Flicker-ing: locusts

Flicker-ing: locusts, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Thin air volunteers at the volunteer party at Aqua.
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The last ABC

To commemorate the last Afternoon Book Chat.



I guess everyone was at The Gap?



JonArno Lawson and Charlene do a sound check.



Charlene introduces JonArno and Douglas Burnet Smith. Douglas asked me if I was the one he saw sneaking out of the Hospitality Suite this morning.



People have trickled in.



"Bueller? Bueller?"



Douglas talks about completing a book: "After you've given birth, you're just changing diapers."



I'm no photographer.

* * *

Ashley Sy is a Winnipeg born and bred freelance writer specializing in arts, music, and culture. She has written for Stylus, The Manitoban, and MyWinnipeg.com, and has begun copywriting for the Regina-based firm Benchmark PR. Currently, Ashley is working on getting her short fiction published—she fully embraces the classification of emerging writer. You can hear Ashley every Saturday night on 101.5 UMFM, on her pop-punk nostalgia show, Parking Lot Rock.

Flickr-ing: working title

Flickr-ing: working title, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Paul friesen, a member of the Winnipeg slam poetry team, works on his poem from the fainting couch.
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Photos from this morning's Words On Screen seminar.

I needed a permission letter to get in. Note Tavia's stationary.



Perry videotaping the panel discussion.



The Words On Screen speakers: Judith Keenan, Susin Nielsen, and Paul Quarrington.



We got to watch a bit of one of Susin's projects, Alice, I Think. Susin has written episodes of Ready or Not, which I'd say is only to Degrassi High as the greatest Canadian teen sitcom (which Susin has done, too).

* * *

Ashley Sy is a Winnipeg born and bred freelance writer specializing in arts, music, and culture. She has written for Stylus, The Manitoban, and MyWinnipeg.com, and has begun copywriting for the Regina-based firm Benchmark PR. Currently, Ashley is working on getting her short fiction published—she fully embraces the classification of emerging writer. You can hear Ashley every Saturday night on 101.5 UMFM, on her pop-punk nostalgia show, Parking Lot Rock.

Flickr-ing: sustenance

Flickr-ing: sustenance, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

The line up for grub at pint of bitter murder.
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Flickr-ing: the writer the book

Flickr-ing: the writer the book, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Michael van rooy looking at his chapbook just before his reading at Aqua books.
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Since Flickr hates me

My mobile provider, for all their youth-targeted advertising, isn’t Flickr friendly. My first attempt at a Flickr post was actually sent with a caption:

“I checked out Shutter Speed by Larry Krotz from the library. After my overdue fines I should have just bought it.”

Here’s a picture post to hold you over until I get down to writing something about the four events I went to today. These were all taken at The Mainstage event, The City.



Rob Ross and Tricia Arden Caldwell: festival volunteers, emerging writers, my chums. We all met through being writers U of M. Trish and I were in the same creative writing class, and I met Rob at her post-Manitoba Book Awards party. Yes, we do sit around and talk about writing. It’s all very esoteric.



Rob hamming it up with my name tag, because he didn’t have his with him. For this year’s festival he played chauffer for the flown-in writers. Fun fact: Rob did his M.A. in Creative Writing at the U of M, the same program that Saleema Nawaz graduated from.



A very bad picture of Tricia. She’s actually quite cute. And a poet. On her Facebook page she claims her religion is “e.e. cummings.”



Two professional writers: Amy Karlinsky and Charles Wilkins. Amy is an art critic, curator, and teacher in Winnipeg. I took her Writing About Art class when she was at the university. You know that Bruce Head exhibit on at the Winnipeg Art Gallery right now? That’s her work. She’ll also be doing a stint as the writer-in-residence starting next week at Aqua Books. She’s pictured here with one of tonight’s readers, Charles Wilkins.

Tomorrow I will bring a real camera around. Expect lots of pictures of above-camera-phone quality!

* * *

Ashley Sy is a Winnipeg born and bred freelance writer specializing in arts, music, and culture. She has written for Stylus, The Manitoban, and MyWinnipeg.com, and has begun copywriting for the Regina-based firm Benchmark PR. Currently, Ashley is working on getting her short fiction published—she fully embraces the classification of emerging writer. You can hear Ashley every Saturday night on 101.5 UMFM, on her pop-punk nostalgia show, Parking Lot Rock.

Flickr-ing: the finished drawing

Flickr-ing: the finished drawing, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Ian at the library, having finished his sketch.
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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.

* * *

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.

Hands on: Nicole Markotic

Hands on: Joseph Boyden

Hands on: Marilyn Dumont

* * *

It has occurred to me, lo the last few days, that although writing is an intellectual & imaginative act, writing it down is utterly reliant on the writer's hands.

If you're a writer and your hands don't work, you have to employ the services of all manner of dictation machines, stenographers, and helpmates.

While I would greatly like a helpmate/wife, I would also like to retain the use of my hands.

These hands have been responsible for several books between them. Makes your own hands cramp a little, eh?

So, for your contemplative viewing pleasure, here are the hands of Marilyn Dumont, Joseph Boyden, and Nicole Markotic.

(What you're not seeing is that Marilyn is missing the last joint of her background hand, that Joseph has the word 'jacob' home-tattooed over the lifeline of his foreground hand, and that Nicole attempted to apologize for the veins in her hands.)

* * *

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.

A Picture/Video Message!

A Picture/Video Message!, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Flickr-ing: exiles

Flickr-ing: exiles, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Tavia, festival employee, also works the hallway at the U of W during the Clarke reading.
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Flickr-ing: the stairwell

Flickr-ing: the stairwell, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Thin air in the cavernous U of W stairwell.
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Flickr-ing: lunch

Flickr-ing: lunch, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Butternut squash soup and Marilyn Dumont at McNally Polo Park.
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Flickr-ing: those books

Flickr-ing: those books, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

The book bags of Marj Poor, editor. Marj specializes in book bags.
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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.

Flickr-ing: the elevator

Flickr-ing: the elevator, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Joseph boyden in the elevator, on the way out to find wireless internet.
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Flickr-ing: the hosp suite

Flickr-ing: the hosp suite, originally uploaded by hotair.2008.

Daria salamon and her friend (and former sage hill instructor) Steven galloway.
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