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TONIGHT: The Capilano Review 40th Anniversary! http://t.co/qUYtH2gC #vancouver #poetry #fiction @TheCapReview Wednesday May 16, 2012
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Today, there was much cheering at our office when we first heard that Carmen Aguirre‘s book Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter (D&M) is the winner of CBC’s Canada Reads 2012!
Vigorously defended by rapper Shad, the non-fiction book is Aguirre’s memoir of being taken from her home in Vancouver by her mother, who was part of a revolutionary movement opposing Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s. Aguirre grew up amid political struggle, torn in her teen years between boys and pop music, and political activism.
Aguirre is currently preparing for her one-woman show, Blue Box, to be staged at the National Arts Centre.

Thursday May 10, 2012 in Meta-Talon
A Conversation with Martine Desjardins
A Conversation with Martine Desjardins about her novel Maleficium:
Maleficium is a shift for me, because I have left that realm to venture a little more toward the unreal. Thus the main female character has physical attributes that make her appear foreign, almost monstrous and alien. She has a harelip, but is also described as having a long tail, vulvar stamens, perfumed earwax, thorns growing from her scalp; she is seen carrying a larva in her navel, shedding tortoiseshell tears, extracting iridescent oil from her skin.
Thursday May 10, 2012 in Meta-Talon
The Long Goodbye: A Review of Morris Panych's Vigil
Morris Panych’s Vigil is reviewed by James MacKillop:
Once playwright Panych has won us over with the audacity of his concept, Kemp’s outrageous lack of compassion, he has given himself the problem of making this increasingly interesting for nearly two hours. Ratcheting up the zingers works for a start: “I’m concerned about your health these past few days: It seems to be improving.” This escalates until Kemp introduces a do-it-yourself suicide machine, with a lethal brick and an electrocutionist’s helmet.
Wednesday May 9, 2012 in Meta-Talon
Do You Pass the Empathy Test for Conceptual Writing?
Does Adeena Karasick consider herself a “conceptual” writer? Here is her response:
So, in asking “Do you consider yourself a Conceptual Poet”, one has to ask – where do the aesthetics begin and the friendships end? How do you continuously (contiguously) belong without belonging in an ever-widening circle of language, production, filiation, power and desire.
Monday May 7, 2012 in Meta-Talon
“Living the Border” with Guillermo Verdecchia
Steve Fisher interviews Guillermo Verdecchia about returning to Fronteras Americanas:
It’s a deeply Canadian play, and while I think it makes sense in other places—you could take this play to Mexico, or Argentina, or anywhere, because these borders and bi-cultural negotiations take place all over the world—it’s of ongoing interest to Canadians. It’s another way of looking at our nation; there are plays that have been produced in Canada that hold up an image that I don’t believe ever existed, but we like to think did…
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts; the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program; and the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council for our publishing activities.