Dry paper

Nothing beats a book in autumn

Autumn is a season that more than any other seems devoted to reading. The crispness of leaves reminds you of the firm dryness of paper, the smell of a book lingers sometimes in your memory like that of firewood. Fortunately, there are a lot of events in the autumn months to whet your appetite.

The A B Series is an Ottawa reading series devoted to the expanded and exploded look at language and sound in poetry, run by local poet Max Middle. Its third season starts Oct. 3 with a performance by American sound poetry ensemble The Be Blank Consort. Toronto poet, teacher and fiction writer Margaret Christakos reads on Oct. 14, and Governor General’s Award-winning poet Joe Rosenblatt on Nov. 13.

The Plan 99 Reading Series run by poet and author David O’Meara begins Sept. 19 with short story writer Bill Brown. Nov. 7 brings Canadian poet Elizabeth Bachinsky and Patrick Warner reads Nov. 21. A special Plan 99 10th Anniversary event happens at this year’s Ottawa International Writers Festival with fiction writers Ray Robertson and Struan Sinclair.

Rob McLennan continues with an indefatigable, almost military bombardment of literary works and events in the capital. His Small Press Book Fair is a celebration of everything lovingly DIY about local literature. It promises every year to be a fantastic look at an energetic and passionate side of small-scale literature – Nov. 29 at the Jack Purcell Community Centre. McLennan also launches his second novel this fall with Mercury Press.

Ottawa’s Tree Reading Series is actually the third-longest-running series in all of Canada. This fall it presents an eclectic mix of excellent names. Sept. 22 brings local poet Sandra Ridley, Oct. 27 finds the outstanding Erin Mouré here in the capital and then a personal favourite – Monty Reid presents on Nov. 10 with Lisa Robertson.

The Ottawa International Writers Festival blazes every fall like a small sun. This year is absolutely no different, with a huge list of powerful writers and thinkers flowing in and out of Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and Humanities. In the Writers Festival preview events: Internationally renowned musician and author Nick Cave reads on Sept. 17 and Margaret Atwood brings the extravagant theatrical production of her Year of the Flood to Ottawa on Sept. 22, starring some of Ottawa’s most respected theatrical talent. The festival itself runs from Oct. 21 to 27 and is absolutely not to be missed.

As seen in the Ottawa XPress – Sept. 03, 2009
http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/books/books.aspx?iIDArticle=18204