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July 26, 2016The Lucky Seven Interview, with Margaret Christakos
In Her Paraphernalia: On Motherlines, Sex/Blood/Loss & Selfies (BookThug) Margaret Christakos blends multiple genres to tackle the big subjects — family, sex, parenthood, divorce, and more. The ...
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July 25, 2016Service Industry Hell (Part 4): T-Shirts Wet and Dry
A lot of the inspiration for my new book, Congratulations On Everything, came from the things I saw while working in bars, restaurants, and hotels, and from the experiences of friends who did the same. ...
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July 22, 2016A Defence of Plagiarism That I Totally Stole from Kenneth Goldsmith
Avant-garde poet and literary provocateur Kenneth Goldsmith has dedicated himself to what he calls “uncreative writing” – that is, creating art out of found texts he copies out whole. His book Day, ...
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July 21, 2016The Proust Questionnaire, with Robin Leblanc
If there's one public service that is guaranteed to earn a ticket to the Canadian section of heaven, it's promoting good beer. So clearly Robin Leblanc and Jordan St. John are doing the beer gods' work ...
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July 21, 2016Work Lit
Many of the reviews I’ve received for my books so far have made some reference to the idea that I tend to write about people who work for a living. I’m not complaining – honestly, I’m delighted ...
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July 19, 2016Art vs Writing, Writing vs Art
On the Ploughshares blog author Annie Weatherwax writes about the connections between visual art and literature, going so far as to say the former gave birth to the latter. Writing and art, she claims, ...
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July 19, 2016The Lucky Seven Interview, with James Bartleman
Former lieutenant governor of Ontario James Bartleman's life has been an inspiration to many. From early childhood poverty to his rapid rise as a diplomat and eventually to the province's highest honour, ...
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July 18, 2016Service Industry Hell (Part 3): Rats in the kitchen and drunk girls on the floor
A lot of the inspiration for my new book, Congratulations On Everything, came from the things I saw while working in bars, restaurants, and hotels, and from the experiences of friends who did the same. ...
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July 14, 2016The WAR Series: Writers as Readers, with Stephen Maher
In Stephen Maher's Salvage (Dundurn Press), Phillip Scarnum thinks he's found a risky but profitable opportunity when he comes across a wrecked lobster boat and decides to haul it in for an impressive ...
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July 14, 2016How to Respond to a Bad Review
Recently, the creator and star of a one-man show playing as part of the Toronto Fringe Festival posted a long response to the online review of his work – a review that was definitely unenthusiastic, ...