Phew! What a whirlwind. Four readings and one workshop in twelve days – plus helping my mom do some downsizing by picking through her books (hopefully my suitcase has not tipped over into the oversize scale). I want to express my deep gratitude for everyone who helped make my wee Ontario Following Sea tour a […]
This past Monday, I went to the Best Book Launch Ever for my friend Ariel Gordon’s book Treed: Walking in Canada’s Urban Forest. I laughed, I cried (thanks to Erna Buffie‘s beautiful, generous and true introduction). I ate tree, acorn, leaf cookies made by generous and talented Anita Daher. I pretended along with everyone else […]
So, I wrote this thing. An entirely new thing for me. New genre; new(ish) form. I read it to my husband and he got teary. Praise ensued. I figured this masterpiece should be sent to my agent STAT. Sell it! I’d cry. Make me famous! Luckily, I did not listen to that impulsive voice (which […]
My new book-baby is one week old today (never mind the fact that the thing was in process for over a decade!) and we ushered it into the world at a lovely launch last week! J. and I went for dinner beforehand with friends. We had wine (half-price bottle day at Prairie Ink, who knew?!) […]
Following Sea washes into the wider world in one week’s time, and we’ll be celebrating its arrival at McNally-Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg. I’m both excited and nervous and need to get my hair cut (and I hate getting my hair cut…) Bloggers who are reviewing and writing about the book have been asking me questions […]
A few years ago, my shoulder froze. At the time, I said I’d write about it someday but I haven’t, not until now. Now, my other shoulder is acting up, the right one, the one that helps me move my dominant hand and that’s, you know, alarming. A frozen shoulder is a very strange thing. […]
I am thrilled to announce the first scholarship recipient for my upcoming online course, Writing Teaches Writing: Mohamad Kebbewar. Born and raised in Aleppo, Mohamad Kebbewar was educated and spent half his life in Canada. Since the start of the Syrian War he has found solace in writing. He recently published a chapbook with JackPine […]
Ah, 2018. As the year comes to a close I’m considering what it’s meant for me. I’ll remember it as the one during which my husband and I found our forever-home, where my mother nearly died the day after we moved in (but didn’t, thank the stars!). It’ll also be the year that I got up […]
When J. and I first moved into this house, as autumn crept into winter, we started feeding the birds and thinking about gardens. As soon as the weather cooperated, we carved out a small area of grass, ordered some soil and, as they say in England, got stuck in. We bought a selection of native […]
In the Whiteshell last weekend, at the gorgeous and oh-so-welcoming Falcon Trails Resort, I wrote with eleven other women during the Wild Writing in the Boreal retreat Donna Besel and I co-taught. I went a bit wild, too – thanks to a singalong, fantastic company, and too much homemade Hutterite Colony wine… Lucky for me, that […]