Quillcast episode four: Clark Blaise and The Meagre Tarmac

Quillcast is a podcast series from Quill & Quire featuring behind-the-scenes conversations with authors and publishing insiders. In this episode, recorded during Toronto’s International Festival of Authors in October, Catherine Bush interviews Clark Blaise about his career and the writing life.

Blaise recently released his first new short story collection in nearly two decades. Shortlisted for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, The Meagre Tarmac (Biblioasis) is a collection of linked stories exploring various characters from the South Asian diaspora. Bush is coordinator of the University of Guelph’s creative writing MFA program and the author of three novels, including Claire’s Head.

Quillcast is produced with media partners The Walrus, Open Book: Ontario, and Open Book: Toronto, with support from Toronto Life. This project has been generously supported by the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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Slideshow: scenes from the International Festival of Authors

Toronto’s International Festival of Authors has wrapped up for another year. Here are just a few highlights from 12 days of parties, receptions, and readings.

Drawn to history: Kate Beaton launches Hark! A Vagrant at IFOA this weekend

Photo: Justin Tobin

Kate Beaton fans take note: the popular cartoonist is making two appearances at Toronto’s International Festival of Authors this weekend, promoting her best-selling comics collection, Hark! A Vagrant.

Come prepared for the book signing by reading a profile of Beaton by Micah Toub from the October issue of Q&Q, and a review of Hark! A Vagrant.

Debut novelist Heather Jessup brings a little sparkle to IFOA

The International Festival of Authors is not just a place for brushing shoulders with CanLit’s big guns, it’s also an opportunity to discover new talents. Tonight, first-time author Heather Jessup reads from her debut novel, The Lightning Field (Gaspereau Press), a “tragic yet hopeful” story set in Cold War–era Toronto.

Never one for sitting still, Jessup is a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto and a creative writing instructor at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Q&Q spoke to Jessup about her IFOA debut.

As a first-time IFOA participant, what are you most excited and nervous about?
I’ve been most nervous about giving my reading, rather than the panels. I love being read to. I love the performativity of readings, mixed with the comfortable, tucked-in feeling of listening to a story, and so I want to do my book justice in the way people hear it. Speaking about writing with intelligent writers just feels like such a privilege; a kitchen table conversation on stage.

Your IFOA round table on the writer’s craft focused on creativity and technique. How do you do keep that balance in your own writing?
I read lots of different kinds of books. I let myself make mistakes. I try not to be too precious about first drafts. I try to cultivate an attention and slowness in relation to the details of the world that allows good things to come in: the taste of an orange; the way a crow looks against the sky; driftwood; a snippet of dialogue that passes me by on the sidewalk. I try to be more like a welcoming committee to writing, rather than a task-master. Then, once I have a decent number of words, I ignore them. I let time do its share of the work. Then I go back in and work and work and work, sentence by sentence, to make it all better. I repeat. I make more mistakes.

You’re a big letterpress fan: what does it mean to you to have your first book designed by Gaspereau Press?
It means a tremendous amount to be published by a house that cares about the beauty and tactility of the objects they make. I love that these old machines have been rescued from demolition and from dumps, and are clicking away thanks to Andrew Steeves’ and Gary Dunfield’s care. I feel like books should appeal all the more to the senses within our world of digital saturation.

The feel of a book is a part of the enjoyment of reading. From the letterpress bite into the paper, to the smell of the ink, Gaspereau’s books are like putting on an LP of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon rather than listening to an mp3 of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon: all groove and scratch and romance.

The Lightning Field is the first book to use the Goluska typeface, designed by Rod MacDonald and named after the late book designer, Glenn Goluska. What does that mean to you?
It’s an incredible honour. I had the privilege of meeting Glenn on a few occasions, and he was a tremendously kind man. Rod MacDonald’s typeface is such a pleasure to read.

Before last year’s Scotiabank Giller Prize ceremony, there was a Toronto Star article that mentioned you helped Sarah Selecky and Johanna Skibsrud pick out their Giller outfits. Did you indulge in anything new for your IFOA appearances?
I buy a lot of vintage clothes or get my clothes from friends at clothing swaps, but I did buy a brand-new, royal-blue dress that made my heart swoon a little, just for this occasion. I’m pairing it with pink sparkly high heels that have a tear on the heel from the pedal of my bike, and a necklace designed by Donna Hiebert, a Halifax jeweller. The necklace is made from components of heirloom jewellery worn by my great-aunts and great-grandmothers, recently given to me by my mother. The necklace makes me feel like past female generations of my family will be taking care of me when I’m up on stage, knees knocking.

IFOA: Q&Q staff make their picks

See David Bezmozgis, Sunday at the Lakeside Terrace.

Toronto’s International Festival of Authors (Oct. 19–30) is one of the country’s biggest literary events, and with 12 days of readings, interviews, parties, and round-table discussions to chose from, there are some tough decisions to be made. If you need a little help, here are 15 events where you’ll find Q&Q staff.

STUART WOODS, editor
Reading/interview: Brooke Gladstone (interviewed by Nora Young)
Douglas Coupland’s YouTube talk for the McLuhan 100 series is sure to get lots of attention, but if you can’t wait until next Wednesday to ponder the implications of the global village, Brooke Gladstone’s Saturday session is sure to be full of insight. Gladstone is the host of NPR’s On the Media, and her illustrated manifesto on the role of the press, The Influencing Machine, is one of the most original media analyses in recent memory. Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m., Studio Theatre

Koffler at the IFOA: David Bezmozgis and Gary Shteyngart
For sheer star power, you can’t beat Sunday’s pairing of David Bezmozgis and Gary Shteyngart, two rising novelists selected for The New Yorker’s “20 under 40” series of writers to watch. While both authors have written about the experiences of Russian Jews, Shteyngart tends toward satire while Bezmozgis is firmly rooted in realism. Prepare for an illuminating study in contrasts. Sunday, Oct. 23, 3:30 p.m., Lakeside Terrace

STEVEN BEATTIE, reviews editor
Man Booker round table: Patrick DeWitt, Esi Edugyan, Stephen Knelman, and Alison Pick (hosted by Claudia Dey)
Three authors who were shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize and one (Pick) who was longlisted. I’m hoping for some interesting discussion of the debate about whether this year’s list was too populist and not highbrow enough. Saturday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre

Reading/interview: Guy Vanderhaeghe (interviewed by Justin Rutledge)
Vanderhaeghe’s novel, A Good Man, is one of my favourites from this year. Hearing him read from it and, one hopes, shed insight on his ideas about historical fiction in Canada, should be both enlightening and entertaining. Sunday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m., Brigantine Room

ALLISON MACLACHLAN, intern
McLuhan 100 reading/interview: Clay Shirky (Interviewed by Jesse Hirsh)
Jesse Hirsh’s conversation with American technology writer Clay Shirky, author of Cognitive Surplus, is sure to turn up creative insights about how new media is changing the way humans cooperate. Anyone familiar with Shirky’s TED Talk will know he’s an engaging speaker with timely ideas to share. Friday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre

Reading/interview: Michael Ondaatje (interviewed by Eleanor Watchtel)
Listening to CanLit king Michael Ondaatje read from The Cat’s Table tops my list. The novels feels meant to be read aloud, and Eleanor Wachtel’s interview might get to the bottom of how much of this book is autobiography. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre

Round Table: Fact vs. Fiction with Elizabeth Hay, Prue Leith, and Olive Senior (moderated by Sandra Martin)
Hearing from Elizabeth Hay, Prue Leith, and Olive Senior about the boundaries between fact and fiction promises to reveal some interesting career journeys. With past lives in radio broadcasting, food writing, and print journalism between them, this trio seems well suited to speak about writing on both sides of the line. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m., Lakeside Terrace

NATALIE SAMSON, staff writer
Roundtable on the individual in society with Bharati Mukherjee, Johan Harstad, Lauren B. Davis. Moderator: Carol Off
I’m a fan of Bharati Mukherjee’s work, and I’m interested to learn more about Norwegian multitalent Johan Harstad (who claims David Lynch as a strong influence). Throw in a cosmopolitan Canadian writer like Lauren B. Davis and this conversation about outsiders, belonging, and boundaries just got a little more interesting. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m., Lakeside Terrace

Canadian Storytellers: Douglas Gibson and Sylvia Tyson
I spent an afternoon in Doug Gibson’s living room chatting about this stage show for a profile that ran in Q&Q’s September issue. Now that he’s got a few tour dates under his belt, I’m curious to see how the performance has come together. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m., Studio Theatre

Reading/interview with Kate Beaton and Patricia Marx (interviewed by Siri Argell)
There’s something really encouraging and exciting about three women who work in humour sharing a stage at an international literary festival. Plus, I can’t wait to see how Beaton pulls off a reading of her hilarious graphic novel, Hark! A Vagrant. Will there be role-play? Costumes? Voices? Probably not, but I can dream. Saturday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m., Brigantine Room

SUE CARTER FLINN, web editor
Conversation with Daniel Clowes and Seth.
Pairing two graphic novelists who have created some of the most maladjusted, awkward outsiders in contemporary comics is a stroke of genius. Friday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m., Brigantine Room

Reading/interview: Josh Ritter
U.S. singer-songwriter Josh Ritter is such a charismatic live performer, the reading for his first novel, Bright’s Passage, should make for an entertaining late Saturday afternoon stop-over before the night’s festivities. Plus, not many authors can boast having John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Michael Shannon, and Mary Louise Parker reading on their book trailer. Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m., Brigantine Room

Found in translation round table: Russell Banks, Tom Perrotta, Marieke van der Pol (interviewed by Richard Crouse)
I’ll vote for any discussion on film adaptations that features Tom Perrotta, the author who created Election’s Tracy Flick. Friday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. Lakeside Terrace

WHERE TO FIND Q&Q
Say hello to Stuart Woods, who is hosting a reading with Joseph Boyden, David A. Groulx, Lee Maracle, and Drew Hayden Taylor, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m. at the Lakeside Terrace. Steven Beattie is moderating a round table discussion with Chad Harbach, Helen Oyeyemi, and Timothy Taylor, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2 p.m. at the Lakeside Terrace.

IFOA: Meet this year’s International Visitors Programme participants

Publishing professionals from around the world will soon arrive for the fourth annual International Visitors Programme, an industry-networking event running Oct. 23–27 in conjunction with Toronto’s International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront.

Click on the thumbnails for a pre-cocktail party primer of who’s in town for the festival.

Photos: IFOA pep rally

It’s not often that you see a Scotiabank Giller Prize winner brandishing pom poms, but that’s exactly what happened at this morning’s pep rally for the 32nd annual International Festival of Authors, which kicks off tomorrow at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.

The launch event, which included appearances by IFOA writers Elizabeth Abbott, Lauren B. Davis, Joe Dunthorne, Brian Francis, Joshua Knelman, Ruth Roach Pierson, and last year’s Giller winner Johanna Skibsrud, took place in the heart of Toronto’s Ryerson University campus, attracting students (and a few bike cops) with popcorn, raffles, free books and copies of The Walrus.

Seth wins Harbourfront Festival Prize

Organizers at the International Festival of Authors have named cartoonist and graphic novelist Seth the winner of the 2011 Harbourfront Festival Prize. The $10,000 prize honours an individual whose work has substantially contributed to the state of literature and books.

According to a press release issued by the Harbourfront Centre, the jury — John van Driel, vice-president of programming and operations at Classical 96.3FM; Denise Donlon, former executive director at CBC Radio; and Geoffrey Taylor, director at IFOA — selected Seth based on the “diversity and range of his illustrations and designs” throughout his career.

In the statement, Seth says a few decades ago he couldn’t have envisioned the acceptance of comics in the literary world, that “the idea of winning something like this was not within the realm of possibilities,” and so “it goes without saying that I am deeply honoured.” Past winners of the prize include Dionne Brand, Wayson Choy, Paul Quarrington, Jane Urquhart, and recent Q&Q cover profile Guy Vanderhaeghe.

Seth will receive the prize at an IFOA event in Toronto on Oct. 29.

International Festival of Authors expands its Ontario touring program

IFOA Ontario, an offshoot of the International Festival of Authors, is expanding its touring program to 16 locations, with new stops in Brantford, Markham, Thunder Bay, Toronto, and Woodstock. Box office and event details are available on its new website, litontour.com.

Here is the schedule of events:

IFOA Barrie: Aboriginal Authors Festival
Joseph Boyden, David A. Groulx, Lee Maracle, and Drew Hayden Taylor, Oct. 25 at the Gryphon Theatre, Georgian Gollege

Patrick deWitt, Stephen Kelman, Joshua Knelman, and Meg Wolitzer, Nov. 1 at the Barrie Public Library, Painswick Branch

IFOA Brantford
James Bartleman, Lauren B. Davis, and Dany Laferrière, Oct. 18 at the Woodland Cultural Centre

IFOA Burlington
Anne Enright, Tom Perrotta, and John Burnham Schwartz, Oct. 26 at the Burlington Art Centre

IFOA Hamilton
Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize finalists, Oct. 27 at the Art Gallery of Hamilton
Peter Behrens, Lynn Coady, Stephen Kelman, and Patrick deWitt, Oct. 30 at the Gallery on the Bay

IFOA Markham
Francisco Goldman, Dany Laferrière, and Bharati Mukherjee, Oct. 21 at the Markham Museum Transportation Building

IFOA Midland
Roundtable with Stephen Kelman, Joshua Knelman, Timothy Taylor, and Andrew Westoll, Nov. 2 at the Midland Public Library

Helen Humphreys and Madeleine Thien, Nov. 3 at the Midland Public Library

IFOA Orillia
Clark Blaise, Will Ferguson, Rachel Simon, and Timothy Taylor, Nov. 1 at the Stephen Leacock Museum

IFOA Owen Sound
Clark Blaise, Wayne Johnston, Madeleine Thien, and Meg Wolitzer, Oct. 30 at the Best Western Inn on the Bay

IFOA Parry Sound
Patrick deWitt, Will Ferguson, Helen Humphreys, and Madeleine Thien, Nov. 2 at the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts

IFOA Picton
Elizabeth Hay, Stuart MacBride, Erin Morgenstern, and Daniel Woodrell, Oct. 28 at Books & Company

IFOA Port Hope
Anita Rau Badami, Rana Dasgupta, Lev Grossman, and Helen Oyeyemi, Oct. 29 at Trinity College School

IFOA Thunder Bay
James Bartleman, Johanna Skibsrud, and Jane Urquhart, Oct. 16 at the Prince Arthur Waterfront Hotel and Suites

IFOA Toronto
Joan Didion with Margaret MacMillan, Nov. 8 at the Brigantine Room, York Quay Centre

IFOA Uxbridge
Sarah Winman, with others to be announced, Oct. 20 at the Wyndance Golf Club

IFOA Windsor
Clarke Blaise, Will Ferguson, and Brian Francis, with others to be announced, Nov. 4 at the Art Gallery of Windsor

IFOA Woodstock
Joe Dunthorne, Joy Fielding, and Johanna Skibsrud, Oct. 18 at the Woodstock Public Library

Event photos: the last days of IFOA

Toronto’s International Festival of Authors wrapped up last weekend with a number of marquee events, including a reading and book signing with Freedom author and current it-boy Jonathan Franzen. Here are a few moments from the final days: