Weekend news

Mostly, my life putters along. I don't spend much time thinking about my life as a writer, although thanks to the CRSR, this year I've been able to spend much more time writing than I have in a very long time. I think about writing, yes, and I write, but I don't think about being a writer. If there is a job I think about, it's about my role as a parent, about keeping our family of five running as efficiently as possible (this is a bit of a joke, as I don't feel efficient at all, but perhaps that's why I think about it so much).

But this past weekend, I felt like a Writer (note capital letter). Thanks to the generosity of my sister who watched the kids all day, I spent Saturday at Words Thaw. After attending two panels and sitting one, by the end of the day I was completely exhausted, my brain fried, but also invigorated and inspired.

I hope the audience got as much out of the panel I sat on as I did. Sharing the stage with Tim Lilburn and Jane Munro was a wonderful experience--they're both incredibly smart and inspiring. It's so hard to tell when I'm in the middle of something like that how I'm doing. I hope I came close to matching their levels. They were wonderful.

The only downside to my day at Words Thaw, was that I became a little overwhelmed. There were people I met that I wanted to speak with more, and there was a man who asked me to sign my book but then I lost track of him and never did. I felt brainless by the end and wish I could have been more present and aware (especially sign that book!).

Now, even as fantastic as Words Thaw was, I have to admit that nothing could match my level of joy in seeing my book glowingly reviewed in The Globe and Mail. Poetry doesn't often see the pages of our national paper and that the review wasn't just online, too, was cause for celebration.

I'm so grateful my wives have received such praise and I hope they find a readership. It seems to be happening, as small as a readership poetry may garner.

Russell's Vintage launch

On Tuesday night, I had one of the most delightful literary experiences to date, and not only because of the cake pictured above. (Yes, that's a cake! It was huge and delicious.)

As a writer, I hope to launch many of my books over my life, but to launch a bookshop, especially in today's environment, feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The much loved Russell Books in Victoria just opened their newest store exclusively featuring rare and antique books and it's so beautiful.

The evening itself was fun. There were tonnes of giveaways, cake, wine, and I had the honour to share the stage with Esi Edugyan and Steven Price. I have to say, that they are both so kind, gracious, and charming, sitting with them I forgot what superstars they were until they had their turns to read. They're fantastic writers and readers, which made the evening even more special.

The crowd itself was huge. One person counted ninety-eight (98!!) people and they were attentive and generous. Vanessa Herman will be hosting a reading series in that space every second Tuesday of the month. I'm guessing it won't always get the numbers we got that night, but if the audience is similar, it's going to be a stellar series.

One woman in the audience not only bought my book (always a treat!) she has already read it and reviewed it in two(!) places: her blog and on YouTube. I'm incredibly grateful and a little bit stunned by her generosity.

I walked away with a gorgeous antique book, signed books by Esi and Steven, cake, flowers, and lots of Russell's swag: bag, t-shirt, pen, and mug. But the best part was the warm joy that came from that evening. What a community, what a store. I feel so lucky to have been a part of it.

(The photo above was lifted from Russell's FB page. I'm not sure who took it, but my guess it was Will Johnson. You can see more photos from the night at Will Johnson's blog which you should explore a bit, he's got some great interviews there.)

out in the world

Way back in 2007 when my first book All Things Said & Done was launched into the world, publishing and the internet were very different than their current state. I know it's only six years, but that's a lifetime in the digital world. Sure there were blogs, but not like now. Twitter didn't exist and FB was not the behemoth it has become. And with space for discussion about books shrivelling up in traditional print media, I believe lit-blogs have now mostly taken their place of influence and power. That said, I wish places like the Globe and Mail would review more poetry. Sure, I'd love mine to be mentioned on their pages, but I'd really like to read about other poets and poetry where my fellow citizens--poetry lovers or not--could do the same.

What has been alarming to me is how quickly a review can be published online. I know this shouldn't be a surprise as it's what the internet does best (next to cute animals and the other thing that I'm not going to write out because I don't want to attract those searches or bots) but it is, at least when it comes to my own book. There was the Book Riot mention even before the book was officially published, and now two more.

rob mclennan wrote "Dachsel manages to bring a life to the material, a fine and sparkling energy" amongst other things that you can read here.

Nina Berkhout at Canadian Poetries wrote "Avoiding sentimentality Dachsel gives us a haunting collection that illuminates lives that were behind-the-scenes until now. This book is a jewel-like union of unique voices. Together they create a stunning stained glass piece soldered together into a choir of glass and light." Isn't that beautiful? You can read the whole review here.

I know the point of having a book is for people to read it, but it still surprises me when they do. Saleema Nawaz wrote yesterday on her blog metaphysical conceit "Any time I meet somebody I don't already know who has read my short-story collection, it feels like nothing short of a miracle. And I'm grateful." Miracle, indeed.

I know at least one other person I have not yet met has read my book, as I'm scheduled to chat with him this weekend about it. I'll be speaking with John Herbert Cunningham on his program Speaking of Poets this Sunday. It airs on CKUW 4:30 Winnipeg time (Central Time Zone). If you aren't in Winnipeg, you can listen online live, or download it as a podcast for later. Once it's aired, I'll post a link.

I'm so incredibly thankful for those who have taken the time so far to pick up the book, read it, think about it, and want to discuss it in some way. It's exciting and terrifying.

deliciously squirmy way

Glossolalia won't be officially released until March, but I recently saw that the fine folks over at Book Riot wrote some great things about it in a review that includes the excellent books Titanic by Billeh Nickerson and Salvage by Michael Crummey. Good company, no?

Brenna Clarke Gray aka dr b starts the review with, "Okay, you know when good art makes you uncomfortable in that deliciously squirmy way?" and ends it saying, "Dachsel’s mastery over multiple voices really elevates this collection to something special." You can read everything in between here.

(Many thanks to dr b and Book Riot for highlighting poetry!)

"...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.

"...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.