Hey all! My friend Jessica Rose joins us this week (check out her new book too by the way) to talk about the GritLit Festival. We’re busy non-stop all weekend, so if you’re in the area, we hope to see you!
gritLIT
E334 with JENNIFER GILLIES (GRIT LIT)
Late post today! I’m in sunny Kitchener, ON, in a rented condo, on a self-imposed retreat. A lot of pacing and talking to myself plus 3,000 words of notes. It’s a good thing.
GRIT LIT returns once again! Listen to hear all the details from Artistic Director Jennifer Gillies!
E282 with JENNIFER GILLIES from GRITLIT
It’s that time of year again. I got to goof around with the inestimable (is that the right word?) Jennifer Gillies, Artistic Director for the GritLit Readers and Writers Festival.
Yes, it’s in Hamilton, but don’t fear, listeners – a lot of it’s online and you can join the fun.
E261 with SOPHIE MCCREESH (+ GRITLIT!)
Today’s guest is Sophie McCreesh! The Toronto author joins Get Lit to talk about her debut novel, Once More, With Feeling.
We also have a quick chat with long-time friend of the show Jennifer Gillies about the upcoming fall program for Hamilton’s GritLit Readers & Writers Festival (note: it’s all online so no matter where you are, if you like the program, you can be a part of it!)
GET LIT E75 with KATHERINE ASHENBURG
Been busy with events lately – GritLit (which, despite the ice storm, garnered a healthy audience) and the Hamilton event for Michael Barclay who we featured on the show last week. Lots of reading to do, with plenty of great guests lined up for the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I have my great days (1700 words on Tuesday!) and my crappy days (zero words yesterday!) but as always, I say, keep at it!
This week we talk to former Globe & Mail books editor and author Katherine Ashenburg about her first novel, Sophie and Cecilia. Enjoy.
GET LIT E72 with KATHLEEN WINTER
Excited to announce that I’ve been nominated in the Writing category for a City of Hamilton Arts Award, along with my emerging artist nominee Ben Robinson (who was my guest on E63). That would be exciting in and of itself, but…okay…
I was nominated last year along with something like eight other writers. I lost to Bernadette Rule, which, yes, damn straight that’s as it should have been! I guess that all of the city’s authors are feeling exhausted though, because this year I’m the only nominee. Which means, so long as I qualify…I win? Yay me?
I certainly win – as do you – with this week’s show (ugh that was an awful segue). First, we have a quick book recommendation from next week’s guest Michael Redhill. After that, our feature interview is with Kathleen Winter, whose Lost in September was short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction. She’ll be at GritLit on April 14, so come out! In the meantime, hope you enjoy our conversation.
GET LIT E21 – Trevor Cole and The Whisky King
Hey all! On today’s show I’ll talk about my own personal impression of gritLIT, and then feature an interview with Trevor Cole, one-time Hamilton resident, HarperCollins author and the man behind The Whisky King: The remarkable true story of Canada’s most infamous bootlegger and the undercover Mountie on his trail. Now that’s a serious title.
Rocco Perri was one of Hamilton’s – and, indeed, Canada’s – most notorious gangsters. He was also notoriously good-natured and gregarious, and most of the city loved him. A great read!
As for gritLIT, it was a highly entertaining weekend. We managed to sneak in some interviews with Leslie Shimotakahara and Rebecca Rosenblum, which we’ll get to in future weeks. I also managed to stay up way too late talking to the likes of Denise Donlon (one of my music journo heroes, former host on The New Music, telling me Tom Waits stories for cryin’ out loud…NBD, though, right?). Stayed up even later with the immensely entertaining Lesley Livingston, doing Guy Gavriel Kay impersonations and telling stories until far too much wine was drunk. Look forward to next year’s festival already!