tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85652450089345219022024-03-26T23:36:52.076-07:00Free Range ReadingMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.comBlogger622125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-72603686994957745812024-03-17T12:21:00.000-07:002024-03-17T12:21:13.112-07:00My Review of Clark Blaise's This Time, That Place: Selected Stories in Canadian Writers AbroadI'm happy to share with all of you that I'm back in the digital pages of Canadian Writers Abroad magazine, this time reviewing Clark Blaise's most recent short story collection, This Time, That Place. Here's an excerpt from the piece:"Blaise, like many of his fictional doppelgangers, has led an almost preternaturally peripatetic life. He is both an American and a Canadian, with stints Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-2784523694722085832024-01-12T08:52:00.000-08:002024-01-12T08:52:52.843-08:00ACCEPTANCE: Inclusion in forthcoming short story anthologyI'm absolutely thrilled to announce that a short story of mine will be part of the recently announced anthology, Devouring Tomorrow, edited by A.G. Pasquella and Jeff Dupuis, and forthcoming from Dundurn Press in Fall 2025. My piece, called "Unlimited Dream," fits with the book's theme of imagining food of the future in the face of climate change, food insecurity, and other looming menaces. The Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-57172796034208468712023-11-18T06:29:00.000-08:002023-11-18T06:29:34.166-08:00Launch event for Big WilsonANNOUNCEMENT: I will be reading from Big Wilson, my new poetry chapbook, as part of an online launch party for Emergency Flash Mob Press, run by the wonderful Ian LeTourneau. The event is happening next weekend, Sunday, November 26, at 2 pm EST. My fellow EFMP authors, Sue Sinclair and Kim Fahner, will also be there to read from their amazing books, and you'll also get to learn about this new Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-4573526737535468722023-09-25T02:09:00.000-07:002023-09-25T02:09:26.238-07:00Big Wilson Is Here!Well, I've done it - I have published a chapbook! Big Wilson, a narrative long poem, was published last week by Fredericton, NB's Emergency Flash Mob Press, run by the tireless Ian LeTourneau. Here's a little description of what this little book is about:Music and literature collide in this long poem about grief, loss, and the family bonds that constrain us as much as they hold us together. Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-4093651677057086442023-09-04T10:29:00.000-07:002023-09-04T10:29:12.740-07:00Upcoming Event: Tartan Turban Reading Series #40Upcoming event alert! Folks, I'm back at the Tartan Turban Reading Series on Friday, September 22 at 7 pm. The evening, hosted and curated by fellow author Lisa de Nikolits, will include readings from Dr. Anita Jack-Davies, myself, and Rummana Chowdry, as well as an interview with Deaf visual artist Peter Owusu-Ansah. This will be a hybrid event. If you're in Toronto, you have the option of Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-49499341656504885642023-08-31T09:18:00.001-07:002023-08-31T09:19:13.488-07:00Virtual Launch: Rebecca Rosenblum's These Days Are Numbered: Diary of a High-Rise LockdownIt's been a (slightly) crazy and (very) action-packed summer around here, and I'm excited to plug an event for my wife's new nonfiction book! The virtual launch for Rebecca Rosenblum's These Days Are Numbered: Diary of a High-Rise Lockdown is just about a week and a half away. Join us on Sunday, September 10 from 2 to 4 pm EST when I interview her about the memoir she wrote about the pandemic, inMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-14271185905205052982023-07-03T15:44:00.000-07:002023-07-03T15:44:28.396-07:00Announcement: Forthcoming Poetry Chapbook - Big WilsonHello? Hello? Is this thing on? It has been FOREVER since I've added a new post to this little blog, and forever since I've had anything noteworthy to share. But finally there is a bit of news on the Mark Sampson front: I'm incredibly excited to announce that I will have a poetry chapbook, called Big Wilson, out with new chapbook publisher, Emergency Flash Mob Press, based in New Brunswick, Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-72619319815812633812022-10-07T11:23:00.000-07:002022-10-07T11:23:05.458-07:00My Interview with Jamie Tennant about his New Novel, River, DivertedSo look here. Jamie Tennant is an incredible guy. From his radio show Get Lit, hosted on Hamilton's McMaster University campus radio station CMFU, he has interviewed dozens of writers over the years, including myself. In fact, he's interviewed me twice: once for The Slip, and again for All the Animals on Earth. He has always been a kind, thoughtful and generous reader and interviewer. Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-74232854359095715152022-09-27T05:02:00.002-07:002022-09-27T05:02:59.072-07:00Poem Reading on the Quarantine Review PodcastSo my little poem, "Legacy Act," published by The Quarantine Review last summer, continues to enjoy a life beyond its initial release. After a recording of me reading the poem was featured about a year ago on the CIUT radio program, Howl, the recording has now reappeared on The Quarantine Review's most recent podcast episode. It's so great to see this piece continue to, erm, tour Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-60110976375378972002022-06-28T11:28:00.000-07:002022-06-28T11:28:21.839-07:00Questionnaire with Canadian Writers AbroadThe online magazine Canadian Writers Abroad, which I occasionally write for, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. I was happy to answer a few questions to help them celebrate. (And yes, that pic below is of me in Korea, taken around 2004.) Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-62031848077293473442022-05-24T00:10:00.001-07:002022-05-24T00:11:04.110-07:00Reading Announcement: Wolsak & Wynn 40th Anniversary Celebration!Friends: I am excited to announce that I'll be doing a reading - in person!!! - as part of the Wolsak and Wynn Publishers' 40th anniversary celebration. This is happening Thursday, June 9th at 7pm at Wychwood Barns here in Toronto. This will be my first in-person reading since (gulp!) October of 2019. Looking forward to sharing a stagewith Nancy Jo Cullen, Catherine Graham, Susan Perly, Rasiqra Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-53724888618495078642022-05-10T02:08:00.000-07:002022-05-10T02:08:08.385-07:00FreeFall magazine Volume 32, Issue 1 Launch recordingIf you didn't catch the launch party for the new issue of FreeFall magazine last week, not to worry! The recording is below. Lots of great readings included as part of this hour-long event. I read my own poem, "The Mosquito's Aphrodisiac," starting at the 23-minute mark. Enjoy!
Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-85798546758874053202022-04-30T08:36:00.000-07:002022-04-30T08:36:00.515-07:00FreeFall magazine online launch partyHey there, Blogspot audience (if you even exist!) - long time no chat. Yes, it's been crickets over here for quite a long while - two posts since October, Sampson? what have you been doing with yourself?? - but I do have something new to report.Just announced: On Wednesday night, FreeFall magazine will host an online launch for its latest issue, which contains a new poem of mine, called "TheMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-51848816031993509782022-01-03T12:47:00.000-08:002022-01-03T12:47:10.145-08:00Acceptance: FreeFall magazineWell, here's a wee bit of news to kick off 2022: I've had a new poem accepted for publication! The piece, called "The Mosquito's Aphrodisiac," will appear later this year in Calgary-based FreeFall magazine. This will be the fourth poem I've had in this particular journal in the last 11 years: I placed second in its 2011 poetry contest with a piece called "On Choosing a Mattress," and I Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-86794822955954229982021-10-30T12:52:00.000-07:002021-10-30T12:52:32.258-07:00Jack Wang interview on Canadian Writers AbroadI'm back in the digital pages of website Canadian Writers Abroad, this time interviewing Danuta Gleed Award-winning author Jack Wang about his stellar debut short story collection, We Two Alone, published by House of Anansi. Through our wide-ranging discussion held earlier this month over Zoom, Wang talks about his interest in transnational and the Chinese diaspora, and how he wanted to write Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-43075684134532394852021-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:002021-10-14T12:40:12.066-07:00Review of All the Animals on Earth in FreeFall magazineIt's always a good mail day when the haul includes a literary journal carrying a positive review of a book you wrote. That's been my afternoon after receiving a copy of the Fall 2021 issue of FreeFall magazine, which includes a review of my latest novel, All the Animals on Earth, published last year by Wolsak & Wynn/Buckrider Books. In the piece, reviewer Skylar Kay says "Mark Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-30840932242894937432021-09-27T02:47:00.000-07:002021-09-27T02:47:52.903-07:00Upcoming: "Legacy Act" poem on the radioSo here's a bit of exciting news: a recording of me reading my poem, "Legacy Act," which was published earlier this summer by The Quarantine Review, will air this Tuesday night at 10 pm Eastern on the CIUT radio program Howl as part of an episode featuring The Quarantine Review. CIUT is the campus radio station for the University of Toronto, found at 89.5 FM here in the city, and Howl Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-65910807680655382622021-08-26T11:59:00.000-07:002021-08-26T11:59:37.872-07:00Upcoming Event: The Lit Live Reading Series Lo and behold - I have an event lined up! That's right. On Sunday, September 5 at 7:30 pm EST, I'll be a part of the next Lit Live Reading Series extravaganza. Normally this would be held in Hamilton, Ontario, but due to the pandemic, it will instead be hosted online. Which means no matter where you live in the world, you can come! All you need to do is registrar for this free event on EventbriteMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-9048967381705608822021-06-30T12:16:00.001-07:002021-06-30T12:16:45.566-07:00Publication: "Legacy Act" in The Quarantine Review Okay friends and neighbours, here it is: my poem, "Legacy Act," appeared earlier this week in The Quarantine Review as part of the journal's Summer Special series. This piece is from a nearly completed new poetry manuscript I've been pulling together over the last five years. As you can probably guess from the title, the poem is about an aging rock star whose reputation has long surpassed Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-20662054745252005132021-06-19T16:07:00.001-07:002021-06-19T16:07:44.665-07:00Forthcoming: My poem "Legacy Act" in The Quarantine ReviewGetting sick of lockdowns and social distancing and all the rest? Me too! Thank goodness there's a new literary journal out there acknowledging how much we need to be re-sensitized to the beauty of life in the wake of COVID-19. The Quarantine Review has been making waves ever since it started publishing last year, and I'm so proud to announce that I'll be a part of their upcoming Summer Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-34874739660158781352021-01-25T15:59:00.000-08:002021-01-25T15:59:05.843-08:00My review of Saleema Nawaz's Songs for the End of the World ... ... is in the latest issue of Canadian Notes & Queries (CNQ), #108, which just landed in my mailbox today. I really loved Nawaz's novel, which tells the story of a fictional coronavirus that rages across the world in 2020. Considering the fact that this long, lovely novel was written well before our actual coronavirus, COVID-19, became a pandemic early last year, it's an impressive featMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-78262581526931485342020-12-17T06:37:00.001-08:002020-12-17T06:37:57.114-08:00Announcement: Judge for the New Brunswick Book AwardsI'm excited to announce that I've been selected as the judge for the Fiction category of the New Brunswick Book Awards. I received the 13 eligible titles this week, which will keep me busy over the next couple of months as I read and evaluate them to determine a shortlist of three books, with one winner.I've judged a few contests and awards over the years, and I've always enjoyed the experience. Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-60409968832892690582020-11-26T01:53:00.000-08:002020-11-26T01:53:43.626-08:00Book Launch RecordingDid you miss last week's book launch for my new novel, All the Animals on Earth, along with the other great prose titles that Wolsak & Wynn/Buckrider Books published this fall? Good news! You can now watch the whole event on YouTube.
Mark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-27851181027520759702020-10-30T09:10:00.000-07:002020-10-30T09:10:10.141-07:00Animals review on A Pilgrim in Narnia blog I really do love the smell of a book review in the morning. This one popped up yesterday: Dr. Brenton Dickieson provided a thoughtful and thorough critique of All the Animals on Earth on his blog, A Pilgrim in Narnia. Brenton and I were in high school on PEI together, and even shared a very formative Grade 11 English class. He also reviewed Sad Peninsula and The Slip on his blog, and IMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8565245008934521902.post-13094783233436535602020-10-29T10:54:00.001-07:002020-10-30T08:53:32.630-07:00Launch Party AnnouncementI'm very excited to announce that Wolsak & Wynn has announced details for its fall prose launch, which I'll be a part of in support of my new novel, All the Animals on Earth. The virtual event will take place on Thursday, November 19, at 7 pm EST. You can register for this FREE event by going to this EventBrite page.It's going to be a killer lineup as I share a virtual stage with fellowMark Sampsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853247452846940409noreply@blogger.com0