George Murray
George Murray’s six books of poetry include The Rush to Here (Nightwood, 2007) and The Hunter (McClelland & Stewart, 2003). His most recent books, Whiteout (2012) and Glimpse: Selected Aphorisms (2010), are published by ECW Press. He has been widely anthologized and has published poems and fiction in journals and magazines in Canada, the United States, Australia and Europe. He lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and is the editor of the popular literary website Bookninja.com. His personal website is georgemurray.wordpress.com
Please send your questions for George to writer@openbooktoronto.com
Photo of George Murray by John W. MacDonald.
Submitted by clelia on October 31, 2010 - 6:50am
George Murray is Open Book's November 2010 Writer in Residence. In his answer to the Proust Questionnaire, George tells us his dream of happiness, his chief characteristic and more.
The Proust Questionnaire was not invented by Marcel Proust, but it was a much loved game by the French author and many of his contemporaries. The idea behind the questionnaire is that the answers are supposed to reveal the respondent's "true" nature.
________________________________________
What is your dream of happiness?
A world in which there are four extra hours in the day so I might give equal attention to all the things I love.
George Murray's Books By George Murray  From the publisher's website:
White⋅out: n. a surface condition … in which no object casts a shadow, the horizon cannot be seen, and only dark objects are discernible …
Whiteout: when the heavy weather of daily life establishes the measure of the measureless; when the predatory nature of the accidental conjures cowboys and the comatose; when the sickly sweet pop of life underfoot contrasts the televised image, shrinking to a pinprick.
Whiteout: calques and towers, twin polar storms, falling, burning.
Whiteout: “a book of white nothing.”
Recent Writer In Residence Posts
Submitted by gmurray on November 3, 2012 - 10:17am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Submitted by gmurray on October 24, 2012 - 10:08am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Submitted by gmurray on October 10, 2012 - 8:45pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Submitted by gmurray on September 14, 2012 - 12:53pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Christine Pountney’s third novel, Sweet Jesus, is out with M&S September 11th. She has two previous novels published with Faber&Faber, teaches creative writing at UofT, has written for Brick, The Walrus, Elle, Nuvo, The New Quarterly, The New York Times Magazine and The Guardian. She is interested the intersection between the sacred and the profane.
Submitted by gmurray on September 7, 2012 - 9:43am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Submitted by gmurray on June 16, 2012 - 7:04pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Samuel Thomas Martin is the author of This Ramshackle Tabernacle, which was shortlisted for the 2010 BMO Winterset Award and longlisted for the 2011 ReLit Award for Short Fiction. His reviews and stories have appeared in journals in both Canada and the U.S., and his jalapeno chili once made someone cry. Originally from Ontario, he now lives in Newfoundland with his wife Samantha and their dog Vader.
Samuel's Links:
A Blessed Snarl
Dark Art Cafe
49th Shelf Interview
Submitted by gmurray on June 7, 2012 - 8:24am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Russell Smith’s most recent novel is Girl Crazy (HarperCollins). He is currently adapting it for cinema, for New Real Films and House of Films, Toronto. He writes on art and culture every Thursday in the Globe and Mail.
Russell's Links:
Girl Crazy
Submitted by gmurray on May 25, 2012 - 10:55am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Tony Burgess writes fiction and screenplays. He was nominated for Genie Award for the screen adaptation of his second novel Pontypool Changes Everything. He has won the Relit Award twice for Fiction for Lovers and Ravenna Gets. His latest novel Idaho Winter is shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award. He lives in Stayner, with his wife, Rachel and their two kids, Griffin and Camille.
Tony's Links:
Books
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on May 18, 2012 - 10:53am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Leah McLaren has been a national columnist with the Globe and Mail since 1999. From 2002-2004 she served as London correspondent, and was nominated for a National Newspaper Award for her work there. Her first novel, The Continuity Girl, published by HarperCollins Canada and Warner US, was an instant national bestseller, spending nine weeks on the Globe and Mail bestseller list.
Leah's Links:
The Continuity Girl
Website
Twitter
Globe and Mail
Submitted by gmurray on May 11, 2012 - 8:05am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Corey Redekop, author of the critically acclaimed Shelf Monkey (ECW, 2007 - winner of the Gold Medal, Best Popular Fiction Novel, 2008 Independent Book Publisher Awards), is a librarian and freelance writer. Corey blogs at Shelf Monkey.
Corey's Links:
Website
Book
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on May 4, 2012 - 4:13pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Alice's third collection, Holler, was released this spring through Mansfield Press. Her poems have also appeared in Shift & Switch: New Canadian Poetry (The Mercury Press, Fall 2005), Surreal Estate: 13 Canadian Poets Under the Influence, An Anthology of Surrealist Canadian Poetry (The Mercury Press, Fall 2004), and in Pissing Ice: An Anthology of 'New' Canadian Poets, (BookThug, 2004).
Alice's Links:
Site
Books
Submitted by gmurray on April 30, 2012 - 9:50am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Dave Bidini is a journalist and author and a founding member of the acclaimed rock band Rheostatics. He currently performs with the BidiniBand, whose first album, The Land Is Wild, was released in 2009. He has published numerous novels, and non-fiction books about sports and music.
Dave's Links:
Website
Books
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on April 19, 2012 - 8:19pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Patricia Storms is an award-winning cartoonist, as well as a children's book illustrator and author. Her picture book The Pirate and the Penguin was named one of the top 10 Great Books for Children for 2011, by the Canadian Toy Testing Council. She is also the new cartoonist who write & draws Chirp, the much-loved yellow bird from Owlkids. Her latest illustrated books are Snowy Science, published by Scholastic Canada, and Kid Confidential: An Insider's Guide to Grown-Ups, published by Walker and Company. Patricia lives and creates in Toronto, with her husband and two fat cats in a cosy old house full to the brim with books.
Patricia's Links:
Site
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on April 13, 2012 - 10:55am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Steven W. Beattie is the review editor of Quill & Quire. He maintains the literary blog That Shakespearean Rag.
Steven's Links:
That Shakespearean Rag
The Quill and Quire
I am frequently confused.
I am known to say things I later regret.
I do this in print, all too often.
Submitted by gmurray on April 9, 2012 - 1:08pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Melissa Bull is the editor of Maisonneuve Magazine's column, “Writing from Quebec,” as well as the editor of Playboy’s humour website, The Smoking Jacket. Her poetry and fiction have been published in Event, Lemon Hound, Maisonneuve, Pistol and Matrix, among other places. She lives in Montreal.
Melissa's Links:
Maisonneuve
Bullpenned
Submitted by gmurray on March 23, 2012 - 3:56pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
David Seymour’s first book, Inter Alia (Brick Books, 2005) was short-listed for the Gerald Lampert Award for the best first book of poetry. His second book, For Display Purposes Only, will be published by Coach House Books in 2013. Along with working in the film industry David is also a member of the editorial board for Goose Lane Editions, and is a copy editor/second reader for Brick Books.
David's Links:
Inter Alia
Brick Books
Submitted by danielle on March 19, 2012 - 3:05pm
When
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 - 8:00pm
Where
The Press Club 850 Dundas Street West Toronto, ON M6J 1V5
Details
Join authors George Murray, Meagan Strimas, Julie Wilson and Gillian Wigmore for readings from their latest works at the Pivot Reading Series!
For more information, visit pivotreadings.ca.
The Press Club
850 Dundas Street West
Toronto, ON
M6J 1V5
43° 39' 5.4612" N, 79° 24' 37.1556" W
Submitted by gmurray on March 16, 2012 - 9:51am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
John Degen is a poet and novelist whose work has won a number of national awards and short-list nominations. His debut novel, The Uninvited Guest, was short-listed for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award in 2006. John is the Literature Officer for the Ontario Arts Council, administering grant programs for the province’s professional writers, publishers and literary presenters. From 2003 to 2008 he was Executive Director of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), overseeing the organization’s growth in budget, membership and profile. Before that he was head of communications for Magazines Canada. From 1993 to 2000 he was the publisher and editor of ink magazine.
John's Links:
The Book Room Podcast
Author Blog
OAC Literature
Submitted by gmurray on March 10, 2012 - 2:55pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Zachariah Wells lives with his wife and son in Halifax, where he writes, edits and rides trains. He is the author of Unsettled and Track and Trace and the editor of the sonnet anthology Jailbreaks
Website
Blog
Submitted by gmurray on March 6, 2012 - 10:42am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Submitted by gmurray on February 20, 2012 - 9:32pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Willow Dawson is an illustrator and cartoonist working out of the RAID Comics Studio in downtown Toronto. She is the creator of Hyena in Petticoats: The Story of Suffragette Nellie McClung (Penguin Canada), Lila and Ecco's Do-It-Yourself Comics Club (Kids Can Press) and illustrator of award-winning graphic novels: No Girls Allowed with Susan Hughes (Kids Can Press) and Violet Miranda: Girl Pirate with Emily Pohl-Weary (Kiss Machine). Dawson just completed the illustrations for the upcoming science book The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea with Helaine Becker (Kids Can Press, ETA: April 2012) and is currently in development of 100 Mile House (excerpts published at Top Shelf 2.0). Dawson's illustration clients include: Owl Magazine, Kids Can Press, Penguin Canada, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd., Top Shelf Comics, Metaviews, YWCA Canada, LGBTQ Parenting Network, and more.
Willow's Links:
Website
Hyena in Petticoats
Lila and Ecco’s DIY Comics Club
No Girls Allowed
Submitted by gmurray on February 16, 2012 - 11:56am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Marina Endicott was born in Golden, BC, and grew up with three sisters and a brother, mostly in Nova Scotia and Toronto. She worked as an actor and director before going to England, where she began to write fiction. After London she went west to Saskatoon, where she was dramaturge at the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre for many years before going farther west to Mayerthorpe, Alberta; she now lives in Edmonton. Her first novel, Open Arms, was short-listed for the Amazon/Books In Canada First Novel award in 2002. Her second, Good to a Fault, was a finalist for the 2008 Giller Prize and won the 2009 Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book, Canada/Caribbean region. The Little Shadows, her latest book, longlisted for the 2011 Giller Prize, was a finalist for this year’s Governor General’s Award and will be published in the UK and Australia in spring 2012. She is at work on a new novel, Hughtopia.
Marina's Links:
Website
Submitted by gmurray on February 6, 2012 - 11:37am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Robert Priest, is the author of fifteen books of poetry, 3 plays, 2 novels, lots of musical CDS, one hit song and many columns for Now Magazine . His words have been debated in the legislature, posted in the Transit system, quoted in the Farmer's Almanac, and sung on Sesame street. His most recent book: Reading the Bible Backwards (ECW) peaked at number two on the Globe and Mail’s poetry list. His new CD of songs, Feeling the Pinch, is due out in late May.
Robert's Links:
Wherein the author appears naked with horses<.a>
a site where the author’s avatar can be prompted to speak aphorisms
official website
Doctor Poetry on Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on January 16, 2012 - 12:17pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Charlene Diehl is a writer, editor, performer, and the director of THIN AIR. Her memoir, Out of Grief, Singing: A Memoir of Motherhood and Loss (Signature Editions, 2010) has been warmly received by both readers and critics, and was shortlisted for the Alexander Kennedy Isbister Non-Fiction Award and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year. Charlene has published one poetry collection, lamentations, along with poems in literary journals and anthologies. She has also written a critical book on poet Fred Wah, and reviewed books and music in various Canadian journals. Arts journalism is also a passion: she co-edits dig! magazine, and writes the jazz column for The Winnipeg Review.
Charlene's Links:
Personal Site
Out of Grief, Singing
Winnipeg International Writers Festival
dig! magazine
Submitted by gmurray on December 15, 2011 - 11:01am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Katia Grubisic is a writer, editor and translator. She guest-edited the acclaimed Montreal issue of The New Quarterly and the journal’s non-fiction supplement, and is the editor of Arc Poetry Magazine. Since 2008, she has also been the coordinator of the renowned Atwater Poetry Project reading series. Her collection What if red ran out won the Gerald Lampert award for best first book.
Katia's Links:
Books
Submitted by gmurray on December 7, 2011 - 9:16am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales / publicity / production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Sheree Fitch has been telling stories, performing poems and publishing children's books for almost twenty-five years She's published award winning novels for adults and teens and offered writing workshops in the Canadian Arctic, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, China, and Bhutan. This fall Nimbus re-relased of There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen with new art by Sydney Smith. Apps for the apes are in development as is a new picture book, Night Sky Wheel Ride, and more adult fiction.
Sheree's Links:
Website: Fitch Happens
Twitter
Google+
Facebook
Collaborator Sydney Smith
Submitted by gmurray on November 28, 2011 - 3:13pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Gary Barwin is a writer, musician, composer, performer, visual and multimedia artist, and educator. His latest book is Franzlations: the imaginary Kafka parables (with Craig Conley and Hugh Thomas; New Star). His recent books are The Obvious Flap (with Gregory Betts; Bookthug), and The Porcupinity of the Stars (Coach House) which won the Hamilton Literary Award for Poetry. He has a PhD in music composition and degrees in education and English. He lives with his family in Hamilton, Ontario where he is currently at work on the great Canadian Jewish pirate novel.
Gary's Links:
Website
Blog
Franzlations: the imaginary Kafka parables
Trailer for above
Submitted by gmurray on November 17, 2011 - 7:27pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Paul Seesequasis spent 13 years at The Canada Council for the Arts as a literary arts officer. Prior to that he was the recipient of a Maclean-Hunter Scholarship in Journalism, founding editor of the award-winning Aboriginal Voices magazine, author of The Republic of Tricksterism, and a journalist covering aboriginal affairs. Last year he published his first novella, Tobacco Wars (Quattro Books, 2010). He is currently engaged on a new novel and a graphic novel collaboration, based on the Pop Wuj, with 2011 Guggenheim fellow Jesus Mora. He currently lives a semi-reclusive existence, somewhere in the hills of Gatineau and, when not splitting logs, he writes.
Paul's Links:
Quattro Books
Submitted by gmurray on November 13, 2011 - 2:36pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Nikki Reimer’s works include [sic] (Frontenac, 2010); shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert award, and the chapbooks that stays news (Nomados 2011), haute action material (Heavy Industries 2011) and fist things first (Wrinkle 2009). She is currently Managing Editor of EVENT Magazine. Reimer chronicles the East Van Cats, edits Van City Kitty on VancouverisAwesome.com and divides her time between East Vancouver, New Westminster and nikkireimer.com.
Nikki's Links:
Author Site
Event
Van City Kitty
Submitted by gmurray on November 9, 2011 - 9:18pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Brad Cran served as Poet Laureate for the City of Vancouver from April of 2009 until October of 2011. He published his first book of poetry, The Good Life, in 2001 and his first book of nonfiction Hope in Shadows: Stories and Photographs of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (with Gillian Jerome) won the City of Vancouver Book Award and has raised over $50,000 for the people of the Downtown Eastside. His second book of poems, Ink on Paper, is forthcoming and he is currently finishing his second book of non-fiction The Truth About Ronald Reagan: How Movies Changed the World.
Brad's Links:
Books
Vancouver 125 Legacy Books Project
Poet Laureate of Vancouver
Submitted by gmurray on October 17, 2011 - 6:33pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Michael Winter is the author of The Death of Donna Whalen, which is available as a paperback Penguin for twenty bucks. He lives in a caravan. (Photo credit: Stephen Crocker)
Michael's Links:
Wikipedia
Anansi Books
Submitted by gmurray on October 4, 2011 - 6:10am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Mark Medley is the National Post’s Books Editor.
Mark's Links:
The Afterword
Submitted by gmurray on September 22, 2011 - 9:10am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Dennis Bock is a novelist and short story writer with three critically acclaimed books: Olympia (1998), The Ash Garden (2001), and The Communist's Daughter (2006). He teaches at the University of Toronto.
Dennis's Links:
Books
Submitted by gmurray on September 20, 2011 - 7:34am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Submitted by gmurray on September 12, 2011 - 10:01am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Camilla Gibb was born in London, England, and grew up in Toronto. She has a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Oxford University, but she escaped the academic world a decade ago in order to follow a life-long dream of writing fiction. To date, she has written four novels, which have been translated into 14 languages and published to rave reviews around the world. Sweetness in the Belly, was a national bestseller, a Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist, and winner of the Trillium Award for best book in Ontario. Her latest book is The Beauty of Humanity Movement.
Camilla's Links:
Website
Books
Submitted by gmurray on September 6, 2011 - 9:38am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Sachiko Murakami's first collection of poems, The Invisibility Exhibit (Talonbooks 2008), was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. Her second collection, Rebuild, also from Talon, is hot off the presses. She has been a literary worker for numerous presses, journals, and organizations. Most recently, she initiated Project Rebuild, a collaborative poetry project. She lives in Toronto where she co-hosts the Pivot Reading Series and is at work on a novel.
Sachiko's Links:
Twitter
The Invisibility Exhibit
Rebuild
Toronto New School of Writing
University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies
Project Rebuild
Pivot Readings at the Press Club
Twitter @PivotReadings
Submitted by gmurray on August 11, 2011 - 10:56am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Michael Lista is the author of Bloom, the critically acclaimed collection of poems that was named one of Quill and Quire's ten best books of 2010. His work has been nominated for the National Magazine Award, and twice for the Pushcart Prize. Lista is the Poetry Editor of The Walrus and he writes a popular monthly column, On Poetry, for the National Post. He lives in Toronto.
Submitted by gmurray on July 29, 2011 - 12:53pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Natalie Zina Walschots' first book of poetry, Thumbscrews (Snare Books, 2007) is a sadomasochistic exploration of poetic language. Her newest manuscript, Supervillains, explores the darker side of sexual desire and attraction. Her poetry has recently appeared in Carousel, broken pencil, The Peter F. Yacht Club, dANDelion, ditch, Last Supper, Misunderstandings Magazine, Open Letter, and Rampike. Natalie completed her MA in English/Creative Writing at the University of Calgary. She has served as the Managing Editor of both filling Station and dANDelion magazines. She also co-curated the Flywheel reading series from 2005 to 2008. She currently serves on the executive board of the Scream Literary Festival as the Volunteer Coordinator. She was recently employed as a writer-in-residence through the NOW HEAR THIS!/S.W.A.T. Program, the literacy outreach arm of the Descant Arts & Letters Foundation. She writes live concert reviews, album reviews, interviews, blog posts, and articles for Hellbound.ca, Alternative Matter, Angry Metal Guy, and About Heavy Metal, and is the Managing Editor of Canada Arts Connect. Her base of operations is located in Toronto.
Natalie's Links:
Website
Hellbound
Submitted by gmurray on July 21, 2011 - 9:28am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Evan Munday is the publicist for Toronto-based publisher Coach House Books. He also works as an illustrator whose work has appeared in books and magazines, including the novel Stripmalling, by Jon Paul Fiorentino. He is the author of the juvenile fiction title, The Dead Kid Detective Agency, being published Fall 2011 by ECW Press.
Evan's Links:
I Don't Like Mundays
Book
Twitter
Coach House Books
Submitted by gmurray on July 9, 2011 - 7:16am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Elizabeth Bachinsky is the author of three collections of poetry, Curio (BookThug, 2005), Home of Sudden Service (Nightwood, 2006), and God of Missed Connections (Nightwood, 2009). Her work was nominated for the Governor General's Award for Poetry in 2006, the Kobzar Literary Award in 2009, the Pat Lowther Award in 2010, and the Bronwen Wallace Award in 2004. Her poems have appeared in literary journals, anthologies, and on film in Canada, the United States, France, Ireland, England, and China. She is an instructor of creative writing at Douglas College in New Westminster where she is Editor for Event magazine. (Photo by David Ellingsen)
Elizabeth's Links:
Books
Blog
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on June 24, 2011 - 10:10am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Dani Couture is writer who lives in Toronto. Her most recent collection of poetry, Sweet, was nominated for the Trillium Book Award for Poetry. Her novel, Algoma, is forthcoming from Invisible Publishing in Fall 2011.
Dani's Links:
Book
Website
Submitted by gmurray on June 9, 2011 - 7:01am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Emily Martin's Bio: I believe we should all aspire to be Carl Sagan. But, since I look terrible in turtlenecks and I couldn't stop reading articles about jellyfish or new translations of Beowulf when I should have been working on my PhD research, I have settled for being wildly happy as a gad-about and dinner party hostess on an silver skied island in the North Atlantic.
Submitted by gmurray on May 30, 2011 - 9:09am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Susan Glickman is the author of five books of poetry from Signal Editions of Véhicule Press: Complicity (1983, o.p.), The Power to Move (1986, o.p.), Henry Moore's Sheep and Other Poems (1990), Hide & Seek (1995) and Running in Prospect Cemetery: New & Selected Poems (2004). Her first novel, The Violin Lover, came out in 2006 from Goose Lane Editions. It was named one of the year’s best novels by The National Post and won the Canadian Jewish Book Award for fiction. Her first children's book, Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch, came out from Second Story Press in September 2008 and was a starred selection of the Canadian Children's Book Centre's Best Books for Kids & Teens: Annual, 2009
Susan's Links:
Website
Books
Submitted by gmurray on May 23, 2011 - 3:54pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
a.rawlings is a Canadian poet, editor, and multidisciplinary artist who has presented and/or published work in Canada, Belgium, Iceland, Australia, Germany, The Netherlands, and the United States. Her poetry has been translated into Dutch, French, Icelandic, Korean, and Spanish.
a's Links:
Blog
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on May 13, 2011 - 11:15am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Natalee Caple is the author of four books of fiction and two books of poetry, including the novel The Plight of Happy People in an Ordinary World (Anansi), the short story collection The Heart is its Own Reason (Insomniac), which was positively reviewed by the New York Times and has been optioned for film, the poetry collection A More Tender Ocean (Coach House), which was nominated for a Gerald Lampert Award, and the novel Mackerel Sky (Thomas Allen/St. Martin's). She lives in Toronto.
Natalee's Links:
Latest Book
Other books
YouTube
Submitted by gmurray on May 9, 2011 - 8:31am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Erín Moure is writing until lunchtime in Montreal.
Erín's Links:
Books
Wikipedia
Submitted by gmurray on April 29, 2011 - 9:15am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Susan Musgrave’s most recent collection of poetry is Origami Dove (M&S, 2011). She lives on Haida Gwaii and teaches in the University of British Columbia's Optional- Residency MFA in Creative Writing Programme.
A Toronto bookseller writes, “The ultimate combination of books for Anarchist Grade Nine (to 12) girls: “Story of O” and “Things That Keep and Do Not Change” (poetry) by Susan Musgrave. Someone should offer those two books as a package deal; Susan would become rich off poetry royalties.” Her all-time favourite review of her poetry came from a high school student after she gave a reading of her work: “Susan Musgrave has made me hate poetry a little less.”
Susan's Links:
Personal Site
Copper Beach House B&B
Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on April 25, 2011 - 12:35pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Chad Pelley is a multi-award-winning writer from St. John’s, Newfoundland. His debut novel, Away from Everywhere, was a Coles bestseller, won the NLAC’s CBC Emerging Artist of the Year award, and was shortlisted for the for 2010 ReLit award, as well as the Canadian Authors Association Emerging Writer of the Year award. Chad facilitates a creative writing course at Memorial University, sits on the board of directors at the Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland & Labrador, runs Salty Ink.com, and has written for a variety of publications, such as Quill & Quire, The Telegram and Atlantic Books Today.
Chad's Links:
Website
Chad's book
Twitter
On the Line Magazine
Submitted by gmurray on April 15, 2011 - 9:26am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Paul Vermeersch is a poet, editor and teacher. His most recent books are The Reinvention of the Human Hand, a poetry collection published by McClelland & Stewart, and The Al Purdy A-frame Anthology, an anthology published by Harbour Publishing. He lives in Toronto.
Paul's Links:
Paul's Books
Site
4 A.M. Books
Submitted by gmurray on April 11, 2011 - 4:49pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Bert Archer was born in Montreal, and raised and educated in Calgary, Vancouver, Victoria, Dublin and Toronto. He started work as a journalist in 1993, and has worked for many newspapers and magazines as an editor, manager, writer and columnist.
Bert's Links:
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on March 31, 2011 - 8:46am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Daniel Nester is the author of How to Be Inappropriate, a collection of humorous nonfiction. His first two books, God Save My Queen and God Save My Queen II, are collections on his obsession with the rock band Queen. His work has appeared in a variety of places, such as Salon.com, The Morning News, McSweeney’s, The Daily Beast, Time Out New York, and Bookslut, and has been anthologized in The Best American Poetry 2003, The Best Creative Nonfiction, and Now Write! Nonfiction. He is an associate professor of English at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. He is managing editor of the group culture-slash-literature blog We Who Are About To Die.
Daniel's Links:
How to Be Inappropriate
Daniel's Books
Personal Website
We Who Are About To Die
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on March 28, 2011 - 9:57am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Damian Rogers was born and raised in suburban Detroit. Her first book is Paper Radio, ECW, 2009. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a graduate degree from the Bennington Writing Seminars in Bennington, Vermont. Her poems have been published in Brick Magazine, The Walrus, Salt Hill, MoonLit, and This Magazine. She lives in Toronto.
Damian's Links:
Paper Radio
Blog
Submitted by gmurray on March 18, 2011 - 9:39am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Alison Pick is the author of the poetry collections Question & Answer and The Dream World, and the novel The Sweet Edge. Her most recent novel Far to Go was a Top 10 Book of 2010 at the Toronto Star and NOW, and the winner of the Words Worthy Award. It will be published in Canada, the US, the UK, Italy and the Netherlands. Currently on Faculty at the Banff Centre for the Arts Wired Writing Studio, Alison Pick lives in Toronto.
Alison's Links:
Site
Alison's Books
Agent Page
Submitted by gmurray on March 11, 2011 - 8:54am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Marilyn Biderman recently founded her own literary agency, Marilyn Biderman Literary Management. Until September 2009, she was the Vice President, Rights and Contracts at McClelland & Stewart, where she had worked for twelve years. Marilyn has taught at the publishing programs at Ryerson University, Simon Fraser University, Humber College, and Centennial College. She has also mentored many publishers under the auspices of the Association of Canadian Publishers and the Canada Council. She is also a lawyer, the author of several papers on copyright law, a juror for literary competitions, and a passionate balletomane.
Marilyn's Links:
MBLM
Submitted by gmurray on March 4, 2011 - 10:57am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
After spending two years on top of a mountain in Peace Corps Guatemala, Jason Boog chased the dream of every skinny Midwestern writer boy with glasses: to starve to death in New York City. He's an editor at MediaBistro.com's publishing blog, GalleyCat and an adjunct instructor at New York University’s School of Journalism, and has written for The Believer, Salon.com, The Revealer, and Peace Corps Writers. He also worked for three years as a staff writer at the investigative reporting publication, Judicial Reports.
Jason's Links:
MediaBistro
GalleyCat
The Believer
Granta
Salon
Evernote
Submitted by gmurray on February 24, 2011 - 9:01am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
James Geary is the author of I is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How It Shapes the Way We See the World as well as two books celebrating the art of the aphorism: The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism and Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists.
James' Links:
I is an Other
Other Books
Personal Site
All Aphorisms, All the Time
TED Talk on Metaphor
Submitted by gmurray on February 18, 2011 - 12:19pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Sam Jordison is a writer and blogger. Most of his journalism about books can be found on The Guardian. He also writes for Salon Futura and a few other outlets in the UK. He's written a few humour books for the UK market, the most famous of which was called Crap Towns. Meanwhile, the least embarrassing of his attempts at short fiction can be found online at 3AM magazine.
Sam's Links:
The Guardian
Salon Futura
3AM magazine
Submitted by gmurray on February 11, 2011 - 12:57pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Previous to joining TLA in January 2004, Samantha was the Assistant Rights Manager for Random House of Canada Limited where she actively sold subsidiary rights and foreign rights, selling direct to the US, UK and ANZ markets and for translation in coordination with 23 subagents world-wide. Prior to that she was the Foreign Rights Manager for Westwood Creative Artists selling their client list for international publication.
Samantha's Links:
Transatlantic Literary Agency
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on February 4, 2011 - 12:38pm
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Stephen Myers is a publicist and book lover known for his crazy schemes to promote books. Like most book publicists, he lives in Toronto where he works for Penguin Canada.
Stephen's Links:
Penguin
Submitted by gmurray on January 24, 2011 - 8:39am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Patrick Crean has been deeply involved in the publishing industry for the last forty years, for the last ten as Publisher and Editor of Thomas Allen. Over the years Patrick as worked with a veritable who's-who of Canlit, and is widely recognized for both his eye for new talent and his ability to recontextualize veteren writers so the public sees their work anew.
Submitted by gmurray on January 21, 2011 - 8:41am
In The Questionless Books Interview, I get a whole bunch of books people (from authors to editors to publishers to sales/publicity/production people, booksellers, designers, librarians, readers, etc) to "answer" a series of unspoken "questions". The results highlight a delightful mix of the opportunities and challenges facing our sector: from doom and gloom to sunshine and rainbows, and every irony in between.
Michael Tamblyn is the EVP Content, Sales & Merchandising at Kobo Inc. He's also a dad, reader, tool-maker, cook, bookseller, crossfit-er, start-upper, MBA-in-recovery, presentation jockey, and ace dishwasher.
Michael's Links:
Kobo
Personal Site
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on January 18, 2011 - 9:09am
Welcome to the first in the (now-columnar) ongoing series of Questionless Books Interviews. I hope you got a chance to read the first series I did as part of my Residency at OBT in November. The editors here have asked me to make the idea a regular column, so for the foreseeable future, I'll continue asking prominent book people in Canada, the USA, and the UK about books without every asking them a question. I'll be mixing up the "questions" in the future, but for the first little bit, I'll be running interviews that didn't make it into the 30 days of November. First up: former House of Anansi editor Martha Sharpe.
Martha Sharpe currently works at Audible, lives in Brooklyn, and edited and published at Anansi from 1993-2005.
Martha's Links:
Audible
Twitter
Radio Press
Submitted by gmurray on November 30, 2010 - 8:31am
Well, this is it for me at Open Book Toronto as your writer in residence. I hope you found the variety of responses and perspectives in the Questionless Books Interviews below fun and refreshing. My understanding is that this series will now continue as a weekly column, which I'll curate on behalf of OBT and the good people there. I'm going to add and subtract some questions, so if you have any suggestions for things you'd like me to ask the future literary celebs I'll be approaching, please go ahead and send to my OpenBookTO email, reachable from my writer in residence page.
Submitted by gmurray on November 30, 2010 - 8:15am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Noah Richler made documentaries and features for BBC Radio for fourteen years before returning to Canada in 1998. He was the books editor and then the literary columnist for the National Post, and has contributed to numerous publications in Britain, including the Guardian, Punch, the Daily Telegraph, and in Canada to The Walrus, Maisonneuve, Saturday Night, the Toronto Star, and the Globe and Mail. A Literary Atlas of Canada is his first book. He lives in Toronto.
Noah's Books:
Submitted by gmurray on November 29, 2010 - 9:14am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Darren Wershler (aka Darren Wershler-Henry) is the author or co-author of 12 books, most recently, Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg (U of Toronto Press), and Update (Snare), with Bill Kennedy. Darren is an Assistant Professor of English at Concordia University, where he works with the Technoculture, Art and Games (TAG) group, and is also part of the faculty at the CFC Media Lab TELUS Interactive Art & Entertainment Program. He now lives in Montreal.
Darren's Books:
My Winnipeg
Update
The Iron Whim
Submitted by gmurray on November 28, 2010 - 2:29pm
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Jonathan Bennett's latest book is Entitlement: a novel. He is the author of three previous books including the critically acclaimed novel, After Battersea Park, a book of poetry, Here is my street, this tree I planted, and a collection of short stories, Verandah People, which was runner up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award. He is a winner of the K.M. Hunter Artists' Award in Literature. Jonathan has a new book of poems, Civil and Civic, forthcoming in spring 2011. He lives in Peterborough, Ontario.
Jonathan's Books:
Entitlement
Verandah People
After Battersea Park
Submitted by gmurray on November 27, 2010 - 4:03pm
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Ingrid Paulson designs fiction books, non-fiction books, cookbooks, art books, business books (really, just about any book under the sun), magazines, cd covers, posters, art catalogues, and, every once in awhile, logos and websites. She's worked with Penguin Canada, HarperCollins canada, House of Anansi Press, Douglas & Mcintyre, Picador USA, Knopf Canada, Cinemascope Magazine, Raincoast Books, and many others. She's received AIGA 50 books/50 covers and the Alcuin Award for Excellence in Book Design.
Ingrid's Links:
Personal Site
Twitter
Submitted by gmurray on November 26, 2010 - 11:10am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Becky Toyne is a freelance editor and publicist based in Toronto. Since embarking on a career in publishing 10 years ago, she has worked as an in-house editor at Random House UK and Random House of Canada, and as Communications Coordinator for the International Festival of Authors and Authors at Harbourfront Centre. In addition to freelancing, she works part time at Toronto's Type Books and is a member of the communications committee for the Writers’ Trust of Canada.
Becky's Links:
Submitted by gmurray on November 25, 2010 - 10:27am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
David Orr writes the column "On Poetry" for The New York Times Book Review. His first book, Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern Poetry, will be published by HarperCollins in April in the US, June in Canada.
David's Book:
Beautiful & Pointless
I am...
David Orr.
I am known to...
Write poetry reviews. Poems too, sometimes.
Submitted by gmurray on November 24, 2010 - 10:29am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Submitted by gmurray on November 23, 2010 - 10:37am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer's first book of fiction, Way Up (2003) received a Danuta Gleed Award and was a finalist for the Relit Award. The Nettle Spinner was short-listed for The Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel award and was also named a best of 2005 by January magazine. Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer is the former fiction editor of The Literary Review of Canada, and has also worked as a tree-planter, a lumberjack, and a baker. Her reviews have appeared in The Globe and Mail, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Toronto Star and The National Post. She teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto and through the New York Times online learning, and is the former Magazine Editor for Bookninja.com.
Submitted by gmurray on November 22, 2010 - 10:30am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Richard Nash is an independent publishing entrepreneur, presently launching Cursor, a start-up portfolio of social publishing imprints the first of which, Red Lemonade, will launch in 2011 with a new story collection from Lynne Tillman and debut novels from Kio Stark and Vanessa Veselka. For most of the past decade, he ran the iconic indie Soft Skull Press for which work he was awarded the Association of American Publishers' Miriam Bass Award for Creativity in Independent Publishing in 2005. In 2006, Publishers Weekly picked him as one of the ten editors to watch in the coming decade. The last book he edited, Lydia Millet's Love in Infant Monkeys, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Fiction. This year the Utne Reader named him one of Fifty Visionaries Changing Your World and Mashable.com picked him as the #1 Twitter User Changing the Shape of Publishing.
Submitted by gmurray on November 18, 2010 - 10:06am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellerss, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Christian Bök is the author of Crystallography (Coach House Press, 1994), a ’pataphysical encyclopedia nominated for the Gerald Lampert Award for Best Poetic Debut, and ’Pataphysics: The Poetics of an Imaginary Science (Northwestern University Press, 2001). His book Eunoia won the 2002 Griffin Poetry Prize and is the best-selling Canadian poetry book of all time. Bök has created artificial languages for Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict and Peter Benchley’s Amazon. His conceptual artwork has appeared at the Marianne Boesky Gallery in New York City as part of the exhibit Poetry Plastique. He currently teaches at the University of Calgary.
Christian's Books:
Eunoia
Crystallography
'Pataphysics
Christian's Links:
Twitter
I am...
a stranded astronaut--but I would prefer to be a time traveller from the future.
Submitted by gmurray on November 17, 2010 - 9:04am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Julie Wilson is a writer and professional fan. She's the curator of the online literary voyeurism project Seen Reading, founder of Book Madam & Associates, and host of The Book Madam Book Club, a monthly live chat featuring a book and its author.
Julie's Books:
Truly, Madly, Deadly: The Unofficial True Blood Companion (under the pen name Becca Wilcott)
Julie's Links:
Book Madam
Submitted by gmurray on November 16, 2010 - 10:03am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Alana Wilcox is the Editorial Director of Coach House Books and one of the founders of the uTOpia series. She’s the author of a novel, A Grammar of Endings, and she does a lot of book-industry advocacy work.
Alana's Book:
A Grammar of Endings
Alana's links:
Coach House Books
uTOpia
Submitted by gmurray on November 15, 2010 - 10:09am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Andrew Pyper is the author of four novels, most recently, The Killing Circle. His new book, The Guardians, is being published in January.
Andrew's Books:
The Guardians
The Killing Circle
Submitted by gmurray on November 12, 2010 - 7:45am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Sina Queyras is the author of Slip, Teethmarks and Lemon Hound, which won the Lambda and the Pat Lowther awards for poetry, and the editor of Open Field: 30 Contemporary Canadian Poets. She currently lives in Montreal.
Sina's Books:
Unleashed
Expressway
Lemon Hound
Submitted by gmurray on November 11, 2010 - 10:35am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Hannah Sung is an avid reader, writer, former MuchMusic and CBC broadcaster, and the former host of CBC Books. She is also (un)healthily engaged with National Novel Writing Month, which she's turned into a sort of Write-a-thon for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
Hannah's links:
National Novel Writing Month
Submitted by gmurray on November 10, 2010 - 7:55am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Margaret Atwood is... well... Margaret Atwood. A novelist, poet, entrepreneur, speaker, and now web personality, she lives in Toronto.
Submitted by gmurray on November 9, 2010 - 7:50am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Submitted by gmurray on November 8, 2010 - 8:43am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Kathleen Winter has written dramatic and documentary scripts for Sesame Street and CBC Television. Her first collection of short stories, boYs, was the winner of both the Winterset Award and the 2006 Metcalfe-Rooke Award. A long-time resident of St. John's, Newfoundland, she now lives in Montreal.
Kathleen's books:
Annabel
Submitted by gmurray on November 7, 2010 - 5:41pm
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Claire Cameron's first novel, The Line Painter, was published in 2007 by HarperCollins Canada. Her work has recently appeared in The New York Times, The Globe and Mail and The Rumpus.
Claire's book:
The Line Painter
Claire's links:
http://www.claire-cameron.com/
I am... a gambler.
I am known to... the players at the table.
Submitted by gmurray on November 6, 2010 - 12:33pm
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
John loves to photograph (bookish) people and his photographs have been published in various books, newspapers and magazines. His latest work can be seen on-line here: http://weblog.johnwmacdonald.com
I am a... photographer
I am known to... some people
I do this in... various places
I do this because... it's enjoyable
I do this when... I go out
The way I do this is... click, click and sometimes click again
At its core, a Writer is... somewhere between f/5.6 to f/8
Submitted by gmurray on November 5, 2010 - 7:26am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Submitted by gmurray on November 4, 2010 - 7:52am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Next up is acclaimed poet, novelist, and journalist Lynn Crosbie. Besides being the author of contraversial books such as 1997's Paul's Case, and 2006's long poem Liar, Crosbie also teaches at the Ontario College of Art and Design and has a regular column titled "Pop Rocks" in The Globe and Mail. She has a new book coming next fall.
Some of Lynn's Books:
Liar
Submitted by gmurray on November 3, 2010 - 6:45am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
Next up is Public Librarian Alexandra Yarrow.
Submitted by gmurray on November 2, 2010 - 7:39am
Inspired by the Proust Questionnaire, The Questionless Books Interview gets a host of lit-types (authors, editors, publishers, publicists, designers, booksellers, readers, bloggers, journalists, etc.) to finish a bunch of statements about the state of literature and the "future of books".
First up is novelist Peter Darbyshire.
Peter's work has appeared in publications across North America. His novel Please won the KM Hunter Award for Best Emerging Artist and Canada’s ReLit Award for Best Novel, and was featured on CTV. His latest novel, The Warhol Gang, was published to rave reviews earlier this year. Peter lives in Vancouver.
Peter's books:
Submitted by gmurray on November 1, 2010 - 9:36am
Hello Toronto, my beloved hometown. Yes, I've moved to St. John's, and yes it's beautiful, affordable, and friendly here, but you'll always be the place I look to wistfully and wonder what could have been.
I'm glad to be here and hope to bring you some interesting stuff. I'll take questions, should you have them, about whatever, but the things I know more about are poetry, fiction, new media (esp blogging), the book publishing industry, the literary "scene" (whatever that means), etc. Please feel free to ask away.
The views expressed in the Writer-in-Residence blogs are those held by the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Open Book: Toronto.
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