September 22nd, 2009
Eden Mills, with new lighting
Ok, enough with adorable kittens–back to literature!
August asks, “How was Eden Mills?” and Rebecca responds–perfect!
It was no last year at Eden Mills, both better (because there wasn’t a downpour) and less thrilling (because it wasn’t the first day I ever saw my book); overall it was just a wonderful days of sitting in the sunshine, listening to great readings and eating muffins.
It would take threat of violence to get me to pick a favourite reading, but among the very very good were Andew Hood, Saleema Nawaz! Zoe Whittall! Sonnet L’abbe! Julie Wilson! And the man himself, Leon Rooke! See those last two below, revelling in their spellbinding stories (Julie tells me there is a mink or similar creature on the bank of the Erasmosa in this picture of her, but I can’t honestly make it out).
Oh, it was a great day, so good to see so many friendly faces and good books. And then it was very good to come quietly back to the city and go to sleep.
They’ll keep an eye on you son
RR
August 20th, 2009
Variousky
1) In case you were in suspense following yesterday’s panic post, the reading last night went fine, the other readers were fab, as were the friends and food (all-day breakfast very soothing when in a state of freak-out, I discovered). My big fear in reading an unpublished and thus unfixed story is that I would try to fiddle with it, ie., edit, while onstage, and render myself incoherent. But I managed to contain myself, stick to the script and read a half of a brand-new story–yay!! And I think it went well, as confirmed by several persons who are, ok, my friends and brother, but are also honest enough to be trusted.
2) How can we be 20 days into the month and me just reporting to you on That Shakespearian Rag‘s 31 Days of Short Stories program. It’s a good, occasionally critical, introduction to a wide range of stories, and also just great to see stories get this much attention.
3) More on stories: last fall, Nigel Beale did an audio interview with me about what makes a good short story. The interview touched on a lot of points from Flannery O’Connor’s views on stories, good company to be in, and riff off. Nigel then did a couple more interviews in similar formats, with Nam Le and Anne Enright, also extremely good company, Highlights from all three are now available in text form in Cha, an Asian literary journal.
4) While I was writing this post, the sky turned black, the wind began to rip leaves from the tree outside my window, thunder rattled and the sky downpoured. An outstanding show–I hope you weren’t outside.
There’s man holding a megaphone / it must have been the voice of gad
RR
June 29th, 2009
Web presence
My audiobook debut edges ever closer–Rattling Books has made me an author page for my contribution to Earlit Shorts 4. And now I know that my partners in audio shorts are Chris Benjamin, Michael Collins, J.J. Steinfeld and Leslie Vryenhoek. I’m stoked!
In other news:
1. I had a lovely weekend and was only outside during the sunny parts.
2. I’m starting to be ok holding babies, although only if a) the parents are present and b) the baby is awesome.
3. Ontario strawberries!!!
4. I’m the least-efficient writer ever.
5. This week has a holiday in the middle of it!
6. Yay, everything (except #4)!
And the girl at the top wearing tulle
RR
March 2nd, 2009
Rose-coloured Reviews Yesterday’s Weather
Saturday February 28, 2009, dawned a bit watery, but the dawn did come before 7 am (only the third day of the year that we got light before 7!) and by the time sun was fully in the sky, the flimsy cloud cover had delicately burnt off or blown away, leaving us with a ravishing yellow and blue to breakfast by. In the warm indoors near a southern exposure window, it was easy to feel that the day was in fact balmy, and this mis-appris was aided by the actual warm weather of last week, which melted the snowbanks and even the black piles of black toxic sludge that were underneath. So the sidewalks were bare and clean and springlike, although of course the naked treebranches waving in the brisk winter wind were a bit of a giveaway, even from the southern exposure.
Outside it was in the low-negative-teens all morning and that brisk wind made for some brisk walking. But those clean sidewalks were a joy to walk briskly upon, and the sun made for good morale. It was just important to stay out of cavernous black building shadows; for perhaps the first time this year, it felt that the sun was close and strong enough to make a difference in warmth. Or, yes, it could’ve been just a morale issue.
The day stayed bright and lovely clear and even warmed into the negative aughts into the afternoon, and then sunset was a sweet distant pink with the occasional cotton-snag cloud for texture. Without the sun, it felt much colder, though in truth it wasn’t a significant slide in temperature and the wind had in fact dropped a bit. In truth, it could’ve been some poor wardrobe choices on the part of the reviewer: it was not a night for a short-sleeved sweater under one’s coat, no matter how fetching the deep-burgundy wool.
As lovely as the sidewalks were for walking, so were the highways for driving, and there is not better a better time to view the steel mills of Hamilton in full flame than in a navy night with lights and stars and fires reflecting on the flat of Lake Ontario. Weather in Hamilton did not seem to vary from the above Toronto description, although perhaps with a touch more lake breeze. The chill made it all the more pleasurable to burst indoors and be greeted affectionately. It was a night for warm hugs, torrid embraces, shoulder-rubbing, football huddles, or whatever form of shared warmth suits your fancy. Also for spicy sauces and soup and tea-based beverages, perching on radiators and draping things across shoulders.
And for bursting back outside hours later, to a sky so clear stars could be seen even from beneath the parking lot sodium-glare lights.
It’s a perfect day
RR
January 16th, 2009
The guardian of gates and hallways
Obviously, it’s better if your life just doesn’t suck at all, but that can be a tall order in January (if you’ve got it down, and it’s not “move south,” I want to hear your solutions). Sooner or later, spring will arrive and/or we’ll all have to address the actual issues in our lives. Meantime, though, here are some pennyante stop-gap solutions–
–Leave the house. You might well have a good time (Pivot of the last post was even more awesome than expected, as was the birthday dinner and both [gah]) movies I saw this week). Even if you don’t, you get the smugness of saying to people, “It’s minus *twenty*, but y’know, it’s not *that* bad.” Makes you feel tough.
–Go to the movies. Nothing like other people’s problems to make you forget your own. Even (especially?) if their problems are stupid.
–Do the thing you’ve been trying to get out of. Misery has economies of scale, I find. It’s far easier to agree to do something unfun on a day I already hate–I guess I figure things probably can’t get worse, and someone might as well get what they want. Occasionally, this will bloom into getting thanked profusely, which is nice, but don’t count on it; it is January.
–Learn something new: I thought the term “Janus” was a fancy way of calling someone a liar, ’cause he’s the two-faced Roman god, but it turns out that he’s two-faced because he’s looking both forwards and back. Janus is the god of hallways and doors and gates, portals and new beginnings. Which his namesake month, January, allegedly is. We’ll see.
–Whatever you do, don’t wear two pairs of tights of profoundly different waist-levels–the higher one will somehow push the lower one down (and down and down), and you will spend the entire day trying to reach unobtrusively under your skirt to recalibrate things. This final point, which I am currently living out, will probably discourage anyone from taking any of my other advice. So be it.
Your English is good
RR
January 14th, 2009
Woes
Woes are not what Rose-coloured is about, so I’ll spare you (no, I won’t: my eyelashes froze this morning; inadequate communication; excessive communication; I saw someone on the subway reading a blank duotang for 13 stops). *Anyway,* all will be mitigated when I go to Pivot at the Press Club tonight and see Kyle Buckley, Rocco de Giamcomo and Jessica Westhead be awesome.
Right? Right.
I guess I changed my mind
RR
December 19th, 2008
Siege mentality
I am definitely the first to complain about ice and snow (to the extent that I am actually banned from complaining about heat and humidity in summer, having used up all my complaint-credits in the first half of the year). Yet there is something a little exciting about blizzards. Not when you are out in the trying to do something or go somewhere or not get hit by a skidding car, but sometimes when you are just building a fort or rolling down a hill, it’s nice to be constantly coated in snow. And sometimes not.
Also cool is the sort of siege mentality of being indoors when the earth is going haywire beyond the windowpanes. I feel a little scared to go out, but very much appreciative of being in. How silly, I guess, but it is a fun white-out world out there, as seen from in here.
Maybe I wouldn’t say that if I weren’t beseiged in here with such deep supplies of gingersnaps and truffles.
Man, you’re in love
RR
November 20th, 2008
Good List
1) Apple bread from Cobbs.
2) Pretty sparkly snowfall before you’re sick of it (give me another two weeks).
3) Not getting hit by a car (so far), on this, the worst driving day of the year.
4) Brilliant Kerry Clare takes her Passion for Reading to Ottawa (this is more good for the citizens of Ottawa than me, since I can’t go; lucky citizens!!).
5) Coming Attractions 08 now in select bookstores, with a bestiary on the front, and stories by Daniel Griffin, Alice Petersen and myself. A gorgeous little book!
Another place that’s really swish
RR
November 9th, 2008
Sundayness
Well, it’s mid-afternoon and I haven’t gotten permanently dressed yet (you know, you put on your sweats to go to the gym/post office/grocery store, but that doesn’t really count as clothing, plus you have to start all over again once you shower) but at least my book got a lovely review in the Toronto Star. That makes me feel a little bit better about everything, including the fact that as soon as my hair dries from the shower, I have to go out in the rain.
I know that you don’t wanna hear it / especially from someone so young
RR
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