(This is one of only two snapshots, the only photo images I’ve got, of my own mother, who died in 1979. That feels inconceivable in this age of digital photography, where I rattled off several shots of my cats today alone.)

GENERAL CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Dear All,

We (Marion Witz and Carol Krenz) are creating an anthology entitled Lessons I Learned From My Mother, a collection of stories, anecdotes, plays, notes, essays, poetry and assorted vignettes that recall various pieces of wisdom and observations we absorbed from our mothers in early childhood and well beyond.

The book will document personal thoughts and memories that touch on humour, drama, compassion and other aspects of the mother-child experience and we invite you to share your stories with us.

Our focus is based on the unique ways people learned from their mothers, often without even realizing it, or perhaps, in typical rebellious fashion, how they rejected many lessons in youth, only to rediscover their merits later on.

We welcome stories (real or fictional) that illustrate how those lessons made an impact – how they changed or coloured lives for the better. Regardless of the complex relationships we have with our mothers, how did we emerge? Perhaps by examining our mothers’ challenges and the arcs of their lives, we developed compassion, humour, kindness and patience in living ours.

Lessons I Learned From My Mother will contain the accumulated wisdom of hundreds of daughters and sons and provide real-life observations from first-hand accounts that are uniquely inspiring.

Contributors are encouraged to write about any subject. Our chapters include such topics as: VALUES, HONESTY, LOVE, KINDNESS, LEADERSHIP, DISCIPLINE, FAMILY, MORALITY, STRENGTH, HUMOUR, PRACTICALITY, COURAGE, PARENTING, SEX.
All contributions are strictly voluntary. Your work will be fully credited (byline) and listed in the Acknowledgements. Additionally, each contributor will receive an author’s copy of the book.
Our sincerest thanks,
Marion Witz and Carol Krenz

GUIDELINES AND DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS:

1. Submit one or two stories, vignettes or essays (about 800 words each to max. 1500) – you may suggest longer works, subject to editorial review.

2. Manuscripts may be double-spaced in Word format, or pasted into the body of your email, with your name, home address, phone number and email address on the upper left corner. Your age is not mandatory, although we’d welcome it.
This call for submissions is open to everyone over the age of 18.
DEADLINE is December 1, 2010

3. If your work is accepted, we will forward a Permissions slip for signature.

4. ** Send electronic submissions and documents to:

Carol Krenz – carolkrenz@gmail.com

** Please write SUBMISSIONS in your email subject header.

I used to go to more literary readings, and at one point had resolved to draw a portrait of every author I had witnessed read. That resolution went by the boards a while ago, but I still draw at readings when the mood takes me. This was from an event called the “Literary Luau” at the Blue Metropolis Author’s festival, last Saturday night. I hate the microphones that always intrude in a certain way, and are a feature of many of these drawings.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take down names of who was reading (there are also a couple of people from the audience). So, it just becomes a couple of pages of character faces and random words from books. I’ll try to be more diligent, next time.

This is kind of cool, if deranged. Drawn with a set of colour ball point pens. Reminds me a little of Louis Wain’s cats, but I haven’t completely gone around the bend yet. Writing an odd script for a science fiction comic story. It would be nice to finish that, and actually do something of it. I feel like starting to draw it right away. But I want to get further along in the story, to see if there is a story there. Already, it’s going places I wouldn’t have thought. But, they’re interesting places.

I’ve really had trouble getting work going that isn’t just for a paycheck. But I don’t just want to be a freelance drone, working on other people’s projects. I want to get out some stories of my own. In whatever form. Some of those forms might be surprising, in the future, if I can get certain projects off the ground.

At the moment, they’re just in my head. But it’s a new year, and I have no idea what i’ll be doing for most of it. That’s the kind of life this is.

There weren’t many art writers working in English in Montreal. So, during the few times I ran into him, at an art opening, or on the street, we could chat and share experiences. Funny, but what we most seemed to share were the occasional mistakes: getting a name wrong, for instance, or some fact. I think, since I was in the same business, he could confess sins to me without fear of judgment.

It’s not always easy being an art critic. Artists and galleries rely on you to get the word out about their shows, but don’t want your opinion to get in the way. On the other hand, readers and editors want an exciting story, or at least to learn a little about art in this city. Hard making a living writing about art, and Lehman did that, for a while. Now he joins the pantheon.

Sad, because Sonja, along with her partner Geof, who ran Zymergy Magazine, plus a poetry press, were among my first and longest-running literary friends in Montreal. They sort of picked me up when I went to an open reading, having just gotten to the city and didn’t know anyone. The crowd didn’t receive my Calgary short stories very well, but those two took me in. Very funny and strange people. With fingers in a lot of pies in the Montreal lit community. It’s difficult to think of Sonja without Geof, Geof without Sonja. They were a duality.

Anyhow, now that she’s gone, I think she’s joined that pantheon of dead poets that I remember. Ruth Taylor, Artie Gold, Robert Allen. They’re purified now, in memory. Unhappy I won’t see her again, but there are those memories. Dinners at Amelio’s Pizza, her crazy cats. Driving around Montreal, and hearing stories of the oddballs who submitted to her poetry press.

She was very private and urban, almost agoraphobic. Still, I mostly ran into her with Geof downtown in shopping malls, which show up in her poems a lot. (see link below)

http://www.coraclepress.com/chapbooks/skarstedt/abundances.html

Anyways, that’s it. I’m not so sure about an afterlife, reincarnation, or heaven, but she lives on in the memories of those who knew her.

Nice article from the Gazette about Sonja: http://www.montrealgazette.com/health/Sonja+Skarstedt+definitely+Montreal+poet/1864470/story.html

I wish I could find this Gazette “Lifestyle” photo spread from the 90s showing Montreal women poets, including Sonja, wearing the latest fashions. Good for a giggle, anyhow.

Nora Small Cat ™ has her own filing system, of which she is very proud. Actually, she was unhappy when I sealed away my own files, because she had a habit of shredding them to make a little hideaway. So I made her a decoy box of scrap paper, and she’s happy with that, because she can’t read.

I’m happy, because I also dealt with the piles of paper that were spread everywhere around here threatening to overwhelm. Putting them into one big pile, and then sorting that into easy-to-remember (I hope) categories, which then go into their own folders inside the cabinet.

This something exciting which I’ve been sitting on. But the embargo is over, so i can tell you about it now. Background on the court case here: http://erdc.ca, (UPDATE: and check “News and Announcements” for an impromptu history of the action thus far.) It’s taken us about 12 years to get to this step (one of the other side’s tactics was to delay, and we’ve had our own setbacks on our side). This is “authorization,” which means the Quebec Supreme court recognises that we have a case. Now it can go to trial.

It’s an historic time for Canadian freelancers!

Here’s the press release:

QUEBEC SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO CLASS ACTION OVER ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION RIGHTS

Link to judgment (in English) http://www.jugements.qc.ca/ (Search for
Superior Court decisions in March 2009 (cour superieure, keyword: ERDC)

Here’s a link from another blog which talks about the hearing which led to the decision, over a year ago: [link]

Link to New York Times Obituary

I grew up with his writing. At one time, tried to read everything he wrote. That would be difficult, considering his rate of production. Still, with all his faults, and his establishmentarianism, he was one of my heroes.

She’s never far
When dinner time is near.

Soon, I’m ready to serve
This nasty-smelling meal.

by jack ruttan

I think Wallace Stevens would be trembling in his boots — if he wasn’t dead.

Here’s a slideshow of the cats playing around.