I’ve recently returned from the Mansfield Press fall launch of my new poetry collection, Poems Suitable to Current Material Conditions, Laura Farina’s collection Some Talk of Being Human, Nelson Ball’s collection Some Mornings, and Christine Miscione’s first novel Carafola. We held five launches and readings in four days, starting with ones in Brantford and London on Nov. 30th, Toronto Dec 1st, Cobourg Dec. 2nd, and Ottawa December 3rd. We had surprisingly large audiences (and sales) in Brantford, Toronto, Cobourg and Ottawa – almost 70 packed into a small heritage building in Brantford, more than 200 lively and responsive poetry-party-goers similarly packed into the Monarch Tavern in Toronto, more than 50 in a gift shop in Cobourg, and possibly 70 at Black Squirrel Books in Ottawa. Several in the Ottawa audience brought shopping bags filled with copies of my earlier books to have signed – including from 1970 two copies of the opulently printed Weeds.
The arrangements were a bit of a scramble. Nelson Ball attended only the Brantford reading; he has never done public readings and currently has health problems that affect his breathing and endurance. Brian David Johnson read from Nelson’s book in Brantford, Mansfield editor Stuart Ross in London, Toronto and Cobourg, and j w curry in Ottawa. The Toronto launch was delayed by an hour by a fatal truck accident on the 401 that partly blocked Stuart’s route from Cobourg. Christine Miscione was recovering from a recent case of pneumonia, and bowed out after that
The arrangements were a bit of a scramble. Nelson Ball attended only the Brantford reading; he has never done public readings and currently has health problems that affect his breathing and endurance. Brian David Johnson read from Nelson’s book in Brantford, Mansfield editor Stuart Ross in London, Toronto and Cobourg, and j w curry in Ottawa. The Toronto launch was delayed by an hour by a fatal truck accident on the 401 that partly blocked Stuart’s route from Cobourg. Christine Miscione was recovering from a recent case of pneumonia, and bowed out after that
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