for Rob.

Robert Allen Memorial Tribute Event at Concordia
Friday, March 30, 2007
5-7 p.m.
Room EV2.260
Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Complex
1515 St. Catherine West

For Information Call: 514-848-2424 x2340

Reception & Readings from the works of Robert Allen by his fellow writers, colleagues, friends and family. Sponsored by the Concordia University English Department.

Robert Allen, formerly a member of the English Department at Concordia, died November 3, 2006. He was author of two novels, a collection of short stories, and numerous collections of poetry, including, most recently, Standing Wave (Véhicule Press, 2005) and The Encantadas (Conundrum Press, 2006). Among the authors and colleagues who will read from the works of Robert Allen at this event are Vivienne Allen, Stephanie Bolster, Jason Camlot, Simon Dardick, Mary Di Michele, Jon Paul Fiorentino, Michael Harris, Judith Herz, Steve Luxton, David McGimpsey, David Solway, Caroline Marie Souaid and Carmine Starnino.


--
Jason Camlot, Associate Professor
English Department LB 501
Concordia University
1455 de Maisonneuve Boulevard West
Montréal, Québec H3G 1M8
CANADA

Tel: (514) 848-2424 x2353
Fax: (514) 848-4501
Email: camlot@alcor.concordia.ca

Sunday!

Matrix, Delirium Press and the Quebec Writers’ Federation proudly present…

A PILOT AND DEPARTURE READING SERIES SPECIAL

Starring
Zac Schnier
Sophie Caird
Greg Seib
Dimitri Nasrallah
Stephanie Bolster
Roy Miki

Hosted by
Jani Krulc
Gillian Savigny


March 25, 2007 @ 8:30 pm
Blizzarts 3956-A St-Laurent Blvd
www.matrixmagazine.org
www.deliriumpress.com

Call for submissions and awesome new website

Matrix Presents
The Science Poetry Dossier
edited by Gillian Savigny

We are looking for neurotransmissions capable of navigating the synapse between poetry and science. Send us your sestinas on seismology! Your botanic love poems! Your geodes! Your epics of empiricism! Show us how your interdisciplinary genes express themselves. We at Matrix have been noticing a curious trend in contemporary poetry and like good little scientists we would like to study and classify its range. Until May 1st we will be collecting examples of science poetry: a rare species of literature whose population is set to explode this spring in the 77 ^th issue of our magazine. Whether you look to entomology or lepidoptery, geometry or chemistry, biology or geology we want the fruits of your creative fermentation. We will accept poems that use science as technique or subject matter as well as those that take it as inspiration or enemy. For the next few weeks think parasite maintenance, fractals, and geopoetry. Raid the scientist's treasury of terminology and dress your poems in the loot.

send submissions to gillian@matrixmagazine.org

and check out www.matrixmagazine.org for our sexy new website!!!

Loser a winner

I won the Expozine Alternative Press award for best English book. I dedicated the award to Rob Allen. And then I had some Jagermeister.

Loser shortlisted again!

Announcing the 2nd Expozine Alternative Press Awards Gala!

Join us for the presentation of the 2nd Expozine Alternative Press Awards! Featuring as master of ceremonies perennial favourite Jean Giscagne, who will share the stage with musical/ lyrical entertainment by Montreal's Les Abdigradationnistes, plus special guests and surprises! You'll also have the chance to purchase copies of the nominated books, zines and comics!

Wednesday March 7, 2007
Mainline Theatre
3997 Boul. St-Laurent,
9:00 pm, FREE admission.

• Best English Book:
• The Feast: A Collection of Art in Black and White by Permanent Marker Art Society / Shawn O’Keefe and Harley Smart
• In Search of Divine Styler by Ryan Somers, a.k.a. Fritz tha Cat (MudScout Press)
• Jugsaw Youth: Two New Stories by J.B. Staniforth
• Monsters for Real (Loveletters #1 through 11) by Jim Holyoak
• Tattoo This Madness In by Daniel Allen Cox, Dusty Owl Press
• The Theory of the Loser Class by Jon Paul Fiorentino, Coach House Press

A spring workshop at the qwf!

MEMORY TRICKS: WRITING THE PERSONAL ESSAY
Eight Wednesdays from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. (March 7–April 25)

1200 Atwater Avenue, Suite 3
Workshop leader: Jon Paul Fiorentino

This course will address the genre of the personal essay with a focus on humour and confessional writing. We will look at examples of successful personal essays by writers like Mark Twain, Timothy Findley, Jonathan Ames, David McGimpsey, Stuart Ross, Sarah Vowell, and David Sedaris. We will also look at some confessional poems in order to place emphasis on the artful transcription of memory.

Most of the course will be devoted to developing the skills required to write effective literary personal essays. Students will be asked to participate in a classic workshop environment and to bring energy and enthusiasm to the class. There will be a few fun in-class writing exercises as well.

We will look at how rhetorical and poetic strategies are used in personal writing. We will explore the different models of the genre. And most importantly, we will discover how we as writers can make memory work by achieving that fine balance between true documentation of memory and strategic deployment of fiction.

Some Suggested Reading:

* Ames, Jonathan. My Less Than Secret Life
* Ames, Jonathan, What's Not to Love?
* McGimpsey, David. Certifiable
* Ross, Stuart. Confessions of a Small Press Racketeer
* Sedaris, David. Barrel Fever
* Sedaris, David. Naked
* Vowell, Sarah. The Partly Cloudy Patriot

Jon Paul Fiorentino is a writer, editor and teacher. His personal essays have recently appeared in Word, Geist, sub-Terrain, and on CBC Radio One's All in a Weekend. He is the author of The Theory of the Loser Class (Coach House Books, 2006), Asthmatica (Insomniac Press, 2005), and Hello Serotonin (Coach House Books, 2004). 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 editor of Matrix magazine.

Upcoming readings

Here are some winter JPF readings!!

Jon Paul Fiorentino at the Festival Voix D'Ameriques
Also featuring Jade Bérubé and Michel Marchildon.
Hosted by Tony Tremblay.
Tuesday, February 6
Casa del Popolo
4873 boul. St-Laurent
Montreal, QC
11:00 p.m.

Grimm Magazine presents…
Cupid’s Hangover Ball
Featuring - The Great Orbax
Literary Readings by
Margaret Christakos, Jon Paul Fiorentino, and Mark Laliberte
With Music by The Machines
February 15th, 2007
The Circus Room
729 King St. E
Kitchener, ON
8:00 p.m.

from Sina

Sina showed me this: Spiders on drugs.

Questions for the new year

Sina, do you really have to stop blogging?

Why are so many poets and 'critics' afraid of culture? Why is poetry considered by these people something outside of culture?

Why are certain conflicts of interest in the literary world HUGE news (like reviews written for the Toronto Star by people who know people or hate people) but the most blatant and obvious ones never talked about (like editing a periodical and having your own books featured and lauded)?

Why are so many poets afraid of theory and/or experimental writing? Is it REALLY that hard to do the work?

Mixed

Mixed tape for the holidays!

The Day that Clayton Delaney Died - Bobby Bare
Disconnecty - Grandaddy
Me and Paul - Willie Nelson
A Song from under the Floorboards - Magazine
Trash - New York Dolls
Subway Train - New York Dolls
Lost a Friend - James
Six Days on the Road - Charlie Pride
Ganglord - Morrissey
Aside - Weakerthans
Numbers - Greg MacPherson
Strummerville - Stiff Little Fingers
Georgia on a Fast Train - Billy Joe Shaver

A loser loses

I didn't take home the A.M. Klein award. That went to Susan Elmslie for I, Nadja. It proves my theory that you can't win anything for a book about losers, especially if the book includes a sonnet in the voice of R2D2.

But I did have the greatest honour of the evening: I delivered a speech to celebrate the lives of John George, proprietor of Argo Books and one of the last true booksellers and Robert Allen, brilliant writer and dear friend.

Robert Allen 1946-2006

Writer, teacher, editor, mentor, and dear friend, Robert Allen, died on Friday, November 3 2006. He was the author of nine collections of poetry, three novels, and one collection of short fiction. His most recent book was the brilliant long poem, The Encantadas, published just this spring by Conundrum. Without a doubt, The Encantadas is one of the best Canadian poetry books ever published.

Rob taught young writers to use their curiosity, irreverence and defiance to their advantage and to follow their own literary interests without apology. And most unique, he always treated his students as fellow writers. If you were a student of Robert Allen’s, you were driven to make him proud and prove him right.

As a friend, Rob was always patient, thoughtful, and generous. He loved to share a bottle of good scotch, a cigarette, a story, a road trip. He would always provide counsel and he was always right. His wisdom was an invaluable gift to those who loved him. I first met Rob when I was an exasperated young student at Concordia. Frustrated and hurt for some reason, I marched into his office and told him I was going to jump off a bridge if he didn't help me. He laughed at me and then he helped me. Throughout the seven years I knew Rob, he never stopped helping me and never stopped laughing at me. He showed his faith in me by letting me help him run Matrix magazine and giving me the opportunity to edit books and work with authors. Rob helped me become a better writer and a better person. I will always be grateful for his friendship.

For the last three weeks of his life, he spent countless hours with family and friends, sharing stories. I was honoured to be with Rob these last three weeks and to have the opportunity to tell how much I loved him before he left us. On Friday, he died with his son, Cary, and his dear friend Anne Stone at his side. The room was warm and full of love. He will be greatly missed.

Loser shortlisted

The Theory of the Loser Class has been shortlisted for the A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry.
Also, Snare Books' Melissa A. Thompson has been shortlisted for the McAusland First Book Prize for Dreadful Paris.

A good news day! Shortlists below.

A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry ($2000)
Sponsored in memory of Sydney Weisbord

Susan Elmslie
I, Nadja, and Other Poems
Brick Books
~
Jon Paul Fiorentino
The Theory of the Loser Class
Coach House Books
~
Lazar Sarna
He Claims He is the Direct Heir
Porcupine's Quill

------------------------------

McAuslan First Book Prize ($2,000)
Sponsored by McAuslan Brewing Inc.

Susan Elmslie
I, Nadja, and Other Poems
Brick Books
~
Rawi Hage
De Niro's Game
House of Anansi Press
~
Melissa A. Thompson
Dreadful Paris
Snare Books

This sunday!!!

The Montreal literary event of the year!

Coach House Books & Snare Books
Fall Book Launch
Sunday, October 22, 7:30 p.m.
The Green Room, 5386 St. Laurent
Free

Coach House Books and Snare Books present their Fall Book Launch,
featuring four new titles by four amazing authors

with
Angela Carr
(Ropewalk)
Tanya Chapman
(King)
Jason Christie
(Canada Post)
Zoe Whittall
(The Emily Valentine Poems)
hosted by
Jon Paul Fiorentino
(The Theory of the Loser Class, Asthmatica)
music by nohitsinc

Fall tour report

it was fun. and exhausting. toronto's word on the street festival was difficult for me because i had strep throat and the lovely emily schultz had to read my poems for me on stage. it turns out she's better at delivering my poems than i am, so thanks emily! brian and emily then walked me to the emergency room where i got antibiotics and the doctor was amazed at the size of my swollen tonsils.

ottawa was perfect. sean wilson and rob mclennan made me feel perfectly at home and afua cooper and ronnie r. brown were great poets to share a stage with. three very different poets, illustrating the diverse influences and traditions that make up contemporary poetry -- what could be more inspiring than that?

NYC was brilliant. especially the st. mark's reading. stacy, the host, gave a clever and touching introduction to my work. And paul foster johnson, my reading partner (JPF and PFJ - live at st. mark's!) was charming and thought-provoking with his performance. the poet's house event with sina queyras, margaret christakos and a. rawlings was fun too, as i decided to mix diet coke and red wine before my reading. it led to an uneven performance but i was thrilled to hear my fellow coach house poets read so well. i am a lucky guy to be in the company of such fine poets and performers.

and a special thank you must go out to alana wilcox for being so patient with me all week. she is not only a great writer and editor, but i think she is also a saint. thanks for the conversations, the drinks and the mac power source, alana!

also: having drinks with sina is one of my favourite things in the world. how can i get her to move to montreal?

now i must mark 50 prose poems and 25 essays. and sleep would be nice.

Fall loser events

WORD ON THE STREET
Sunday, September 24
5:30 PM
Queen's Park
Toronto, ON

Jon Paul Fiorentino reads from The Theory of the Loser Class in the Great Books Tent.

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL
Sunday, October 1 @ 8:00 pm
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
Poetry Cabaret
featuring Ronnie R. Brown, Jon Paul Fiorentino and Afua Cooper
$15 / $12 Student or Senior / $8 Festival Member

An evening of acclaimed Canadian poetry that runs the gamut from Ottawa’s Ronnie R. Brown, who was described by Irving Layton as “the only female version of Layton that I can see on the horizon” to Jon Paul Fiorentino, dubbed “one of Montreal’s finest poets” by Hour Montreal, to Toronto’s Afua Cooper, whose poetry is praised as “eloquent and visionary.”

THE ST. MARK'S POETRY PROJECT
St. Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th St., New York, NY
Monday, 8:00 pm
October 09 2006

Jon Paul Fiorentino & Paul Foster Johnson

Jon Paul Fiorentino's 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. Paul Foster Johnson's first collection of poems, Refrains/Unworkings, will be published in Spring 2007 by Apostrophe Books. Quadriga, a chapbook of his collaborations with E. Tracy Grinnell, was recently released by g-o-n-g press. Currently serving as an editor at Litmus Press, he curated the Experiments and Disorders reading series at Dixon Place from 2003 to 2006.

POETS HOUSE
72 Spring Street, 2nd Floor
New York City, NY
Wednesday, October 11
7:00 p.m.


For one night only, Coach House Books takes over New York's legendary Poets House.

Four Coach House poets read in this literary centre and poetry archive. The night's proceedings will feature performances by Sina Queyras (Lemon Hound), Margaret Christakos (Sooner), angela rawlings (Wide Slumber for Lepidopterists) and Jon Paul Fiorentino (The Theory of the Loser Class).

Getting my teach on

I'm teaching English Composition and The Creative Process this term at Concordia. Tonight I read "Stubborn Furniture" by Stuart Ross to my class. I decided I was going to start reading poems I am fond of to both classes as often as I want just because. I like my new policy. All poetry all the time.

A week from now the two Snare books will arrive in the Snare Books office. Then I take off for Word on the Street, Toronto, The Ottawa Writers Festival, The St. Mark's Poetry Project, and Poets House in New York, then back to Montreal for the Snare/Coach House launch on October 22nd at the Green Room. More info on all of this soon. What an exciting time of year!

Snare Books site

I have moved the Snare Books site here. There is info on the two new fall books which are at the printers right now! September 20th, they will be available for purchase.

Filmmaking is the new pottery

Inhalers of Anxiety. A film by Sarah Steinberg. Written by Sarah Steinberg and Jon Paul Fiorentino.

Old News. A film by Sarah Steinberg

Don't make fun of me!

This is impossible to stop watching.

And this is so fucked.


Thanks alot Sachi.