May 2012
Very busy month for SG, what with
a) Launching The Smooth Yarrow at the Wychwood Community Gallery on May 10th, 7-10 pm
b) Reading both poetry and prose at the 2nd annual conference of the Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs down at Humber College, sometime between March 10th and March 13th (details to be posted later: see http://ccwwp.ca/conference/program/)
c) Reading poems from the new book at a mini-launch at Hot Sauced Words at 8 pm, March 17th @ the Black Swan Tavern (Broadview & Danforth). hotsaucedwords.ca
d) and then again, at the Plasticine reading series, 6 pm, Sunday March 27 @ The Central, 603 Markham St. (1 block west of Bathurst subway). Plasticine Poetry Series
April 2012
I will be reading from new work at the Draft Reading series at 2:00 on the afternoon of Sunday, April 22, as part of Canadian Poetry Month. The reading will take place at the S. Walter Stewart Library at 170 Memorial Park Avenue in Toronto (1 block north of Mortimer Ave., 2 blocks west of Coxwell Avenue).
The Smooth Yarrow will be coming your way by the end of the month! This my sixth title with Signal Editions. I am absolutely delighted with the cover design by the always brilliant David Drummond. Have a look at David’s fabulous work at http://www.daviddrummond.blogspot.com/
March 2012
Remember to change your clocks forward by one hour at midnight on March 10th. And something else to put the spring in your step: Bernadette to the Rescue is coming your way!
February 2012
On Friday February 3rd at 10:30am, Susan signed Bernadette in the Doghouse at the OBPO (Ontario Book Publishers Organization) booth at the Ontario Library Association Super Convention down at the convention centre on Front Street in Toronto. She also made a short presentation about the book as a member of CANSCAIP (the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators, and Performers).
December 2011
In case you didn’t hear, I was not the winner of the Montreal Poetry Prize and its fabulous booty ($50,000). Guess I won’t be putting new windows in the house after all. On the up side, I was introduced to the work of many poets I wasn’t familiar with, including the winner, Australian Mark Tredinnick, and an American writer named Robert Wrigley.
November 2011
UPDATE: “On Finding a Copy of Pigeon in the Hospital Bookstore” has made it onto the short list of the Montreal Poetry Prize. If you already had your fingers crossed for me, could you now please add your toes? Thank you kindly!
This is the largest prize ever offered for a single poem; a tactic presumably designed to get a little respect for an art form too often overlooked in contemporary culture. An international panel of judges has weeded through thousands of poems sent in from all over the English-speaking world to arrive at the shortlist of 50 from which UK poet Andrew Motion will pick the final winner in early December.
Over at http://montrealprize.com/anthologies/global-anthology/#2011ShortlistPoetsite you can read two poems a day from the shortlist. We’re also supposed to produce MP3files so that the curious can listen to them being read by their authors; click on the link which follows to hear my dulcet tones (and some very odd background noise from resident poltergeists): On Finding a copy of pigeon.
October 2011
Two poems – “Cold Pastoral” and “On Finding a Copy of Pigeon in the Hospital Bookstore” – made it onto the long list of the Montreal Poetry Prize.
September 2011
On September 22, Susan read her essay from Slice Me Some Truth at the Wolsak and Wynn launch at Ben McNally Books, 366 Bay St, Toronto, 6-8 pm.
On Sunday September 25 at 1:30, Susan signed copies of the second “Lunch Bunch” book, Bernadette in the Doghouse, at the Second Story booth (#KS18) at WORD ON THE STREET, Queen’s Park, Toronto.
August 2011
What I have in my hands right now! You can have a copy too, if you head off to your favourite bookstore …
May 2011
Susan read at the Art Bar in Toronto with Carla Hartsfield and Rachel Zolf on May 24. There probably were all kinds of scintillating events I should have noted since December, but I couldn’t get onto my web-site to update and no longer remember what I did! I promise to keep this page more up-to-date from now on.
December 2010
Susan read at the legendary Yellow Door Coffee House in Montreal on December 2.
May 2010
On May 21, Susan read at a gala literary fundraiser at Ryerson University to launch the Motherhood Institute. Other readers included Miriam Toews, Afua Cooper, and Rishma Dunlop.
April 2010
It’s National Poetry Month. Hug a poet today! (Better yet, buy a book of poetry.)
Susan read at the Parliament Street Library, 269 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, on Tuesday, April 6th at 6:30, with Adam Sol and Olive Senior.
ANNOUNCEMENT!! ANNOUNCEMENT!! ANNOUNCEMENT!! ANNOUNCEMENT!!
THE TALE-TELLER, A Canadian Novel of Swashbuckling Adventure, has been accepted for publication by Cormorant Press for 2012 publication. Thanks to my agent, Alisha Sevigny of The Rights Factory, for arranging the deal.
March 2010
Susan read both poetry and prose for the “Lit Live” series in Hamilton, Ontario, on Sunday March 7th, 7:30 at the Sky Dragon Centre, 27 King William Street. (Tried to avoid standing next to the exceedingly tall Michael Winter, but failed, because he’s such an entertaining raconteur …)
February 2010
Susan’s long poem “Comings and Goings” made the short list for the CBC Radio/Air Canada literary award.
January 2010
Susan read new poems from her next book, The Smooth Yarrow, at the Rowers Reading series at Harbord House, Toronto, January 4th, 7:30. (Probably shouldn’t be reading these poems yet, but I’m so tired of my old ones.)
ANNOUNCEMENT!! ANNOUNCEMENT!! ANNOUNCEMENT!! ANNOUNCEMENT!!
THE SMOOTH YARROW , my sixth collection of poetry, is to be published in Spring 2012 by Signal Editions of Vehicule Press, publishers of my five previous collections.
July 2009
Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch receives a starred review in Best Books for Kids and Teens 2009, from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre!!
January 2009
On Sunday January 18th, Susan read at the Side Space Gallery, 1080 St Clair West, in conjunction with the opening of the “Life in the Cemetery” Exhibition, and then at the Plasticine Reading Series. A poetry double-header! Will wonders never cease?
Susan did a signing of Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch on January 30th at the Kate Walker booth at the Ontario Library Association Convention. and picked up some YA fiction and a couple of nice pens in the process. Also a flashing plastic football–how cool is that? And chocolate ladybugs. Got to love those trade shows! (R.I.P. BOOK EXPO)
November 2008
Margie Wolfe, publisher of Second Story Press, announced that Bernadette and the Lunch Bunch has inspired her to create The “Gutsy Girl” Series.
Susan appeared live on CFRU radio, Guelph, November 29, interviewed by host Kyle Mackie on “Kidstime.” The topic was lunch.
September 2008
Susan’s first children’s book, Bernadette and The Lunch Bunch, has just been published by Second Story Press. Go buy it. NOW!
On September 25th Susan read at Ellington’s Music & Café, 805 St Clair Ave West, as part of the St. Clair “Artwalk.” A lady walked out during the reading! I hope it wasn’t because I said a naughty word …
May 2008
Susan visited the book club at Holy Blossom synagogue in Toronto on May 13 to discuss her novel The Violin Lover. This month she also attended the Writers Union of Canada AGM and admired the hard work done by so many of her colleagues to improve the lot of writers in Canada.
April 2008
Susan read at the Deer Park Public Library in Toronto, April 17. (I was competing with the Anansi Press Spring Book Launch. Rats.)
March 2008
Susan read some poetry, and presented a paper entitled “Angels, Not Polarities: Poetry and Prose in the Work of Bronwen Wallace,” at the Common Magic Conference at Queens’ University on March 8th. (The paper is posted on this site under the link titled “Other Writing.”)
December 2007
Susan participated in a soiree to celebrate Jacques Rancourt and the Festival Franco-Anglais de Poesie at the Alliance Francaise in Toronto, December 4. (a really nice venue with exceptional food and drink, as one might expect, though oddly enough, the red wine was Spanish!)
Susan also read some poetry by Margaret Avison at the annual Art Bar “Dead Poets Society” reading at Clinton’s Tavern in Toronto, December 11. (A wonderful Toronto event, always interesting. Other tributes this year included AR Ammons, Dorothy Parker, William Matthews)
October 2007
Susan read at Queens’ University in Kingston, October 16 (excellent crowd, excellent questions, as always)
Read at The Jewish Public Library in Montreal, October 17. (Wow! what a great turnout. Gracious too, with lovely food)
And then at the McGill University English Department, October 19 (Unfortunately, I was competing with a symposium on A.M. Klein which I would rather have attended myself than hearing myself!)
July 2007
Susan was invited by the CNIB to record The Violin Lover as a talking book for the blind. Sitting in a little recording room by myself, reading the whole book out loud from beginning to end, was a very cool experience. It was as though I’d never seen the text before.
June 2007
The Violin Lover wins the fiction prize of the Canadian Jewish Book Awards!
The awards ceremony, with speaker Robert Fulford, champagne and strawberries, took place June 21 at the Leah Poslun Theatre in Toronto.
April 2007
The Violin Lover makes the longlist for the ReLit Award. Three years ago Running in Prospect Cemetery was nominated. Maybe this time I’ll get lucky!
Susan did a poetry reading with Erin Knight at Hart House, University of Toronto, April 10
February 2007
Reading to and discussion with residents of Shalom House in Hamilton, February 8; including a long-lost relative I found through writing The Violin Lover!
January 2007
Book Club discussion with members of Congregation Darchei Noam, Toronto, January 27. My first experience of discussing The Violin Lover with people who’d actually read it — what an honour!
December 2006
“Books and Bagels” reading and discussion at the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, Toronto, December 3. Excellent coffee. Excellent questions from the audience. And happily, no gate-crashing drunks.
November 2006
Fiction reading with Alan Cumyn and Goran Simic at the GritLit Festival, Hamilton, November 5. An added pleasure was enjoying the wonderful exhibits at The Art Gallery of Hamilton, where the event was held.
Group poetry reading November 19, and a presentation of The Violin Lover with music by violist Macey Cadesky and violinist Agnes Klinghofer at the Vancouver Jewish Book Fair, November 20. My dream reading! A dialogue between literature and music. Mozart and Bach mostly.
Solo Reading at the Winnipeg Jewish Book Fair, Winnipeg, November 21. The JCC is a beautiful place. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time for a swim.
April 2006
Fiction reading with Camilla Gibb and Yann Martel at the Blue Met Festival, Montreal, April 8.
Fiction reading with Martha Baillie and Linda Holeman at the Ottawa International Writers’ Festival, April 20. During our subsequent interview with Nigel Beale, poet Rob Mclennan kept making funny faces at me from the back of the room, rendering it difficult to proceed with dignity.
March 2006
Launch of The Violin Lover at Nicholas Hoare Books, Toronto, March 22. You should have been there! An itinerant boozer crashed the event, demanding a drink. When we asked him to leave, since this was a private party, he retorted grandly “I AM a private party” and absconded with a two-litre bottle of red wine.
Also did a solo reading at Queen’s University, in Kingston on March 29. The students were scrupulously well behaved. (Did Professor Carolyn Smart bribe them? Must ask her!)
