Sweet Hope by Mary Bucci Bush

We are thrilled to announce that Mary Bucci Bush’s book, Sweet Hope, was named a Finalist in Binghamton University’s John Gardner Book Award, and a Finalist in the  2012 Paterson Fiction Prize! The John Gardner Book Award for the book of fiction selected by judges as the strongest novel or collection of fiction published in 2011. The award carries a prize of $1000. The Paterson Fiction Prize is sponsored by The Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College. The award carries a prize of $1000 for a novel or collection of short fiction which, in the opinion of the judges, is the strongest work of fiction published in 2011. Congratulations, Mary!

Sweet Hope unleashes the little known story of Italians who came looking for a better life in La Terra Nuova and found hardship, misery and their own form of slavery instead. Learn more about the book here.

Listen to Mary discuss her writing process with Open Book.

Purchase from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, or Amazon.uk
Canada, USA: University of Toronto Press Distribution (800-565-9523)

Bianca Lakoseljac

Bianca Lakoseljac will present at the international conference, “Language, Literature, Values,” on April 27 and 28 at the University of Niš in Serbia. On April 27 at 11 AM she will deliver her research paper: “The role of the author in fostering and disseminating cultural and ethical values through the contextual and textual dialogicality which takes place among characters as portrayed by a writer within the world depicted by the literary work.”

In Paramita, Little Black Robertson meditates on the nature of intimacy; the connective tissue that binds stranger to stranger, human to animal, soul to landscape, heart to mind. Inspired by the Buddhist paramitas – actions that spark a spiritual sojourn, the poems attempt to both transcend and stay grounded in a conventional universe. Follow the humourous, pedestrian plight of a secretary/writer grappling with her noonday demon, her love affair with Little Black, and the metamorphosis of her marriage as she harnesses the practical power of poetry, marrying words “to the wind horse,” “to the lies and the gossip and the truth of the river / as it pours out the mouth of right-now.” Paramita, Little Black explores acts of transformation; documenting a journey to live and love authentically amidst the transient anatomy of our twenty-first century lives. Check out Suzanne reading her work here.

Order Paramita, Little Black online: Amazon.ca
North America: University of Toronto Press Distribution (800-565-9523)
Europe: Gazelle Book Services (0-152-46-87-65)

April 21 at 2 30 PM – Salon St-Laurent
QUATTRO & GUERNICA PRESENT A POST PUNK PERFORMANCE
A Blue Met exclusive! What happens when poetry, social satire, and raw Icouldn’t-give-a-sweet-damn nihilism come together? Why, you get the literary version of the slam dance mosh pit. With a musical performance by Alan Lord and The Falling Men. This event features Guernica authors Liz Worth, Alan Lord and Michael Mirolla. Admission is free.

April 21 at  4 PM – Salon St-Laurent
AICW EVENT - THE INTERNMENT OF ITALIAN CANADIANS DURING WORLD WAR II
Two 2012 publications mark the passage of Italian-Canadians from victims of state authority to engaged agents of social change. The discussion will focus on these books and historical events of the 1940s. Complimentary books available (while supplies last).

This event, put on by association Italian Canadian Writers, Colombus Centre of Toronto, Guernica Editions, Accenti Magazine and Citizenship and Immigration Canada, is a 60 minute panel discussion. Guests will hear from Licia Canton, Domenic Cusmano, Terri Favro, Mélanie Grondin, Michael Mirolla and Jim Zucchero. Admission is free .

April 21 at  4 30 PM – Godin
GUERNICA EDITIONS: THE MONTREAL X FACTOR
From jazz to folk, rock to punk, Montreal music artists have garnered international reputation and accolades for years. A discussion on the extraordinary rise of contemporary music in Montreal by some of its best-known musicians and writers. This 90 minute panel discussion features Raymond Beauchemin, Lucinda Catchlove, Dimitri Nasrallah and Alan Lord and will be hosted by Jeanette Kelly as part of the CBC Blue literary series. Admission is $10.

Canada, USA: University of Toronto Press Distribution (800-565-9523)

Europe: Gazelle Book Services (0-152-46-87-65)

DATE: April 29, 2012
TIME: 3:30 – 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Supermarket, 268 Augusta Avenue, Toronto

The Bones of His Being by Sue Chenette
In unflinching lyrics, Chenette confronts her father’s depression and death. The poems are a journey through grief, both a search for the father she loved and a searching look into a father/daughter relationship.

Rooms the Wind Makes by James Deahl
This collection continues Deahl’s exploration of the natural world around him in language that is precise and startling, tinged with nostalgia but bravely facing the realities with an eye on the larger picture.

The Bread We Ate by Rina Ferrarelli
Ferrarelli puts into words her own struggles with displacement and loss, with the language and culture – misinterpretations and misidentification – but also those of the people who came before.

For the Maintenance of Landscape: Selected Poems by Mia Lecomte and translated by Johanna Bishop & Brenda Porster
Mia Lecomte is a quietly dazzling poet on her own terms. She is fed by multiple cultures, she is widely read, but her writing is unique and absolutely genuine.

Foreignbody by Catherine Lalonde and translated by Nora Alleyn
The woman in these poems speaks of the body. Hers is the story of a woman undone, who has willingly offered herself, abdicated utterly and been utterly defeated, as perhaps all women have dreamed of doing.

Acclaimed and innovative singer-songwriter Joseph Maviglia will be performing songs from his recently released CD Angel in the Rain, along with tunes from his 1994 CD Memory to Steel. His song Father, It’s Time appeared on the Juno Award-winning compilation CD The Gathering.

Dreamscape: acrylic painting by Barbara Andersen © 2012

The talented poets that make up The Long Dash group will be taking part in two events that celebrate both visual art and poetry in the weeks to come.  Check out one of the events and hear from Guernica poets Elana Wolff, Clara Blackwood, Merle Nudelman and John Oughton alongside Mary Lou Soutar-Hynes, Yaqoob Ghaznavi and Sheila Stewart. Artists Barb Andersen, Judith Davidson-Palmer, Barbara Feith, Beryl Goering, Carolyn Jongeward, Marjorie Moeser, Mary-Lou Payzant, Gail Read, Hortensia Reyes, Wenda Watt and Wendy Weaver will also take part.

Where: Parkdale Library, 1303 Queen St. W. (at Cowan Ave., between Dufferin & Lansdowne)
When: Wednesday, April 25  6:30 – 8 PM
This event is funded by the League of Canadian Poets as part of National Poetry Month and admission is free.

Where: Women’s Art Association of Canada, 23 Prince Arthur Ave., Toronto
When: Sunday, April 29 from 2 – 4 PM
This event is part of an ongoing five-year collaboration between The Long Dash and the studio artists of the Women’s Art Association of Canada. Admission is free.

Len Gasparini will be delighting audiences with a poetry reading at an event put on by the Art Bar Poetry Series, the oldest running poetry-only reading series in Canada. Len will be joined by poet Phil Hall.

Where: Art Bar Poetry Series, Paupers Pub, 539 Bloor Street West, Toronto
When: Tuesday, March 27 at 8:00 PM

Len was born in Windsor, Ontario. He is the author of numerous books of poetry and five short-story collections, including A Demon in My View (Guernica 2003), which was translated into French as Nouvelle noirceur, and The Undertaker’s Wife (Guernica, 2007). In 1990, he was awarded the F.G. Bressani Literary Prize for poetry. Having lived in Montreal, Vancouver, New Orleans, and Washington State, he now divides his time between Toronto and his hometown.

Order The Broken World: Poems 1967-1998 online: Amazon.ca
North America: University of Toronto Press Distribution (800-565-9523)
Europe: Gazelle Book Services (0-152-46-87-65)

Where: Visual Arts Centre, School of Art / McClure Gallery, 350 Victoria Avenue, Montreal
When: Tuesday, March 20 at 7 PM

Canada, USA: University of Toronto Press Distribution (800-565-9523)
Europe: Gazelle Book Services (0-152-46-87-65)

March 6 at 6:30 PM – Vancouver (Italian Cultural Centre)

March 16 at 5:30 PM- Montreal (Casa d’Italia)

March 18 at 4 PM – Ottawa (DiVino Wine Studio)

March 24 at 6:30 PM – Halifax (Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21)

March 31 at 4 PM – Toronto (Columbus Centre)

RSVP: projectmanager@aicw.ca

Where: Café T.W.I.G.S. , 85 rue Ste Anne (corner Saint Pierre) Montreal, QC
When: Tuesday, April 17 from 7:30-9:30 PM