One Book, One Best Laid Plan Book Tour: the Recap!
Well, we laid out our best plans for this year’s New Quarterly bus tour and, lo and behold, they worked! We were a small but engaged group of readers and political junkies who gathered on Saturday morning (19 June). The bus part of the tour was not onerous this year as all stops were in Waterloo, which allowed us lots of time for sessions throughout the day. Here’s how things panned out.
Terry Fallis, author of The Best Laid Plans (TBLP), set off early from Toronto to join us for the day and was right on time and excited to meet some of his readers directly. We were a mixed group as usual and included a young man in Grade 10 who was already a fan of Terry’s (he was a delight to have along). Our first stop was WLU’s Paul Martin Centre where Dr. David Docherty, poli sci prof and frequent commentator on politics for CBC, greeted us.
Terry (pictured left) was up first. He regaled the group with the story of his self-publishing adventure. It’s a wonderful story of low expectations and unexpected serendipity, which resulted in a win of the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour, and the emergence of a new Author (capital A) on the Canadian letters scene. Terry told the tale with great humour and humility. It’s the perfect Canadian story.
Next was Dr. Ed Jernigan (pictured beside Terry, left), engineering prof and visionary at the University of Waterloo. There’s a theme that runs through TBLP about the educating of engineers. This is a topic with which Ed is very familiar. He titled his talk “Educating Engineers and The Educated Engineer”. He was passionate in his critique that we are forcing students into finer and finer specializations (undergraduate programs these days offer as many as a thousand distinct majors) and not providing a broader education that better prepares them for the fast-changing future and a richer life (in many respects). Ed interwove his ideas with readings by Terry from TBLP that underlined his points. I think this session provided a whole other perspective on the role of the university and the dangers of over-specialization. Oh, and how naturally effective the Engineer as Renaissance man can be as a politician.
Our last speaker for the morning was David Docherty. David covered off current life in our political Mecca, Ottawa. I guess I shouldn’t get too political myself here, so I’ll just say that it was an excellent summary of some of the weaknesses on all sides of the political spectrum. It was noted that Terry will have no lack of fodder for future stories. During David’s talk, Karen Redman, former Liberal Party Whip, joined us and added well-timed comments, including a list of specific statements that cannot be uttered in the House. These were very telling and funny.
Off to the Huether Hotel for vigorous conversations and terrific food in a private room. I don’t know if we would have drowned out those watching the World Cup football matches, but it sounded like we could have been close.
We headed off to the University of Waterloo’s Coutts Engineering Hall for the remainder of the afternoon, arriving at the session where planning only amounts to an idea. How it plays out is another matter. We had planned two debates following the format of the CBC Radio show The Debaters with its tag line of “mixing fact with funny.” Terry was our moderator.
First up were David and Karen. They had chosen the proposition that Parliament is too small. David argued for the affirmative first and Karen countered. They did an amazing job, laying out some very funny perspectives. Current parliamentarians would have been jealous. Terry polled the audience who judged each side by applause. Shockingly, it was a tie.
James Gordon, the politically active folksinger, had joined us at UW and was ready for the second debate with me as his opposition. James had proposed, “A majority of young people today still cling to the consumerist/oil-driven culture that their parent's generation fostered, and are reluctant to do the work necessary to make our society and our planet more sustainable.” Yikes! James went first in the affirmative and had a beautifully laid out set of arguments delivered with great gusto. Terry came over to me , put his arm around my shoulder and said I could quit now. In the best political tradition I carried on, trying to build on a some shaky ideas. Incredibly, my arguments held some sway and Terry announced another close tie. Methinks some other political shenanigans were going on!
The final part of the day was musical. James Gordon and his guitar delighted us with politically charged songs for the last hour of our day. He sang ‘Kelvinator’ from his Appliance Suite (wink, wink) and had the group singing along in the best folk tradition. He told the stories behind the songs and had very important ideas to express about our current challenges, especially in terms of the environment. I think he made a number of new fans.
Back to the bus and everyone dispersing. I think this was one time when a short bus trip was appreciated. It had been a day packed with ideas and conversation. Thanks to Terry, David, Ed, Karen, and James for making it such a delight. We’ll see where the bus takes us next year…
Past Events
Fall Issue (112) Launch - October 2009
This was our first "regular" issue launch—that is, the first launch that wasn't for a special issue—and it was a wonderful party. Not only were the various performers delightfully engaging, but the venue also suited us perfectly. Alexander James, our musical feature for the night, has written an account of his evening far more glowing than we could ever bring ourselves to write without blushing, but here is ours:
After Alexander James played us in, Rebecca Rosenblum was first up, reading the story "Elsbeth Street" from her collection, Once. We also published this story in our Salon des Refuses issue (107). Rebecca's voice changes when she reads... her reading voice is soft and gentle, like narration in a fairytale, which made for a wonderful contrast with the darker content of her story.
Amy Jones read second, reading "The Church of the Latter-day Peaches" from issue 111, which is included in her spectacular new collection, What Boys Like, released just last month. Amy brought a milk carton up with her, and, referencing her love of rollercoasters that she wrote about in our summer e-exclusive (subscribe), subtly implied that if our milk moos, we should probably give her our prize.
Carrie Snyder was last to read. Because she wanted to have a beginning, middle, and end in her reading, she mashed down various sections from "Rat" (one of the three "Juliet Stories" that TNQ published in issue 112) to create a complete, "Rat" light story. "The Juliet Stories" are fictionalized accounts inspired by her experiences growing up as the child of peace workers in Nicaragua. They are fascinating, exotic, and show a remarkable understanding of the workings of memory.
Alexander James entertained us with two long sets almost entirely made up of original songs. Alex's well-crafted, lyrically-driven songs beautifully capped off an evening of excellent writing.
Thanks to those of you who made it out, and if you didn't, you certainly won't want to miss our Winter Issue launch in January (though this one will be hard to beat)! Thanks to Biblioasis press for partnering with us to bring so many wonderful readers.
One Book, One History Tour
Each year, The New Quarterly supports Waterloo Region's One Book, One Community program (a collaboration on the part of regional governments, libraries, and bookstores to bring people together around the reading of a book by a contemporary Canadian writer), by hosting a book tour. This year's tour celebrated The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, who is also interviewed in Issue 111 of TNQ. Read this interview here.
We began at the Queen's Bush settlement in Wellesley Township, where Atinuke Bankole spoke about the forgotten history of the escaped and freed slaves who cleared and settled the land only to be dispossessed when it was later surveyed and sold. While we were there, Nii Addico performed a libation ceremony, and participants happened upon a bounty of wild strawberries.
From there we went to Editor Kim
Jernigan's home on the Nith river, for a West African feast prepared by Diana and Ben Soga and an afternoon of story telling with mask maker Nii Addico who also led us in a spirited drumming circle.
Lawrence Hill joined us for the afternoon, treating us to an intimate reading from his book, and making a genial effort to speak with all in attendance.
Stories by Non-Storytellers
TNQ hosted a gathering of storytellers at the Latitudes storytelling festival on June 20, 2009. Our theme was “Lost & Found” which we explored in both its literal and figurative senses.
Gail Corning, a native New Yorker who, go figure, spent many years breeding Malamutes, those gorgeous northern sled dogs, told the story of her gal Sal, a sweet pup who was adopted out in New Mexico, turned to hunting chickens and goats, was shot at by neighbours, was lost and then found, rehabilitated, and many years later died in her arms, a loved dog. Does Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid have anything on that?
Actor and playwright Gary Kirkham explained in comic detail how having grown up in a fundamentalist Christian family, where people talked in tongues and exorcisms (called "deliverances") were routinely performed of a Sunday morning in the family’s rec room, prepared him for a life on stage. And Chad and Steph Schmitke, a return engagement, gave a touching and all-too-familiar account of what was lost and found when they became parents for the first time.
"Our storytellers were such a hit," says Kim, "that I expect we'll have to keep our calendar clear for Latitudes festivals to come."
TNQ at Ottawa Small Press Fair
TNQ made its first appearance at the Ottawa Small Press Fair on Saturday, June 20th, thanks to Board member Melissa Hammell and her husband Jonathan. Melissa writes, "It was a fun day. I was also asked to (wo)man the Otesha table, so Jonathan came with me and we set up Otesha books on one side and TNQ on the other. We were both at the table chatting and answering questions about both organizations... but given his artsy glasses and funky TNQ t-shirt, everyone kept assuming Jonathan was a published writer (technically, he is... but the title of his "chapbook" is "Index Calculus in the Infastructure of Real Quadratic Function Fields")."
The Salon Redux
November 28, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Conrad Grebel University, Great Hall
Reading from their work featured in the Salon des Refusés issues of The New Quarterly and Canadian Notes & Queries are: Heather Birrell, winner of the 2006 Journey Prize; Russell Smith, columnist for The Globe and award-winning writer of literary fiction; Mark Anthony Jarman, author of several short story collections, most recently My White Planet, and rising star Rebecca Rosenblum, winner of theMetcalf-Rooke Award whose first collection, Once, is in stores now.
A panel discussion on how we judge short fiction, the ends (and limits) of criticism—what’s fair in love and CanLit—followed. After that, we partied in the spirit of great salons gone by: drinks, light refreshments, and sparkling conversation.
CNQ: Canadian Notes & Queries and TNQ: The New Quarterly welcomed you to their
SALON DES REFUSÉS
A critical and artistic response to The Penguin Book of Canadian Short Stories, edited by Jane Urquhart, in which we tweaked the beak of the Canadian Penguin and put forward work by twenty of the best short story writers in the country not included in said anthology
Mike Barnes, Heather Birrell, Clark Blaise, Sharon English, Cynthia Flood, Keath Fraser, Douglas Glover, Terry Griggs, Mark Anthony Jarman, Elisabeth Harvor, Steven Heighton, Hugh Hood, Norman Levine, John Metcalf, Bharati Mukherjee, Patricia Robertson, Diane Schoemperlen, Ray Smith, Russell Smith and Patricia Young
With critical contributions and appreciations by Caroline Adderson, Steven Beattie, Don Coles, Michael Darling, Stephen Henighan, Adrian Michael Kelly, Annabel Lyon, John Metcalf, Eric Ormsby and Michael Winter, among others.
Curated by Daniel Wells and Kim Jernigan.
Launched at Pages Books and Magazines This is Not a Reading Series at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto on August 13th, 2008, with a panel discussion on the role of criticism, canon-making and the state of the Canadian Short Story.
With further events planned elsewhere across the country.
'100-Mile Diet' Bus Tour
For more information about our fantastic stops, see their websites: Also in the 100-Mile Diet Neighbourhood: The 100-Mile STORE! "Just thought we'd let you know what is happening in our neck of the woods. They're also hoping to have the 100-Mile Diet authors visit when they come to KW and Cambridge in fall 2008.
Our 100 Mile Store is opening August 28 and our grand opening is slated for Sept 20, 2008.
We're a new business locating on Mill Street in Creemore aiming to provide quality seasonal
and organic groceries sourced within a 100 mile radius, in a health and socially conscious
manner, while providing fair payment to farmers and supporting local business."
TNQ Writers Find Love in Montreal at Blue Met Festival
Many venture eastward down the 401 looking for adventure, romance and escape. The editors and Board members of The New Quarterly found as much and more when they piled into Editor Kim Jernigan's van and hit the road for Montreal and the launch of TNQ Issue 106: le numéro montréalais at the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival on May 1st. Adventures in driving came first at Board Chair Bruce Johnstone engaged in a pas de deux with Montreal's creative drivers and coy road signs. Then romance as the Blue Met audience gathered that evening at the Delta Centre-Ville to be seduced by readings dans les deux langues officielles by some of Montreal's most luminous talent. Louis Patrick Leroux had the room alternately giggling and sighing as he spoke of young love, sheep and cows, Geneviève Blais entranced with her gentle poetry while Jean-Marc Desgent and Daniel Canty thrilled with theirs. Robyn Sarah took us to a dusty-but-sun-filled Mile End art studio and Saleema Nawaz had everyone craving a snack of bagels. Les deux solitudes ont bavardé and flirted over drinks. TNQ editors were equally charmed to see the remarkable turnout, over 75 people attracted, we're sure, not only by the fantastic readers but by Guest Editor Katia Grubisic's sexy franglais. Afterwards, équipe TNQ retreated to La Sala Rossa with the night's contributors for tapas and Flamenco dancing (a verb we won't clarify, ask us about it later!). Finally with a kiss on both cheeks, we bid Katia adieu and escaped back down the highway feeling a little less lonely après avoir rencontré new friends à Montreal.
