The theory of the loser class

I'm looking at the galleys for my new book. It's a very exciting time. If you want a sense of what it will look like click here.

It's a book about Thorstein Veblen, Jerry Lewis, Theodor Adorno, R2-D2, binary code, Montreal, and Winnipeg.

It will be out April 1st...

Matrix call for submissions

Matrix presents Fan Friction
edited by Jon Paul Fiorentino and Sachiko Murakami

Fan-fuelled culture has never been hotter. The best practitioners of this twenty-first century genre have achieved a level of revision and fluency that cannot be ignored. At its best, fan fiction challenges distinctions between high and low culture, between authorship and appropriation; it forces us to question what makes for appropriate literary subject matter and to interrogate the role that cultural literacy plays in contemporary literature. Fan fiction can no longer be classified as simple emulation text. The fan’s cultural position is changing and shrewd fans are asserting their own artistic vision through the creation of their own narratives. As opposed to simply being tacit consumers of cultural products, these new fans claim for themselves a right to resituate the culture they are immersed in.

Matrix magazine is pleased to explore this trend and is asking for submissions on the theme of “fan friction” for our 74th issue. Suitable submissions include pitches / treatments of television shows (imagined or real), short film scripts, song lyrics (parodies, emulations, etc.), visual art, comic art, queer fan fiction / erotica, fanzine excerpts, ironic tributes, rewritten porn, comedic texts, mockumentaries, and essays on fandom.

Please send submissions attn: Jon Paul Fiorentino and Sachiko Murakami at
fanfriction [at] yahoo [dot] ca

Deadline: March 31 2006

Rapidcycler

My poem "Rapidcycler" is in the new issue of the Walrus. Click here.

I've revised the poem since the Walrus took it, but it still gives you a sense of what The Theory of the Loser Class will be like.

S&S in MTL

MERCURY PRESS PRESENTS

The Launch of Shift and Switch: New Canadian Poetry

featuring readings by

Jon Paul Fiorentino
Matthew Hollett
Max Middle
a.rawlings
Rob Read
Mark Truscott.

Saturday, January 14, 8pm @ cafe esperanza 5490
saint-laurent

visit the amazing S&S website:
http://www.themercurypress.com/poetry/shiftswitch/

Ottawa is in for it

Hey, people of Ottawa! Come see me make an ass of myself in front of an audience for the first time this year! I will be reading a bit from Asthmatica and a lot from The Theory of the Loser Class. I'm very sensitive and I have a wonderful personality.

Press release below:

On Tuesday, January 10th, Montreal poet Jon Paul Fiorentino will be the first featured reader at the Tree Reading Series in 2006.

Jon Paul Fiorentino is a writer and editor. His most recent book of poetry is The Theory of the Loser Class (Coach House Books, 2006). He is the author of the poetry book Hello Serotonin (Coach House Books, 2004) and the humour book Asthmatica (Insomniac Press, 2005). His most recent editorial projects are the anthologies Career Suicide! Contemporary Literary Humour (DC Books, 2003) and Post-Prairie - a collaborative effort with Robert Kroetsch, (Talonbooks, 2005). He lives in Montreal where he teaches writing at Concordia University and is the Managing Editor of Matrix magazine.

The Tree Reading Series meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, in the basement of the Royal Oak II pub on Laurier Avenue near King Edward. Admission is free. Open mic at 8pm, with featured reader to follow. The Tree Reading Series gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa.

Best song of 06?

Stop the year! The best song of 2006 is clearly "Dale Hawerchuk" by Les Dales Hawerchuk