| Ottawa author Melanie Little is almost midway through her tenure as this year’s Markin-Flanagan writer-in-residence at the University of Calgary, having arrived this past August to take up a posting that runs until June 2006.
While in Calgary, Little is working on quite a number of projects, including a young adult novel, a new collection of stories, an adult novel and a series of essays that she says is "perennially in the works." Half of her time is given to writing, the other to readings and manuscript consultations with writers. Consultations are open to everybody, not just students at the university – a misconception she’s eager to clear up.
"It’s very much a community thing," she says. "Anybody can come and see the writer-in-residence. I get some creative writing students, but mainly people who have no ties to the literary world."
Her new adult novel is taking up most of her writing time. "It’s satirical, about writing," she says. "I know the orthodoxy is you shouldn’t write about writers, which I don’t think is true. I’ve learned so much about the publishing industry and writers that I didn’t know three years ago, and there’s so much rich material there."
During that time, Little saw the publication of her debut work, a collection of stories entitled Confidence, which was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award and made The Globe and Mail’s list of the top 100 books of 2003.
Little’s enjoying her time in Calgary. "When I was here a couple of years ago for WordFest I fell in love with the city," she says. "There’s a strong literary community here, a lot of back and forth – not just the business, but the process as well."
Her experiences in creative writing and publishing, which include a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, are of value to any writer interested in feedback about their work.
"I think it’s important to look at the mechanics of writing," she says, adding that the individual approach is a more welcoming one. "I don’t like to show my work to anyone unless I absolutely have to. Some people find workshops helpful – I don’t. I love the editing, revision process, but find the input of 20 people confusing."
She finds it exciting to encounter so many divergent voices among the writers who seek her advice, from authors of fantasy and poetry to those who craft heartwarming prose in the Stuart McLean style. "It’s humbling to work with so many writers, many who have been writing for a long time and haven’t given up," she says. "It’s a privilege not to be taken lightly. The publishing industry isn’t as healthy as it used to be, and it can be frustrating to talk to people about it, to see how frustrated they are."
Further, those diverse voices are a welcome change from the similarities of so much published Canadian fiction. "Publishing in Canada can be homogenous," says Little. "There’s a certain kind of literary fiction here that I feel is interchangeable in voice, from writer to writer. And meeting those who aren’t at that level of publication, it’s not like that at all – everyone’s so different. I wonder how much of that is being sucked out by the publishing process?"
You can catch a reading from Little this Wednesday, December 14 at the Writers Guild of Alberta and WordFest Christmas party. The event is being held at the Rose & Crown Pub and also features a reading from Calgary poet Julia Williams. The event is free for WGA members and WordFest staff, $5 for everybody else.
Now that the holidays are here, the parties are getting underway. DANDelion magazine is launching its latest issue with an event at The New Gallery on Friday, December 9 at 7 p.m., which will feature music by Smithjosh, short films and a reading by spoken word artist David Bateman. Admission is $5.
The Wordweavers writing group is putting on an evening of fiction and poetry, with readings by a large group of local writers that includes Amy Carr, Weyman Chan, Richard Gorecki, Joy Hendrickson-Turner, Mary Lessard, Janice Mathie-Heck, Sharron Proulx-Turner, Wilma Rubens, Joanne Underwood, Frances Vettergreen and Yvonne Werkman. It takes place on Sunday, December 11 at 7 p.m. at the Oolong Tea House in Kensington.
And poetry publisher Frontenac House is throwing its first Christmas party and poetry reading on Monday, December 13 at 7 p.m. at the Big Secret Theatre in the Epcor Centre. A host of poets will be on hand for this pay-what-you-can event, including Eric Barstad, David Bateman, Nancy Jo Cullen, Arran Fisher, Ali Riley, Bob Stallworthy and Sheri-D Wilson.
Bestsellers for November 28 to December 4 at Pages on Kensington
Fiction and Poetry
1. Memories of My Melancholy Whores
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
2. Three Day Road
by Joseph Boyden
3. Limbo
by Jacqueline Honnet
4. Son of a Witch
by Gregory Maguire
5. Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
6. Sylvanus Now
by Donna Morrissey
7. April Fool
by William Deverell
8. Whitestone Day
by John M. Gray
9. The Time in Between
by David Bergen
10. Ella Takes the Cake
by Carmela D'Amico
Non-fiction
1. Race Against Time
by Stephen Lewis
2. The Book of Lists: Canadian Edition
edited by David Wallechinsky
3. The Bedside Book of Birds
by Graeme Gibson
4. Against the Grain
by Catherine Ford
5. The Dolphin's Tooth
by Bruce Kirkby
6. Teacher Man
by Frank McCourt
7. Don't Get Too Comfortable
by David Rakoff
8. Ideas
edited by Bernie Lucht
9. Outside of Ordinary
edited by Lynn Cecil & Catherine Bancroft
10. A Crack in the Edge of the World
by Simon Winchester |
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