words in edgewise

Morgan Murray has kindly asked me to participate in his reading series Words in Edgewise on December 8. Anyone handy to Eastern Edge Gallery that eve should consider popping by. Here's the link to Words in Edgewise.

Unpressed Publishers

Standing firm in their values about what makes a book a Gaspereau Book, Andrew Steeves and Gary Dunfield have managed a compromise that allows a second volume of The Sentimentalists to hit the stands fast. The deal, which sees DOUGLAS & McINTYRE acquire rights for a trade back version, will allow many to run out to their local Chapters on November 19, while some of us wait for the Gaspereau edition to be printed. Full details at Gaspereau's Blog.

. . and here's how they do it

Lots of media banter about the way Gaspereau Press nutures and creates their books. There are those in the in the "industry" who have a hard time understanding their commitment to a particular craft, to guiding principles that see publishing as more than simply factory work. Slow-food or fast-food, which do readers, authors and book-lovers really want?

Here's how the do it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bHYorOBlcQ

Gaspereau's Giller

A young poet/novelist and an uncompromising publisher of the Country's best designed and made books took the Giller last night. While the industry scratches it's collective corporate head, raise a toast to the craft of language and economy of beautiful books.

the Ur-Copy

Back from the Wayzgoose in Kentville with the first copy of Firmament. Hope to launch soon as the Giller-frenzy and a very busy press can accomodate. Some images of the jacket and cover.

Andrew's Stand: When is a book a Gaspereau book?

Check-out Gaspereau's Andrew Steeves talking craft to the Globe, in light of Giller-talk: here.

en route home

About to fly home from Halifax Airport after the Gaspereau Wayzgoose in Kentville. Here's a link showing the G-men and women putting the book together just before my arrival.

Cover bands

Andrew Steeves began printing the book jacket yesterday. Tried a gold ink for the star ornaments before settling down to a silver that works well against the green field of the paper.

The press at G is smokin' . . .

Andrew Steeves' arms might wear out from trying to get some copies of Firmament made before this week's Wayzgoose, organizing said Wayzgoose, and working on Giller-related demands. He has an update here.

to Press . . .

Salty Ink has a nice teaser for the book at this link.

off to Film

We are off to film, printing presses next.

Booked my flight for NS and Gaspereau in 9 days. A kind-of- birth, but more a time to meet this small group (a handful?, family?) who make real and great books, who orbit a Giller-nod, but do not compromise how they work as they press on.

Goose, Giller and Craftsmanship

Great entry today from Andrew Steeves, relating to Gaspereau's fall printing in light of the 'Giller-bump'. A must read for those who like their books as books (i.e. well crafted objects). Check it out: Good for the Goose and Giller.

Wayzgoose

Gaspereau's annual Wayzgoose is approaching (October 23) and I plan to be there. Any takers?

Hot Press(ed)

Elation continues over the Scotiabank-Giller jury's praise of Canadian fiction produced by Canadian-owned, independent presses. Now, its the market's turn to respond. For a literary press such as Gaspereau, who actually make their books in-house, the challenge is to make sure people can but a copy of The Sentimentalists (i.e. print a new edition), while keeping their fall line-up on schedule. They are one of the country's finest printers/publishers, but they are a small, tight shop.

A Quill and Quire interview sums it up:

(for) Gary Dunfield, the plan is to reprint Skibsrud’s The Sentimentalists right away, but he and co-owner Andrew Steeves aren’t sure how many copies. “We don’t have a [lot] of extra capacity … right now,” he says. “There has to be some lead time, and we’re very busy with [the fall season].”According to Dunfield, the press is going to do everything it can to capitalize on the nomination, but it can’t afford to postpone forthcoming titles. “That would be a very bad idea,” he says. “[Those titles] need to go forward. They might be next year’s Giller titles.”

Indies at the Giller

Gaspereau Press, Biblioasis and House of Anansi have each made it to the Giller Award shortlist. Particular congratulations to Johanna Skibsrud for The Sentimentalists (Gaspereau) and St. John's favourite Newfoundlander/Montrealer, Kathleen Winter for Annabel (Anansi).

Sentimental Gurney

Why would someone who guffaws at sentimentality set his novel in rural Newfoundland, spanning 200 years? Why walk into a literary template already teeming with maudlin glances backward, stereotypical characterizations and bad attempts at dialect?

Firmament is (at least partially) my attempt to tackle the dearth of regional tales that only provide the easy comfort food of predictable characters, quickly built from sea-salt and Atlantic wood. I hope it succeeds.

Ice-glim

The spring-view, looking out into Trinity Bay, circa 1923.

Hurricane Power

St. John's-own, Craig Francis Power, unleashed his debut novel last Tuesday, amid the full fury of Hurricane Igor. I confess, although I had checked in earlier with him, I never expected him foolish enough to coax people to risk life and venture down to the Ship Inn. But he did, and I am contrite in having missed it all.

Craig and I share weird parallels that end the moment you meet either of us, or read how we each write. Both of us were trained as artists at NSCAD ('though I preceded him by a century or so), we both write about art, curate exhibitions. This summer, each of us ventured to China on separate junkets, to check out the scene. Power's book, Blood Relatives, was written here in St. John's over roughly the same period that I was working through Firmament. Both manuscripts were shortlisted for the same award (Fresh Fish) and both ended-up with great indie publishers (Gaspereau & Pedlar Press).

CFP just did some readings from the novel in Winnipeg, and there's a short interview in the Manitoban. I was interested to read about the fiction he dislikes: Canadian writing that is: "kind of like ornate, pseudo-poetic kind of precious, dull writing.” Setting aside the 'dull', I have a nagging suspicion that good-ole-CFP might quickly deposit my own writing style and structure in this catch-all. It will be interesting to see if any parallels survive.

I'm off now to pick-up my copy of Blood Relatives to confirm the good things I've heard. Do the same.

Caplin Cove Stone

Two details from the actual Caplin Cove, taken this summer between proof edits.

Chapter 6's title (again from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English) is: FETCH

Mid-Life Vices

In less than 10 hours I turn 45.

Five years ago, at 40, I made a slim list of things to do. My way of staving off the slimy-scare of becoming a middle-ager who starts thinking about sleek red cars or eye-candy human-accessories.

I rememeber having a pint with artist/designer Beth Oberholtzer.

No doubt tired by my recounting of life thus far, Beth asked a simple question. "Okay Bruce, what do you want to do?"

I didn't think, I sputtered: "Write a book?".

There's something good about approaching 45 with that conversation done. Better yet is the certainty that I have one thing off my 'birder's-list'. Lots yet to do, but I am now starting the next (even slimmer) list with less agnst.

Igor, and sparks of life

While Newfoundland continues the clean up from Igor, I managed to clean up the once-invisible glitches discovered by our proof reader. Corrections made, we are moving closer to the Gaspereau lab exclaiming "It's Alive."

Congratulations to Gaspereau and especially to Johanna Skibsrud for making the 2010 ScotiaBank Giller Award long list for her novel The Sentimentalists. Fingers crossed in hope that the jury seriously consider smaller literary presses, alongside excellence, in their short list deliberations.

Today's Newfoundland word, heading chapter 5 is: MOONLIGHT

Hemlock & Silver

1. It is a privilege to debut a first novel with a press like Gaspereau. This reality takes me, increasingly, as we get close to launch.
   
   I live in 'Sin-Jauns", a small city rich in writers celebrated nationally and beyond. In my 15 minute walk to work, it can routinely to pass the likes of Lisa Moore, Ken Harvey, Bernice Morgan, Michael Crummey or Susan Rendell.
   
   What a town.
   
   Some of these and other author-friends have described parts of their process with other, often larger, publishers. They share concerns about: the ultimate title of their book, the design. Hoping the jacket will be good, once they finally see it.
   
   Therein lay my pleasure of late.
   
   Gaspereau's Andrew Steeves, celebrated for his book design, typographical expertise and overall love of books, has patiently asked my thoughts at every turn. Granted, I could get hit by a bus or steal away with some witness-protection-program and, rest assured, my book would look and feel great. None-the-less, he is patient and caring.
   
   I'm no designer, but Andrew sure is. I appreciate a day of working through 7 different jacket versions, each tweaked toward our common goal. I appreciate the simple email, asking me to review colours, inks and paper stocks, before he commits. We ended up with a deep-green jacket built of a paper named Hemlock and an ink born of silver.
   
   I am beginning to feel sorry for those poor louts at the bigger houses. Cheers to Andrew, and Gaspereau.
   
   Today's NL word is WRINKLE, it begins chapter 4.

Fowl editing

Pordel, our hen-about-town, pecks at all, but ignores my scribbling at edits.

Todays word & chapter 3's title: FAINAIGUE

ReProof

Andrew Steeves is couriering the final proofs as I write. Feel kind'a sorry for the proof-reader, dealing with an array of local language, my stylistic abuse of grammar, and the neologism I managed to invent.

Ah, yes: it is day 2, word 2 is:

FETCH

Again, try your luck, then scan the Dictionary of Newfoundland English online.

a dozen words over a dozen days

Of the 13 chapters that make Firmament, all but the final begin with a word from the Dictionary of Newfoundland English. These are special words, each have no easy counterpart in standard Canadian English. They are words reflecting an unique manner of thinking.

I'll offer up one word per day, as they are listed in Firmament's table of contents. Can you guess its meaning? Try and then follow the link to the DNE site.

Today's word is DWALL.

Blood (feud) Relatives

My friend, occasional co-conspirator and eternal nemesis, Craig Francis Power, launches his first novel “Blood Relatives” in one week at The Ship inn. You need to go and be there, and buy a book. I will.

The fact that the two of us, a Newfoundland ying/yang is there ever was, are both simultaneously bearing books this fall, is fey in itself.

CFP and I are both Art-Jesuits, trained by NSCAD, sent out in the world’s fringes. We both have laboured as artists, cum critics, cum curators, and have met together, facing opposite sides of art’s battlements. Alas, last time he did win (2007 Fresh Fish Award), but the day remains young.

I cannot imagine two Newfoundland novels more different than Blood Relations and Firmament. Although both are born and bred via blue-chip Canadian indie publishers (Pedlar Press and Gaspereau Press), the semblance is both nigh and healthy.

See you next Tuesday, and prepare to return in a month.

Preview? Simulcast?

Newfoundland’s Rattling Books is preparing to release EarLit 5, the next in their series of audio-books featuring new prose/poetry. The venerable Anita Best, I'm happy to report, will be narrating one of mine; a story lifted from the larger novel, entitled Fetch. EarLit 5 is in a race with Firmament for release. Click on the Rattling Books link above to check it out.

What is FIRMAMENT?

A weathered nineteenth-century headstone; the sheet music to Ode to Joy; a pattern of stars which marks the gravesite of a long lost child; an underground cellar holding the plaster fresco of the sky at night — this is the delicate web of detail and legend which links those who have lived in a Trinity Bay cove.

Firmament is at once a series of stories and a novel depicting the changing human landscape of an outport. Preacher Poole voyages through the eroticism of biblical verses while watching a tourist undress on the beach. Eleven-year-old Caleb is seduced by broadening horizons as sophisticated cousin Marina arrives in the cove complete with an upright piano. Michael, a navy deserter with a truly harrowing past, delights local children with seafaring adventures.

The stories spanning two hundred years are subtly interwoven with the human graffiti of lives past. Characters enter and leave the cove under the ever-watchful stars which give this highly accomplished work its name.

—Jurors’ comments, Fresh Fish Award for Emerging Writers

Update & ETA

The miraculous Andrew Steeves, editor, book-designer and the deft publishing brain behind Gaspereau Press (alongside the venerable Gary Dunfield) is busy working the final design for the novel, including the jacket. The initial proof is, as expected, beautifully and aptly made.

As it stands, the book is approximately 5"x 8" and 224 pages, type-set in Adobe Caslon and Matthew Carter's Big Caslon. Looks like the jacket will be a fine, elegant letter-press.

Hope to have the real thing in my hands (and many of yours) in time for Gaspereau's annual Waysgoose, slated for the weekend of October 23. Hope to travel to Kentville to celebrate, read and meet the Gaspereau team face-to-face.

The official Newfoundland launch (no doubt at St. John's infamous Ship Inn) will be planned and announced soon. Stand by.