trip report #1

Reached the coast of Oregon tonight (Saturday). Went to Open Books in Seattle yesterday and Powell's Books in Portland today. Flabbergasted by the poetry selection at both - two shelves of Neruda alone at Powell's.

My vacation reading list, which was supposed to be new books from Philip Kevin Paul, Leopold McGinnis and David Zieroth has been thrown into disarray with the sudden addition of some American heavyweights: Muriel Rukeyser, Jack Gilbert, Philip Schultz and Todd Boss. I've put them all in my backpack and am going to let them fight it out - I'll open it tomorrow and read whichever book has made it to the top.

Out of the two stores, I spent most of my money at Open Books, as it is poetry-only (one of two such book stores in the U.S.) and that idea is just lovely and insane enough to warm my heart and tug at my wallet. It's two minutes off the I-5, just north of downtown Seattle, so you have no reason not to stop by every time you're in town. Or to take day trips...

Swine Flu update: NO SWINE FLU YET

Lolreadings

The Vancouver Verse and Al Purdy Party readings went very well on Tuesday. Highlights included Bill New opening the Vancouver Verse reading (man, what a gorgeous book it is!) with a knockout poem, and Jamie Reid reading his rollicking poem on Milton Acorn at the Purdy Party.

I was terrible nervous about reading Al's poem "Piling Blood" at the Vancouver Verse reading (especially since I was under the median age of the other readers by a good thirty years), but it went well and I managed to raise a few hundred bucks for the A-Frame project.

Another reading tonight, as part of the Main Street Literary Tour:


Rocksalt Reading @ the Main Street Literary Tour
Thursday, April 23rd, 7:45 - 8:20 PM
The Grind, 4124 Main Street
Featuring: Daniela Elza, Trevor Carolan, ME! and more.
FREE


After tonight Marta and I are getting out of the madness and driving down the coast to California for a few weeks. I'll try to post things along the way, but they may be few and far between.

Until then, some Lolcat Haikus to keep you occupied.

two new readings

I've added two more readings to the list from two posts ago. They just keep coming out of the woodwork:


Robson Street Reading Series
Thursday, April 23rd, 7:00 PM
UBC Bookstore at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street
Featuring: David O'Meara and Elise Partridge
FREE


PRISM Poetry Reading
Thursday, April 30th, 7:30pm - 10:30 pm
Pulp Fiction Books
2422 Main Street
Featuring: Jacob Scheier and Sonnet L'Abbé
FREE


Can we declare 2010 "poetry year" and space things out a bit next time? Even "poetry season" would be an improvement: "SPRING into poetry!", "FALL in love with poetry!", etc.

I feel like we're in a food bank at Christmas right now, which is great so long as the shelves aren't bare in six months...

great day!

First, One Ghana, One Voice has reached 50,000 hits. Wooot!

Second, I get to read an incredible Al Purdy poem tonight at the Verse Map of Vancouver launch (7:00 PM, Vancouver Central Library, Alice McKay Room).

Third, I get to go straight from that reading to the Al Purdy Party (8:00 - 11:00 PM, Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive).

Fourth, I now have a new scam to ridicule. The scam is dead, long live the scam!

Fifth, I've finally found a home for all the runts in my litter.

Sixth, by around 7:30 PM the Canucks should be in the second round! Hutzpah!

poetry (reading) month, part two

Attempting to attend all of the next two week's poetry readings may be dangerous for one's health. If you're looking to cut down, I'd focus on the two I'm participating in (though I wouldn't blame you for a second if you picked the Al Purdy parties)...


Robson Reading Series: Launch of the Open Wide a Wilderness Anthology of Canadian nature poetry
Monday, April 20th, 7:00 PM
UBC Bookstore at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street
Featuring: Tim Lilburn, David Zieroth, Barbara Nickel, and more.
FREE


The Al Purdy Party Tribute Night
Tuesday, April 21st, 8:00 - 11:00 PM
Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive
Featuring: George Bowering, Lionel Kearns, Peter Trower, and more.
$5-$15 sliding scale (fundraiser for the Purdy A-Frame Project)


A Verse Map of Vancouver Launch
Tuesday, April 21st, 7:00 PM
Vancouver Central Library, Alice McKay Room
Featuring: Sandy Shreve, George Stanley, John Pass, ME! and more.
FREE


Rocksalt Reading @ the Main Street Literary Tour
Thursday, April 23rd, 7:45 - 8:20 PM
The Grind, 4124 Main Street
Featuring: Daniela Elza, Trevor Carolan, ME! and more.
FREE


Robson Street Reading Series
Thursday, April 23rd, 7:00 PM
UBC Bookstore at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street
Featuring: David O'Meara and Elise Partridge
FREE


Al Purdy A-Frame Fundraiser
Sunday, April 26th, 3:00 - 10:00 PM
Heather and Josef's Place (email hshaley(at)emspace.com for details/directions), Bowen Island
Featuring: George Bowering, Peter Trower, Jamie Reid, Heather Haley, and more.
By Donation?


World Poetry Reading Series
Monday, April 27th, 7:00 PM
Vancouver Central Library, Lower Level
Featuring: Jacob Scheier, Bonnie Nish, Sita Carboni, and more.
FREE


PRISM Poetry Reading
Thursday, April 30th, 7:30pm - 10:30 pm
Pulp Fiction Books
2422 Main Street
Featuring: Jacob Scheier and Sonnet L'Abbé
FREE


David Zieroth Book Launch: The Fly in Autumn
Friday, May 1st, 7:30 PM
32 Books, 3185 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver
Featuring: David Zieroth (shocker!)
FREE


And I even left a few readings out! Most notable among them being the rest of the readings at the Main Street Literary Tour, which you should take in in its entirety.

I'd been feeling lousy about having to miss the Al Purdy tribute (in order to attend the launch of A Verse Map of Vancouver, featuring my poem "Down One at The Nat"), Al being someone I've never hidden my affection for.

It was therefore that much more wonderful that I got a note recently from Verse Map editor George McWhirter asking me to read Purdy's "Piling Blood" at the launch. An incredible honour and a great opportunity to keep Al out there on his day.

Marta and I are leaving town for a three-week road trip on Thursday - hope to see a few people at readings before I'm off!

new ogov poem

The reading on Friday went well. The TWS readings always draw a good, and eclectic, crowd. I very much appreciated being given the opportunity to participate and to promote Child of Saturday and One Ghana, One Voice a bit. It was also a real pleasure to share the stage with Daniela Elza, reading our collaboratively written poem "silence: a courtyard" together.

Speaking of OGOV, I have a poem of my own up on the site this week. I put one up about once a year (this is my third so far). You can read it (and my bio and Q+A) on the homepage until next Saturday, and you can permanently access the poem here:

Under the Harmattan Sky

hey!

I'm reading tonight! You should come!

The Writers Studio Reading Series
Friday, April 10th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Blenz Coffee Shop
Corner of Hastings and Richards, Vancouver

!!!

sniff beyond the glass for the perfect moment

I don't usually do post-reading reports, but just wanted to say that the reading at 32 Books in North Van on Tuesday night was very enjoyable - much better than most! Good inspiration for my own reading tomorrow night (7:00 - 9:00 PM, Blenz Coffee Shop, Hastings and Richards)...

Every writer brought out some great work, including Weekly World News Lobsters from Shannon Stewart (no, not the former Blue Jays left fielder, sadly) and musical accompaniment for Kate Braid's reading from her Glenn Gould Poems.

If you missed out and would like to see Kate Braid's part (I recommend it), she's reading again tonight at UBC Downtown:

Robson Reading Series
Thursday, April 9th, 7:00 PM
UBC Robson Square Bookstore/Library
800 Robson Street, Vancouver

Thanks to 32 Books and David Zieroth (who's launching his new collection, The Fly in Autumn, at 32 Books in early May) for putting it together. Looking forward to many more readings to come!


Oh, and while I'm posting: Gaspereau Press is putting a poem up on their blog every day throughout April. Check it out here.

a laundry list of spin-offs

Evie Christie has gotten in on desk photo-blog craze I rambled on about in my last post.

She's also noted that I missed one. That's right... more writers' desks:

Writers' Rooms

Two blogs dedicated to photos of desks could have been a coincidence. But three!? This is a movement, people. And I for one don't want to be left behind. So I've come up with a new addition to the laundry list of spin-offs: writers' laundry. Here's mine:

Ooooooooh... Literary Laundry.
It's Literaundrature!

recession my ass

The economic meltdown was supposed to eliminate redundancies in the marketplace, no? Then why oh why do we have two blogs dedicated to photos of writers' desks?

Desk Space

Sitting Pretty Magazine

Granted, free-hosted blogs in many ways aren't part of the marketplace. But still, could there actually be enough desk photo interest out there to justify this?

If there is, one can only guess at the spin-off blogs soon to be launched: photos of the windows writers stare whistfully out of while waiting for inspiration? Of their empty mailboxes pre-submission replies? Of the comfort blankets they soothe themselves with post-submission reply?

boys and girls, start your poetry engines...

Scholastic's Poetry Idea Engine. A pint-sized version of the Google Poetry Robot. Here come the robo-poets!

My question is: when the robots finally take over my job, will they be able to stand working for such little pay? Even robots have expenses, if only electricity and joint lubricant. I don't know if writing poetry will be worth their bother.

An ancient poem of mine on the subject, from the archives of this site:

literary revolution

poetry (reading) month

Holy crap! April = poetry month = whole lotta readings (esp. by Kate Braid, apparently).

Here are three for next week, including one featuring yours truly (if you ever need to get your "Rob Taylor reading fix", I keep a list of my upcoming readings on the main page of my site).

Anyway, here they be:


32 Poets Divided by 8
Tuesday, April 7th, 7:00 PM
32 Books Co.
3185 Edgemont Blvd., North Vancouver
Readings by: Kate Braid, Shannon Stewart, Brian Bartlett and David Zieroth.

Robson Reading Series
Thursday, April 9th, 7:00 PM
UBC Robson Square Bookstore/Library
800 Robson Street, Vancouver
Readings by: Kate Braid and Ray Hsu.

The Writers Studio Reading Series
Friday, April 10th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Blenz Coffee Shop
Corner of Hastings and Richards, Vancouver
Readings by: Rob Taylor, Daniela Elza, and more!

music and poetry...

at the Happy Squirrel Retirement Community.

Are you ready to be moved?