Out-take: sketchbook

This is Ian Sokoliwski, fantasy and comic book artist who lives in Winnipeg.

I know Ian from around. I've seen his work around and he/it looks nifty.

Anyways, I spotted Ian at yesterday's Afternoon Book Chat with Joseph Boyden and Marilyn Dumont as I slid into my seat. He'd installed himself at a table and already had pencils and a couple of sketchbooks out.

During the readings and subsequent conversation, Ian sketched in both books.

Though it may have looked like he was ignoring the goings-on - which, incidentally, focused almost entirely on handiwork like beading and sewing and writing - I think he was drawing under the conversation.

I've often written poems while at lectures. It wasn't that I wasn't paying attention, it was that whatever was being discussed had twigged something.

And if you don't pay attention to those jabs, those improbable gifts of image and language and energy, then you're just dumb.

After everything was all over, Ian let me photograph his hour's work.

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Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. Her poetry has recently appeared in PRISM International, The Fieldstone Review, and Prairie Fire. In addition to being Events Coordinator at Aqua Books, Ariel also contributes to the Winnipeg Free Press' Books Section and Prairie books NOW.

A hand-made, limited-edition chapbook of Ariel's poetry, entitled The navel gaze (with Kingsville, ON's Palimpsest Press), will be launched Oct. 1 at Aqua Books.

Out-take: separated at birth?

There were murmurs around the book signing table Tuesday night about how Andrew Hood didn't look anything like his author photos. Also, that they MUCH preferred the in-person Andrew.

So I thought I'd compare and contrast here on HOT AIR...and Andrew obliged me.

* * *

Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. Her poetry has recently appeared in PRISM International, The Fieldstone Review, and Prairie Fire. In addition to being Events Coordinator at Aqua Books, Ariel also contributes to the Winnipeg Free Press' Books Section and Prairie books NOW.

A hand-made, limited-edition chapbook of Ariel's poetry, entitled The navel gaze (with Kingsville, ON's Palimpsest Press), will be launched Oct. 1 at Aqua Books.

Out-take: owning the blur

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I hate using the flash on my camera when shooting indoors. The light in the pics is usually stark and ugly while ambient light is usually warm and orange-y.

But if I ONLY shoot without the flash, sometimes I don't get a SINGLE sharp image. And that makes me mutter to myself...so when shooting events, I usually shoot lots of pics, some with the flash, some without.

And then I see what I get.

Shooting without the flash means standing really still or finding something to rest the camera against, because I do not, repeat not, have a tripod.

I mean, there are tripods at home, knocking about (did I mention my partner, M, is a Winnipeg Free Press photographer?), but who wants to try to fit one in my bag? Plus, M is leery about equipping me with anything that I could then use to hit him with.

So, here are a few of the photos I 'got' from last night's Bloodlines edition of Mainstage.

Leave a comment if you know who any of the people are. It'll be like a game, see...

(Psst. Tonight's mainstage should also be a cracker.)

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Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. Her poetry has recently appeared in PRISM International, The Fieldstone Review, and Prairie Fire. In addition to being Events Coordinator at Aqua Books, Ariel also contributes to the Winnipeg Free Press' Books Section and Prairie books NOW.

A hand-made, limited-edition chapbook of Ariel's poetry, entitled The navel gaze (with Kingsville, ON's Palimpsest Press), will be launched Oct. 1 at Aqua Books.