Faye Chisholm Guenther launches her new chapbook, Flood Lands, published by Junction Books.
The launch is on Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at the Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave.
Doors: 7:30 p.m. | Readings and a short musical performance: 8:00 – 8:45 p.m.
The event will be hosted by singer-songwriter Alejandra Ribera With special guest Marianne Apostolides
FREE Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/242606312905599/
Earlier this month, ECW Books published a second book, “Sputnik’s Children”, by Terri Favro from the 2011 short form mentorship. Since then it has been included on the CBC Books Spring Reading List: http://www.cbc.ca/books/2017/04/the-cbc-books-2017-spring-reading-list.html and was one of four books selected by Canadian Living as top picks for May: http://www.canadianliving.com/life-and-relationships/culture-and-entertainment/article/4-amazing-page-turners-that-celebrate-women
There is a launch party on Thursday, May 4 from 7 pm to 9 at Bar Italia: 582 College Street. All DDers are warmly invited!
On October 30th, in the TPM Backspace, 2016 Diaspora Dialogues Playwright Tijiki Morris along with her dramaturge Jivesh Parasram will be presenting ‘Rootless’ as part of Theatre Passe Muraille’s Buzz Series.
The workshop:
Spinning with djin (spirit), nostalgia and half memories, Rootless follows Roya as she tries to ground herself and her mother years after they have come to a new country. In an attempt to hold on to roots and to protect themselves, her mother tells stories of the heart-land. Roya travels through these stories and myths, encountering a rabid mermaid, inquisitive crows, and goats. She discovers that the stories are broken and that the land has changed from how she remembers.
Rootless grew out of an exploration of displacement, which has been unjustly thrust on many, and permeates all of our lives. Who do we become and how do we redefine ourselves when we are separated from the earth that shaped us?
The playwright:
The dramaturge:
More information:
Join Diaspora Dialogues from August 19 to 21 as we ascend into Camp Wavelength, the only Toronto music festival to offer overnight camping at the Toronto Islands! The 3 day festival will feature performances and activities by various artists including our very own literary fortune telling event! Stay tuned for more details!
Sunday June 19, 2016, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
North Pavilion sharing Circle at the Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave
Join Diaspora Dialogues for National Aboriginal Day at Evergreen Brick Works, for an afternoon of literature showcasing the works of Indigenous writers, poets and spoken word artists and their contributions to Canadian culture and heritage. The performers will discuss contemporary issues affecting themselves and their communities through the power and strength of words.
FEATURING
Alicia Elliott
Alicia Elliott is a graduate of York University’s Creative Writing program. Her writing has appeared in TOK 6: Writing the New Toronto, Initiations: A Selection of Young Native Writing, The Malahat Review and is forthcoming in The New Quarterly. She lives and writes in Brantford, Ontario, where she’s currently working on a feature screenplay and a collection of short stories about indigenous women.
Drew Hayden Taylor
Drew Hayden Taylor is an award winning playwright, novelist, scriptwriter and journalist. He has done everything from performing stand up comedy at the Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C. to being Artistic Director of Canada’s Premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts Inc. This October will see the launch of his 29th book, a collection of Aboriginal science fiction short stories titled TAKE ME TO YOUR CHIEF AND OTHER STORIES, published by Douglas & McIntyre. He was raised and currently lives on the Curve Lake First Nation.
Gwen Benaway
Gwen Benaway is a two-spirited poet of Anishinaabe and Métis descent. She was born in Huron Country and currently lives in Toronto. Her first collection of poetry, Ceremonies for the Dead, was published in 2013 and her second collection is forthcoming from Kegedonce Press this fall.
Lee Maracle
Lee Maracle is an accomplished, award winning author and teacher born in North Vancouver. A member of the Sto: Loh nation, she is the mother of four and grandmother of seven. Maracle is currently an instructor at the University of Toronto. She is also the Traditional Teacher for First Nation’s House and instructor with the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and the S.A.G.E. [Support for Aboriginal Graduate Education] as well as the Banff Centre for the Arts writing instructor. In 2009, Maracle received an Honorary Doctor of Letters from St. Thomas University and recently the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work promoting writing among Aboriginal Youth. Maracle has served as Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, and the University of Western Washington. She received the Ontario Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. Her works include: the novels, Ravensong, Bobbi Lee, Sundogs, short story collection, Sojourner’s Truth, poetry collection, Bentbox, and non-fiction work I Am Woman.
FREE ADMISSION
With the June 15th TAC Grant for Writers fast approaching, Diaspora Dialogues asked TAC Dance Officer and Literary Officer, Timea Wharton-Suri, a few questions.
1. What is your role as a Literature Officer for the TAC?
The Officer helps guide applicants through the entire application process, answering questions before the deadline, providing feedback on draft applications, and then answering questions after the results are released. We also select the jury members once submissions are in. We review the types of applications received and try to find jury members who can speak to the diversity of work submitted. Officers facilitate the adjudication process, keeping the discussions as fair and on track as possible.
2. Are there guidelines for juries that help them determine which works carry literary significance?
Unlike project grant applications, where the applicants must provide budgets, contingency plans, justification for chosen contributors and venues, etc., Writers Program applications are quite simple and the jury mainly assesses the support materials/writing sample, which is the bulk of the application. The jurors are providing their subjective opinions on the strength of the writing given their experience. We change use an anonymous application process and change juries each round for this reason. We also endeavour to ensure that a diversity of practice is supported in each round, i.e. novels, poetry, short stories, YA, etc., but the ultimate choice is left to the jury.
3. What is the worst mistake a writer can make on her or his application?
There isn’t one “worst” mistake, as it depends on the type of writing being submitted, but here are a few mistakes:
4. Are certain disciplines more competitive than others?
Writers grants are extremely competitive at TAC, with a 20%–30% success rate, depending on the round. We receive mostly prose/novel submissions that are destined for an adult audience, but the grants are generally awarded in line with type of work submitted. For example, if 15% of the submissions were poetry based, the percentage of grants awarded for poetry is usually close to 15%.
We are seeing more diverse types of writing each round, with submissions following publishing trends. Genre-based work is gaining more acceptance in the community, and TAC encourages juries to treat all submissions equally. It’s not about what style the jury likes, it’s about the strength of the writing in the author’s stated style/genre/intension.
5. What advice would you give to a writer applying for a grant?
I would repeat: Focus on submitting your strongest writing and don’t try to guess what the not-yet-chosen jury will fund.
If you don’t receive the grant, keep writing and keep going. You can’t receive the subjective artistic jury feedback, but you can call the Officer to ask if there were any suggestions to strengthen your application.
