Tag Archives: Boobs: Women Explore What it Means to Have Breasts

Looking back and looking forward

31 Saturday Dec 2016

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2016 has been a pretty rough year for a lot of reasons and for a lot of people. It’s hard to stay hopeful and grateful when there is so much to be genuinely sorry about, but I am trying. I have a lot to be grateful about this past year. The publication of Boobs: Women Explore What it Means to Have Breasts with Caitlin Press, who have been incredibly supportive, and the amazing strength and intelligence of everyone who submitted writing and contributed to the conversation. The publication of Four Portraits (co-authored/illustrated with Laura Ritland) with the generous JackPine Press. The support of many literary journals, including The Antigonish Review, Event Magazine, and The New Quarterly. All of the writers and readers and audience members of Swoon. The Canada Council for the Arts, for the grant that’s enabled me to spend my time looking at, thinking about, and writing poems about birds. The many conversations I’ve enjoyed with fellow artists and nature lovers about art and creativity and making the world a better place. My students. My colleagues. My friends. My family. I know a lot of fierce, wonderful, smart people who give the world more love and care and who give me hope that we can make a difference.

I’ll be posting more in the New Year about forthcoming publications and projects, but for now I’ll leave you with this photograph of the flock of American Goldfinches who have been hanging out in the park nearest my new home. Their plumages are not as vibrant as they are during the summer (mating) months, but to my eye (and mind and heart) they are still cheery and lovely.

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LitFest Alberta 2016 in sunny (!) Edmonton in October 2016

27 Thursday Oct 2016

Posted by in Boobs, Events & Appearances, Non-fiction/Memoir, Uncategorized

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BOOBS_cover_alu_modalcoverI had a wonderful time in Edmonton for LitFest 2016! Not only was the weekend full of fantastic conversation about storytelling, Edmonton’s weather cooperated and it was clear and sunny and beautiful for my entire visit. I’m so grateful to LitFest and Caitlin Press for coordinating my attendance and the presentation of Boobs: Women Explore What it Means to Have Breasts. It’s such a pleasure to be able to be an active part of the discussion around the book and to see people breaking down the barriers to honest, open conversation around the realities of living in the body.

I had the pleasure of being a part of two panels. The first event, on Friday October 21, I had the opportunity to talk about what is “normal” with Betsy Warland, Camilla Gibb, and Ruby Remenda Swanson. We had a great turn out for the lunchtime event, and I’m so grateful for LitFest and the folk at CBC for hosting us! Obviously, pick up a copy of Boobs if you haven’t already, but also check out the other excellent books represented at the panel. Betsy Warland’s Oscar of Between: A Memoir of Identity and Ideas is a gorgeous, lyrical book about personhood and living in the world. Camilla Gibb’s This is Happy investigates family from the other side of “normal.” Ruby Remenda Swanson’s memoir, A Family Outing, tells her story of mothering a gay son and the need for activism. All the writers challenged my heart and my mind and I’m grateful for my time with them.

On Saturday the 22, Betsy Warland and I partnered up again, this time to talk about body politics and the process of writing, editing, and structuring a book. We were lucky enough to have Ruby with us again, this time as our host.body-politics-litfest-panel-ruth-reading

My thanks to everyone who came out to the Saturday panel, too. It was a wonderful, warm audience who offered great questions and conversation on the books.

I had the chance to hang out and catch a couple of the other festival events, which were all excellent too. My congratulations to Fawnda Mithrush, Talia Davies,  and everyone at LitFest for putting together such an engaging, successful festival that brings writers and readers together. I hope to be back soon!

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From left to right: Ruby Remenda Swanson, Besty Warland, and Ruth Daniell

 

Presenting Boobs anthology at 2016 LitFest Alberta in Edmonton Oct 21 & 22

10 Monday Oct 2016

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litfestSo! This is something I’ve been looking forward to awhile. I have the pleasure of being on two panels as part of ListFest Alberta near the end of October. I’ll be in conversation with some smart writers from across the country, discussing societal expectations, the writing and editing process, and what it means to live in the body. I’ll be there with Boobs: Women Explore What It Means to Have Breasts, but that’s not the only reason you should come. Lots of fantastic books and their writers and editors and publishers will be there. You can check out the full line-up of events on the LitFest website.

You can catch me at two panels:

CONVERSATION@NOON: NO SUCH NORMAL on FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21 at 12:00pm

BODY POLITICS on  SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22 at 12pm

Come and hang out with me, Edmonton! I’m excited!

Fun, sun, and books at the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts

25 Thursday Aug 2016

Posted by in Boobs, Events & Appearances

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I had the huge pleasure of being part of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts from August 11-14 in gorgeous Sechelt, BC. It was definitely one of the highlights of my summer (and that’s including the glimpse I got of lazuli bunting at the end of July–such gorgeous birds!).

On Saturday, August 11, Lorna Crozier led Rebecca Hendry, Janine Alyson Young and I in discussion about Boobs and all four of us read from the anthology, too. Over 400 people showed up to be probably the best audience for which I’ve ever had the privilege of performing. I was really moved by the thoughtfulness of the audience member’s questions during our Q & A session, and even more moved by the number of women who found me after the presentation to share their own stories with me.

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At the author signing table, from left to right: Lorna Crozier, Rebecca Hendry, Janine Alyson Young, and Ruth Daniell. Photo credit: Alexander Laidlaw

Once again, a huge thank you to everyone at Caitlin Press (Vici! Mike! Jake!) for believing in the book, and a huge thank you to the remarkable Jane Davidson and all the organizers of the SCFWA. The festival was an enormously positive experience.IMG_9223

I was able to be an audience member for the majority of the festival other events, and also had the delightful opportunity to hang out and get to know a number of my fellow authors. I loved Lorna Crozier’s other event with wildlife photographer and environmental advocate Ian McAllister, in celebration of their collaborative book, The Wild in You: Voices from the Forest and the Sea. Mark Winston’s talk on Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive was also just as wonderful as I had anticipated it to be (bee)! I’m also still feeling incredibly grateful to the warmth of all the more established writers with whom I got to spend time, including Laurence Hill and Madeleine Thien, both of whom also had very thought-provoking and generous presentations on their work.

And Sechelt is a beautiful place. I love the west coast. I left the place feeling renewed, inspired, and excited to get back down to the practice of writing.

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Photo credit: Candace Johnston

Boobs at the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

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I’m so excited to arrive in Sechelt tomorrow for the beginning of the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts.

I’m looking forward to sharing the stage at the Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Word with Lorna Crozier, Janine Alyson Young and Rebecca Hendry for the Boobs event on August 13 at 1:00!

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Interview about Boobs anthology on CBC Radio One

15 Friday Jul 2016

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I had the opportunity to talk to Candy on her CBC Radio One program, The Candy Palmater Show, on Wednesday (July 13, 2016). I had a blast! If you didn’t catch it on air, you can listen to it from the CBC website!

The Candy Palmater Show July 13 2016

My thanks to everyone at CBC for their interest, and for all the listeners who tuned in!

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Boobs Anthology Reading July 13th at UBC Vancouver

05 Tuesday Jul 2016

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Boobs UBC reading

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Boobs reading showcased moving work at Trees Coffee on Granville

20 Monday Jun 2016

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Thanks to everyone who came out to Trees on Saturday night to join us in a celebration of Boobs: Women Explore What it Means to Have Breasts. And my sincerest things to Zuri Scrivens, Lynn Easton, Christina Myers, and Jane Eaton Hamilton for sharing their work with us. The cafe was vibrant with sincere emotion, and I was—as I think everyone was—very moved.

Thanks to Trees for hosting! Trees is the usual home of  Swoon: A Reading Series on Love & Desire. Keep in touch, because co-host Sierra Skye Gemma and I have some wonderful things planned for the fall 2016 event.

Here are a handful of photos of the Boobs reading. What an amazing group of writers! In the final group shot (from left to right): Lynn Easton, Christina Myers, Ruth Daniell, Jane Eaton Hamilton, Zuri Scrivens. I’m so grateful for these voices.

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Boobs reading in Vancouver June 18th at Trees

07 Tuesday Jun 2016

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Join us for another celebration of Boobs: Women Explore What it Means to Have Breasts in Vancouver on Saturday, June 18 at Trees Coffee downtown on Granville St. RSVP to the event on Facebook. Details below!

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Boobs launch in Calgary filled Shelf Life Books

06 Monday Jun 2016

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I had an amazing time in Calgary last weekend. It had been many years since I’d visited the city and it was so much fun to spend time there and soak up some Albertan sun (there’s plenty sun here right now on the west coast, too).

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Some of that Albertan sunshine casting lovely shadows into Shelf Life Books

My thanks to Shelf Life Books for hosting the launch. What an amazing bookstore! Their poetry section is out of this world (read: big! varied!) , and the rest of the shelves are so well-curated, too.

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Chelsea Rushton posing with the gorgeous painting she made for me, “Room full of boobs”

Thank you to everyone who came out to be a part of our celebration! It was so fun to meet new friends and sign copies of the book. I also got to meet some friends in person with whom I’d previously exchanged emails, and I got to re-unite with some old friends, including writer and visual artist Chelsea Rushton. If you don’t know her work, you should absolutely check it out–it’s all gorgeous, suffused with an attentive love for the world.

Of course, I was excited to see Heidi Grogan and Nicole Boyce, both of whom have fantastic non-fiction in Boobs. They each read from their entertaining and moving stories–I read too–and then we were able to take part in an open discussion about breasts, what they mean, and how using humour can be helpful when telling stories about trauma. I’m super grateful to have these authors’ work in the book, and for the ongoing conversation about breasts and gender and identity.

Here’s a couple of snapshots of Nicole Boyce reading “A Site of Potential” and Heidi Grogan reading from “Mirror Mirror on the Wall.” And because I can’t help myself there’s a couple of photos of Boobs books looking particularly wonderful in their displays at Shelf Life (another shout-out to our publisher, Vici Johnstone, for her fantastic cover design!).

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Boobs at Shelf Life Books
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Boobs in Calgary

 

If you haven’t got your copy of Boobs yet, grab it up, and read the work of all the Calgary writers: Heidi, Nicole, and also Moni Brar, who unfortunately couldn’t join us for the launch. Calgary readers can catch-up with Moni Brar this Thursday, June 9 at Pages on Kensington as part of the Flyingwheel Reading Series, put on by Filling Station, where she’ll be reading her Boobs  story, the incredibly moving “Berries.”

And then read all the rest of the stories and poems in the book: I’m so proud of the entire collection!

If you’re in the greater Vancouver area, join us for another celebration on June 18th at Trees Coffee on Ganville. And Toronto: look forward to the launch party at The Dora Keogh Pub on the 22nd! Full details about upcoming Boobs events can be found via the Caitlin Press website: Boobs, the Anthology: Canada Tour.

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Posing with a copy of the anthology in front of Shelf Life Books, Calgary, AB. Photo credit: Louise Thorp (thanks, Auntie!)