This Saturday, I’m an Indigo Boy

Posted by Jeff on Feb 17th, 2026 in News | 0 comments

Still busy getting the word out about my new novel, Performance Reviews.
If you’re in the Toronto area, and you want to buy the book, but you don’t want to support Amazon… well, you’re in luck, you are.

This Saturday, I’m doing an event at Indigo (Bay/Bloor location, by the Manulife Centre).
Starting at noon, they’re letting me have a table where I can promote the book and sell it, and even sign it for folks after they buy it. Drop by anytime and say hey. I plan to be there until I either run out of copies or get bored.

If you want to go to the Indigo thing, but can’t…
I’ll be doing another one at Coles (Beach location) on March 7, starting around 10:30 in the morning. And here’s a little secret I’ll tell you about the Coles event: if I sell more than ten copies of Performance Reviews, they’ll let me stock a few copies in the store for a while, on consignment. So tell your book-loving friends. And if you already have the book, well, it also makes a great gift…

But that’s not all.

I’ve already told you Performance Reviews is available from Book City’s Beach location.
And now… you can also get it at two other Book City locations:

Book City in Greektown (Danforth near Chester station)

Book City in midtown (Yonge near St. Clair)

And Performance Reviews is also available at Queen Books (Queen East near Carlaw).

One more thing:
Remember back when I won the MoonLit Getaway short-fiction contest, and I mentioned that a second story, “CanLit Book Club”, was shortlisted in the same contest, and would be published on the website in February?

Well. Now it’s February. And here’s the story.
Feel free to forward it to any snobbish CanLit gatekeeper types you may know. Let’s see if they’re capable of laughing at themselves.

In the meantime, “The Madness East of St. George” (the contest winner) is going to be in MoonLit Getaway’s upcoming anthology, Harvest Moon, Volume Two. More info to come on that.

I think that’s it for now.
In the meantime, I miss Catherine O’Hara, don’t you? Here’s one of my all-time favourite SCTV bits, a brilliant Ingmar Bergman parody, with O’Hara prominently featured:

Take a tizzy. Also, leave a tizzy.

Everybody / Loves a winner / So you have to love me…

Posted by Jeff on Jan 26th, 2026 in News | 0 comments

I’ll get to Saturday’s book fair and a few other things in a moment, but first…

That’s right. I won the MoonLit Getaway short-fiction contest this year.
“The Madness East of St. George” beat all other contenders. They gave me money and everything.

You can read the story online here.

But wait! There’s more!

I submitted two short stories to the same contest, and the second one, “CanLit Book Club”, was shortlisted. That one’ll be published online on February 16, they tell me. No money for this one though.

I’ll keep you posted on that. Assuming anybody reads this bloody website.

*****

This Saturday, I’ll be back at the annual Sharp Words book fair in Hamilton.

Same times, same venue (Bridgeworks). But this year, I’ll have two novels for sale – my new one, Performance Reviews, and my 2022 debut, Hate Story. Hopefully we won’t get snowed in like last year. Maybe Mère Nature decided to get it all out of her system yesterday.

*****

Performance Reviews is still available at Book City in the Beach, and I’m in the process of arranging events and/or consignment at other Toronto bookstores. Stay tuned. And look out for my upcoming Echo Poetry feature at the Only Cafe in April.

Speaking of yesterday’s snowstorm… here’s some advice from Messrs. Parker and Stone.

Happy shovelling.

Dance with the devil in the pale MoonLit?

Posted by Jeff on Nov 30th, 2025 in News | 0 comments

It’s here!

It’s TODAY!

That’s right. The launch party for my new novel, Performance Reviews, is happening tonight at Foy House, a lovely 19th Century mansion downtown.
More details on the poster:

There’s even a Facebook event page set up (for both the launch and an afternoon open mic), if you want to join it and make your friends feel envious.

But that’s not all!

If you can’t make the launch, you can still buy Performance Reviews online.
I’ve set up some snappy new links on BookLinker:

Canada

U.S.

U.K.

Australia

But that’s not all!

If you don’t want to support Amazon, and you also don’t want to interact with me personally for some reason, but you still want to buy the book… it’s now available at Book City’s Beach location! (Queen & Woodbine)

And I’m in the process of getting Performance Reviews on consignment at other brick-and-mortar stores in Toronto. Stay tuned.

But that’s not all!

To top it all off… I’m a finalist in this year’s MoonLit Getaway short-fiction contest!

The winners and runners-up will be announced on December 8.
My understanding is that my entry (maybe both of them?) will be published in Moonlit whether I win or not. Again, stay tuned.

Finally, I’ll leave you with Jack Paar walking off the Tonight Show following censorship. Still relevant today.

See you in the funny papers, Jimbo.

Performance Reviews is here! Now available online!

Posted by Jeff on Nov 12th, 2025 in News | 0 comments

It’s here! It’s now!

The moment you probably haven’t been waiting for, but it’s here whether you want it or not!

Yes. My second novel, Performance Reviews, is now available for purchase on Amazon.com.

Buy it here. Buy it now.
Amazon link

Want a preview? Sure you do. Alien Buddha Press, the publisher, has posted this video of me reading the first part of Chapter Four:

And if you’re in Ottawa, you’re in luck:
I’m going to be back in Ottawa on November 22 to promote Performance Reviews (and my debut novel, Hate Story) at the Small Press Book Fair.

But wait. There’s more.

We’re having a big launch party on Sunday, November 30 at Foy House!
It’s a lovely nineteenth-century mansion downtown that puts on lots of literary events, sometimes with free snacks and drinks. We’re going to kick off with guest performances by authors Heather Babcock, Heather Wood and Timothy Carter and singer-songwriters Sean Peever and Neil Traynor. Georgia Wilder hosts. Free event, but donations to the venue are highly encouraged.

Foy House is located at 92 Isabella Street, near Yonge and Bloor.
Show starts at 6:00 p.m. I hear rumours there’ll be free snackies for those who arrive between 5:00 and 6:00.

Feeling nostalgic? The first time I had a book launch for a novel was way back in March 2022, when Hate Story was released. And it’s on video! Watch the Zoom launch here:

Happy day, Wavy Lay.

October, and the trees are striped bare…

Posted by Jeff on Oct 16th, 2025 in News | 0 comments

Is October supposed to be a busy month? I know it’s the scary one.
I spent most of the first half of the month in Greece, walking in the steps of Socrates and Sophocles and a lot of other ancient “es” people. Now I’m back, and I’ve got three (3) events coming in the second half of the month.

More on these events in a second, but first:

COMING IN NOVEMBER!

That’s right, my new novel Performance Reviews is officially out in less than a month, from Alien Buddha Press.
It’s a dark satire of workplace toxicity… if I may generalize. Just imagine Office Space meets Taxi Driver.

You should be able to buy it online starting November 12.
I’m also hoping to have copies to bring to the next Ottawa Small Press Fair and a possible event in Montreal (not yet confirmed). More info on launch events to come.

But before the book comes out:

1) MAGIC THEATRE POETRY ON ZOOM

October 26 will mark my third time featuring at the Magic Theatre Poetry series on Zoom, hosted by Valerie Parker. And this time, my reading is being funded by the Canada Council for the Arts through the Writers’ Union of Canada.

My feature will be followed by an open mic, and discussion is plentiful at these events.
Bring some of your own poetry to share with an international audience.

2) MINSTRELS & BARDS: HALLOWEEN EDITION

Brenda Clews is bringing back her Minstrels & Bards event on October 29 at the Tranzac. I’ll be one of the features. I think George Elliott Clarke is another one, and there’ll be a limited open mic too.
Costumes are highly encouraged.

3) AD LIB TALENT NIGHT

I’m performing with a bunch of other folks on October 31 at the Arts & Letters Club.
Kind of a quasi-private event, but you can come if you buy a drink or two.

For more specific info on these events, check the Events section of this website.
(They don’t appear on the right sidebar anymore, for some reason)

Also, I recently had pieces published in two anthologies:
“I Know You Must Hate Me”, in Indigo Dreams Publishing’s <i>Monstrous</i> (care of Leeds Trinity University in Leeds, England) and a shorter version of “Lazy Book Reports” in this year’s Brownstone Poets anthology (Brooklyn, New York). Both books are now available online.

Is that everything? I’m sure I missed something important.
For now, I’ll leave you with a Siouxsie.

Adios, Poindexter.

The Word on the Street is… new book coming soon!

Posted by Jeff on Sep 20th, 2025 in News | 0 comments

Been about five-and-a-half months since I’ve posted here?
Not that anyone’s noticed. Not even I.

A few things coming up over the next couple of months, but I’ll save the biggest for last.

Next weekend:
I’ll be back at the annual Word on the Street festival, selling copies of my debut novel Hate Story. This year, they’ve moved it to David Pecaut Square on King Street West – and according to the map, it looks as if I’ll be sharing a space with the League of Canadian Poets.

I’ve reduced the price of the book slightly, to $15.
So if that extra three dollars was too much of a hassle for you before, well, this solves everything.

On top of that, I’ll also be back at the Ottawa Small Press Book Fair in November… and waiting to hear back about another possible event in Montreal that month.

On October 26, I’ll be featuring online once again at the Magic Theatre poetry series… and this time, my reading is sponsored by the Writers’ Union of Canada.

 

More on the October and November events later. Now, the really important news.

*****

COMING SOON:

My new novel, Performance Reviews, is coming soon from Alien Buddha Press.

More info to come on launch dates, where to get the book, and other stuff.

Now? Cinema.

Bye.

National and international poetry for National Poetry Month

Posted by Jeff on Apr 6th, 2025 in News | 0 comments

April is National Poetry Month in Canada!
Remember to be a good boy, or girl, or whatever, so the ghost of John McCrae can leave a stanza in your stocking. Then you can eat a big turkey dinner with your family while analyzing the poetry with Northrop Frye lit theory.

I’m involved in two online poetry events this month. Well, only one of them is actually based in Canada. But the other one is not American, so I’m not a traitor.

1. Ó Bhéal’s eighteenth-anniversary event – and launch of the eighteenth Five Words Anthology

Ó Bhéal, a long-running poetry organization in Cork, Ireland, is having its last hybrid event on the 14th. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of that community, however distant, for the last four or five years – attending its monthly hybrid event over Zoom. I even featured live at the series in Cork last November, and also performed virtually at its Winter Warmer Festival in 2022.

The event is also the launch of the eighteenth Five Words Anthology, in which I have three silly poems – all written in fifteen minutes and based on five words from the audience. The main features will be the three chosen Five Words competition winners for the year, and I assume I’ll be reading too, as at previous launches.

2. Oakville Literary Cafe

Back in Canada, I’ll be the feature at the Oakville Literary Cafe, in a few weeks. I won’t be going to Oakville, which is a convenient GO Train ride away, but performing over Zoom again. Followed by a brief open mic.

More info at the links on the right sidebar.

Finally, for National Poetry Month, here’s a classic gem from Leonard Cohen.
Just be thankful it isn’t “Hallelujah”.

Take off, eh.

Off to see Hamilton. The city, not the musical.

Posted by Jeff on Feb 3rd, 2025 in News | 0 comments

Two events you ought to know about this month. If there is a “you” reading this.

1) Hannah’s Bookshelf

Manchester writer and radio host Hannah Kate has featured me on her radio show a couple of times before – first, an interview with Skylar Wynter, Neshka Turner and me before our first Decent Beings tour; and second, a recorded performance of two poems in 2023. And now, we’re doing a catch-up interview, airing this Saturday.

We’ll talk about poetry tours, my (still untitled) new novel, and more.
It airs live on North Manchester FM locally, as well as online; you can listen in at the link on the right sidebar. I’m sure there will be a recording available online afterwards.

2) Sharp Words

I exhibited at this Hamilton book fair last year, and it was far from a disaster, so I’m doing it again.
If you don’t have a copy yet of my debut novel Hate Story, and you live in the Hamilton area or are perfectly willing to go there, this is the ideal opportunity to get it.

I’ll leave you with a little farewell to the recently departed David Lynch.
I often don’t *get* Lynch, I admit, but his work was always interesting, and maybe we’re not supposed to get it anyway. This here may be his finest moment.

That gum you like is going to come back in style.

I pledge impertinence to the flag-waving of the unindicted co-conspirators of America…

Posted by Jeff on Jan 13th, 2025 in News | 0 comments

It’s 2025 already. And before the Trump administration sends the troops to annex us as the fifty-first state (or Poilievre gets elected and hands us over), I’ve got one last event to plug…

Tomorrow night, I’m the Feature Artist at the weekly Time to Arrive event on Zoom.
At least, that’s what the fancy picture says.

Open mic to follow my set, so bring some poetry or prose of your own to share.
More info on the Facebook event page. Zoom link accessible via the event listing on the right sidebar.

At the end of the month, I’ll also be performing (live this time) at the Arts and Letters Club in downtown Toronto, at Ad Lib’s Got Talent – the annual show for host Damon Lum’s birthday.
Kind of a semi-private event, but the club permits non-member guests on Friday nights, so be my guest.

*****

You might know that I was recently across the pond again. This time, I went everywhere from northern Scotland to southern Ireland over more than three weeks.
This included a live appearance at the internationally renowned Ó Bhéal series in Cork (which is, unfortunately, ending in a few months). It’s a hybrid series (i.e. live and on Zoom) and was also streamed live online. If you missed it, here’s the recording. I think I did pretty well considering I had a sore throat and my voice wasn’t at a hundred percent. I blame two previous nights of karaoke in Liverpool.

And one more video…
You may also know that I’ve been dabbling in stand-up comedy over the past year-and-a-half. Here’s my set at Comedy Bar’s PRO class showcase a few months ago.
(And I got paid for it! I didn’t even know at the time that it was a paid gig. We all got a share of the box office. When they say PRO, they mean it.)

Farewell, my concubines.

Word up, Hot Mic / Lots of stuff you’re gonna like

Posted by Jeff on Sep 26th, 2024 in News | 0 comments

Busy month coming up. Busy in a good way, I hope.

First, this weekend, I’ll be exhibiting once again at Word on the Street, Toronto’s annual outdoor book fest.
And I’ll have an actual table this year! Yes, I won’t have to busk like last year. They actually found and processed my application this time. Huzzah.

Look for me in Section C, just south of St. Joseph Street.
I’ll be selling copies of my novel Hate Story (mostly paperback). If you already have it, why not buy another one as a gift?

Second: for four Tuesdays in October, you can catch me attempting performing stand-up comedy at Hot Mic, at Comedy Bar Danforth (the east location).
I’ll be joined by other recent grads of the Comedy Bar PRO stand-up class. Each feature lineup is followed by a “bucket” open mic. And on the 8th, I’ll even be hosting the open mic. Huzzah again.

Tickets and other info available via the links on the right sidebar.

If you want a sense of the type of shenanigans you’re in for when you catch me trying doing stand-up, here’s a video of my Advanced showcase performance back in July:

Eat lead, Einstein.