Edmonton Reading

Hooray! My first reading in Edmonton. Please come by if you can.
(More information can be found here.)

Thompson Rivers University Reading

I will be reading in Room 163 in the Arts & Education building at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops at 7pm on Wednesday, October 3rd.

I'm pretty excited about this reading because this is where I took my first creative writing class and the oldest poem in my collection (Salinas) was written for that class. But I'm also a little nervous as I'm supposed to fill 50 minutes. That's a long time. The longest I've read for before is 20 minutes. I really hope people don't fall asleep or start throwing things at me. I think I might read a few poems from the collection I'm working on now, just to mix things up a bit.

If you're in Kamloops, please come. I'd hate to be reading for 50 minutes to just my husband and the woman who organized the reading.

"...unflinchingly displays scenes that are as uncomfortable and bittersweet as they are recognizable."

Another lovely review came my way today, and this time, I didn't even have to google myself to find it! The very generous Hannah Stephenson dropped me a line to let me know that she wrote a review of my book for Gloss Magazine. I thought that was very nice of her to do and I love that my little book has been reviewed in a fashion magazine. Please see all the nice things she had to say here.

Interview

Check it out: I've been interviewed!

Word on the Street

I'll be reading at the Poets' Corner at Word on the Street at Library Square in Vancouver on Sunday, September 30 at 2pm. It would be great if you could stop by. If you've never been to WOTS, you really should try to make it this year. It's one on my favourite Vancouver festivals because it's free and there are so many great readings and displays. Also, lots of cheap books to be bought. Come a earlier in the day and check out Jennica Harper reading to launch this year's Poetry in Transit at 11 am.

The WOTS program is available all over in any of the gazillion St*rbucks in Vancouver. I received mine in the mail last week and was both thrilled and completely embarrassed that they included a photo of me. Hope to see you there!

"...a highly accomplished first book."

I'll admit it: I google myself. Probably more often than is healthy, but I have a very good excuse at the moment. The book, of course! So today, thanks to my habit, I found this nice review. It's a bit of an omnibus review, but I do get my own paragraph and the esteemed George Fetherling ended my bit with this fine sentence: This is a highly accomplished first book. Oh yes, it made my day.

2+2: A Reading

It's late notice, but I'm reading tomorrow night. Come check it out if you're in town.

2 Novelists. 2 Poets. 1 stage.

Join us for an after-work reading with novelists Steven Galloway (Ascension, the forthcoming The Cellist of Sarajevo) and Lee Henderson (The Broken Record Technique, the forthcoming The Man Game) and poets Marita Dachsel (All Things Said & Done) and Jennica Harper (The Octopus and Other Poems).

Fiction & Poetry. You won't have to take sides.

When:

Friday, August 10th
Doors 6pm, Reading 6:30 pm

Where:

The Annex Restaurant
307 West Cordova in Gastown

Admission is free.

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I think it's going to be a really great reading. We're all friends and I'm excited to hear the boys novelists read from their upcoming books. It will also be my last reading in Vancouver while it is still the city I live in. It's going to be an entertaining night.

On the radio

I'll be on the radio today (102.7FM) from 2-2:30 pm reading from my book.

In the press

A mention of the book in What's on Winnipeg and as a good beach read in The Tyee.

Northern Tour

In less than a week Gillian and I will be launching our Northern Tour. Our itinerary is a lot smaller than what had originally envisioned, almost by half, but I think it's going to be great. If you are in any of the areas, please stop by, have a listen, and stick around to say hi.

May 8 - Williams Lake
8 pm Station House Gallery

May 9 - Quesnel
Public school reading

May 11 - Prince George
7 pm College of New Caledonia, Room 1 - 360

May 15 - Vanderhoof
7pm Vanderhoof Public Library

May 16 - Fort Saint James
7pm Fort St. James Public Library

Main Street Lit. Tour

This Thursday (April 26), I'll be reading as part of the Main Street Literary Tour. I'm not sure how long this event has been going on, but last year the fabulous poet (and fantastic friend) Jennica Harper was part of it. I'm in Tour A and will be reading with Fiona Lam and Amanda Lamarche at 8 pm at Lark (on Main Street between Nirvana Restaurant and the Fox Cinema).

If you attend, please stop by and say hello. I think it should be a fun evening.

Success!

Last night's launch went very well. There was a substantial crowd and despite me being terrified, everyone said I read well and could not tell that I was nervous. (Phew!) The other two readers, Nancy Pagh and Sean Horlor, were fantastic. I felt so lucky to be sharing the stage with such talented poets. You should really pick up their books if you have the chance. Hosts Liz Bachinsky and Michael V Smith were very entertaining and generous. Together they currate the Robson Reading Series, the best reading series in the city. (And I'm not just saying that because I was a part of it. It really is the best.)

I'm thrilled to report that the bookstore sold out of my books which was a very pleasing thing to see. Such a large stack diminshed. In bed last night I counted up the books my friends bought and was happy to discover that other people, people who didn't feel any obligation to, bought my book. Hooray! (Please see the sidebar where you can buy your own copy.)

Book Launch!

Again, I've been neglecting this blog. But now that my launch is literally hours away, I guess it's time to come back. If you're in Vancouver, please come by Robson Square for my launch tomorrow night at 7pm. I'll be reading with Nancy Pagh and Sean Horlor. It should be a good night.

Happy Mail

The advance copy of my book came in the mail today. Hooray!

I know I've been ignoring this site, and I appologize. I've been working on a grant and busy writing here and working on pitches for the Vancouver launch of this. But now that I have the book in my happy little hands, I'm sure you'll see more of me here.

First Date of Tour Confirmed: May 8 in Williams Lake

Gillian and I have been working on putting our tour together. I'm pretty excited about this tour for a couple of reasons. The first is pretty simple and obvious: my first book tour! Wahoo! The second is where we're touring: Northern BC. (Actually, it's central BC, if you look on the map, but everyone calls it the North. I wonder how folks in Atlin feel about that?) It's a beautiful area of our province and I'm really looking forward to revisiting a lot of the places. Our proposed itinerary looks like this: Williams Lake (my hometown), Quesnel, Prince George (Gillian's home), Vanderhoof (Gillian's hometown), Fort St. James, Smithers, and Dawson Creek. Sure, they might not be the obvious literary hotspots, but I'd take Smithers over Toronto any day. I think it's going to be loads of fun and I'm sure we're going to connect with a lot of interesting people. If you know anyone in any of these cities, please let them know about our readings. I'll announce dates as they are confirmed and plug the whole tour with dates just before it starts. Also, if you know any of these towns well, I'd love to hear about any cafe/restaurant/pub/interesting site recommendations you may have.

Launch Annouced: April 12

Mark your calendars!

I'll be lauching All Things Said & Done with American poet Nancy Pagh at the Robson Reading Series. It will be on Thursday, April 12, 7 pm at the UBC Robson Square Bookstore at 800 Robson Street.

If you're lucky, there may even be some goodies. What do you think goes better with a poetry: fruit plate, veggies, or cake?

Welcome!

My first full-length book of poetry, All Things Said & Done will be published this Spring by Caitlin Press. I thought this blog would be a good way to letting people know about book news and events. My publisher and I are currently working on some dates for April and I will post what is confirmed soon. As well, I'll be doing a Northern BC tour with the very beautiful and talented Gillian Wigmore this May. Again, when the dates and venues are confirmed, I'll post them here. We may even blog during the tour if I decide to bring my laptop and we can pick up some hot wireless action.

If you have any questions, or would just like to say hi, please do so. In the meantime, you can check out a couple of poems that are in the book here and here. Also, this is neither poetry nor in the book, but just another piece of published writing of mine on the web that you might enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.