CHRISTINE MCNAIR

A semi-coherent listing of my upcoming readings. Mostly relating to Conflict. A kind of belated touring. Primarily sprung with one confirmed ping in November. A few others are likely to pop up and/or in the works. We are busy pulling flowers up by their roots. The snow lies.

WOLFVILLE, NS: Friday March 1, 2013
 Authors@Acadia
Where: Acadia University, Wolfville, NS
Vaughan Memorial Library, 4pm
http://valleyevents.ca/event?id=20740

OTTAWA, ON: Sunday March 17, 2013
VerseFest: A World of Poetry in Ottawa
Christine McNair, Ken Babstock and Anne Simpson
Where: Mercury Lounge, 56 Byward Market Sq, Ottawa, 4:00 PM
http://www.versefest.ca/2013/schedule/sunday/

TORONTO, ON: Wednesday April 10, 2013
Pivot Reading Series
Christine McNair with Roseanne Carrara and Jessica Hiemstra.
Where: The Press Club, 850 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON, 8:00 PM
Hosted by Jacob McArthur Mooney.
http://pivotreadings.ca/

ST CATHARINES, ON: Friday April 26, 2013
In The Soil Arts Festival Presents Christine McNair and Mark Goldstein with other readers and musical guests: TBA
Where: Niagara Artists Centre, 354 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON, 8:00 PM
Hosted by: Eric Schmaltz
http://www.inthesoil.on.ca/

CALGARY, AB: Thursday May 9, 2013
filling Station’s Flywheel Reading Series presents Christine McNair, author of Conflict and Sandra Ridley with other readers TBA.
Where: Pages Books on Kensington, 1135 Kensington Road NW, Calgary, AB, 7:30 PM
http://www.fillingstation.ca/flywheel

REGINA, SK: Monday May 13, 2013
Vertigo Reading Series presents Christine McNair, author of Conflict and Sandra Ridley with other readers TBA.
Where: Crave Kitchen + Wine Bar, 1925 Victoria Avenue, Regina, SK, 7:30 PM
Hosted by: Tara Dawn Solheim
http://vertigoreadingseries.wordpress.com/

VANCOUVER, BC: Tuesday May 14, 2013
Real Vancouver Writers’ Reading Series presents Christine McNair and Sandra Ridley with other readers TBA.
Where: TBA, Vancouver, BC, 8:00 PM
Hosted by: Sean Cranbury
http://realvancouverwriters.org/

ST. CATHARINES, ON: Saturday June 29, 2013
Niagara Literary Arts Festival Presents BookThug Author Night
Featuring readings by: Mark Goldstein, Beatriz Hausner, Christine McNair, Shannon Maguire, David Dowker, bill bissett, Head Thug Jay Millar and more
Where: Mahtay Cafe, 241 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON
Time: TBA PM
http://nlaf.jigsy.com/

HAMILTON, ON: Sunday November 3, 2013
The LitLive Reading Series presents Christine McNair with other readers TBA
Where: The Homegrown Hamilton Cafe, on the 1st Floor of the Skydragon Centre, 27 King William Street, Hamilton, ON, 7:30 PM
http://litlive.blogspot.ca/

Once again it’s time for the CKCU funding drive! Only one week left to support a radio station has been providing the best in music, spoken word and multicultural programming since 1975.

SOME CKCU COSTS:
Telephones $4000
SOCAN royalties – $12,000
Rent for CKCU space to Carleton University $50,000
Insurance for equipment and liability $18,000
Tower Rental for our antenna and transmitter $15,000
Web site space, bandwidth etc $4000
Headphones – $200 (we have 10 of these)
Turntables – $600
Turntable Cartridge $50 ( we go through many over the year)
Microphones $100 (always replace 3 or 4 a year)
Computers $500 (just went through one of these, replace at least one a year)
Computer Monitors $150

They’re aiming to raise $111,000. The station is volunteer and donation driven, please consider making a pledge. Pledges can be made online through the CKCU website or by calling 613.520.3920.

Support CKCU! Support Lit Landscapes!

Go forth and answer, you poetry reader denizen.

http://lpg.ca/public/news/lpgturnerriggs_launch_survey_poetry_market

I’m not neutral by any stretch of the most nubile imagination (rob mclennan is my partner). But Zachary Houle’s recent ‘Letter to the Editor’ riled me and I’m quite difficult to unrile.

The letter itself is absurd. While I’m very sorry to hear that Mr. Houle had such difficulty getting his ex-partner to attend his readings, it hardly seems fair to blame rob. We are adults and if we wish to be supportive of our (writerly) partners: we go to an event. Period. Perhaps she simply did not enjoy readings. There is nothing that would prevent me from supporting someone that I care about. Ain’t no mountain high enough (etcetera).

To be fair, I wasn’t at that event and can’t comment on the mclennan of decades past. I can only comment on the three years that I’ve known him, during which I’ve seen him be nothing but supportive of visiting and local authors in Ottawa. Just within that period he hosted readings for:

Amanda Earl, Angela Szczepaniak, Aurian Haller, Ben LaDouceur, Brenda Leifso, Bruce Taylor, Cameron Anstee, Chris Turnbull, Christine Leclerc, Christine Stewart, Clint Burnham, David McGimpsey, Diane Tucker, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Emily Falvey, Eva Moran, Faizal Deen, Gary Barwin, Garry Thomas Morse, Gillian Sze, Gwendolyn Guth, Helen Hajnoczky, Janice Tokar, Jason Camlot, Jay MillAr, Jeanette Lynes, Jen Currin, Jon Paul Fiorentino, Ken Belford, Kim Minkus, Laurie Fuhr, Lea Graham, Lisa Pasold, Marcus McCann, Mark Goldstein, Marilyn Irwin, Matt Rader, Michael Dennis, Michelle Desbarats, Mike Spry, Monty Reid, Natasha Nuhanovic, Nicholas Lea, Nick McArthur, Paul Tyler, Pearl Pirie, Peter Gibbon, Peter Midgley, Peter Jaeger, Phil Hall, Roland Prevost, Sachiko Murakami, Sandra Ridley, Shane Rhodes, Spencer Gordon, Stan Rogal, Stephen Brockwell, Steve Zytveld, Stuart Ross, Suzanne Bowness, Teresa Yang, Wanda O’Connor, and Wes Smiderle.

Which to my mind represents a diverse range of writerly voices belonging to different aesthetics, personalites, styles, and regions. He’s published chapbooks by many of these same writers and more through above/ground press. Recently, the Dusty Owl reading series needed some help and mclennan was the one to find them a new venue, book new writers or hosts, and increase their promotion tenfold. I’ve seen him support young writers, give out publications to those he think might like them, and review books that might not be reviewed  elsewhere. He runs a twice-annual small press book fair where small presses, zines, local artists, papermakers, and printers can sell their work. He isn’t paid to do any of this. It’s a gift of time and energy.

A poisonous atmosphere in Ottawa? Writers from all schools mingle here in a whole slew of venues that cater to every aesthetic. mclennan is a vital part of the Ottawa community but he is just one of many writers and reading organizers in this town. If you want to write and participate in Ottawa literary culture, you can do so. Hell, you can do so without even exchanging a single syllable with mclennan if that’s your fancy. (And for the record, I’ve never once heard him say snarky comments from the audience excepting mutual teasing with good friends.)

rob has his critics, as do most figures of any public presence but it is ridiculous to see such a personal screed by someone who hasn’t participated in the Ottawa literary community for years. He seems to have no sense of this city’s character. I agree with only one point in the entire letter. Please do come to a poetry reading in Ottawa. Come to several. Come to VerseFest, the new annual poetry festival in March. 

And I’ll include Houle in this one. If you want to be supportive of indie/small press culture in Ottawa or elsewhere: participate. Don’t throw a hissy fit over one paragraph in a fifty-item list because you have a personal problem with an old acquaintance. Write your own work, make your own books, show up, for Christ’s sake. Else-wise, the only asinine, vitriolic, and spiteful comments that I see in the vicinity of mclennan are yours. 

best,

Christine McNair