tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84853592076168156882024-03-14T10:47:00.016-04:00AJ DolmanWriter, poet, editorAJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-89148222015080452052024-01-01T20:52:00.002-05:002024-01-01T20:52:58.880-05:00Crazy / Mad: my first poetry book, out spring 2024!<p>The start of a new year feels like the perfect time to announce my forthcoming poetry book, Crazy / Mad, will be available in spring 2024 from Gordon Hill Press, and is <a href="https://www.gordonhillpress.com/products/crazy-mad" target="_blank">already available to pre-order</a>. </p><p>I am in love with the cover design and very proud of the contents. I hope you can buy, order, share, recommend or otherwise support the collection. But, above all, I hope you read and get something out of it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPoQ24cmrmM4M9paBZE5FcKHnKU2AscfFVu4-KfnwEUaT-c9xoENAmGhHyASw5SOz2u52VhV2P-rRaup5vyVUi1BZXUweyYFzKj_SmKSSs0iYSN_AR9v-uR3J6VsxiVMhBAOWdBDmok7BDx8KCRLb7HteRQgxqf5Ccm7vFEsnFf_kxqVlRrKlraPfvg_Dz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPoQ24cmrmM4M9paBZE5FcKHnKU2AscfFVu4-KfnwEUaT-c9xoENAmGhHyASw5SOz2u52VhV2P-rRaup5vyVUi1BZXUweyYFzKj_SmKSSs0iYSN_AR9v-uR3J6VsxiVMhBAOWdBDmok7BDx8KCRLb7HteRQgxqf5Ccm7vFEsnFf_kxqVlRrKlraPfvg_Dz=w242-h363" width="242" /></a></div><br />Huge thanks to my editor Shane Nielson and brilliant publisher and graphic artist Jeremy Luke Hill. I'll post more about launch and reading dates once information becomes available.<p></p>AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0Canada56.130366 -106.34677127.820132163821157 -141.503021 84.440599836178848 -71.190521tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-84992078992702408692023-01-20T16:47:00.002-05:002023-01-20T16:47:14.067-05:00Interview with Trode Publications<p>My thanks to the fabulous Trode Publications for interviewing me at the start of this year. The interview was a lot of fun to do, and went some places I didn't expect. <a href="https://www.trode.ca/interview-aj-dolman/?fbclid=IwAR1JmsfSwU3Nn2ijJXPC_KHVVYxvmWQjJljo4UCj2xXEv54F7DtIaUUoHDA" target="_blank">Visit their blog</a> to find out about some of my current projects, forthcoming publications, and some of my inspirations (both good and less so)! </p><p>The interview is part of a series Trode is releasing with selected genre and literary authors, so follow them to learn more about a variety of emerging and established writers.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.trode.ca/interview-aj-dolman/?fbclid=IwAR1JmsfSwU3Nn2ijJXPC_KHVVYxvmWQjJljo4UCj2xXEv54F7DtIaUUoHDA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9MCqLiAzfMlrmmcGNqc3tFlQ5-4KspPw10Zq_3j6kHcRrYw-LMJXBpBxVF48F1Im1L1vJjWfIHo4JQEo1qoLv29PYOg2SIi9nHv4delk13jTCiw8N4t6S4Bc33Z7Jjw7NQn-iTOZyrFleSLb-i7Cu-elqrUnvIst4TJeLOkdXp6bUTmvhKrUaSKgKw/s320/325902251_552776046569708_1692665005825605274_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-58275744842352246152021-12-31T00:05:00.006-05:002021-12-31T10:37:06.068-05:00Books I Liked: 2021 Edition<p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Ok, so, I
missed making a list last year, but I'm back to it again now. This list, as
ever, is not necessarily of books or collections that were published in the year,
but are among what I actually read during the year, keeping in mind my to-read
reach will forever exceed the number of hours in my days.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This year was
spectacularly awful in so many ways, both personally and globally, but, as ever, books have
helped guide, distract, amuse, centre and engage me, pulling me out of myself
when I need it most, and encouraging me to reflect in ways large and small. I hope you've
found ones to do the same for you.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">First on my
otherwise in no order list this year is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860443-one-last-stop" target="_blank">One Last Stop </a>by Casey McQuiston. This was a brilliant, creative, sexy, funny and an all-around queer must-read. I won't
go into more detail here, but if you liked McQuiston's debut Red, White & Royal
Blue, you will love One Last Stop. It is more queer, more diverse, more class
aware, and, despite also being speculative fiction involving psychics and time
travel, more deeply real.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="hhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54860443-one-last-stop" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="1381" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik4mfJ3NYZ5pFqfdml_KR0BBajpahoYMg6IJLcvcubopez2OflscM4Tpfr3Qy1f5aVdug2foZ2xwYG-r2pGSOd79V0k1WUrjNlyrduVZ_tMZ_d9UBgndameGFvrIJJWIbk4AoG9F3TO0RhUGj_aSmj9p1DANUadpv4fT8rp-LFwh1R5tEWEihu5YXkkw=s320" width="209" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52339313" target="_blank">Cemetery Boys</a>
by Aiden Thomas (technically YA, but brilliant for any age) not only tells a captivating and exciting story, but has fierce, complex and engaging trans and queer main characters and one of the best examples I can recall of interplay between two languages, in this case Spanish and American English. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31445891-river-of-teeth" target="_blank">River of Teeth</a>, a novella by Sarah Gailey, is not only highly creative but will make you care deeply about its entire cast of characters very quickly. I'm listing it here with the caveat that it has an abrupt ending, but the fact that it's labelled "#1" gives me hope there will be a follow-up to take us on more of the characters' journey after the central adventure of the novella has ended. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/52339313" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjCM0qCyDU1v6PFq_UyQcOoV_RExP4QmYv1s-d001TQVbo0WKHubzeZ0T1UbekZlrdimaHlPr-NbntRs4nkvFo3qRDYxd5LgF_F_pJjZQp64uCDZquYZD1p8VyBu9-4og_LJs0-VkevCSzC9TxwUcR9xgKoANOmEXAYvz-0ChvvamU_VmGpZ1P-xkarA=s320" width="207" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/58851852" target="_blank">Dearest Milton James</a>, a romance across two eras, wrapped in sweet humour and a fundamental understanding of queer history) by Australian author N.R. Walker also stood out for me this year in fiction, as did TJ Klune's </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">House in the Cerulean Sea</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, which my entire family has been recommending to anyone who will listen ever since each of us read it. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45047384-the-house-in-the-cerulean-sea" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjE_F0gEWgEd71Yu4vXK8rtA4uYNmuDe6BBT66_7j-D-8O0AO7nGxwGDL6yWqn-vUGVGUbq7pA-UDP1uyobnJu6_mE_Xhwjzuehp4ooz9Tm5GzQBOS9BhGUsBjs732WWqSofMmd3a5xQIMatosl5XZki_x4mddJaaOoOngcz_3Lj3Lyk9_D78ACyOODtw=s320" width="214" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>This year, I tore through all three books (a fourth came out in December and I have it on order already) in the queer, historical urban fantasy </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43620442-spellbound" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Magic in Manhattan</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> series by Allie Thieren. The series came recommended by my good friend Kathleen, to whom I
am forever grateful. I equally enjoyed reading further this year in the fabulous <a href="http://www.jordanlhawk.com/whyborne-griffin/" target="_blank">Whyborne & Griffin</a> series, by Jordan L. Hawk, in the same genre.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43620442-spellbound" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="404" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgti0PQzqWA9RdaZrnfB6Fk6_Ij5uZ4Elgd4_N0wmu29z7Kwupwr0XnjTe1_CDeB-mVuZbe4MS0wm-WSsykeEz2p3h7_KlTSneQK02_E5fzy3CbMLooQuXusZ-iccl5pQkGe9-ex5GPfMM0_mkljF7e9RBuAnr2leR9ZYeJXMANUEj2vXrJb3rj-e1krg=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p>My favourite delayed read this year was Christian Baines' </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/27132030" style="font-family: helvetica;" target="_blank">Puppet Boy</a><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, which I finally got to, having
somehow previously omitted it while reading the rest of Christian's books ages
ago. Puppet Boy reads like a far more insightful, keenly intelligent and more richly layered When Everything Feels Like the Movies. Do not skip this book.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/27132030" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwGfYhhZeM5BcGNTCRBOVSOxC_RFKH3vCS7S8ilophTuGdiR3izM4ze0sQ3Ze64AwXOUH_KGxuiIXhoJe-mUcfpRuB5zv8J9Tp587N77oQe4rR-mK-k24hXfBMsOoDIRFKgYLtatRwe3z8XWyqAGgaVRz8sETrJyIf3sYs4HgRTXo-K5ZV1BHu93yPaw=s320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I read two
classics, in particular, this year that will stay with me for all eter nity and
that I think should both be taught in school (perhaps replacing some other
"classics"): the 1956 novel of bisexuality and exported Americana <a href="https://bi.org/en/articles/bi-book-club-giovannis-room" target="_blank">Giovanni's Room</a> by the iconic James Baldwin, and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52397.Parable_of_the_Sower" target="_blank">Parable of the Sower</a>, the first in the dystopic Earthseed series by brilliant and heraldic science fiction author Octavia E. Butler. I remain deeply resentful of myself and of the social constructs that lead me to be well into my 40s by the time I read either of these authors. Do not make the same mistakes I did.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://bi.org/en/articles/bi-book-club-giovannis-room" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAby59Q4mFc8pq9AjlzkCxua87mM4X-uZoBlISiFZoeRNnn1NX-Dm_ygSnmow6SwW-fRbXYLGQHm7dwsVgvZJ8Axieh8gC8dc-Up3fVyVGae4JdkCpVdEuUB8yz2qjJ30YQPRyAU3JBfKeun9yLQVY34E77IjJ8TKWN1GyFmrm-ghJgUTJNNBBwN6goA=s320" width="205" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">My absolute
favourite poetry of the year has been <a href="https://harbourpublishing.com/products/9780889714069" target="_blank">Pebble Swing</a>, by Isabella Wang. Her
talent is spectacular, and that she has such a wise and insightful approach to
language and life at such a young age is practically alarming. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://arcpoetry.ca/2020/03/14/hustling-verse-amber-dawn-justin-ducharme/" target="_blank">Hustling Verse: An Anthology of Sex Workers' Poetry</a> (eds. Amber Dawn and Justin Ducharmes) I actually read and reviewed for Arc Poetry Magazine last year, but it deserves to be on one of these lists. It's an excellent poetry collection from voices we don't usually hear from, but
should. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">David Ly's queer, speculative poetry collection <a href="https://palimpsestpress.ca/books/mythical-man/#:~:text=David%20Ly%20builds%2C%20and%20then,personhood%20in%20the%2021st%20century.&text=In%20Mythical%20Man%2C%20David%20Ly,personhood%20in%20the%2021st%20century." target="_blank">Mythical Man</a> was a stand-out for me as well, with its somehow both economical and ornate use of language, and its magical allegories of queerness and being via a world of mystery and monsters.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://harbourpublishing.com/products/9780889714069" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz3_EEXSWQ2vGqH6WI2pHjai0mbOIWaaYBO5tnMslLytfNQ3_V7jtVJOfVtrJ3YbLYEq0Fzy_Okudv2rRsNSP_O-aUyYDTLVwgIj7FrP5FUGm4Uk0yGRIWsNGTXF2slwQhGdhZrk9hEipixZ945jU4-eawRpIuJghqr_C1cSO8lAC21h1qpjm9bDECTQ=s320" width="220" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In graphic
novels, I loved the latest trade in the <a href="https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/monstress" target="_blank">Monstress series</a> by Marjorie Liu and
Sana Takeda, which only gets more interesting as it goes on. Due to shipping and retailer issues, I have not read the latest trade yet. I've been doing my best to avoid all spoilers as a result, which sometimes means fleeing Twitter at the drop of a reference. I have to say, only slightly begrudgingly, that I was also honestly impressed by the Pride collections that both DC and Marvel
put out this year. There is so far to go still, but the big houses have certainly come a long way. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Lastly, I want to mention a book
I've started reading but haven't finished yet, since I just received it for Christmas.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56167882-bi-the-way?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=gFNPJ0stu0&rank=2" target="_blank">Bi the Way: The Bisexual Guide to Life</a>, by UK bi+ rights advocate Lo Shearing, receives a mention because
I've been looking forward to it since I heard Shearing was working on it, and
not only because they quote me in it (it's admittedly a rather depressing
quote; but the book as a whole looks extremely inspiring, combining honest assessment of a world full of biphobia and erasure, with a sense of celebration and hope).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimKvL_oDjIiDRb61PzRSUsbCJi4P34Vh7tf3GuKXMFubmIT7_KLIoL5d1pTz73QmqyjuQPpvNYbCpzsEF4ddDsf2_TgAsFoy0QyxYgK00WEZw1hShPRjZqnmL_5ltmxBWZVZDDHc-W5suV3QaBCfp-xLykyRALLpSawWwO8Vsg_rpF1RNCUuo09bygXQ=s782" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimKvL_oDjIiDRb61PzRSUsbCJi4P34Vh7tf3GuKXMFubmIT7_KLIoL5d1pTz73QmqyjuQPpvNYbCpzsEF4ddDsf2_TgAsFoy0QyxYgK00WEZw1hShPRjZqnmL_5ltmxBWZVZDDHc-W5suV3QaBCfp-xLykyRALLpSawWwO8Vsg_rpF1RNCUuo09bygXQ=s320" width="205" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All these entries are tips of reading and genre icebergs, and though I don't tally my reads, I read way more this year, and enjoyed far more books and stories, than I've listed here. My apologies to everyone whose work moved me but that my end-of-year brain won't let me recall right now. Please all feel free to comment with books you've read this year and recommend, too.</span><p></p>AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-58857055502270513802021-04-11T18:48:00.001-04:002021-04-11T18:48:22.583-04:00No More Plums by AJ Dolman<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mV5M9J9pK10/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/mV5M9J9pK10" frameborder="0"></iframe>AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-88393007626036114832020-04-06T15:37:00.002-04:002020-04-14T12:10:14.283-04:00Highlights from Scrolling Through the Darkness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had run out of metaphorical spoons even before COVID-19 shooed us all inside, so the first few weeks were not what I'd envisioned for A vs an Apocalypse. Instead, I, like many, spent a lot of my time on the couch or in bed, occasionally managing to function enough to answer a phone call or make a meal.<br />
<br />
One thing that has helped me restart, and that keeps many of us engaged, or at least a bit connected still to the world, is the arts, in all its forms. I haven't made much of it in this time, but friends and family have shared their favourites, and I've watched and read and and listened, to the fluff and to the serious, and everything in between. In case it helps you, I've made some lists of writing, sites, news outlets, and access to financial supports for Canadian artists, below. As <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/arts/artists-are-getting-us-through-covid-19-never-question-their-value-again-1.5519840">Amanda Parris says in her CBC essay</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
"<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "open sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Artists are constantly forced to prove their value and worth to governments and voters. This lockdown should be a wake-up call to all of us who are leaning on these creatives now: arts and culture needs to be an unwavering national priority."</span></blockquote>
<br />
Stay safe and be well. Even apart, we need to be in this together.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Arts & Entertainment</h4>
I recently prattled on in a column for <a href="https://www.writersunion.ca/about-write-magazine">Write Magazine</a>, the quarterly publication for members of The Writers' Union of Canada, about mental health in the writing community and how many of the expectations, above and beyond good writing, are magnified and intersect with other barriers to create daunting obstacles for many writers. My essay from this past winter, in Hamilton Arts & Letters' disability poetics issue,<a href="https://samizdatpress.typepad.com/hal_magazine_issue_twelve/hal-magazine-issue-twelve2-cover.html"> Imaginary Safe House</a>, on bisexuality, isolation and mental illness, also feels more relevant than ever, now that we are all isolated.<br />
<br />
If you're the kind of person who follows this blog, you probably don't lack for reading materials at home right now, but if you don't have yourself a copy of Hustling Verse: An Anthology of Sex Workers' Poetry yet (ed. Amber Dawn, Justin Ducharme), please <a href="http://arcpoetry.ca/2020/03/14/hustling-verse-amber-dawn-justin-ducharme/">read my review for Arc Poetry Magazine explaining why you should</a>.<br />
<br />
If you feel like you could use an evening (or afternoon, or morning, or 2 a.m.) at a poetry reading, micropublishing powerhouse rob mclennan has launched <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4qi7uYkMSwSWtPVjl-uC5Q">an online virtual reading series</a> as part of his new<a href="https://periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/"> Periodicities journal </a>of poetry and poetics, and the amazing Tara Skurtu, from her poetry outpost in Romania, has launched the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ4XQ4bcXmZb4NNwcc9FyLg"> International Poetry Circle</a>, which you can also <a href="https://twitter.com/IntPoetryCircle">follow on Twitter</a>.<br />
<br />
I was ridiculously honoured this spring to be included in the <a href="https://www.dayofpink.org/en/resources">International Day of Pink</a>'s first colouring book, <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d8b811a980d9708b9b6b116/t/5e46b5b90bd7ed452a33d15a/1581692351346/Colouring+with+pride+Final+version.pdf">Colouring with Pride: 12 trans and queer Canadians you should know</a> (PDF). Print it; colour it; read about amazing community organizers, leaders and artists like Arielle Twist, Libby Davies and Danny Ramadan; and check out each entry's "Keep learning" section.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
News & Information</h4>
It's been hard to find news coverage that could be considered remotely unbiased during the pandemic, much as it was beforehand, but so far I have been impressed by coverage from the independent British newspaper <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/international">The Guardian</a> and by the English arm of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/">Al Jazeera</a>. Please remember to support independent media.<br />
<br />
If you aren't tuned into the magazine's awesomeness yet, I also recommend subscribing to if you can, or at least visiting the website for, <a href="https://this.org/">This Magazine</a>. The bimonthly, Canadian socialist news and arts magazine has a broad range of unique, inclusive and highly relevant news, features, art coverage and opinion pieces.<br />
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I am also, in fits and starts, watching this <a href="https://socialprotection.org/exploring-universal-basic-income-lessons-covid-19-response-and-beyond">webinar, organized by the World Bank, on Universal Basic Income</a> as an approach to the coronavirus crisis and beyond.<br />
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Money & Help</h4>
Canadian emergency funding does exist for some Canadians, if you can get to it behind the curtain of red tape, through the Employment Insurance program and the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html">Canada Emergency Response Benefit</a>.<br />
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Writers falling between the cracks in those systems can apply to the <a href="https://www.writerstrust.com/programs/canadian-writers-emergency-relief-fund">Canadian Writers' Emergency Relief Fund</a>, organized by the Writers' Trust of Canada, while performing artists whose tours and shows have been canceled due to the pandemic can apply to the National Arts Centre's <a href="https://nac-cna.ca/en/canadaperforms">#CanadaPerforms</a>. If you're a creator for stage or screen, you may be able to access the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/creativerelief/">CBC Creative Relief Fund</a>.<br />
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LGBTQ2IA+ and local communities have also been coordinating funding for those not served, either yet or likely at all, by more institutional systems, particularly freelance and contract workers, artists of all kinds, sex workers, and other precariously employed workers. If you can help, or if you need money, go to:<br />
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<a href="https://www.gladdaylit.ca/">Glad Day Lit Emergency Survival Fund</a><br />
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<a href="https://kindspace.ca/get-involved/donate/">Kindspace Ottawa</a>'s Community Care emergency fund to meet short-term needs for $100 or less was at capacity at the time of this posting, but please contact them if you are able to donate so they can continue helping LGBTQ2IA+ Ottawans in need.<br />
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Also in the world of money, though admittedly less and longer-term, <a href="https://www.accesscopyright.ca/creators/payback-for-writers-and-payback-for-visual-artists/">Access Copyright's Payback</a> is open for this year. If you are a Canadian writer or visual artist, register your print publications from 2018 or earlier before May 31, 2020. Payments are usually distributed in November.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-8320346230192011852019-10-02T18:38:00.001-04:002019-10-02T18:46:10.625-04:00A Difficult Essay to Write: On Anxiety, Depression, Bisexuality and Isolation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Frog Hollow Press and Hamilton Arts & Letters have co-produced an amazing
new anthology, <a href="https://www.froghollowpress.com/catalogue.html#safe-house">Imaginary Safe
House</a>, as number 11 in Frog Hollow's Dis/ability Series.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo3yeeg1z3g1gevVCzOAUk7DC2BwUBRPrwXwvkpwqKHocf6XJfXX7OFOBlTk8njmTYvgvLTuB5hx4bMoBFd9Xu43rq6-lywAcOz8wd8DyirLRiTGwZmtGeAGkZqSj_-6efQrgzpmjwwSt/s1600/safe-house-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheo3yeeg1z3g1gevVCzOAUk7DC2BwUBRPrwXwvkpwqKHocf6XJfXX7OFOBlTk8njmTYvgvLTuB5hx4bMoBFd9Xu43rq6-lywAcOz8wd8DyirLRiTGwZmtGeAGkZqSj_-6efQrgzpmjwwSt/s1600/safe-house-thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am honoured to have a personal essay in this magnificent
collection of work by deaf, disabled, neurodiverse and mentally ill poets. My
essay, "Leaving a light on," is about my history with both anxiety
and depression, and the relationship to my bisexuality and to isolation. </div>
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This was one of the hardest things I've ever written, and
I'm very grateful to Imaginary Safe House co-editor, <a href="https://roxanna-bennett.squarespace.com/">Roxanna Bennett</a>, for her
editorial guidance and her kindness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Released last week, the book explores themes of disability
and poetics, and how and where the two connect. The press is publishing a very
limited number of printed copies, so <a href="https://www.froghollowpress.com/catalogue.html#safe-house">buy one soon</a> if
you want to own one. <o:p></o:p></div>
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-48243253263383509322019-08-14T09:46:00.001-04:002019-08-14T13:12:46.905-04:00My Writing Sabbatical: Ten Months and Twenty-One Days in Review<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The end of my one-year writing sabbatical (a sabbatical to write, not from writing, though it's felt like the latter sometimes) in September is looming like a guillotine at the bottom of a water slide.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3AtjzjaMR189o9i4RZeZkjqpCHIcKocfn2oqWPsAqG0Slh3DR5I3aDzcXXth4SUU0fJgZV35sJ0K38PbcaeOGQFzfvGgZkEnRgrktIVNqYSMZN4zI8BwTgopJybWZ0mv-ofsqeiAq9dq/s1600/Crush+Logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="236" data-original-width="750" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3AtjzjaMR189o9i4RZeZkjqpCHIcKocfn2oqWPsAqG0Slh3DR5I3aDzcXXth4SUU0fJgZV35sJ0K38PbcaeOGQFzfvGgZkEnRgrktIVNqYSMZN4zI8BwTgopJybWZ0mv-ofsqeiAq9dq/s320/Crush+Logo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Which means I've, of course, started focusing on everything I haven't done (like maintaining this blog). My spouse keeps reminding me, as patiently as he can, of everything I have managed to do over the past 11 months, from hanging out more with our kid, friends and extended family, to fixing things around the house and garden, to traveling, to finishing the first and then second draft of a novel.<br />
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I know focusing mainly on the negative (and the spiraled thinking that then follows) is part of my anxiety disorder, but knowing is not actually half the battle, because it rarely helps steer me away from the road to self-recrimination and the certainty that I'm a complete failure in every way. So, I hope you don't mind if I list some of the good from this year, both to point you to some cool things you may want to check out, and to remind myself they exist.<br />
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Aside from writing, including some new short stories for the first time in ages, and reading (hopefully I'll manage a subsequent post on some of my favourite reads from this year), I've been editing for poets and fiction writers, writing articles, and reviewing for <a href="http://arcpoetry.ca/reviews/">Arc Poetry Magazine</a> and <a href="https://roommagazine.com/">Room</a>. Most recently, I had the incredible honour of being the Arts editor for the September/October issue of <a href="https://this.org/">This Magazine</a>. The issue's Arts section will cover visual, audio and literary artists each exploring new ways to connect with audiences.<br />
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One of my favourite literary parts of this year was starting it in Toronto, reading at the Bi Arts Festival's 2018 Author Showcase, and having poetry published in the festival's <a href="http://www.crushzine.com/">Crush </a>zine. The lineup for the <a href="http://biartsfestival.com/#about">2019 reading</a> sounds fantastic, and the call for submissions for this year's Crush closes September 1.<br />
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A series of my poems on the recovered suitcases of the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane (based on the photographs by <a href="https://www.willardsuitcases.com/">Jon Crispin</a>, who I also had the chance to talk to this year) were published in the stunning <a href="http://www.experiment-o.com/issues/issue11.pdf">issue 11 of Experiment-0</a>:<br />
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Another highlight was reading at the Ottawa launch of <a href="http://mansfieldpress.net/2018/10/another-dysfunctional-cancer-poem-anthology/">Another Dysfunctional Cancer Poem Anthology</a> (Mansfield Press, 2018) last fall, organized by my same long-patient spouse, the author and poet <a href="http://jameskmoran.blogspot.com/">James K. Moran</a>, and meeting several of the other contributors, including some incredible survivors.<br />
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James and I were also recently interviewed on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-301339427/episode-47-interview-with-anita-dolman-and-james-k-moran">The Small Machine Talks</a>, hosted by Amanda Earl.<br />
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Many other things have happened during the past 11 months, both good and bad, but the most important thing about this time away from my regular day job has been the opportunity to<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;">—</span>sometimes, at least<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">—</span>stop, and breath, and think, and recover. I realize how privileged I am to have had the opportunity to do this. So I'm trying not to feel I've wasted it by not managing to do absolutely everything a human could do in one year.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-74983169782139297872018-12-19T12:33:00.001-05:002018-12-19T20:08:35.829-05:00Things I Like Part 2: Favourite Books I Read in 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As year-end lists of bests and favourites sweep across the interwebs, newspapers and magazines, I thought I'd add mine to the lot. Following, though definitely not all published in 2018, are some of the favourite books, series and authors I read, across CanLit and several of the genres, this past year. It was a rough year for me in many ways, and I turned more than usual to books that could give me comfort—through joy, fun, compassion, queer community, distraction, exploration—rather than purposely going to books I thought would challenge my thinking. The jokes on me, of course, because there's no such thing as a good writer who's not going to challenge you in some way.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Qc6pI3bbKgOa0gn5Nks_tOfQojYiPC5OOCFG5SKChNmF7l8YNK1etkzLSQCfNXDWEPCrlz5hy6hMgZpjOGPGwKpVUQ8qG2JjOU7vv16K8LVU4ef5NhadieEgB9_jdNfJjtNcvpUsB8x-/s1600/cawaw-687x1029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="687" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Qc6pI3bbKgOa0gn5Nks_tOfQojYiPC5OOCFG5SKChNmF7l8YNK1etkzLSQCfNXDWEPCrlz5hy6hMgZpjOGPGwKpVUQ8qG2JjOU7vv16K8LVU4ef5NhadieEgB9_jdNfJjtNcvpUsB8x-/s320/cawaw-687x1029.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Overall, this was also a real catch-up year of reading for me. In poetry, I feel foolish having only now finally discovered the glory of Trish Salah's <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Wanting-Arabic-Trish-Salah/dp/1894770005">Wanting in Arabic</a>, as well as American Kaveh Akhbar's 2017 <a href="https://www.alicejamesbooks.org/bookstore/calling-a-wolf-a-wolf">Calling a Wolf a Wolf</a>. The two differ enormously in style and content, yet both of these lyrical and insightful collections now rank among my very favourite poetry books, alongside Anne Carson's Red and Michael Ondaatje's There's a Trick With a Knife I'm Learning To Do. I also this year at last read Gwen Benaway's beautiful 2016 collection <a href="https://kegedonce.com/bookstore/item/81-passage.html">Passage</a>. Having myself also grown up in Wingham, Ontario, though admittedly a bit before Gwen did, near the shores of Lake Huron, I felt like I was reading a sort of homecoming narrative, even as Gwen articulately mapped out her own journey, one different from mine, across early adulthood and the Great Lakes. While we are on the topic of Gwen and her skillful writing, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to read her absolutely shattering <a href="https://gwenbenaway.com/essays/">essays</a> as well, published in 2018 through publications such as Hazlit, Room Magazine and Flare.<br />
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This year also found me finally opening up Farzana Doctor's <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/All-Inclusive-Farzana-Doctor/dp/1459731816">All Inclusive</a>. This story of a young mixed-race Canadian looking for something she can't quite deduce while working at a Mexican resort was amazing to me not only in its bridging of cultures and its insights into the mind of a realistic and stereotype-topplingly non-evil bisexual character, but for Doctor's ability to write the dead in a way that is simultaneously endearing and visceral. I do warn you to, unlike me, not read All Inclusive immediately before taking a trans-Atlantic flight because, well, you'll see.<br />
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I tend to either go all-in or barely at all in any given year for non-fiction. My favourite of the few I managed in 2018 was by far Erin Wunker's inspiring non-fiction book, <a href="https://bookthug.ca/shop/books/new-books/notes-from-a-feminist-killjoy-essays-on-everyday-life-by-erin-wunker/">Notes from a Feminist Killjoy: Essays on Everyday Life</a>. Not only validating for anyone who has considered using the term "feminist," Wunker's insights have changed how I view what I value in myself and in female friends, as well as how I view gender expression, entitlement and my own fears.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxSWMqdVmHYMN68GI5qR5K8_b7V9H4apv0-sJqy8KVmRqCD0vsDeRH9vhJQsIPA0loZh2-3zItS_KYlBfA8X0yNLhTBnwB2SrDwt9eQTzFEFbrZdJ5qEYpr-r7ByYNd8UjrxdY_dRdxje/s1600/of-echoes-born.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1133" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLxSWMqdVmHYMN68GI5qR5K8_b7V9H4apv0-sJqy8KVmRqCD0vsDeRH9vhJQsIPA0loZh2-3zItS_KYlBfA8X0yNLhTBnwB2SrDwt9eQTzFEFbrZdJ5qEYpr-r7ByYNd8UjrxdY_dRdxje/s320/of-echoes-born.jpg" width="211" /></a>For fiction released in 2018, what really hit home for me was the ridiculous level of differentiation between what we see as CanLit proper and everything else being written by incredibly talented Canadians. I adored Ottawa author 'Nathan Burgoine's queer and compassionate short story collection <a href="https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/of-echoes-born-by-nathan-burgoine-2541-b">Of Echoes Born</a>, for example, but worry no one in "CanLit" will hear about it, because he is labeled as genre and published by U.S. presses.<br />
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I also loved the already much-praised <a href="https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/J/Jonny-Appleseed">Jonny Appleseed</a> by Joshua Whitehead for its contemporary magic blended with a beautifully flawed and broken but strong main character. I think the echo of Jonny will stay in my head and my soul forever, alongside tragic characters written by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. Shirley Jackson and Joseph Heller. Jonny's worldview is his own, shaped amid ruinations still in progress, but aspiring to a type of healing most of us can only ever dream of.<br />
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In addition to CanLit and <a href="http://anitadolman.blogspot.com/2018/06/things-i-like-part-1-comic-arts.html">graphic novels</a>, I've indulged a lot in genre this year, too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzCG3xeVslAfk5eHgicw7A7DwHV1rcwprH-Dxjx5B78eCilTKz4Rx3nBZwZ6rGKZEzWuoX5jniw2uk7UbkYynv7-gk0d0fpDYSQ6enMI_RzUzUZr-eXYpcgbQacM6zlXggOGhncMtVp3m/s1600/jonnyappleseed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="275" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXzCG3xeVslAfk5eHgicw7A7DwHV1rcwprH-Dxjx5B78eCilTKz4Rx3nBZwZ6rGKZEzWuoX5jniw2uk7UbkYynv7-gk0d0fpDYSQ6enMI_RzUzUZr-eXYpcgbQacM6zlXggOGhncMtVp3m/s320/jonnyappleseed.jpg" width="220" /></a><br />
As a result, I have come away with respect and enthusiasm for the male/male romance works of British romance writers <a href="https://jaynorthcote.com/">Jay Northcote</a> (particularly his Rainbow Place series) and <a href="https://www.edaviesbooks.com/">E. Davies</a> (a Canadian by birth), Americans <a href="http://www.sloanparker.com/">Sloan Parker</a> (especially the somehow both tragic yet hopeful Breathe), <a href="https://seanashcroft.com/">Sean Ashcroft</a>, <a href="http://www.authorkmneuhold.com/">K.M. Neauhold</a> (whose sexually fun and emotionally meaningful Heathens Ink series I flew through) and Lucy Lennox (whose Forever Wilde and Made Marian series I've found charming, erotic and engaging). It's worth noting that a number of Davies and Neauhold's books also have some great, fully present primary trans characters. I also very much enjoyed working my way through the back catalogues of two very different but talented Australian queer romance authors, <a href="http://renaekaye.weebly.com/">Renae Kaye</a> and <a href="https://nrwalker.net/series/stand-alone-novels-shorts">N.R. Walker</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRX2ZNanp5yfZfmMSMIkBp0gkQacJ5MyeJOwuuAUeab-6_l2W3FJsxaU0ewncHtnGI9GeYJ5hyphenhyphenEIpNe2rwvo-9pvcpf-2bgW8lra-IkwjBPxUVJhB-2KhNiKwJQQnWBqGNlNvvExrLiEA/s1600/Flash+Me+Heathens+Ink+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRX2ZNanp5yfZfmMSMIkBp0gkQacJ5MyeJOwuuAUeab-6_l2W3FJsxaU0ewncHtnGI9GeYJ5hyphenhyphenEIpNe2rwvo-9pvcpf-2bgW8lra-IkwjBPxUVJhB-2KhNiKwJQQnWBqGNlNvvExrLiEA/s320/Flash+Me+Heathens+Ink+2018.jpg" width="213" /></a>I have to admit to being less impressed with the few <br />
female/female romance books I sampled this year, which I think has more to do with the cozy and folksy style of the few I read, than a failure of writing overall in the genre. Having read numerous lesbian pulp novels and mysteries in the past, I'm hoping next year I will uncover more newer work in the genre that combines eroticism and romance with the types of compelling plots and believable, well-rounded characters I discovered in the male/male romance field this year.<br />
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In fantasy, last year I went all out catching up on as much of iconic Canadian urban fantasy author <a href="https://www.fantasticfiction.com/h/tanya-huff/">Tanya Huff</a>'s work as I could, discovering her to be even better than I'd remembered in her ability to combine playfulness and thoughtful story and character development in worlds both hugely and only slightly different from our own. This year, I was delighted to also discover the deliciously fun and subversive work of former-Australian, now-Canadian queer urban fantasy writer <a href="https://www.christianbaines.com/">Christian Baines</a>, starting with his Arcadia Trust vampires and werewolves trilogy, the third in which will finally be released in 2019.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xfZP3DEu65iT4_VoQJryN1PExq7c1fqgSWCgrgL0XxGGqO3NBhV6-URdegTpFIyWQLSx1L2VFmwuYWx00s46vzyU7zui73xyGC1NDQ7CWdeweJUVKARzu4JUSWFh_qbO05PHcJEw7gCb/s1600/The+God+Game+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6xfZP3DEu65iT4_VoQJryN1PExq7c1fqgSWCgrgL0XxGGqO3NBhV6-URdegTpFIyWQLSx1L2VFmwuYWx00s46vzyU7zui73xyGC1NDQ7CWdeweJUVKARzu4JUSWFh_qbO05PHcJEw7gCb/s320/The+God+Game+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
In mystery, I continued this year winding my way through the riveting and deeply human Dan Sharp mysteries by Canadian <a href="https://www.dundurn.com/authors/Jeffrey-Round">Jeffrey Round</a>. I admit to having slowed down after flying through the first few books in the series, now saving each next book as a special treat to myself. Round tells me the series is meant as a seven-book arc, and I don't want it to end.<br />
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I, of course, read many other books this year, but the above are the ones I'd most recommend to others. As for their scope, it's been a learning year for me, and I encourage you, too, to not to pass over recommended books based solely only what you think you may know about the genre under which they've been categorized. As in everything, if you're open to new experiences, you can find great ones in surprising places.<br />
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To stay up-to-date on books I'm reading throughout the year, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5869756.Anita_Dolman">join me on GoodReads</a>. And please remember to leave reviews on GoodReads, Amazon and elsewhere for books you've read yourself. The ratings and reviews you provide can not only increase sales and readership, but encourage authors and cheer them on to keep making good art.</div>
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-62645988573951424662018-11-22T11:24:00.001-05:002018-11-22T11:24:19.169-05:00Lost Enough: My Book Baby Becomes Homeless<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
American author Glen Hirshberg once gave me and James K. Moran some great advice: that every stage in writing, publishing, marketing and book-selling will have highs and lows, so you should enjoy all of the former at their utmost, and do your best to roll with the latter. (The same could be said for most adventures in life, but I"m trying to stick to one massive thing at a time here.)<br />
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It's through Glen's big-picture lens that I'm trying to view the sad news that my tiny-but-lovely publisher, Morning Rain Publishing, recently announced it will be shuttering its publishing house, essentially making my short fiction collection, Lost Enough, homeless.<br />
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Lost Enough will continue to be available through the press until March 2019.<br />
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In the meantime, while I figure out how to keep this collection of speculative and other stories in print beyond then, you can still purchase the through the retailers below. Please help keep it alive by buying it for yourself, reviewing it on Goodreads and Amazon if you've read and liked it, telling others about it and/or asking your local library to carry it!<br />
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<a href="https://argobookshop.ca/" target="_blank">Argo Bookshop</a> (Montreal)<br />
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<a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/storelocator/storeDetails/932/" target="_blank">Chapters</a> (Ottawa)<br />
<a href="http://perfectbooks.ca/wp/" target="_blank">Perfect Books</a> (Ottawa)<br />
<a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/storelocator/storeDetails/616/" target="_blank">Prospero: The Book Company</a> (Ottawa)<br />
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<a href="http://75.103.74.42/wp/" target="_blank">Novel Idea</a> (Kingston)<br />
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<a href="https://www.gladdaybookshop.com/" target="_blank">Glad Day Bookshop</a> (Toronto)<br />
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<a href="http://pageskensington.com/" target="_blank">Pages Books on Kensington</a> (Calgary)<br />
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<a href="http://variantedmonton.com/" target="_blank">Variant Edition</a> (Edmonton)<br />
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<a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/lost-enough-a-collection-of/9781928133834-item.html?ikwid=anita+dolman&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0" target="_blank">Chapters.ca </a>(shop online, for ebook or print edition)<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Lost-Enough-Collection-Short-Stories/dp/1928133835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542815713&sr=8-1&keywords=anita+dolman" target="_blank">Amazon. ca</a> (shop online, for ebook or print edition)<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Enough-Collection-Short-Stories-ebook/dp/B06XVJ21ZL/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1542815828&sr=8-2&keywords=anita+dolman">Amazon.com</a> (shop online, for ebook or print edition)<br />
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You can also order Lost Enough through your local, independent bookstore, or any Chapters/Indigo store.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-9466210107460095232018-11-02T18:56:00.001-04:002018-11-03T10:49:01.942-04:00Another Dysfunctional Cancer Poem Anthology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some of you know that my mom died last year of cancer of the esophagus. But, she was far from the only person I know who has had cancer. Given its prevalence as a world health epidemic, and leading cause of death, I'm certain that, if you are reading this, no matter where you are, you know someone who has, or has had, cancer, too. Or maybe you have had to face it yourself.<br />
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The amazing and kind writer and editor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscila_Uppal" target="_blank">Priscila Uppal</a>, who passed away earlier this year after her own extended battle with cancer, wanted to create an anthology of poetry related to cancer and those it affects. She and fellow author and editor <a href="http://notesandqueries.ca/meaghan-strimas/" target="_blank">Meaghan Strimas</a> reached out for poems last year.<br />
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The resulting collection, <a href="https://49thshelf.com/Books/A/Another-Dysfunctional-Cancer-Poem-Anthology" target="_blank">Another Dysfunctional Cancer Poem Anthology</a>, becomes available this month. It includes poetry by dozens of emerging and established poets, including myself and my partner,<a href="https://www.writersunion.ca/member/james-k-moran" target="_blank"> James K Moran</a>, as well as writers such as Zoe Whittall, Canisia Lubrin, Bardia Sinaee, rob mclennan and Susan McMaster.<br />
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The book launches at a reading and memorial service for Priscila in Toronto, November 8:<br />
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An additional launch will take place in Ottawa on Wednesday, November 21, 7 p.m., at Bar Robo, as part of the <a href="https://sawdustseries.ca/calendar/" target="_blank">Sawdust Reading Series</a>, with James K Moran generously donating his featured reading spot to help support the anthology. The event will include readings by several of the anthology's poets hailing from the Ottawa-to-Montreal region, myself among them.<br />
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Priscila wrote, in her original emails to me and other potential supporters for and contributors to the project, that she hoped poetry could be applied to help others, including those who struggle to support people with cancer, either as part of their work or as part of caring for parents, partners, children, friends or other loved ones.<br />
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Priscila originally envisioned not just that poems by published poets could provide a source of support, empathy and personal insights, but that the project as a whole would encourage people, including those who may never before have thought of reading or writing poetry, to discover it as a way of expressing some of the many thoughts and emotions that come with living with cancer and its effects.<br />
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I'm looking forward to reading the anthology, and I hope Priscila's vision becomes a reality for those who could very much use poetry in their lives.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-64997324310936300352018-09-17T23:04:00.002-04:002018-09-17T23:06:42.223-04:00Bi Arts Festival Authors Showcase<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="text-align: left;">I'll be reading at this amazing event in Toronto September 22, 2018, as part of this year's</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="http://biartsfestival.com/#home" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank">Bi Arts Festival</a><span style="text-align: left;">:</span></div>
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-19828574207810278082018-08-06T22:52:00.001-04:002018-08-08T09:05:06.857-04:00Quiche Me, Baby! (My First Published Recipe)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sometimes you don't know you've always longed for something until you get it. That's the case with my first published recipe.<br />
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As a fundraiser for the <a href="http://biartsfestival.com/" target="_blank">Bi Arts Festival</a> in Toronto, festival organizers have compiled and released <a href="https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/632203419/big-bi-nibble-cookbook-bi-arts-festival" target="_blank">Big Bi Nibble.</a> The vibrantly designed book is available in print and e-edition <a href="https://www.etsy.com/in-en/listing/632203419/big-bi-nibble-cookbook-bi-arts-festival" target="_blank">on Etsy</a>. It includes recipes for many things sweet and savory, from soups to brunch, and mains to desserts. It also includes my own recipe for spinach and feta quiche.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFlIDMTDlMJ2ZB1EXQX-8KnLVnDEgPktZxzgYM8iqHUPs3xEu5kLSR7gRR1CeplxHei3HCHr69CItSr_IcjSMsP-8T3ujcCWyBP1abaxyEeFKALmD4Se9peKSabkU3pkYgfkAJ3kRflSB/s1600/Big+Bi+Nibbles+Copies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFlIDMTDlMJ2ZB1EXQX-8KnLVnDEgPktZxzgYM8iqHUPs3xEu5kLSR7gRR1CeplxHei3HCHr69CItSr_IcjSMsP-8T3ujcCWyBP1abaxyEeFKALmD4Se9peKSabkU3pkYgfkAJ3kRflSB/s320/Big+Bi+Nibbles+Copies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The writing also contains heaping portions of humour, creativity and wit from bi folk and allies around the world. Luckily for me, many of the recipes (but certainly not all, so fear not, omnivores) are vegetarian or vegan.<br />
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I encourage everyone to buy the book and make the recipes. You won't regret it, and you'll be helping a great festival.<br />
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Speaking of which, I'll be reading (fiction, not recipes) at the second annual Bi Arts Festival on September 22, at Glad Day Bookshop, as part of the<a href="http://toronto.carpediem.cd/events/7434773-bi-arts-festival-author-showcase-at-/" target="_blank"> Author Showcase</a>, 2 to 4 p.m. If you're around Toronto and want a great afternoon of readings from the bi community, please come listen.</div>
AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-64529861254029872102018-06-02T16:49:00.001-04:002018-07-10T21:03:29.085-04:00Things I Like Part 1: Comic Arts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been wondering how to do some good with my blog instead of only using it to toot my own horn (although I'll keep doing that too, because self-promotion is hugely important for small-press writers, since we don't have a lot of others to lean on that horn for us).<br />
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But, I also want to tell you about some of the best things I've recently encountered across the arts and entertainment worlds. Let's start with some of the best comic books, series and collections I've come across over the last year or two. I'm definitely no expert in this field, and really only came to graphic novels a few years ago, but following are some amazing things I think others might enjoy reading, too.<br />
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Because being bi keeps me particularly aware that solid LGBTQ2+ representation is still a rarity in nearly all art forms, all content recommended below is either LGBTQ2-themed, -inclusive, or, at the very minimum, -friendly.<br />
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If you have your own recommendations, please share them in a comment!<br />
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<b><a href="http://tjandamal.com/comic/?id=4" target="_blank">The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal</a> (NSFW)</b><br />
Available as an e-comic and graphic novel, primarily black and white with painted, full-colour splash pages<br />
By E.K. Weaver<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38gv2RZT_QVhIK5rfoSl9GZGd2NZovP6IYwUDXK5v2wgqADwqzsglvS_y_YnXaPSv1NWlCiolPBp5zrRltRXl9ibVSM0m2aLa0cqF6WkBMWIdt8JL4VnIXjvkwzpPHgng3SyXFJEoHWRe/s1600/TJandAmal+Omnibus+Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="107" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh38gv2RZT_QVhIK5rfoSl9GZGd2NZovP6IYwUDXK5v2wgqADwqzsglvS_y_YnXaPSv1NWlCiolPBp5zrRltRXl9ibVSM0m2aLa0cqF6WkBMWIdt8JL4VnIXjvkwzpPHgng3SyXFJEoHWRe/s320/TJandAmal+Omnibus+Cover.png" width="195" /></a>The staff at Argo Books in Montreal turned me onto this book, and I fell deeply in love, as, not surprisingly, do TJ and Amal.<br />
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A cross-US tale of travel, love, discovery, deceit and growth, it's like On The Road, but with a point (don't @ me; you know it's true).<br />
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The omnibus edition includes a number of extras, including some fantastic footnotes.<br />
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However you read this collection, the comic includes smart dialogue, great bi rep, class commentary, pop culture references up the wazoo, gorgeously rendered scenery, and sex scenes that manage to be sexy and beautiful while also reflecting both characters' deep insecurities.<br />
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<a href="https://imagecomics.com/comics/series/monstress" target="_blank"><b>Monstress </b></a><br />
Graphic novel series and collected editions, colour<br />
By Marjorie Liu and Sana Tanaka<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMILMv9l2KbSSXK0hz6Z2SaG5AYEpcJpo92A9c5Cd2h61b8lBSfrkE4gfg1cE6vaOqZkoPuGlUo98dQ8gcktEohvsn6dIAHRT-rNECIJZKi62kIDEGJtAFwEp-C7jgCOzmmDynqwN1Z-A/s1600/Monstress_Vol1-1+Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMILMv9l2KbSSXK0hz6Z2SaG5AYEpcJpo92A9c5Cd2h61b8lBSfrkE4gfg1cE6vaOqZkoPuGlUo98dQ8gcktEohvsn6dIAHRT-rNECIJZKi62kIDEGJtAFwEp-C7jgCOzmmDynqwN1Z-A/s320/Monstress_Vol1-1+Cover.png" width="208" /></a></div>
If you can stop ogling the individual artworks that make up this magnificently imagined series on ancient politics, feline poets, and interspecies wars, you will find yourself in a world where no one trusts anyone, and the story's hero certainly cannot trust herself. That's because Maika Halfwolf, a stunning, one-armed warrior, shares her body with the soul of an ancient, demonic monster with its own agenda and a hunger for human flesh.<br />
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Be patient through the first several issues' focus on building the series' elaborate world of Arcanics, Monstrums, cats and Cumaeans; it is very worth it to keep going.<br />
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This series is beyond brilliant in creating a world where everything is everything, and nothing is what it seems. Also contains excellent disability rep, and powerful women throughout.<br />
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<b><a href="http://starfightercomic.com/comic.php" target="_blank">Starfighter</a> (NSFW)</b><br />
Erotic M/M space epic e-comic, also available in print issues, black and white<br />
By HamletMachine<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0DYj7keft-UE_ZfwgZnzCYZgboS-EOvWAGg33U2TT66_OYNLoMCYNzIcyWzK0C5o5GLofE64lVgSuX7PiQuAJrCQK6OcPc4budcdRGXmfEe11TIDj3FHu7Lde9zv_yJBJAN64GGv-ifG/s1600/StarfighterCover_CH1_01_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0DYj7keft-UE_ZfwgZnzCYZgboS-EOvWAGg33U2TT66_OYNLoMCYNzIcyWzK0C5o5GLofE64lVgSuX7PiQuAJrCQK6OcPc4budcdRGXmfEe11TIDj3FHu7Lde9zv_yJBJAN64GGv-ifG/s320/StarfighterCover_CH1_01_medium.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hot, exciting fun (CW: emotional abuse and domination at the start, however crucial for the plot and characterization). This engaging sci-fi story about space-based fighter pilots in the future battling intergalactic enemies and unknown beings, also delves into the deceptions among the many political layers above and around them.<br />
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The black and white art is stark yet nuanced, as, it turns out, are the characters, and improves significantly as the series evolves. An ongoing web series, Starfighter includes intriguing, if not entirely new, ideas about the possible connections between matter, energy, intellect and emotion, as our hero, Abel, learns he can use his more positive emotions in a new and powerful way, even as those in control sink lower and lower as they try to weaponize him.<br />
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Above all, this sci-fi adventure mystery is sexy and fun in a Matrix-but-with-plenty-of-gay-sex kind of way. Has some non-binary minor characters, and excellent building of backstories.<br />
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<a href="http://www.novaecomic.com/comic/novae-test/" target="_blank"><b>Novae: The Necromancer and the Astronomer's Apprentice</b></a><br />
Historical M/M fantasy e-comic, colour<br />
By KaiJu<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSxiPTd6EhTutxji7_Y9Wq75xnR9grjOLx7RaWPpeHyv0ldwiXOKuPYLj0AtwdUn4wRp4VmaSkEoFhD7kh2Kz9vsJfpWgoxY40vkFHJCqFzafHVvlsXsEVOHPoYWlyTqq3PSRDu_Gdtng/s1600/CoverWebNovae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="840" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLSxiPTd6EhTutxji7_Y9Wq75xnR9grjOLx7RaWPpeHyv0ldwiXOKuPYLj0AtwdUn4wRp4VmaSkEoFhD7kh2Kz9vsJfpWgoxY40vkFHJCqFzafHVvlsXsEVOHPoYWlyTqq3PSRDu_Gdtng/s320/CoverWebNovae.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I am a sucker for beauty, and this ongoing e-comic has it in spades, in its characters, its full-colour artwork, and its slow-burn romance.<br />
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The historical fantasy connects Raziol, a brilliant, young 17th-century Arab astronomer lauded by his kind mentor but struggling under classism and racism in Paris, with Sulvain, a brilliant necromancer of enormous, unknown age reticent, after loss, to open himself up to love again.<br />
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Updated Mondays and Thursdays, the series is just reaching its stride recently, as we learn there may be more to both Sulvain and the streets of Paris than to all the stars in the sky.<br />
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Main character bi representation and carefully conveyed emotional subtleties.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23848561-step-aside-pops" target="_blank">Step Aside, Pops</a></b><br />
The third collection of Hark! A Vagrant comic strips<br />
By Kate Beaton<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRIpGiysgmRMrYxD4Fp5FrJMxaIlrHK10o4m7J40O5Mvt5IUwZYMYUYClvXRcrk6OzmpWb1c5JS1DebxwIhNfujOQBKAdrw8tmo3GWuilaeXriTSHejinKIS96ey_TVVxUYszpEc2FSP9/s1600/Step+Aside+Pops+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRRIpGiysgmRMrYxD4Fp5FrJMxaIlrHK10o4m7J40O5Mvt5IUwZYMYUYClvXRcrk6OzmpWb1c5JS1DebxwIhNfujOQBKAdrw8tmo3GWuilaeXriTSHejinKIS96ey_TVVxUYszpEc2FSP9/s1600/Step+Aside+Pops+Cover.jpg" /></a></div>
Kate Beaton's Hark! A Vagrant witty, esoteric comic strips have been collected into three books so far. This third continues to combine her deceptively simple drawing style with scathing social, scientific and cultural commentary.<br />
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Not everything in the collection will appeal to all readers, as Beaton narrows in to deliver burns to some very specific recipients, including composers, thinkers, scientists, politicians, explorers, superheroes and more.<br />
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But, if you are a person and are interested in, well, anything, you'll find sets of strips here to make you laugh, chortle, roll your eyes and/or holler "Damn right!. You tell him where to go!"<br />
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<b>Scooby-Doo</b><br />
By various writers and illustrators<br />
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My kid continues to love Scooby-Doo comics, including Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and Scooby-Doo Team-Up, and I have to admit, even for adults, these are just so much fun.<br />
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I'm not linking to these, though, because you should really head out and support your local comic book retailer if you can!<br />
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If you can't, don't forget that most libraries already carry, or will appreciate your recommendations to order, a variety of graphic novels and comic books.<br />
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<b>More Novel, Graphic Recommendations</b><br />
If you want to know about other great graphic novels and series more broadly across the genre, or be warned away from some of the lesser or evil, visit my partner <a href="http://jameskmoran.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">James K. Moran's blog</a>, where he reviews comics, films and fiction, and talks about the writing life. You'll find he's quite smart, despite having married a fellow writer.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-25408236356948557162018-05-22T00:36:00.000-04:002018-05-22T00:36:11.285-04:00Poetry Mini Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently did a <a href="http://poetryminiinterviews.blogspot.ca/search/label/Anita%20Dolman" target="_blank">five-question mini-interview</a> with the relatively new Poetry Mini Interviews blog. Posted each Monday over the past five weeks, the final installment is now live. Thank you to Thomas Whyte and the blog for interviewing me.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/poetryminiQ" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirpHjRChfTtMbwWLzHiNN6SOFuraeuQFndsITA7JR01phHN1Wju-H3OzBIU6mO16uLD5fqkdELKMe9qUcPoKTTbN7P9ignBINLgAjWUJ1ZKITn7rWAle43BGPAVz8V8jDdFTglAalQw1X/s1600/British+Library+drawers+image.jpg" /></a>It was a great opportunity to talk about what I've been working on recently, discuss my writing process, share some thoughts on the long game that is poetry and writing and general, and even make some reading recommendations.<br />
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If you get a chance, I highly recommend visiting the blog for its growing list of interviews with contemporary poets.<br />
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Recently posted or ongoing interviews include ones with Canadian poets Annick MacAskill, Cassidy McFadzean, Manahil Bandukwala, Cameron Anstee, Sennah Yee, Amanda Earl and rob mclennan, among many others. You can also follow the blog <a href="https://twitter.com/poetryminiQ" target="_blank">@poetryminiQ</a>.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-52329318441351001182018-03-01T21:17:00.000-05:002018-03-01T21:17:09.047-05:00Motherhood in Precarious Times Now Out!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This fantastic anthology is now out and available for order/purchase/reading. It was delighted to co-edit this collection with esteemed U.S. professors Dannielle Joy Davis and Barbara Schwartz-Bechet.<br />
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I was also deeply hono<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">ured to work with all of the talented and deeply insightful contributors, and to read and edit their poems, essays and creative non-fiction. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Motherhood in Precarious Times is an engaging and insightful anthology of poetry, creative non-fiction and essays by diverse authors from Canada, the United States and Palestine, all writing about how precarious times (from war, terror and political upheaval to climate change to biphobia, ableism and racism) affect mothering, who mothers, and even the very decision of whether to mother.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Please order a copy on the <a href="http://demeterpress.org/books/motherhood-in-precarious-times/" target="_blank">Demeter Press website</a>, or ask your library to stock it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxDFLQJeJ-zD42a0j6J3uh2SxeaFtQT_JCwOMqEspNJLXS0q8zgNI9G9INEP9cexGLPsdbpbjxlBlkdejDjMrClKAMrIqPvg-CQK5iaqXGMnZEE_0qUSg9HMA1VCVzrbtpiV1nG8E7VCg/s1600/Motherhood-in-Precarious-Times_FC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxDFLQJeJ-zD42a0j6J3uh2SxeaFtQT_JCwOMqEspNJLXS0q8zgNI9G9INEP9cexGLPsdbpbjxlBlkdejDjMrClKAMrIqPvg-CQK5iaqXGMnZEE_0qUSg9HMA1VCVzrbtpiV1nG8E7VCg/s320/Motherhood-in-Precarious-Times_FC.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-26382283323913324322018-01-27T18:27:00.000-05:002018-01-27T18:27:01.920-05:00My Small Press Writing Day: Fear and Faith in Writing Again<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Publisher, editor and highly prolific Ottawa poet and author rob mclennan has kindly posted m<a href="http://mysmallpresswritingday.blogspot.ca/2018/01/anita-dolman-my-small-press-writing-day.html" target="_blank">y contribution to his My (Small Press) Writing Day series </a>on his blog of the same name.<br />
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I'm hopeful that my editorial may help some writers and other artists who, like me, find themselves, despite their best intentions, taking unanticipated breaks from making art. That time is still valuable, and the future is rarely written in stone.<br />
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Good luck out there, everyone, and, when you can, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI" target="_blank">as Neil Gaiman said</a>, "Make good art."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP4-v0xJqyrfmln-b2cfli7O8qC_Pj4_55SS39BmKJhbQpFipAoTsL2xrdp-r4z3hjGXG4tLhi9pKFE8Dkv-XaxNJMzfHvhi9ekuICYrG4RCYii6V4WgQXRikyijkiNXIPzJg2LKovxMq/s1600/IMG_2823_My+SP+Writing+Day+2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP4-v0xJqyrfmln-b2cfli7O8qC_Pj4_55SS39BmKJhbQpFipAoTsL2xrdp-r4z3hjGXG4tLhi9pKFE8Dkv-XaxNJMzfHvhi9ekuICYrG4RCYii6V4WgQXRikyijkiNXIPzJg2LKovxMq/s320/IMG_2823_My+SP+Writing+Day+2017.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My office during an unintended writing hiatus.</td></tr>
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-9733789775991120052018-01-06T23:58:00.002-05:002018-01-06T23:58:56.362-05:00New Year, New Poems for Redheads and Canadians<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Although the holidays, and my family, gave me time to catch up on some reading, I feel I haven't written anything substantial in many (many) months. I must have managed to do a fair bit, though, up to at least a certain point last year, and everything seems to be coming out now at once.<br />
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If you are a redhead, or just a connoisseur, check out this at times funny, at times touching, at times surprisingly thought-provoking collection of poetry, drama and short fiction, <a href="http://www.oolichan.com/oolichan/clark-kresan-canadian-ginger" target="_blank">Canadian Ginger</a> (Oolichan Books, 2017):<br />
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<a href="http://www.oolichan.com/oolichan/clark-kresan-canadian-ginger" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzLzl5tv2ijZzHML6rxEwSy8aPmEe0M06heDuJUUdFmTeoLanIGXT8MhVZRowlNvZsxo7hB53m7InSBgbOaCZvbfSKAArslMwvtT1fXm9cgrnSnNVIJkoeAFCQP_8ytsfnMplNKD3I4Kte/s320/Canadian+Ginger+cover.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
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Editors Kim Clark and Dawn Kresan, both gingers themselves, kindly included my poem "Calico," even though it's about my angst at being a blonde in a family of blazing redheads.<br />
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Hamilton Arts & Letters, meanwhile, published my way more political poem "<a href="http://samizdatpress.typepad.com/hal_magazine_issue_ten2/poetry-by-anita-dolman.html" target="_blank">Canada</a>" in their <a href="https://halmagazine.wordpress.com/the-latest-issue/" target="_blank">latest issue, 10.2</a>. I'll also be reading from Lost Enough in Hamilton in May, at LitLive!<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-48791873198790390722017-11-20T19:21:00.001-05:002017-11-20T19:21:37.645-05:00Gratitude<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've had an awful lot to be thankful for this fall, both big and small. Good health prognoses for family and friends, the opportunity to read from Lost Enough throughout Alberta, including in my hometown of Pincher Creek, travel, great coworkers, and the chance to spend time with loved ones.<br />
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I particularly want to give thanks to the many people who entered the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5869756.Anita_Dolman" target="_blank">Goodreads Giveaway</a> for Lost Enough. Congratulations to the three winners. For anyone else who would love to get their hands on a free copy of Lost Enough, please ask your library to order it. I cannot express enough how huge a help that is to authors, not to mention that it's a great way to get to read, and share, writing that speaks to you.<br />
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My thanks also to the wonderful owners at Montreal's <a href="http://bookmanager.ca/argobks/" target="_blank">Argo Bookshop</a> for hosting a small but really wonderful event earlier this month. The weather turned suddenly to winter for my train trip back, but it didn't matter, because I'd not only had a great time reading and answering questions in the tiny but perfect bookstore, but picked up a copy of Edin Robinson's Son of a Trickster, and, thanks to Argo co-owner Moti, was led to the wonderfulness that is E.K. Weaver and her gorgeous graphic novel, <a href="http://tjandamal.com/comic/?id=4" target="_blank">The Less than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal </a>(note: for mature readers, some portions NSFW).<br />
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Up next, I'm reading December 14 at <a href="http://anitadolman.blogspot.ca/p/events-and-such.html" target="_blank">Pivot Reading Series</a> in Toronto.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-49995882422337013102017-11-01T14:59:00.000-04:002017-11-01T14:59:03.854-04:00Enter the Goodreads Giveaway to Win a Copy of Lost Enough<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Morning Rain Publishing is holding a giveaway of three copies of my debut short fiction collection, Lost Enough. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/260411-lost-enough-a-collection-of-short-stories" target="_blank">Enter the Goodreads contest</a> now for a chance to win a copy Lost Enough, with a signed note from me!<br />
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The contest closes November 17, 2017. Open to U.S. and Canadian entrants.<br />
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Also, a reminder that reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, etc. really do help small press authors like me sell more books and reach a wider audience, so if you like something, please say something.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-89508918518507012622017-10-03T21:58:00.000-04:002017-10-03T21:58:06.117-04:00Have Books, Will Travel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm heading to Alberta this month to read from Lost Enough where I can. See <a href="http://anitadolman.blogspot.ca/p/events-and-such.html" target="_blank">my Events page</a> for details of my readings with my partner, James K. Moran, at the Variant Edition comic shop in Edmonton October 10 and at the Flywheel Reading Series in Calgary October 12, and for my hometown reading at the Pincher Creek Library, 2 p.m., Saturday, October 14.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjStdgQz6OqDqOu339OuVkeKHT4cJ2kdN8IoSNfR6IZW2H2fQnRQmLAcKn0VqQoSPK11J3MVogNLj4WKa4o0yDz7W-8YOrgS7kxYFTh4XHFLIIxamcKDfwr-XYEiF1BWIL31oSkMzOKeN/s1600/lost-enough+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFjStdgQz6OqDqOu339OuVkeKHT4cJ2kdN8IoSNfR6IZW2H2fQnRQmLAcKn0VqQoSPK11J3MVogNLj4WKa4o0yDz7W-8YOrgS7kxYFTh4XHFLIIxamcKDfwr-XYEiF1BWIL31oSkMzOKeN/s320/lost-enough+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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If you're in the neighbourhood for any of these, please join us. My thanks to each of the venues and organizers for having me.<br />
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The trip will also mark the first time I head back after losing my mam this spring. She's everywhere, there, and going home this time is as bittersweet as you'd imagine.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-31847923500073856612017-09-18T20:32:00.001-04:002017-09-18T20:32:19.219-04:00Call for Artwork<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
🎨My co-editors and I are looking for artwork for the cover of an anthology of poetry and essays on Motherhood in Precarious Times, scheduled for publication in 2018.<br />
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Do you have visually compelling work that would fit the bill? If so, please email submissions to dolmanideas@gmail.com in a common format (.jpeg, gif, pdf, etc.) as soon as possible.<br />
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There is a small honorarium available for selected work. BIPOC artists are particularly encouraged. 📷</div>
AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-57945254245289908542017-08-24T13:18:00.001-04:002017-09-02T16:01:22.237-04:00Writing Advice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had the privilege, years ago, of writing the first On Writing essay for rob mclennan's Ottawa poetry newsletter, and I often still click through when rob sends the latest post around.<br />
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They range from hilarious to esoteric to extremely applicable, but all offer insights into what it is to write. The latest essay, <a href="http://ottawapoetry.blogspot.com/2017/08/on-writing-138-lauren-b-davis.html?spref=bl">ottawa poetry newsletter: On Writing #138 : Lauren B. Davis</a>: 10 HARD TRUTHS ABOUT WRITING, is particularly direct, and particularly helpful. I highly recommend it!</div>
AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-66407681796173003252017-07-27T08:28:00.001-04:002017-07-27T08:32:18.739-04:00Reviews, the Sweetest Tip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am so delighted with the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34795130-lost-enough" target="_blank">first Goodreads reviews</a> to come in for Lost Enough.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bYADuwxwKDynXGADtnOOlLeaeHDij4MNH6_ALMT6mp7OtW4venyL9ITBY_PLFUsi1PAYXt-PhyxhlTck1S80T6iYhRcqAoK09VLwGXxx3H8g9NdO71ozUFi3PL13jl_i8bI7TrwU1maM/s1600/lost-enough+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bYADuwxwKDynXGADtnOOlLeaeHDij4MNH6_ALMT6mp7OtW4venyL9ITBY_PLFUsi1PAYXt-PhyxhlTck1S80T6iYhRcqAoK09VLwGXxx3H8g9NdO71ozUFi3PL13jl_i8bI7TrwU1maM/s320/lost-enough+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Reviews on author sales sites like <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Lost-Enough-Collection-Short-Stories/dp/1928133835/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501158203&sr=8-1&keywords=lost+enough" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and book review sites like Goodreads, have become so important these days in promoting authors' work. Although I've known this for several years, the release of Lost Enough has, selfishly, brought the need for such reviews home.<br />
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Not only do I deeply appreciate readers taking the time to post their thoughts about my own book, but I am trying to do my part to review, or at the very least rate, the books I read.<br />
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I've reviewed <span id="goog_397526799"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_397526800"></span>books, and still do, for <a href="http://arcpoetry.ca/reviews/" target="_blank">Arc Poetry Magazine</a>, where there is more room to delve down into the essence and details of a book's construction, targeted to readers and authors already engaged with the genre, author or book.<br />
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Goodreads and bookseller sites, though, offer access to a different, and often much broader, set of potential readers, and the reader-driven reviews there have become increasingly essential for authors.<br />
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Leaving a review, even something as brief as "Great book," is a great way to engage with and support the writing community, and to help the writing and the authors you love get noticed by other potential readers. If you love something, say something.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-87466692326988130302017-07-12T21:47:00.002-04:002017-07-13T18:36:37.926-04:00What Comes Next<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
All the pivotal moments now behind me, both good and bad, revolving around <a href="https://morningrainpublishing.com/project/lost-enough-by-anita-dolman/" target="_blank">launching Lost Enough</a>, and <a href="http://anitadolman.blogspot.ca/2017/04/ietje-dolman-1932-2017.html" target="_blank">losing my mom</a> around the same time, the question keeps coming up: What now?<br />
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Some nexts have tumbled or slid into place, like they do, with the general getting-on-with of life: going back to work, hauling our kid off to summer camps, getting all the things done that I had neglected (I'm looking at you, garden), reconnecting with friends, and trying not to panic in the face of the daily morning news.<br />
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Plus, of course, life didn't stop while I was ricocheting around inside my bubble, even if my blogging about it stopped more than once.<br />
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Books keep being published all around me and somehow showing up on my shelves (often roughly around the same time the cost of a book disappears from my wallet); <a href="http://arcpoetry.ca/" target="_blank">Arc Poetry Magazine</a> keeps getting submissions; and my own submissions to journals and anthologies keep coming back or, even, thankfully being accepted.<br />
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Some of the books to come my way recently include (but, oy, are definitely not limited to) Christine McNair's <i><a href="http://bookthug.ca/shop/books/charm-christine-by-mcnair/" target="_blank">Charm</a></i>, Daniel Zomparelli's <i><a href="http://www.arsenalpulp.com/bookinfo.php?index=458" target="_blank">Everything is Awful and You're a Terrible Person</a></i>, and Jen Sookfong Lee's <a href="https://ecwpress.com/products/gentlemen-of-the-shade" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Gentlemen of the Shade: My Own Private Idaho</a><i>, </i>as well as a few by Tanya Huff, whom I have had the enormous pleasure of chatting with at the last couple of Limestone Genre Expos.<br />
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<a href="http://bookthug.ca/shop/books/charm-christine-by-mcnair/" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="510" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qYVS2aCLbWzGCYhKWT4zGKq-Nb8fGPlrjQbZ73nfPg54XgCdpxkrhlZGD7mnzIWI7yQvUQr8rk6oU5QBddXMqEYG_MURsuWP0piiUyJ6R-wYmzktkmEoGvc7PRKCHTIvfd_l0qZxHAPs/s320/charm-christine-mcnair-cover-510.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
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Aside from diving through this amazing stack of new books, though, most of my current what-nows feel like a wrapping-up rather than a starting, as I set up readings from <i>Lost Enough </i>for later this summer and in the fall across Canada (more on that once more details are confirmed, but I can already promise I'll be reading in Calgary and Edmonton in October!).<br />
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I'm also finishing up edits on an anthology of essays and poetry on motherhood in precarious times, due out next year from <a href="http://demeterpress.org/" target="_blank">Demeter Press</a>. Again, more details to come, but I am delighted with the collection, which I've been fortunate enough to co-edit with two fabulous and insightful U.S. professors, Dannielle Joy Davis and Barbara Schwartz-Bechet.<br />
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In addition to letting me read through amazing proposals, essays and poems from a diverse range of authors, the project has also brought me back in touch with MLA style, which, for an editor who has worked mostly in fiction, poetry, journalism and corporate text, is like running into, twenty years later, the narcissistic, fur-wearing exchange student you sat next to in Kinship Studies. Sure, you understand them better than you used to, but you still don't want to date them.<br />
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So, what is next after all the what next of finishing up old projects? I'm not actually sure. I have some things started. I have ideas. And, of course, I have a lot of weeds waiting for me in the garden out back.<br />
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But, I don't know what I'm going to tackle first. And that, surprising, feels more liberating to me right now than scary.<br />
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AJ Dolmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10240652942315769855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8485359207616815688.post-86728292162702557502017-05-26T09:51:00.004-04:002017-05-26T09:56:11.302-04:00Limestone Genre Expo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's a very faint, blurry (and, I'd argue, often completely unnecessary) line that gets drawn between genre and literary fiction in CanLit and beyond. That said, some of the most interesting places for discussion, promotion and interaction with writers who span the breadth of imaginative writing come to us from the conferences, conventions and expos hosted under the "genre" banner.<br />
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One that I'll be at this year is the<a href="http://www.limestonegenreexpo.ca/" target="_blank"> Limestone Genre Expo</a> in Kingston, Ontario, Saturday, June 3, and Sunday, June 4, at St. Lawrence College. My partner (life, not writing), <a href="http://jameskmoran.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">James K. Moran</a>, and I will have a table in the dealer's space, selling our books and my steampunk jewelry, and we will both be on panels over the course of the weekend:<br />
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