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| Rob Colman reading last season |
LitLive begins its 21st season with six diverse writers reading from their books of short stories, poetry, novels, and possibly from new work.
It's really quite remarkable that we've have the opportunity to hear such writers each month—and for free!—in Hamilton, Ontario.
Our guests tell us that they love to read for LitLive. They tell us that our audiences are enthusiastic, receptive, and intelligent. They tell us that they like that we feature a wide range of genres and styles of writing and often mix major literary icons with emerging writers. They like the venue, Homegrown Hamilton, its ambience and its great food and drink. They find our hosts entertaining and well prepared. They like that we have a book table of their works for sale. They like the dapper sense of dress of the author of these blog posts. Ok. I lied about that last part.
But it is true that this season promises to be a excellent one, beginning with our first reading in September. Below you'll find bios about those readers and a list of ALL THE UPCOMING READERS for the entire season.
We hope to see you there!
SEPTEMBER READERS:
Shannon Maguire grew up on the mouth of Lake Superior and now lives in Guelph Ontario. Her poetry has appeared in CV2, Ditch, Gultch: An Assemblage of Poetry and Prose (2009), as well as other places. She is the author of three chapbooks: Vowel Wolves & Other Knots (2011), Fruit Machine (2012), and A Web of Holes (2012). A selection of poems from fur(l) parachute, her debut book (BookThug 2013) was a finalist for the Manitoba Magazine Awards in the category of Best Poem or Suite of Poems (2012) and it was shortlisted for the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry (2011). fur(l) parachute was a finalist for the 2014 Goldie Award for Poetry. Her second collection of poetry is forthcoming from BookThug in April 2015.
David B. Goldstein's poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies throughout North America, including The Paris Review, The Malahat Review, filling Station, CV2, Epoch, Harp & Altar, Jubilat, 6x6, and Octopus. His first chapbook, Been Raw Diction, was published by Dusie Press in 2006. As a literary critic, food writer, and translator, he has published on a wide range of subjects, including Shakespeare, contemporary poetry, translation, cannibalism, philosophies of food, and the politics of Martha Stewart. His first book of criticism, Eating and Ethics in Shakespeare's England, is due out this fall. His translations from Italian poetry appear in The FSG Book of 20th-Century Italian Poetry, among other publications. Goldstein lives with his family in Toronto, where he is Associate Professor of English at York University. His most recent poetry collection is Laws of Rest (BookThug, 2014)
Ellen S. Jaffe's second poetry collection, Skinny-Dipping with the Muse, was recently published by Guernica Editions. Ellen's previous books include poetry, a young-adult novel, and a book about writing, all of which have won awards. Her work has been translated into Finnish and published in journals and anthologies. She grew up in New York, moved to Canada in 1979, and has lived in Hamilton for 15 years. Ellen is Hamilton Contributing Editor for Great Lakes Review, a journal for writers on both sides of the border. She teaches writing with Living for the Arts, and has received grants for writing and arts education from the Ontario Arts Council. She and Lil Blume have co-organized three Jewish Literary Festivals in Hamilton. www.ellen-s-jaffe.com
Hugh Cook earned an M.F.A. in fiction writing from the Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He’s retired from teaching Canadian Literature and Creative Writing at Redeemer University College in Ancaster. Hugh’s first book was Cracked Wheat and Other Stories (1985). His second book, a novel titled The Homecoming Man, was published in 1989. Then came a book of linked stories titled Home In Alfalfa, which was awarded first prize in the 1998 City of Hamilton Book Awards for fiction. Hugh’s latest book is a novel titled Heron River. www.hugh-cook.ca
K.D. Miller’s stories and essays have appeared in a variety of Canadian literary magazines. Her work has been anthologized in Oberon’s Best Canadian Stories and The Journey Prize Anthology, and has been broadcast by the CBC. She has published three collections of stories: A Litany in Time of Plague, Give Me Your Answer and The Other Voice; an essay collection, Holy Writ: A Writer Reflects on Creation and Inspiration; and a novel, Brown Dwarf. Her latest collection of stories, All Saints, was published by Biblioasis in 2014. All Saints was long-listed for the 2014 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, and has been nominated for The Story Prize.
Laurelyn Whitt lives in Minnedosa, Manitoba and is a Professor of Native Studies at Brandon University. Her poems have appeared in various North American journals, including Nimrod International, The Tampa Review, Puerto Del Sol, The Malahat Review, PRISM International, Rattle, Descant and The Fiddlehead. She is the author of four award-winning poetry collections. Her recent book, Tether (Seraphim Editions), won the 2013 Lansdowne Prize. To tether is to join or hold together. Many things serve to tether: memory and history; language and listening; gravity and touch. Ultimately, tethering has to do with coherence and continuation, rather than separation or dissipation.
THE 21ST SEASON'S READERS:
Ellen Jaffe
David Goldstein
Shannon Maguire
Laurelyn Whitt
K.D. Miller
Hugh Cook
Richard Scarsbrook
Paula Eisenstein
Michael Mirolla
Julie Joosten
Sharon Baltman
Spencer Gordon
dee Hobsbawn-Smith
Katerina Fretwell
Stan Rogal
Angela Rawlings
Jane Eaton Hamilton
David Chariandy
Jean Rae Baxter
John Terpstra
Waheed Rabbani
Shane Rhodes
Elizabeth Bachinsky
Kerry-Lee Powell
Phlip Arima
Eric Bronson
Bonnie Lendrum
Kate Hargreaves
M.A.C. Farrant
Kathy Page
Jim Nason
Bill Kennedy
Gary Barwin
Elisabeth de Mariaffi
George Murray
Nancy Jo Cullen
Diane Schoemperlen
Ray Robertson
Ariel Gordon
Andrew Forbes
Patrick Friesen
Michael Crummey
Kate Marshall Flaherty
Chad Norman
Yvonne Blomer
Norm Sibum
Michael Hingston
Dani Couture
Colette Maitland
