_id=3&bookid=215 

http://www.openbooktoronto.com/news/ten_questions_with_john_barton

Books on the Radio has finally launched!  The first interview was conducted in the front room of the temporarily empty Kelowna home of poet Chris Hutchinson.  During the interview we discussed telepathy, Henry Miller’s the Tropic of Cancer, Sharon Thesen, institutionalized poets and John Coltrane.

Chris’ new book of poems is called ‘Other People’s Lives‘ and is published by Brick Books 

You can purchase a copy at any quality independent bookstore.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here  http://booksontheradio.wordpress.com/2009/09/16/telepathic-exercises-the-chris-hutchinson-interview-ep-01/

June – July 2009. The Scoop (Tamworth, Ontario) reviewed Hooked by Carolyn Smart. The reviewer Jeannie Harrison wrote ” HOOKED is a sensational book of poetry about the difficult (you might say twisted) lives of seven infamous women addicted to drink, sex, love, murder and/or art… HOOKED will not disappoint.