I found

...All My Goddamn Poetry Books over on CanCult.ca. What an ambitious plan! Hm. I wonder if one of my Toronto connections will slip a copy of my book into the pile when Stuart's not looking...

*
Here's what came in the mail today.


A friend mentioned the work of Cole Swensen to me recently. I look forward to spending the next while with her book.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 7

The poetry workshop wrapped up today. This is where we worked.


Then we headed over to the The Arts Station for the open reading and closing reception. What a lovely way to wrap up the conference.

Now it's time to pack. We'll head out in the morning.

Thanks to the Fernie Writers Conference for having me back this year. It was a wonderful experience. I am lucky.

*
Here's a look back at Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 6

Today we took the ski lift up to Lost Boys for day 2 of the poetry workshop. The group chose to work on this deck.


It was glorious.



*
Tonight we went to the conference dinner at the Griz Inn. What a delicious meal! I ate way too much.


We had a great time.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 5

While the poetry workshop was going on, H was photographing skippers.


He posted pics of a satin moth he found downtown.

This afternoon the last panel took place. It was on publishing. The panelists were (left to right) Keith Liggett, Luanne Armstrong, me and John Keeble.


Tonight we'll head to the reading at The Northern Hotel.

More later.

*
A good crowd gathered to hear readings by Peter Oliva and the members of his class. Another fun evening.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 4

Another sunny day in Fernie. Today's panel discussion was titled "The Community of Writers--Plugging in." Another wide-ranging conversation. The panelists were (left to right) Peter Oliva, Keith Liggett, Anne deGrace (regional rep for the Federation of BC Writers), Luanne Armstrong, me and John Keeble.


Now we're off to the bbq hosted by the Federation of BC Writers and Overwaitea and then the reading tonight at The Northern Hotel.

More later.

*
The bbq was fun. Here's a couple pics of the writers.




Here's Keith Liggett, conference director and bbq guru.


And here's the creative juice, as Keith calls it, courtesy of the brewer.


After the bbq we headed to The Northern Hotel to hear readings by John Keeble and the members of his class. What a great evening.

Now a little brie and bed. The poetry workshop begins in the morning.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 3

Today we stopped in at Naked Earth Pottery, a lovely pottery shop in downtown Fernie. There we bought two teapots and two cups made by Sher Pichler, the owner. The one pot we'll use daily. The other was part of a group show called Morphology. It's fabulous. It makes me think of Seuss's Cat in the Hat. If the Cat in the Hat were to serve you tea, this is the pot he'd use. I'd post a pic, but it's packed tightly for the journey home. She also threw in two pottery key chains. I plan to convert this one to a pendant.


*
This afternoon I had the pleasure of being on another panel. The panelists were (left to right) Keith Liggett, John Keeble, Angie Abdou, Peter Oliva, me, and Sid Marty.


Do poetry and prose inform each other? Is there a connection? Those were the questions we were to address. It was a wide ranging discussion. It was great to meet and listen to Sid Marty. I look forward to hearing him read tonight.

More later.

*
The poetry reading took place at The Northern Hotel. What a great turnout! I joined Keith Liggett and Sid Marty in a fun reading where we took turns, choosing poems in response to each other's work.




Then a poetry scholarship recipient read to close the reading. It was a fun evening. Here I am with (left to right) Kim McCullough, Adam MacDonald and Joni Krats.


All three are taking part in the novel workshops. Adam gave me my first frolf lesson last year.

Well, the balcony is calling. So is the wind. No brie for me tonight. We ran out. I'll have something sweet instead.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 2

While the novel workshop sessions and the director session for youth were going on, I was on the balcony reading Brian Bartlett's introduction in Earthly Pages: The Poetry of Don Domanski, part of the Laurier Poetry Series from Wilfrid Laurier University Press.


While the panel discussion titled "The Book: What it takes to put a book in the market" was going on, we were tootling around in Annex Park.


I thought about Domanski's poem "Summer-Piece" as I watched the inflatable kayaks head my way.


At least I think they were inflatable. And from the kayaks came happy voices. Even the water sounded happy. And yet.

Tonight we'll head to the reading and book signing at Polar Peek Books. In the meantime I'll sit on the deck and watch the weather blow in over Grizzly Peak.


More later.

*
We just got back from the presentation and signing at Polar Peek Books with a copy of SLICE--Heath Inspired Food in hand. Here's Jennifer Rallison and Barb Davies, the authors. They were on the panel this afternoon.


And there was food. Delicious food.


The sunflower seed pate was incredible.

I'm going to spend the rest of the evening on the deck, treating my ears to the night. The wind sounds so different here. I think a little brie will help me hear.

Fernie Writers Conference 2008, Day 1

Day 1 for me, that is. The conference actually started on the 14th. H and I spent part of the morning in our room watching the cliff swallows feed their young as the light crawled across the mountains in the background. The swallows are nesting on the gable end of the roof that shades our balcony.


A bird lover's dream. I love the way they sound.

Then we went to Polar Peek Books, a lovely independent bookstore in downtown Fernie. There I was thrilled to see the gorgeous display of the workshop leaders' books and the books they'd recommended prior to the conference. So, for example, there was Cantos From Wolverine Creek and A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver, the book I'd listed as recommended reading for the participants, displayed side by side. Impressive.

While there I ended up buying The Cellist of Sarajevo, the latest novel by Steven Galloway which Martin Levin had mentioned during his talk. Apparently the book has caused quite a stir. H bought some books as well, adding to his impressive collection of field guides. He bought Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland Northwest, National Audubon Field Guide to Fossils and Wildlife & Trees in British Columbia.

More later.

*
The panel discussion titled "Shaping the work--From the inside or the outside, how does a piece form?" was scheduled to go from 2:30-4:30 and so it did. There wasn't a quiet moment.


The panelists were (left to right) Peter Oliva, Angie Abdou, John Keeble, me, and Keith Liggett. Keith started by reading and commenting on a short passage from an essay by Ray Bradbury. It can be found in Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity. I was up next. I decided to let T. S. Eliot speak for me, at least at first, so I read a quote I found in Free Verse: An Essay on Prosody by Charles O. Hartman. The others followed with great opening remarks and it went from there. The time blew by.

*
Tonight we had the pleasure of hearing Angie Abdou and Jon Turk read from new work at The Northern Hotel in downtown Fernie. Now we're going to sit out, have some brie and enjoy the view.

Fernie

...is so beautiful. We're settled into our suite at the Fernie Alpine Resort and enjoying the cool breeze. We had a lovely trip here. Lots of traffic, but that's to be expected on a Sunday in July.

I hear the Fernie Writers Conference is going great. It started on the 14th. My part in it will begin tomorrow as I'll be part of a panel discussion called "Shaping the Work." I'm looking forward to it. I'll let you know how it goes.

*
We left Moose Jaw this morning. It's such a lovely city. I had a great time at the Festival of Words, as always. I had to pick and choose, which is difficult, but H and I attended readings by Ken Babstock, Sheri Benning, Don Domanski, Bernice Friesen, Gerald Hill, Dave Margoshes and Daphne Marlatt, all of which were very good. The Ted Barris plenary on When a Nation was Born: Vimy Ridge was outstanding. It's the best plenary I've ever attended, hands down. We also attended the Elizabeth Hay plenary. She read and was interviewed by Martin Levin. We also went to the banquet and heard Martin Levin of the Globe give an entertaining talk on the challenges and perils of book reviewing. And of course we spent lots of time with friends. It was great.

A review of my new book

...appeared in the Star Phoenix today. Here it is.

Here's the latest addition

...to my collection.

Honestly! The things

...I put up with! I can't believe my eyes.

Writers and their handbags

...are the focus of Shawna Lemay's Capacious Project over on Capacious Hold-All. I'm delighted to have had the opportunity to participate in this new project and look forward to seeing how it unfolds. Here's Shawna's introduction and my contribution.

Select Hops is back

...hopping! I'm happy to be back at it. It revs up my mind. I've been more productive because of it.

*
Speaking of hopping, check out H's pics of the Carolina Grasshopper. Amazing.

Smoke from forest fires

...has been blowing this way, giving a weird orange glow to everything. There's a big one burning between Sandy Bay and Pelican Narrows, not so far from here, and ash from it was falling in town yesterday. Some of the ash was the size of large snowflakes. Small bits of ash came through the window screen and floated around the room. It was distracting.

This morning it's much clearer and much cooler. Perfect for reading. I'm currently rereading Nine Gates by Jane Hirshfield, pencil in hand, as I continue to prepare for the Fernie Writers Conference. It's coming right up! I'm so excited. Last year was a blast. Fernie is a forward-looking community. Just look at the list of sponsors! The conference has expanded to two weeks this year and the schedule looks great. I will be there for the final week. I'm gearing up!

Before heading to Fernie, I'll be stopping in Moose Jaw for the Saskatchewan Festival of Words. It will be a full weekend. I always take in as many sessions as possible. Among the presenters there's a number of poets I'd like to see. We ordered our festival passes and banquet tickets, so we're set. We don't always go to the banquet simply because of the cost, but this year Martin Levin of The Globe and Mail is the keynote speaker and I'm curious to hear what he has to say. More than anything, I look forward to seeing friends. It will be fun.