Reading: Launch Party for the Cootes Paradise Writing Anthology, Volume 2

I wrote the foreword to the second volume of Cootes Paradise, a lovely new anthology out of Hamilton, Ontario. I'll be doing a short reading from my new novel as part of the launch tomorrow night, Tuesday September 29. The event kicks off at 7 pm EST. If you're free, come out support this talented group of young people. Here is the link to the event on Zoom.

Appearance on All Lit Up's Indie Reading Room

And the hits just keep coming. Yesterday I did a reading as part of All Lit Up's Indie Reading on its Instagram page in support of my new novel, All the Animals on Earth. You can watch the reading by going here and clicking on my face. They also posted a Q&A with me on their blog, where I talk about the book and how I came up it. All Lit Up's online store is also offering the novel for 20% OFF with promo code READINGROOM until Oct 1, 2020 - so if you haven't purchased a copy (and really, why haven't you?) this is a good chance to do so and save some money.

Appearance at Toronto Word on the Street's Booth Chat

We can chalk up the short-noticedness of this to COVID-19, but I'll be appearing this Monday, September 21, live on Toronto Word on the Street's instagram page from 6 to 6:15 pm as part of its "booth chat." If you're free, come on by and say hi. This will mark my first ever public reading from the new novel, All the Animals on Earth since it was published earlier this month.

The organizers have put together this snazzy poster for it with more details. Please come!

Radio interview about All the Animals on Earth

Episode 199 and feelin' fine! Back in the spring, before my new novel, All the Animals on Earth, got delayed to the fall, I was interviewed by Jamie Tennant for his boss radio show, Get Lit, on CFMU at McMaster University, Hamilton. The interview is now online and ready for your listening pleasure. I'm very proud of this book, and proud that Jamie invited me back on his show to chat about it. (He also interviewed me when my previous novel, The Slip, came out in 2017.)

So yes, the new novel is out! The official publication date was September 6 and Animals is slowly making its way out into the world. It is, of course, a very strange time to be publishing a book. Thanks to the ongoing threat of COVID-19, bookstores, libraries, reading series and literary festivals are still showing lots of (very understandable) restraint as the pandemic continues to hamstring all the important work they do.

But I want to mention that I do have a handful of virtual events cooking, and should be able to announce dates and times soon. In the meantime, if you're able to get to a library or a bookstore, if you're free to check out an online festival event or reading series, please do so. The publishing industry, precarious at the best of times, needs the support now more than ever.