The Trickster

My puppy is what these days is charitably known as a 'rescue' dog. (Read: stray) He came from the Alkalai Lake Reserve, in the Cariboo area of the province. I called him Silas Ermineskin, after a character in a series of WP Kinsella stories that I love. Apart from a little initial shyness (now a distant memory) he has been a happy puppy.

But I should have called him Raven.

Apart from the giant black ears like soft raven wings that he has not yet managed to grow into, he is a trickster of the first water.

Today was an easy day -- all he stole was a loaf of bread, and since the bread had first been first stolen by Seamus (his complicit canine companion), really -- how can he be held to blame?

Yesterday he ate a large section of trellis that had been erected to prevent his escape from the deck. I would have documented it, but he left it lying all over in pieces, sharp staples facing up, as he and Shameless wrestled amongst the debris. I needed to pick it up fast before any paws were punctured. No time for photography at a moment like that.

I like this picture of him. I took it while I was on the roof a week or so ago, and he was not quite sure how I got up there. So he sat down to watch me and figure it out.

I expect to find him up there one day soon.

***

A couple of notable events on the local literary scene....

First, I got a note from Alan Twigg today. Alan publishes BC Book World and keeps an on-line directory of all BC writers. He is also a prolific author, and his latest book FULL TIME: A PRIVATE INVESTIGATION OF SOCCER is launching shortly. This looks like a great story -- among other things, Alan recounts his experiences playing on an over-50 soccer team from Vancouver as they travel to the south of Spain to play a team of ex-professionals. The book is published by McClelland & Stewart.


Also heard from the Victoria School of Writing today. They have opened registration for their summer session, to be held July 20-25th, 2008. Instructors this year include Steven Galloway, Sarah Leavitt, Curtis Gillespie, Rita Moir, Rosemary Neering, Kathy Page, and Susan Stenson.

The only one of this illustrious crew with whom I have personal acquaintance is Steven Galloway. He has been a presenter at the Surrey International Writers' Conference for the past couple of years. He teaches creative writing at UBC and has just published his third novel, THE CELLIST OF SARAJEVO. Based on the true story of a cellist in the Sarajevo orchestra who played Adagio in G minor for 22 consecutive days in the crater where a mortar shell killed 22 of his neighbours in front of his home, Galloway weaves the story of fictional characters living through the terrible fall of their city. The novel sounds fantastic. He'll be a marvellous addition to the Victoria group.


~kc

The Protest Moves Forward...

...word today of an impending interview tomorrow with CTV regarding the mock Potter Protest scheduled for this Saturday at the Summer Dream Literary Festival in Stanley Park. And James Bow has been garnering attention on the same topic from his end of the nation...check out his blog (Bow, James Bow -- it's off on the side-bar there, if you need the link.)

And, of course, amid all the hype of the leaked pre-releases and spoilers, I am running from anything that smacks of Harry in the press right now. I want to find out what happens when I read the book myself the first time!

But after you close the book on Harry -- consider picking up a book by a Canadian author, will you? (That IS the point of the protest, after all...) We have the most incredible selection of writers producing books for young people -- and BC is a particular hotbed.

If you can't think of a BC writer off the top of your head, you might try having a peek at the CWILL BC website at http://www.cwill.bc.ca/ or even try moseying on over to Alan Twigg's encyclopedic site of BC authors: http://www.abcbookworld.com/

A reminder that Summer Dream is coming up fast -- this Saturday, in Stanley Park, near Lumberman's Arch. For the whole scoop, check out Pandora's Collective website at http://www.pandorascollective.com/ and find out all the cool stuff that Bonnie Nish and Sita Carboni have in store.

Hard on the heels of Summer Dream will be the collective book launch of 'Ms. Zephyr's Notebook' and 'Pyre'. More details as soon as I have 'em.

It's back to regular weather here -- cool and rainy. Hopefully summer will return in time for the weekend. Here's a shot of what it looks like around here when the weather cooperates...

~kc

Twigg Book

Hey -- just remembered I promised to load an image pertaining to the new Shadbolt fellow ...

Here's my favourite book by Alan Twigg, as chronicled a day or two ago:

(Cheesy image quality thanks to the rotters at the Anvil Press site.)

A better image is this one, of the masthead of BC Bookworld. Twigg is a friend to all authors in British Columbia, having gathered an on-line compendium of some 8000 names of writers from this province. BC Bookworld is known to riders of ferries and denizens of bookstores throughout the province as a leading journal chronicling the chaotic existence of people who make their living in the realm of words. It's a great read.

~kc

50th Post!

Hey -- just realized this is my 50th blog posting. I guess it's become a habit, eh?

News today about author, BC Book world editor and all round nice guy Alan Twigg...

He's not only the most recent recipient of the Shadbolt Fellowship for the Humanities from SFU, he's been named writer in residence at the George Price Centre for Peace in Belize city. Twigg has written a dozen books on Belize and Cuba and is now working on a book about the relationship between founder of Belize George Price and former PM Pierre Trudeau. It's an interesting story, but I'm not going to tell you more -- you have to go check it out at Alan's website: www.alantwigg.com

As appealing as his books about far away and warm places may be, my favourite Twigg title is INTENSIVE CARE and it tells the story of Alan's dual with a brain tumour. Guess who won?

My computer is driving me crazy tonight, but I will try to post a picture of Alan and or one of his books tomorrow.

Currently reading MISS WYOMING by Douglas Coupland, interspersed with pithy quips from George Carlin's WHEN WILL JESUS BRING THE PORK CHOPS?.

~kc, a reader of eclectic tastes...

~kc