Does a chaotic City Hall lead to a bits 'n' pieces blog post? I dunno is the easy answer: perhaps I should have torn myself away from the municipal madness before now. But perhaps not. The Hogtown Follies still playing to SRO houses at home and abroad is the closest any of us will get to Dada. Of course, the Brothers Ford wouldn't have heard of Tristan Tzara and his gang, but surely I digress.
The hard working crew at Quattro Books have a three-author launch at The Supermarket, 268 Augusta in Kensington Market tomorrow Nov. 21st. The fun begins at 7:30pm. I am particularly looking forward to Eric Wright's new book, Dempsey's Lodge. Crime fiction marks a point of departure for Quattro, but a return to the fold for the award-winning Wright, who's 84. Fans will remember his Charlie Salter police procedural series featuring the eponymous Toronto inspector. Of course, it's likely serendipity, but Rosemary Aubert is on Quattro's list for her poetry and also justly celebrated for her crime writing. Her Ellis Portal series won critical and popular kudos since readers first encountered the disgraced judge living in ravine that runs through Hogtown's snooty enclave, Rosedale. Could the arrival of Dempsey's Lodge prompt Aubert to fire up her computer and give us more of her excellent crime fiction?
The two other books at the Quattro launch will be Cyclists, by Lincoln Clarkes, a collection of photographs of the men and women captured riding bikes in Toronto in 2011 and 2011. The Emperor's Panda, from David Day, is reprint of his much-lauded children's tale about the first panda in the world. I'm going to buy it for my granddaughter and package it with Dennis Lee's classic poetry collections Jelly Belly and Alligator Pie. It's never too soon to start a kid reading.
Still with books, last Thursday John Miller, who founded the Toronto Writers Co-op (no apostrophe, I note in passing), interviewed Alissa York at the Toronto Reference Library. It was an informative and thoughtful exchange - even if the writer couldn't answer - who could? - Miller's last question: what did she want written as her epitaph. He invites a half-dozen authors every year and the interviews are available on DVD. Last Thursday was my first time and well worth dropping by. But, nah, I don't suppose Rob and Doug would be interested.
Elsewhere - I said this was all bits 'n' pieces - someone with a corner office at TVO has to reverse the station's terrible decision to scrap Saturday Night at the Movies. I know rights are expensive, I know budgets are being cut, but I still flip on channel 2 expecting a fair to excellent double bill. I can't stand many more nights with intrepid Brits travelling up the Irrawaddy.
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