Reading: George Murray and Catherine Owen in St. John’s

I’ll be reading with Edmonton poet Catherine Owen, who’ll be in town to launch her new book of poems “Frenzy”, on Tuesday, December 1 at The Ship Inn in St. John’s. Please join us if you can! Catherine’s not only a great poet, but a rock and roll goddess as well, shredding bass for Inhuman & Helgrind. Should be an interesting way to warm up.

Catherine Owen and George Murray
December 1, 8pm
The Ship Inn
St. John’s, NL

Here’s a link to the Facebook event page and here’s a link to Catherine’s cross-Canada itinerary.

Events: Speaking and Panels

I’ve been working away on my new books, so I’ve not kept up much here, but two things could stand with some notice:

For librarians in Ontario:

I’ve been asked to speak on blogging and e-writing by the Ontario Public Library Association for something called “RA in a Day”. You can sign up online here. I’m in the morning session.

When:

Friday, October 23, 2009
8:30 am – 4:30 pm ET

Where:

Ontario Bar Association,
20 Toronto Street, 2nd
Floor, Toronto

For writers in Newfoundland:

I’ve been asked to speak to the Writers’ Alliance of NL AGM about… internet writing, I think. You can register here.

When:

Friday, October 30 – Sunday, November 1

Where:

Battery Hotel & Suites
100 Signal Hill Road
St. John’s

Event: Reading in St. John’s

I’m reading on Wednesday in hometown St. John’s as part of the Writers’ Alliance’s reading series. I’ll be reading with young buck Stephen Rowe, whose first book I edited for Nightwood Editions, so it should be a nice family affair. Please come out if you can.

Writers Alliance Monthly Readings Featuring: George Murray and Stephen Rowe
Wednesday, July 22, 7:00pm

Railway Coastal Museum
495 Water Street
St. John’s, NL
email: wanl@nf.aibn.com
Phone: (709) 739-5215

News: Report from Reading in Dublin

Well, I’m back from Ireland where the reading at Fighting Words went swimmingly. It was a good crowd and there were some people I admire deeply in attendence. Below is a picture of yours truly at the brilliantly realized Fighting Words Centre with Irish novelist Roddy Doyle and poet Paul Durcan.

Roddy Doyle, George Murray, Paul Durcan

If you’re in Ireland, I can’t recommend the Fighting Words program enough. Check it out and get involved. The people are fantastic and the facilities are top notch. I wish we had something like this in Canada! Perhaps we do and I don’t know. Regardless, I was happy to be asked and pleased to meet such an attentive, intelligent audience. Thanks to Roddy and Sean Love for inviting me!

Event: Reading in Dublin

Just a reminder (typed from a hotel in Belfast) that I’ll be reading in Dublin a week today. All the details below. If you’re in Dublin, or anyone you know who likes poetry is, please note the info below:

George Murray at Fighting Words
(Fighting Words is the charity creative writing centre run by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love)
July 14, 2009

Fighting Words
Behan Square
Russell St.
Dublin 1
Ireland Email: info@fightingwords.ie and
Phone: +353-(0)1-894-4576

Events: Upcoming appearances in Newfoundland and Ireland

I’ll be reading twice in July, first in Dublin and then back here in St. John’s. Info below. If you happen to be in one of these two places near those dates, I’d love to meet you!

George Murray at Fighting Words
(Fighting Words is the charity creative writing centre run by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love)
July 14, 2009

Fighting Words
Behan Square
Russell St.
Dublin 1
Ireland Email: info@fightingwords.ie and
Phone: +353-(0)1-894-4576

and

Writers Alliance Monthly Readings Featuring: Stephen Rowe and George Murray
Wednesday, July 22, 7:00pm

Railway Coastal Museum
495 Water Street
St. John’s, NL
email: wanl@nf.aibn.com
Phone: (709) 739-5215

Reading: St. John’s, NL

I am reading with Toronto poet David Seymour this coming Monday, May 18 at 8:00pm at the Ship Inn in St. John’s. David is in town getting some peace and quiet and working on a new ms., so of course the locals have forced him into a reading. We need to take our opportunities when they come. I was pleased to be asked to partner with him for this event and hope to provide a nice opening act for a very solid poet opening into the prime of his work.

GEORGE MURRAY and DAVID SEYMOUR
“A Brace of Poets” reading

Monday, May 18th, at 8 p.m.
The Ship, Duckworth Street, St. John’s

Reading sponsored by Birch-Broom-in-the-Fits. These two writers are among the rising generation of poets in Canada today. Come to listen; stay to chat. (This will be a great evening of poetry—and wild-haired people are especially welcome to come celebrate this new reading series, Birch-Broom-in-the Fits.)

George Murray’s most recent book, The Rush to Here, was shortlisted for the E.J. Pratt Award (the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Award for Poetry) and is also shortlisted for the Atlantic Poetry Award. Currently Executive Director of the Association of Cultural Industries of Newfoundland and Labrador, Murray is the author of several books of poetry which have received wide acclaim. He has served as the poetry editor of the Literary Review of Canada, and is the creator of bookninja.com, a lively web forum for literary discussion.

David Seymour’s book Inter Alia, published by Brick Books, was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Award (for best first book in Canada). He has just completed a second collection of poems for Brick. He was a finalist in the 2009 CBC Literary Competition. Born in Campbellton, New Brunswick, Seymour grew up in Milton, Ontario. He now lives in Toronto where he writes and works in film. (Among the many tantalizing details of his bio note in Inter Alia are these: he has sailed on a tall ship, photo-doubled for Russell Crowe, worked as casting director for several films.)

Events: Upcoming Readings in Ottawa and Toronto [UPDATE]

Just a reminder of the reading at the Tree Series in Ottawa next week, and an announcement of an upcoming gig at the IV Lounge in Toronto.

Tree Readings Series
August 26, 2008, 8pm
Ottawa Arts Court (at the corner of Nicholas Street and Daly Avenue)
Ottawa

IV Lounge Readings Series
September 12, 2008, 8pm
IV Lounge (across from the Art Gallery of Ontario on Dundas West)
Toronto

Apparently the IV Lounge Reading series has just been indefinitely cancelled. The bar owner is selling the place and it’s closing for renos. How sad. Hopefully, they can move it to another location, but I suspect not in time for my reading on Sept 12.

Event: Tree Reading Series, Ottawa

I will be reading at the Tree series in Ottawa on August 26th. If you’re in or near the capital, I hope you can make it.

Tree Reading Series
August 26, 2008, 7pm
Ottawa Arts Court (at the corner of Nicholas Street and Daly Avenue)

Events: Atlantic Poetry Prize

I’ll be making several appearances in support of the Atlantic Book Awards, in which I’ve been shortlisted for the Atlantic Poetry Prize, starting May 9th and leading up to the award ceremony on the 12th, and then in St. John’s shortly after. If you’re handy to any of these venues, I’d love to see you there. Details below.

May 9th, 7pm
Reading with: Don Domanski, Anne Simpson, and Herménégilde Chiasson
Saint John, NB – University of New Brunswick, Ward Chipman Building, Study Lounge

May 10th, 3:30pm
Reading with Don Domanski
Charlottetown, PE – Confederation Centre Library

May 12th, 4pm
Atlantic Book Awards Ceremony
Dartmouth, NS – Alderney Theatre

May 15th, 7pm
Reading with Marq de Villiers and Bernice Morgan
St. John’s, NL – The Studio, 272 Water Street

My thanks to the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia for organizing and footing the bill for all this travel, and to the Writers Alliance of Newfoundland Labrador for hosting the St. John’s reading.