Consumer Report

Over at Maisonneuve, Jason Guriel's Pure Product gets a test drive from Michael Lista and Mark Callanan. They give it excellent ratings for performance and reliabilty.

What Kind Of Answer Is That, O Lord?

David Solway reads a new poem for the Montreal Gazette summer poetry series.

Masterclass

Last October, Ottawa's Writers Festival brought together Edeet Ravel and Andrew Steinmetz to share tips and tricks for developing voice and exploring setting. The event was hosted by Armand Garnet Ruffo. You can hear their hour-long discussion below.

Something about tristesse

Susan Gillis takes part in the Montreal Gazette's summer poetry series. Watch her read here.

A nice interview with her here.

100 percent

The Globe and Mail sings the praises of Jason Guriel's Pure Product:

"In this mature second volume of poetry that seems well over before it ever begins, Guriel's obstinately short poems leave us hankering for more...it may well be that rare thing: a collection to be lived with."

How good is it? It's already got a copy-cat band!

Not To Miss

This is Vancouver's W2 Flack Block Gallery, located at 157 West Hastings.

Shannon Stewart -- author of Penny Dreadful -- will read her poetry here on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.

Joining her will be poets Farrah Field, Jared White, Nicole Markotic and Christine LeClerc.

Give Me Less

Jason Guriel can run but he can't hide from the fact that "Less," which you can find in his new collection Pure Product, is the featured poem on Poetry Daily.

And if you missed it, check out the NaPoMo interview he did for The Afterword, the National Post book blog..

Awful Library Books

It's a new blog. (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan.)

Visual Poetry

Last week, the Montreal Gazette launched a video series featuring readings by local poets.

In all, eighteen Montreal poets are scheduled to appear. They include Robyn Sarah, Peter Richardson, David Solway, Katia Grubisic and Norm Sibum.

The Gazette plans to post two videos a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, throughout the summer.

Go here to see David McGimpsey read his poem "Montreal."

A friend of jazz

Joe Morello and Len Dobbin, Montreal Drum Fest, 2002

We were shocked to hear of Len Dobbin's passing last night at Montreal's Upstairs Club where he was catching trombonist Ray Anderson. For well over fifty years, Len has been the "go-to" man for anybody who wanted to know anything about jazz in this city. Len was passionate about jazz and knew just about every practitioner who lived here or who was passing through. Len was a broadcaster, radio producer, reviewer, and photographer. A gentle man who will be missed.

Rickman on Simic

Actor Alan Rickman reads poems from Bosnian-Canadian poet Goran Simic's book, Sprinting from the Graveyard (1997), translated by British poet David Harsent. The poems -- written during the seige of Sarajevo -- were retranslated by Simic himself in 2006 and published by Biblioasis under the new title Sarajevo With Sorrow. (Hat tip: Karen Shenfeld).

The Austerulous Monks

Above is a word cloud built from the A-E section of the "Compendium of Lost Words," a list of 400 English words that have since turned to dust. You'll find it at the Phrontistery, a website for vocab geeks.

Finger Drumming with New Yorker Critic James Wood

A Nice Piece of Pie

Looking ahead to Dennis Lee's 71st birthday later this summer, Jacob McArthur Mooney offers a spirited assessment -- and, when necessary, sharp defense -- of Mr. Alligator Pie's career.

It's a well-written piece, fluent and lovingly handled, and exactly the kind of engaged, misconception-clearing criticism I wish more younger poets of Mooney's generation would trouble themselves to write (though I'm grateful for those who do: Michael Lista, Alessandro Porco, Mark Callanan, Nick Thran).