Publication: David Helwig - Essays on His Work

I was very happy today to open up the mailbox and find my contributor's copies of the new anthology, David Helwig: Essays on His Work, published by Guernica Editions as part of its Essential Writers series. My contribution to the book is a reprint of an essay on Helwig's 1976 novel, The Glass Knight, which I published in Canadian Notes & Queries back in 2011. This new anthology's editor, Ingrid Ruthig, wrote asking if I'd be willing to expand the essay a bit and include it in the book, which I was happy to do. The anthology also includes pieces by rob mclennan, Shane Neilson, Douglas Glover and others.

I first encountered Helwig's work when I reviewed his novel The Time of Her Life for Halifax Sunday Herald way back in 2000, and have read and enjoyed several of his other works since then. David is a prolific writer of some 40+ books and one of Canada's truly under-appreciated authors. He writes across genres and forms, having published novels, poetry collections, short story collections, novellas and nonfiction titles. I also consider him a friend: he is a member of what I affectionately call "the PEI Writers Mafia," a group of authors on Prince Edward Island I often get together with when I'm home visiting.

Regular readers of this blog will know this is the second essay I've published recently in a Guernica Editions Essential Writers anthology. I also published a piece on J.J. Steinfeld (another PEI Writers Mafia member) in the press's essay collection on his work, published last year.

I strongly advise checking out both of these books and these writers when you can.

 

Event: Western University's Write Now! series

For folks living in the London, Ontario area, I'm happy to announce I'll be doing a reading/lecture on September 26 at Western University as part of its Writing Studies department's Write Now! reading series. This event is open to the public, so if you live in the area and are free to come, please do so! Here are the details:

When: Wednesday, September 26, 2018
What time: 4:00 to 5:15 pm
Where: UCC 56 - Western University
Website: Writing 2520A - Write Now!

As you can see from the website listed above, the reading series has a great line-up of writers scheduled throughout the fall, including Kevin Hardcastle, Cherie Dimaline, Shane Neilson, Tom Cull and Casey Plett. I'm very chuffed to be included, and I hope you'll be able to make it out.

M.

NEWS: Representation by Transatlantic Agency

Well, I know it has been crickets here on the blog for most of this summer, but I'm making it up to you now by revealing some HUGE news that has been in the works for a while. I officially have a literary agent! Yes, I'll be represented by the incredible Stephanie Sinclair at the Transatlantic Agency of Toronto, as we move forward with my new novel, called All the Animals on Earth.

You can read about this news and get details on the new book by checking out the press release here. If you're on Twitter you should also follow Stephanie and check out some of the other awesome writers she represents.

For those of you who don't know, Transatlantic is one of the premier literary agencies in Canada, representing a diverse range of authors, including Sharon Bala, Iain Reid, Kerry Clare, Nathan Ripley, Elisabeth de Mariaffi, Jordan Abel and our very own Rebecca Rosenblum. The agency has signed some of the biggest literary deals in Canada in recent years, and I'm just tickled pink to have them going to bat for me and my crazy new novel.

Anyway, I will keep y'all posted on further developments as they arise, including news on the status of All the Animals on Earth itself.

M.