In the big sittay. Where the girls are prittay.
Posted by Jeff on Feb 27th, 2023 in News | 0 commentsMarch comes in like a poem and goes out like a book.
I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean either, but it sounded mildly clever.
And it’s an apt way to introduce what I’m doing from early March to early April – a period that starts with a live poetry gig and ends with a live fiction reading.
That’s right! Live features! In person, here in Toronto! Not on Zoom.
So you get all the benefits of seeing a writer live on a stage… without any of the benefits of watching them online. The latter benefits being the ability to view from anywhere in the world, and the convenience of watching from home. Maybe the COVID lockdown spoiled us in some ways.
So here’s what’s on, John. Here’s what’s soon, goon. Here’s what’s happening… Lappening.
1) March 6: The Art Bar
I’m a headliner once again at Canada’s longest-running poetry series, along with Laurie Macfayden and an open mic. This is my first live poetry gig in Toronto in more than three years. (I’m not counting the book launch last November or AuthorFest last August, in both of which I read from my novel… and I’m definitely not counting the outdoor gig I was supposed to do a year and a half ago, at which literally nobody showed up, including the host.)
2) April 2: Bright Lit, Big City
Carolyn Bennett is back to host this fiction reading series, in which I’ll be reading from my novel Hate Story. This was supposed to take place way back in November, but things got weird with the venue scheduling. I’ll be sharing the stage with the likes of Josh Morris, Lisa de Nikolits, Alan Resnick and Brent van Staalduinen.
My appearance at Bright Lit, Big City is being funded by the Writers’ Union of Canada.
More info on these two events in the right sidebar.
Also look for me as a guest in the upcoming web series In Other Words, and I’m also going to be spotlit this month in the Toronto Guardian‘s “A Day in the Life” series.
Finally – if you missed my Spoken World Online feature on Zoom a few weeks ago, you can catch it on YouTube:
Tally ho, Dinklemeyer.
Paris, Thailand, Melbourne, Toronto, everybody talkabout poetry music
Posted by Jeff on Jan 29th, 2023 in News | 0 commentsBusy these days, mostly with trying to find the time to work on the next book.
So I’ll make this one brief. Three events coming up over the next few weeks, all online:
1) Spoken World Online: this Tuesday
The Zoom extension of Spoken Word Paris, hosted by David Leo Sirois. I gigged in the IRL version of this series back in 2015 (as well as the Monday series twice, in 2015 and last October).
2) Soul Refraction book launch for Paul R. Kohn: February 4
Paul has asked me to perform my poem “Adequate Man” as one of the guest performers for his book launch, along with fellow Decent Beings tourmates Skylar J. Wynter and Neshka Turner.
3) Magic Theatre Poetry Reading: February 19
A monthly series. Happens at 8:30 in the morning EST, I think because one of the organizers is based in Thailand.
#1 and #3 also have open mics, so if you ain’t coming for me, come to share your own work.
More info, including links to Zoom details, in the right sidebar or to come.
Also catch me live in Toronto in March at Bright Lit Big City (date and venue to be confirmed).
Now, some existential horror from Charles M. Schulz:
Bye.
No failure to launch
Posted by Jeff on Nov 1st, 2022 in News | 0 commentsStuff is happening. A lot of stuff is happening. And you can be a part of it.
Just came back from an exhausting European (well, mostly the U.K.) book tour with Australian poet Skylar J. Wynter and her designer Neshka Turner. We entertained a few people in Birmingham, Belfast, Paris, Leeds, Leicester, Derry, Donegal, Worcester and the Peterborough region (not to be confused with Peterborough, Ontario). The Decent Beings will return… maybe next year? Maybe Australia? We’ve yet to start planning.
[EDIT: I was also interviewed (with Mel Bradley) on BBC Radio during the trip!
You can listen to it here until November 25 or so. Our segment starts at about 18:00.]
Also: my novel Hate Story is now available in stores!
Well… a store. If you find yourself in Derry, Northern Ireland in the near future, check out Little Acorns Bookstore on Foyle Street. They now have a few copies of my book, and also of SHINE by Skylar and Neshka.
But we’ll sort that out later. Because it’s November, and I have to tell you about a few things.
1) Tonight: the world premiere of Something Funny Going On
Dane Ince of Eye Publish Ewe (based in San Francisco) is launching an online streaming poetry series, and tonight (November 1) is the debut of the humour episode – featuring me, Bobby Miele, and Alan Harris. More info at this link.
2) November 26: Winter Warmer Festival 2022
I’m honoured to have been asked to perform at this annual Cork, Ireland poetry festival… via Zoom.
For the second straight year, the festival has gone hybrid (i.e. both live and virtual) so people outside the geographical area can take part. General info on the fest is available at this link; I will be performing on the Saturday.
3) December 1: Bright Lit, Big City
I’ll be one of the features at this bimonthly live fiction series at Hirut, in the former East York. More info to come.
But the most important of all is coming on Sunday, November 13:
I am holding a live launch event of my debut novel, Hate Story, at Hirut.
Ivy Reiss will host. Guest performers will include authors Heather Babcock, Monica S. Kuebler and Timothy Carter and singer-songwriters Kari Maaren, Sean Peever and Neil Traynor, and there will be a Q&A session with the host and the audience.
This event will also be the official launch of the limited-edition HARDCOVER version of the novel!
(It may also be an unofficial birthday party. We’ll see.)
If you’re in the Toronto area, just click “Going” on the Facebook event page linked here.
And if you missed the Zoom launch of the book back in March (featuring an impressive lineup of local and international guest performers), and you’ve got two-and-a-half hours free, watch the recording on YouTube here:
Be there or have four corners. There are no other options. See you soon.
Remember, remember, what’s happening in September
Posted by Jeff on Aug 30th, 2022 in News | 0 commentsCouple of small things coming up in the next month, but first…
1) I was recently interviewed by The Artisanal Writer, a website that explores writers and their inspirations. Debbie Bateman asked me some smart, challenging questions about Hate Story.
You can read the interview at this link.
(You have to register with the website to read the content, but it’s free and easy.)
2) Hate Story received a nice review in the U.K. lit journal Dream Catcher – written by Amina Alyal, co-organizer of Leeds-area reading series WordSpace (in which I featured in 2018).
The mag content is not online, but here’s the review photographed from the journal itself.
And now for that couple of small things.
1) Next Tuesday night, I’ll once again be one of the guests on HOWL, the long-running literary radio series, once hosted by the late Nik Beat. This time, Valentino Assenza is interviewing me about Hate Story in a prerecorded interview.
Toronto-area folks can tune in on CIUT 89.5 FM.
Outsiders, I believe, should be able to listen live through the station’s website.
2) On the 16th, Jammin’ on the One is back! The monthly improv jam returns to the Arts and Letters Club for the first time since the dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic. And I’ll be one of the featured performers, with spoken word and/or a reading from Hate Story, along with sketch from Arden Church and Alex Baird and possibly somebody else.
More info on the right sidebar. Make with the clicky.
I’ll leave you with a perfect song about a perfect day.
See you soon, alligoon.
CanLit AuthorFest is coming! And SpoFest too.
Posted by Jeff on Jul 29th, 2022 in News | 0 commentsAre you excited for August?
You better be. Because this is happening at the end of next week:
I’ll be sharing a stage, as well as a signing table, with a number of wonderful novelists and poets and more. Look, they even gave me my own individual ad:
You not only get to meet me… you also get to greet me. That alone is worth the price of admission, isn’t it?
But that’s not the only thing I’m doing over the next month.
On August 16, which you may already know is Elvis’ Death Day, I’ll have my next Zoom feature at the SpoFest Online series. This is a weekly poetry night with a unique structure, organized by James Bryant and based (I believe) in Missouri. This time, I’ll be sharing the virtual stage with Craig Firsdon and Lillian Necakov, while Virtual Fridays Dire Literary Series host Timothy Gager is the guest author. And there’ll be an open mic and other fun stuff.
No Facebook event page is set up yet, but there’s a general FB page at this link.
To get you in the AuthorFest mood, I’ll leave you with this interview I did with co-host Ivy Reiss more than three years ago…
La di da.
What? Another Zoom launch? But you just had one
Posted by Jeff on Jun 7th, 2022 in News | 0 commentsJune is a busy month. Busy, busy, busy, as the Bokononists say.
It’s been so busy that I didn’t even get a chance to update this website blog until almost a week into the month. Still recovering from a ten-day jaunt in Nashville and other places in mid-May, performing poetry and seeing all the sights I could handle.
First up, this Friday:
I’ll be hosting a live Zoom chat with my friend Skylar J. Wynter and her artist, Neshka Turner, about their new collaborative book SHINE.
The only catch is: it starts at 6:00 p.m. Western Australia time. This means that those of us in North America have to get up at a silly time to catch it (6:00 a.m. EST / 3:00 a.m. PST). If you’re in the U.K., you can watch if you’re not at work Friday morning (11:00 a.m.). Such is the complexity of globalization.
Register for a free ticket at this link.
But it’s not the only Zoom event for which I have to get up at that time this month.
On July 1, Dragonfly Publishing is hosting a launch for both SHINE and my own novel, Hate Story. Hosted by Lisa Wolstenholme, with special guest performers Special K (from Richmond, Virginia) and Paul R. Kohn (from Perth).
I know – I already had a Zoom launch for Hate Story in March.
But while that was at a reasonable time for North America and Europe folks, it was at a silly time for Australians, and Dragonfly is an Australian press. So this will be at a more sensible Australian time.
But wait… there’s more!
This weekend, I’ll have a table at the famous Word On The Street outdoor book festival, which is back in Queen’s Park after a long pandemic absence.
Look for me in Indie Alley, at Booth E21A. I’ll be selling copies not only of Hate Story, but also of my 2015 CD This Album Is NIT FENNY!. Hopefully, for the love of Bob, it won’t rain. Here’s a map if you need it.
I think that’s all for now. More fun events coming in August. Stay tuned.
Here’s some Kate Bush for the kids:
Happy spring.
April news brings May shoes
Posted by Jeff on Apr 2nd, 2022 in News | 0 commentsIt’s here!
Hate Story is now officially available for purchase. Look for my debut novel on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Booktopia (Australia) and other online booksellers. If you can’t be bothered to search on your own, please refer to my last blog entry for some links.
If you missed the big Zoom launch party on March 19, you missed a damn good time.
But you can still watch it! I’ve uploaded the recording to YouTube:
I forgot to mention last month that I was recently interviewed on the podcast Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing, hosted by Mark Leslie Lefebvre. We discussed Hate Story, spoken word, and the dangers of bad writing workshops. Listen here (the actual interview begins at about 14:45):
And The South Shore Review just posted a review of my book… by Paul Shoreditch!
Yes, the fictional dead guy from the novel wrote the review. Read it here.
And… I also have publication news.
An excerpt from my poem “Vanilla Ice Cream People” is going to appear in this year’s Brownstone Poets anthology (based in Brooklyn), due for publication in June.
And I also have some work in The Five Words XV, put out by the Ó Bhéal poetry series in Cork, Ireland. This is an annual anthology of entries from the series’ Five Words competition… in which you write a poem on the spot containing five words suggested by the audience. (Sort of like poetry improv.)
The official launch for this anthology is on April 11, in a hybrid event (i.e. both live and on Zoom). I’m not entirely sure I can make the launch, as it’s at 3:30 p.m. EST, when I’m supposed to be in the office at my day job… but we’ll see.
Anything else?
Oh, at least one book fair in June. Maybe two. More on that later.
I’ll leave you with a brief audio flashback to the days when Saturday Night Live was still somewhat funny.
Have a happy.
Something’s coming. Something good.
Posted by Jeff on Mar 5th, 2022 in News | 0 commentsIt’s almost here!
Hate Story is coming!
Actually, in a way, it already is here.
My debut novel is currently available for pre-order, at the following links:
You may be sick of hearing about the big Zoom launch party, but it’s coming soon – two weeks from today.
Not only will this event promote Hate Story; it will also showcase a talented lineup of guest readers (and one musician). Canada, the U.K., Australia, the U.S. – we’ve got the world covered. Or at least, the English-speaking world. And there’ll be a movie quiz! You can win a free copy of the book.
And the Hate Story Blog Tour continues. I’ve made five stops so far:
“Jeff Cottrill on the inspiration for Hate Story” (Life with More Cowbell)
“Who’s That Girl? Meet Jackie Roberts” (LisaWolstenholme.com)
“Frank Capra: A Master of Comedy and Social Awareness” (Meet Me at the Soda Fountain)
“Exclusive! An Author Gets Interviewed… by His Character” (LizzieViolet.com)
“Hate Story: What’s Not to Love?”, blog review by Skylar J. Wynter (SkylarJWynter.com)
WHAT DID PAUL SHOREDITCH DO?
* * * * *
And if you can’t hold out until the 19th to see me read from my book…
The night before, I’m one of the performers in the Ad Lib Talent Show – Hybrid Edition. It’s both live, at the Arts and Letters Club in downtown Toronto, and on Zoom, and it’ll be my first in-person gig in more than two years. (This was supposed to take place in December, but got moved to Zoom-only because of the stupid Omicron variant.) More details to come.
I’ll leave you with this cool footage of the campus where I got my Master’s – but as it looked nearly a century ago:
Farewell.
Gestalt? I hardly even know Walt.
Posted by Jeff on Feb 5th, 2022 in News | 0 commentsGot another big Zoom feature later this month.
More on that below… but first:
WHAT DID PAUL SHOREDITCH DO?
My debut novel, Hate Story, is coming soon from Dragonfly Publishing.
As I mentioned in the last post, the official Zoom launch party is set for the afternoon (EST) of Saturday, March 19.
Remember a few years ago, when people were saying that Avengers: Infinity War was going to be the biggest crossover event in history?
Not anymore. We’ve got a bigger one here. How’s this for a lineup of guest performers?
SPOKEN WORD BY:
HEATHER BABCOCK (Toronto, Canada)
SKYLAR J. WYNTER (Perth, Australia)
SPECIAL K (Richmond, U.S.A.)
CATHY CARSON (Northern Ireland)
TIMOTHY CARTER (Toronto, Canada)
CLIVE OSEMAN (Swindon, England)
KELLY VAN NELSON (Sydney, Australia)
MUSIC BY:
JAMIE MCCORMICK (Scotland)
KRAKEN NOT STIRRED (Toronto, Canada)
That’s right. An international smorgasbord of art. (And Heather is going to be the official launcher too.)
If you can’t wait for the official launch: I’m currently on a “Blog Tour” to promote the book.
Here are the three stops I’ve already made:
“Jeff Cottrill on the inspiration for Hate Story” (Life with More Cowbell)
“Who’s That Girl? Meet Jackie Roberts” (LisaWolstenholme.com)
“Frank Capra: A Master of Comedy and Social Awareness” (Meet Me at the Soda Fountain)
*****
And now: I’m featuring at Gestalt Poetry (based in Nashville) in a few weeks.
Hosted by Amy Hoskins. It’s an open mic, so bring your own stuff too. More specific info on the right sidebar.
And since John Williams is celebrating his ninetieth birthday on Tuesday, here’s one of his many masterpieces.
Be nice and stuff, Mac. Bye.
Mark March 19 on your calendar. Now.
Posted by Jeff on Jan 17th, 2022 in News | 0 commentsHere’s why:
The official Zoom launch party.
Hosted by Lisa Wolstenholme of Dragonfly Publishing, with special guest readings/performances by Heather Babcock, Skylar J. Wynter, Timothy Carter, Kraken Not Stirred… and more TBA!
In the meantime, here’s another reminder that I’m going to be one of six readers in the next Paper Teller Diorama anthology reading on January 22.
My experimental poem “How to Make Money in Poetry” appeared in this book, put out last August by Great Weather for Media in New York City. The press has been holding monthly Zoom events, including this one, featuring readings from contributors. I’ll be joined by fellow poets SaraEve Fermin, Erica Hoffmeister, Myles Taylor, Andres Vaamonde and Carl Watson.
You can join the Zoom for this event… or you can watch it on Facebook Live. Either works.
And you can buy Paper Teller Diorama at this link.
And now, just because I feel like it:
Happy snow month.