Confused about Facebook? Clueless about Twitter? Not sure how to connect to LinkedIn? On Saturday, March 13, Ottawa writer/editor Murray McGregor and David Shaw of Ottawa’s Workplace Institute will explain how members of the writing community can use these and other online social networking tools to connect with other writers, conduct research and promote their published works.
Where: Library and Archives Canada, Room 156, 395 Wellington St., Ottawa
When: March 13 – 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $10 for OIW members; $15 for non-members (includes refreshments).
Register: Send an email to: membership at oiw.ca Info: (613) 731-3873
books & lit
Friday, 12th March 2010 — Inaugural Irish Literary Evening with acclaimed authors: -Patrick Taylor, Will Ferguson & Sharon Doyle Driedger. The Ottawa Irish Historical Society and St. John Events Invite you an evening of readings, humour and music to celebrate the Inaugural Ottawa Irish Festival, we have put together a very special group of entertainers. At 6pm there will be a cocktail reception. This an opportunity to meet the authors, have books signed and help support our cause, Operation Come Home.
At 7:30, upstairs, there will be the readings and discussions followed by a party downstairs with the authors in attendance. All will be hosted by writer/entertainer Phil Jenkins. Music through the evening by John Dahms and friends. Tickets are $100 for the reception and readings. This includes a free book from our authors, a $35 value. Tickets for the readings only at 7:30 are $20. Available at Nicholas Hoare, 419 Sussex Dr, 613-562-2665 or Online at www.stjohnmedia.ca
YOU DON’T PLAY WITH REVOLUTION - The Montreal Lectures of C.L.R James
Edited by David Austin
March 20 at 2 pm at Auditorium, Main Library (120 Metcalfe)
The collection presents eight never-before-published lectures by the celebrated Marxist cultural critic, delivered during his stay in Montreal in 1967 and 1968. Ranging in topic from Marx and Lenin to Shakespeare and Rousseau to Caribbean history and the Haitian Revolution, these lectures demonstrate the staggering breadth and clarity of James’ knowledge and interest.
REVOLUTIONARY TRAVELLER
by John S. Saul
Thursday, March 18 at 7 pm at Octopus Books (116 Third Ave)
John S. Saul draws on a series of his own occasional articles written over a span of forty years which, together with a linking narrative, serve to trace not only his own career as an anti-apartheid and liberation support movement activist in both Canada and southern Africa but also help recount the history of the various struggles in both venues in which he has been directly involved.
613-233-2589 www.octopusbooks.ca
No admission fee.
The store is accessible but the washrooms are not.
Sunday, March 7 @ 2:00: The Dusty Owl “Open Hoot” returns
In the six years we’ve been housed at Swizzles, the open mike has been one of our favorite aspects of the Dusty Owl. Always entertaining, often surprising, our open mike has seen everything from song to storytelling, from poetry to drumming, from interpretive dance (yes, interpretive dance) to improv comedy.
So we’re kicking off our anniversary month with another classic Open Hoot. Bring your songs, your stories, your poems, your rants and raves. Bring your instruments and your voices. Our shiny antique mike and friendly, welcoming stage are waiting for you. And so is our Object of Desire - the strangest on-the-spot poetry competition in the city!
We’re at the corner of Queen and Kent, down the stairs beside the Thai restaurant! See you there!
Photo courtesy of blurasis on Flickr
Let’s be clear about one thing: Christian Bök will never be employed to write verse for Hallmark cards. (Although if I’m wrong, they will be the most awesome Hallmark cards EVER, and I will collect them all.) For those of you not up to speed on your avant-garde Canadian poetry, Bök - a University of Calgary English professor by day - is the mad genius behind the best-selling 2001 collection Eunoia, which features five chapters of poems made up of words using the same single vowel. Seriously. There’s an “a” chapter, an “e” chapter, and so on until the end of the alphabet. (Bök once said he wrote Eunoia - which is not only Greek for “beautiful thinking” but also the shortest word in the English language containing all five vowels - to show how each vowel has its own personality. If that’s so, I might suggest not inviting “u” to tea with your grandmother.)
Click to continue reading “O-Town Hosts Good Po’t Bök Tomorrow: Joy!”
Octopus Books and Between the Lines invite you to meet acclaimed photographer Vincenzo Pietropaolo, and learn about his new book, Harvest Pilgrims: Mexican and Caribbean Migrant Farm Workers in Canada.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
7:00 to 9:00 pm
Auditorium, Main Library
120 Metcalfe, Ottawa
Free admission; wheelchair accessible
Harvest Pilgrims tells the little-known story of Canada’s migrant workers. The photographs in the “Harvest Pilgrims” collection have been highly acclaimed internationally through many publications and exhibitions, including a travelling show curated by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography that opened in Mexico City. Vincenzo Pietropaolo will present a slideshow of his work on the subject, and talk about the project, which has been 20 years in the making. http://www.btlbooks.com/bookinfo.php?index=195
For more information:
Octopus Books
613.233.2589
events@octopusbooks.ca
Between the Lines
416.535.9914
info@btlbooks.com
About the book
Harvest Pilgrims: Mexican and Caribbean Migrant Farm Workers in Canada
Vincenzo Pietropaolo
144 pp | paper | 80 + duotone photos
ISBN 978-1-897071-54-0 | $49.95 | October 2009
Photo courtesy of elana's pantry on Flickr.
Did you know that loads of public events happen at the library? Most of them for free! If you are looking for an after work activity that is stimulating for your brain rather then detrimental to your liver, attending a talk or a lecture at the library is the way to go (you can always get to the liver later). Our new correspondent, Stephen Johnson, has worked at the Ottawa Public Library for the past nine years. His periodic column will showcase the upcoming events, courses and seminars that will be taking place at the Main Library. Stay tuned for more of Live at the Library in upcoming weeks.
Who knew visiting the Ottawa Public Library could be so good for your health? Toronto-based author Victoria Yeh will be discussing her new book, Where Do I Start? Your Essential Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, and Sugar-Free Food Allergy Cookbook on Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00 pm. The event will be taking place at the Main Library Auditorium (120 Metcalfe Street) and admission is free.
For some, the traditional Western diet is full of hidden dangers. The proteins found in gluten and milk products can wreak havoc on the digestive tract, while the refined sugar sneakily added to nearly everything can play a role in obesity, diabetes and hyperactive children. As a result, many health conscious people are taking steps to remove these substances from their diet, whether they’ve been diagnosed with allergies or not.
Victoria Yeh writes from personal experience about making this transition. Eight years ago, on the advice of her doctor, Yeh eliminated gluten, dairy and sugar from her diet. Yeh’s book talks about the results of these changes including practical recipes and food substitutions.
True to the title, Where do I Start also provides people thinking about eliminating wheat, milk and sugar from their diet with some useful advice. “To be successful with a new diet, you first have to be absolutely committed to making the change in your lifestyle,” says Yeh. “People think that it’s hard to stick to these diets, but it’s not. It’s just a matter of learning a few rules of thumb so that you can adapt to your needs and still enjoy the foods you love.” For example, some of the tips she recommends include:
Click to continue reading “Live at the Library! This week: Gluten-free living”
Telling Our Canadian Stories in Rhythm & Rhymes
When: Sunday, February 21, 2-5pm
Where: Swizzles Bar & Grill (246-B Queen St., Between Kent and Bank Streets)
In association with 3Dreads & a Bald Head we will be hosting THE RECIPIE. Sharing the spotlight with the Ottawa slam champions will be the ever graceful poet Jacqueline Lawrence and singer-songwriter Rita Carter. This spectacular array of artists is gathering to raise funds for the Black Youth Conference.
THE RECIPE consists of award winning, critically acclaimed poets. They have shared the stage with Amir Suliman, Shihan, and critically acclaimed poet Saul Williams. Members have performed their poetry across the globe and serve audiences an entertaining, insightful dose of poetic food for thought, in an unprecedented show. Jacqueline Lawrence has published two chap books with her writers’ collective “Write on the Edge”, and one solo release entitled Surrender. She enjoys sharing her scribbles s with audiences in Toronto, Montreal, New York, and Jamaica. In Ottawa, Jacqueline has read at the Mercury Lounge, CBC Poetry Face Off, the Dusty Owl, CookUP Rice and Tree Reading Series. She has appeared on the 3rd World Players Presents and Literary Landscape radio programs. Rita Carter is young yet writes with the poise of an old soul. She is often compared to artists like Tracy Chapman, India Arie, and Lauryn Hill. Inspired by real life experiences, Rita touches everyone in her audience with her love for live music and her naturally artistic sense of vocalism.
Following will be the Dusty Owl Open Set. Share your new work with one of the best audiences around Ottawa. Admission is free. Donations will be lovingly accepted.
Photo by Mariana Lafrance
Sudbury transplant and photographer extraordinaire, Mariana Lafrance is exhibiting for the first time in Ottawa. I caught up with her a week before her vernissage, set to take place February 16, at Raw Sugar Café (7pm).
FL: Congrats on your first show! It’s your first photo exhibit in Ottawa?
ML: Yes, first in Ottawa. I’ve done a few in Sudbury in the past.
FL: You’ve published a beautiful photo book , La ville invisible/Site unseen, can you tell us a bit about it?
ML: I’ve been doing photography for a long time. I probably got my first camera when I was 13 or so. I was part of the Carleton University Photo Club but I’m pretty much a self-taught photographer. After finishing school, I was able to find a greater focus in what I wanted to do, the process to my work.
I started a photoblog where I posted photos of Sudbury, once a day and over time, it started to get some buzz. About a year and a half after that Sudbury was celebrating its 125th anniversary. My ward’s councillor knew about my photos and thought it would be a cool idea for the anniversary to create a book, and match my photos with artists poems, short stories from folks part of Sudbury’s literary scene. The book’s basically a love letter to Sudbury.
Click to continue reading “Choose Love: An interview with photographer Mariana Lafrance”
