Archive for the ‘Word on the Street Festival’ Category

Doing Word on the Street in Kitchener & Toronto

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Sunday, September 26 is going to be one busy day for me, but happily so. I’ll awake that morning in Florida, where I’ll be attending a family event. Then I’ll board a 7:30 a.m. Delta flight out of Tampa, change planes in Atlanta, and land in Toronto at about noon (please let me not be delayed!). I’ll then leap into our minivan, which will be parked at Pearson Airport, and drive, of course observing all speed limits, to Kitchener for their Word on the Street celebration. I’ll be reading from The High Road, which will be in bookstores by then, at about 2:30. After signing any books that audience members might purchase (Christmas will be but a few short months away!), I’ll dash again for the minivan and blast back to Toronto. You see, I’ll be reading at the Toronto Word on the Street festival at Queen’s Park at 5:30, pending any traffic travails. Two countries, two readings, and two Word on the Street festivals. A busy but fun day.

Author photo change for The High Road

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

My identical twin brother Tim, an accomplished photographer in off-hours, took the author photo for TBLP and, we thought, took the shot that was originally to have graced the back of The High Road. I quite liked the new photo but some have said that I look a little too serious for the writer of novels that are supposed to amuse the reader. I appear a little serious because I usually look like a raving idiot when I smile for the camera. You think I doth protest too much? You haven’t seen the reams of smiling photos still lying on the cutting room floor. They could scare little children. Enter Clarence Johnson. Clarence is a photographer with an interest in eyewear. He snaps photos of people and their glasses and posts them on his interesting blog, picpu. Clarence happened to be in the audience when I read at Word on the Street in Toronto in September, 2008, shortly after the McClelland & Stewart edition of TBLP was published. I noticed the shot on the picpu blog months later when it popped up in a Google search. Because I didn’t know the photo was being taken, it doesn’t have that posed look that I deplore. Seems a few folks saw the shot on my blog and a consensus emerged that it might in fact be a good author photo as it seems to capture the spirit of humour, laughter, Leacock, etc. So it looks like we’re going with Clarence’s shot as the official author photo. Thankfully, he kindly granted permission. I’ve broken the news to my brother. He lay on the floor kicking his feet and flailing his arms a bit, but eventually accepted the decision. Just kidding. Tim’s been great about it and given what he had to work with, I think his shots are still the best non-candid photos ever taken of me. So my thanks to Clarence and to Tim for their support and understanding. Here’s the photo:

Yes, I know it’s closely cropped at the top, but that’s not a bad thing for a guy with an ever-expanding forehead!

It’s amazing what you can find on the Internet…

Friday, January 1st, 2010

A friend just pointed me to this image on the Internet. I’d never seen it before. Believe it or not, it’s from a cool photoblog, called PICPU, that focuses on eyewear. Clarence Johnson is the photo buff behind the blog. I can’t tell for certain where this shot was taken. If the date on the photo means anything, I was either doing a reading at Word on the Street in Toronto, or reading at the Headwaters Arts Festival in Caledon. Note that the photo has been tagged “Ray-Ban.” I’d forgotten that I wear Ray-Ban glasses, but the spectacle expert Clarence seemed to know. I just glad he cropped out my ever-expanding forehead! Thanks Clarence.

Word on the Street Festival

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

This morning, I did a talk and reading as part of Toronto’s Word on the Street Festival.  Despite being first up in the morning, a modest crowd showed up including friends, family, and a group of students doing a school assignment.  (Whatever fills the seats!)  I thought it went well.

It’s going to be a busy TBLP fall!

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

As I’ve been threatening to do, I thought I’d list the readings and other speaking events I’m doing this fall in support of the release of the McClelland & Stewart edition of TBLP.  Being on the author circuit will be a new experience for me but I’m really looking forward to it.  In the next couple of weeks, this blog will go through a make-over of sorts and there will be a separate “Appearances” page in case any of you have the twisted desire to know where I’ll be speaking or reading.

Upcoming Speaking and Reading Gigs

So here’s what’s happening in the coming weeks and months after TBLP arrives in bookstores across the country on Tuesday, September 23rd:

  • Tuesday, November 18, 2008: A reading and talk at a McMaster Alumni “Coffee and Conversation” evening event in Toronto.

Wow!  It’s going to be a busy time.  But I can think of nothing else I’d rather be doing.  Stay tuned for a revamped website with its own “Appearances” page where I’ll try to keep track of all of these engagements.

“Word on the Street – Toronto” Booked

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Frances Bedford, the wonderful PR pro at M&S with whom I’ve been working has managed to land me a reading on the Great Books Marquee stage at Toronto’s amazing Word on the Street festival. I’ve attended the event for years as an ardent reader and never thought I’d ever be appearing on the program as a writer. The M&S edition of TBLP will be on bookstore shelves by that day so the timing is perfect. Thanks for everything Frances and keep those gigs coming!