August 13th, 2008

Today

It is rainy and cold in Toronto and I have something in my eye. On the upside:

–Today is the media launch for The Eden Mills Writers Festival. I am going to read a story (well, part of one) to the media. I hope I get whatever it is out from behind my contact lens by then.
–Today I have an essay on That Shakespeherian Rag.
–Today (well, tonight) is the Salon de Refuses launch for TNQ and CNQ, both of which I received in the mail yestereve, and they are so lovely to look at (I trust they’ll be lovely to read, too, but we’re not moving too fast around here, being now particularly blinky).

She’s too good to be true / to me
RR

June 10th, 2008

(Never) Stop the Presses!

THE TORONTO BOOK LAUNCH FOR *ONCE* WILL BE SEPTEMBER 2ND!!!!!!

I wanted to give you all maximum notice, because if there’s any chance of you being in the city then and free from contraint and interested in seeing me accidentally inhale my hair when I try to speak, I want you to be there.

It’ll be part of Pages Books amazing This Is Not a Reading Series. I’m not quite sure where, as of yet, or what time.

When he saw that brown-hair lady
RR

June 8th, 2008

Predictive Powers

I hate to brag, but my intuitions were all correct about this weekend. The big party was in fact as scary and intimidating as I had thought, and though no one was rude and the appetizers were delicious and the music good and the space beautiful (though I could never quite figure out where in the museum I was, such was the crowd) I left quite early early. I am a wuss, I admit it, but now I know there is a certain number of strangers beyond which I cannot cope. And that shotglasses filled with chilled soups, with shrimp or cheeseballs impaled on the rims, is a good thing to eat, and actually I didn’t know that before.

Then the Small Press Book Fair was lovely, well-organized and entertaining, and not intimidatingly crowded, though well-attended. I would say the surprise there was hearing Christopher Dewdney read from his latest books on time. That *was* a surprise, because you would think, knowing me, that a poetic and scientific exploration of night and day would leave me gasping for air, but Dewdney’s reading was surprisingly warm and accessible. And no small feet, in a noisy space with so much traffic. Very impressive.

Further predictions–it won’t be this hot forever. Soon it will snow again and we’ll be complaining about that, so let’s enjoy at least being able to move freely on the sidewalks. One more prediction: before the snow but towards the end of summer, I’ll be reading at Eden Mills Writers Festival, which is an exciting prospect. No matter how hot it is in September, Eden Mills is by a river and therefore will be slightly cool, and filled with authors and awesomeness. Hooray!

And somebody beside you
RR

June 6th, 2008

Good Times

Today is the first day of Toronto’s arts/creativity/light festival, Luminato. There’s a quadrillion events, dance and music and art and theatre and literature… If you look at the website, it’s all very intimidating for one little human–so much cool! Ack! More intimidating: as I am a reader at the Festival of the Short Story I get invited to the Armani Opening Night Party. Which sounds super-glamourous, and I’ve never been inside the ROM crystal, or to a party sponsored by Armani. So I’m going to go.

Which sounds reasonable, until you realize I don’t leave the house a whole lot (witness: everyone and their dalmation has already been to the crystal) and am scared of parties. And yet I find them so alluring I must go (insert depressing moth metaphor here). So we’ll see how this all turns out. Once more, into the fray!

Tomorrow will be less alarming, as I am attending the non-glamourous but super-cool Toronto Small Press Book Fair
Saturday June 7, 12-5pm. I haven’t been in a few years, and it’s in a new venue, and I love small presses. If you want to go, too, this one needs no invitation–

750 Spadina Ave
> Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre
(a half-block south of the Spadina subway station)

Kisses for you
RR

May 13th, 2008

Evidence

If you need evidence that a good literary time was had at the IV reading on Friday, you can check out the Open Book Toronto article on it. If you follow the link to the Flikr page, you’ll see a bunch of fun photos, including a demented one of me trying really really hard not to blink.

If some dimbulb should say / we were in love in some way / kick all his teeth in for me
RR

April 1st, 2008

The Writers Trust Dinner

…is where I went tonight and now I need to stay up an extra twenty minutes past my bedtime (already long past) to tell you about it.

I was Very Worked Up about this event, as you may know. If you did not know anything about it, the Writer’s Trust sponsors and organizes a large number of awards and other programs for writers. For instance, the Journey Prize, for which I am short-listed. Their big gala is tomorrow, when the winners will be announced, but since nominees, employees and board members had not yet met in most cases, and because many people had travelled from quite far to be there, they gave a dinner party beforehand to bring us all together.

What a wonderful idea, despite the fact that it combines all my love/hates–strangers, famous people, eating standing up. But I had my annual hair-straightening indulgence this afternoon, and wore make-up and my party tights (argyle!), so I felt semi-ok after a few minutes wandering around introducing myself to people I didn’t know. The people from the Trust were really friendly, and tried to introduce everyone to everyone, plus there was a speech where all present were given little intros. It was quite interesting to put faces to some of those names; people look very different when they are moving and talking than in a little window on the back of a book.

I have also learned a little bit of wisdom about writer-parties, which I will share, in case you need it: writers are perceptive and observant. They notice body language and respond to it, so if you reveal in your posture or gaze that you are feeling uncomfortable, some writer will likely arrive at your side and try to set you at ease. On the other hand, writers know other writers to be weird, so if you pretend you are having a grand time staring at this bit of the wall where it goes behind the bookshelf, writers will think that’s plausible and leave you to enjoy yourself uninterrupted. So I looked uncomfortable because I was uncomfortable, and numerous people were very kind, and then I wasn’t uncomfortable anymore and I just looked like myself.

And I only lost one bit of food to the floor. If you are reading this, dear host, there is a baby carrot under the chaise lounge and I’m really sorry about that. Otherwise, it was a wonderful wonderful night.

Good night!

Set out for / a great adventure
RR

September 28th, 2007

Spinny

I’m a little manic today, possibly due to the fact that I had an extra coffee at the United Way coffee hour, or that I’m celebrating that it is Friday, or that I’m on the eve of super-exciting class reunion tomorrow and a theme-party (hobos!) tonight. Also possibly due to a bus ride of extreme awfulness this morning, wherein as I ran to the stop most of a bottle of soda leaked out into my bag, and spent the ride soggy and self-conscious, also sad about the wasted soda (good thing I bought two. I’m drinking the second one now, because of course I need way more caffeine). Now that my pants have dried, I have a new lease on life!!

I’ve pretty much had it with making sense, which is a fairly unfortunate state of mind to be writing blog posts in. What I really want to do is take a lap around the building and then lie down for a while. Which I might actually do. I’ll keep you posted.

The book of love is long and boring
RR

April 22nd, 2007

So sleepy

I went to bed ’round 3 last night, and woke up around 7 to do a bit more marking before heading out to teach the yutes some grammar–and then mark more. Now, when I’m down to 29.5 exams left to mark and could finally unguilt myself enough to sleep, I am consumed with the desire to tell you about the fun party I went to last night.

Our department head threw it at her (gorgeous) house, as a mixer for all cohorts–past, present and future–of creative writing at our school and the other uni in town that offers it. So it was all ingenuous aspiring writers and the wise sucessful ones who mentor us–all writers, writing teachers, and one musician/producer. Of course, some of my favourite folks were there, but even all the strangers were charming. Maybe the secret is to always party with writers, who are professionally into being interesting and also usually really good food.

Maybe the secret is to always wear a bridesmaid’s gown. I had thought I would wear it on Thursday to my defense, on the grounds that it is the nicest thing I own and the defense currently the most important thing going in my life. My mother, however, was so vocally dismayed at the prospect of even thinking of me entering an official academic context in said gown that I couldn’t go through with it, despite having already made vague asserstions to Mister Mentor to the contrary. So I was pressed to wear it to the party, which I was ever so glad I did. Man, I love that dress–so swirly. That Laurk has impeccable taste. And I didn’t even spill anything on it.

I was so enjoying myself that, when towards the end of the evening when the graduands were toasted, it was realized that I was the only one left. The toast was amended to, “To Rebecca!” In my state of delirious exhaustion, this sounded exactly right.

29.5 more exams. But Melanie is somewhere in the city, so I expect tomorrow won’t be an entirely serious day.

there was a hedge back home in the suburbs

RR

PS–Consider a glass raised to *all* graduands, in writing, legal translation, med school, wherever your educational path is leading.