12 or 20 questions, second series

From September 2007 to June 2008, to correspond with my time in Edmonton as writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta, I asked some two hundred writers from North America and beyond a series of similar questions, to see what their answers might be. The result was one hundred and seventy-five responses by one hundred and seventy-five poets, fiction and non-fiction authors from Canada, The United States and England, stretched out over a period of nine or ten months, ending with my own answers to same. Being that I an engaged with a number of writers in Ottawa, I tried to interview as many of them as possible, and as many in Alberta as well, working to learn the community around me in Edmonton, during my tenure west. Much to my surprise, some of the first series of interviews have been taught in University courses, and a couple were even reprinted in a recent issue of Montreal’s Matrix magazine, thanks to editors Andy Brown and Jon Paul Fiorentino. Some have suggested there should be a book version of the series, but why, I wonder, when they’re all already online? And who would want to publish a collection of literary interviews that could run into the hundreds of pages?

This second series, created to correspond with an upcoming period of Toronto activity, is an altered version of those same questions. The goal is the same, to see the range of answers from poets, fiction and non-fiction writers, aiming for a completely different set of authors from the original series, as well as a variety of new questions to replace the original “non-sequitor” question thirteen, provided by Lainna Lane El Jabi. The original question thirteen was lifted from Ellen Degeneres, speaking to David Letterman on his Late Show in late August 2007 about being a talk-show host, and not necessarily caring about their new movie, new television program, new project; sometimes you just want to ask them, she told him, when’s the last time you ate a pear? To replace this question, Lainna has provided a series of about a dozen new questions, which will change randomly from author to author.

Thanks to Lainna for providing new questions, and to Clelia Scala and Amy Logan Holmes at Open Book Toronto, publishing some of these interviews on-line as well.

; Moez Surani, Kingston ON: December 7, 2009 ; David Helwig, Eldon PEI: December 5, 2009 ; Maleea Acker, Victoria BC: December 2, 2009 ; Peter Jaeger, London England: November 30, 2009 ; Mark Sinnett, Kingston ON: November 27, 2009 ; Lisa Pasold, Toronto ON: November 26, 2009 ; Shannon Bramer, Toronto ON: November 12, 2009 ; Rhonda Waterfall, Vancouver BC: November 8, 2009 ; Jacob Scheier, New York NY: November 7, 2009 ; Barry Dempster, Toronto (York Region) ON: November 6, 2009 ; Lesley Yalen, Northampton MA: November 5, 2009 ; Tony Burgess, Stayner ON: November 4, 2009 ; Rosie Chard, Winnipeg MB: November 1, 2009 ; Joe Rosenblatt, Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island BC: October 31, 2009 ; Chris Hutchinson, Kelowna BC: October 30, 2009 ; Theanna Bischoff, Toronto ON: October 28, 2009 ; Graeme Gibson, Toronto ON: October 27, 2009 ; Angela Hibbiss, Toronto ON: October 23, 2009 ; Richard Truhlar, Toronto ON: October 21, 2009 ; Natalie Zina Walschots, Toronto ON: October 20, 2009 ; Karen Connelly, Greece/Toronto ON: October 18, 2009 ; Sarah de Leeuw, Prince George BC: October 17, 2009 ; Norma Cole, San Francisco CA: October 16, 2009 ; Brian Fawcett, Toronto ON: October 14, 2009 ; Emily Schultz, Toronto ON: October 13, 2009 ; Amy Jones, Toronto ON: October 11, 2009 ; Damian Rogers, Toronto ON: October 10, 2009; Cara Benson, NY: October 9, 2009 ; Joshua Trotter, Montreal QC: October 7, 2009 ; Michael Crummey, St. John's NF: October 6, 2009 ; Stephen Rowe, St. John's NF: October 4, 2009 ; Sean Dixon, Toronto ON: October 2, 2009 ; Michael Turner, Vancouver BC: October 2, 2009 ; Andrew Faulkner, Toronto ON: October 1, 2009 ; Chris Ewart, Vancouver BC: September 28, 2009 ; Tonja Gunvaldsen Klaassen, Halifax NS: September 27, 2009 ; Alexandra Leggat, Toronto ON: September 26, 2009 ; Joyelle McSweeney, Notre Dame IN: September 24, 2009 ; Andrew Steinmetz, Ottawa ON: September 23, 2009 ; Anik See, Canada/Holland: September 22, 2009 ; Betsy Struthers, Peterborough ON: September 21, 2009 ; Pearl Pirie, Ottawa ON: September 20, 2009 ; DM Bryan, Calgary AB: September 19, 2009 ; Lea Graham, Poughkeepsie NY: September 18, 2009 ; Kemeny Babineau, Mount Pleasant ON: September 17, 2009 ; Troy Jollimore, CA: September 16, 2009 ; Arjun Basu, Montreal QC: September 15, 2009 ; Angela Szczepaniak, Toronto ON: September 14, 2009 ; Shaindel Beers, Pendleton, Oregon: September 8, 2009 ; Peter Richardson, Gatineau QC: September 7, 2009 ; Sawako Nakayasu, San Diego CA: September 6, 2009 ; Camille Martin, Toronto ON: September 5, 2009 ; Bill Brown, Ottawa ON: September 4, 2009 ; Brenda Niskala, Regina SK: September 3, 2009 ; Gillian Wigmore, Prince George BC: September 2, 2009 ; Ariel Gordon, Winnipeg MB: August 31, 2009 ; Saleema Nawaz, Montreal QC: August 30, 2009 ; Nichole McGill, Ottawa ON: August 29, 2009 ; Mike Spry, Montreal QC: August 28, 2009 ; Anselm Berrigan, New York NY: August 26, 2009 ; Jacqueline Larson, Toronto ON: August 23, 2009 ; John Kinsella, Jam Tree Gully AUS: August 21, 2009 ; Alice Zorn, Montreal QC: August 16, 2009 ; Eva Moran, Toronto ON: August 15, 2009 ; Rae Armantrout, San Diego CA: August 14, 2009 ; Michelle Berry, Toronto ON: August 12, 2009 ; Ken Sparling, Toronto ON: August 12, 2009 ; Charles Bernstein, New York NY: August 10, 2009 ; Jonathan Ball, Calgary AB: August 9, 2009 ; Christine Leclerc, Vancouver BC: August 8, 2009 ; Roland Prevost, Ottawa ON: August 7, 2009 ; Gillian Sze, Toronto ON: August 6, 2009 ; Stephen Henighan, Guelph ON: August 3, 2009 ; Marina Endicott, Edmonton AB: August 2, 2009 ; Ronna Bloom, Toronto ON: July 30, 2009 ; Annabel Lyon, New Westminster BC: July 29, 2009 ; Tess Fragoulis, Montreal QC: July 28, 2009 ; G.C. Waldrep, Louisburg PA: July 26, 2009 ; Cameron Anstee, Ottawa ON: July 24, 2009 ; Arielle Greenberg, Chicago Il: July 23, 2009 ; Craig Poile, Ottawa ON: July 20, 2009 ; Johanna Skibsrud, Montreal QC: July 19, 2009 ; Kevin Killian, San Francisco CA: July 18, 2009 ; Jake Kennedy, Kelowna BC: July 16, 2009 ; Derek McCormack, Toronto ON: July 15, 2009 ; Lisa Robertson, CA: July 13, 2009 ; Beth Bachmann, Nashville TN: July 12, 2009 ; Rebecca Rosenblum, Toronto ON: July 11, 2009 ; Louis Cabri, Windsor ON: July 10, 2009 ; Eric Baus, Denver CO: July 8, 2009 ; Jonathan Bennett, Peterborough ON: July 7, 2009 ; Mary Pinkoski, Edmonton AB: July 6, 2009 ; Marcus McCann, Ottawa ON: July 3, 2009 ; Forrest Gander, Providence RI: July 2, 2009 ; Tim Conley, St. Catharine's ON: June 30, 2009 ; Oana Avasilichioaei, Montreal QC: June 28, 2009 ; Peter Norman, Halifax NS: June 26, 2009 ; Kate Eichhorn, Brooklyn NY: June 25, 2009 ; Zachariah Wells, Vancouver BC: June 24, 2009 ; Asher Ghaffar, Toronto ON: June 22, 2009 ; Jeanette Lynes, Antigonish NS: June 20, 2009 ; Anita Dolman, Ottawa ON: June 19, 2009 ; J.R. Carpenter, Montreal QC: June 18, 2009 ; Daniel Allen Cox, Montreal QC: June 17, 2009 ; Susan Olding, Kingston ON: June 16, 2009 ; Ray Hsu, Vancouver BC: June 14, 2009 ; Karen Houle, Guelph ON: June 13, 2009 ; Matthew Tierney, Toronto ON: June 12, 2009 ; Ken McGoogan, Calgary AB: June 11, 2009 ; Sandra Ridley, Ottawa ON: June 10, 2009 ; Sharon Harris, Toronto ON: June 9, 2009; Jacob McArthur Mooney, Toronto ON: June 8, 2009 ; Antanas Sileika, Toronto ON: June 7, 2009 ; Dayle Furlong, Toronto ON: June 5, 2009 ; Carrie Olivia Adams, Chicago Il: June 4, 2009 ; Jason Dewinetz, Victoria BC: June 1, 2009;

house: a (tiny) memoir

a work-in-progress of memoir pieces about Glengarry County.

We are all governed by what we were as children. Therefore, we tend to refocus again and again on familiar things.
— Michael Ondaatje, Brick #79

THE LOCAL IS NOT a place but a place in a given man — what part of it he has been compelled or else brought by love to give witness to his own mind. And that is THE form, that is, the whole thing, as whole as it can get.
— Robert Creeley, “A Note on the Local,” A Quick Graph

introduction to the project ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; house: a (tiny) memoir ; a note referencing the project, by someone else ; house: a (tiny) memoir ;

12 or 20 questions: archive

"12 or 20 questions" is a series of interviews with Canadian and American (etcetera) poets and fiction writers through a series of core questions (with slight variation between authors) conducted by rob mclennan, and started to coincide with his tenure as writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta in Edmonton from the beginning of September, 2007 to the end of May, 2008.

David McGimpsey, Montreal QC: August 15, 2008 ; Joan MacLeod, Victoria BC: July 11, 2008 ; rob mclennan, Ottawa ON: June 21, 2008 ; Susan Holbrook, Windsor ON: June 16, 2008 ; Pete Smith, Kamloops BC: June 5, 2008 ; Jen Currin, Vancouver BC: May 30, 2008 ; Diane Schoemperlen, Kingston ON: May 29, 2008 ; Stephanie Bolster, Montreal QC: May 27, 2008 ; Joe Blades, Fredericton NB: May 24, 2008 ; Ted Bishop, Edmonton AB: May 22, 2008 ; Meira Cook, Winnipeg MB: May 20, 2008 ; Jan Conn, Great Barrington ME: May 12, 2008 ; Barbara Nickel, Yarrow BC: May 5, 2008 ; Ron Silliman, Chester County PA: May 2, 2008 ; Carolyn Marie Souaid, Montreal QC: May 1, 2008 ; Shane Rhodes, Ottawa ON: April 17, 2008 ; Alison Pick, Toronto ON: April 14, 2008 ; Dara Wier, Amherst, Massachusetts: April 11, 2008 ; Rachel Zolf, Toronto ON: April 6, 2008 ; Myrna Kostash, Edmonton AB: April 5, 2008 ; Suzanne Buffam, Chicago Il/Oaxaca Mexico: March 27, 2008 ; Jaspreet Singh, Calgary AB: March 26, 2008 ; Stacey May Fowles, Toronto ON: March 26, 2008 ; Beth Follett, Toronto ON/St. John's NFLD: March 25, 2008 ; Eric Folsom, Kingston ON: March 24, 2008 ; Michael Bryson, Toronto ON: March 24, 2008 ; Heather Simeney MacLeod, Edmonton AB: March 20, 2008 ; Naomi Guttman, Clinton NY: March 20, 2008 ; Catherine Bush, Toronto ON: March 14, 2008 ; Harold Rhenisch, Campbell River BC: March 10, 2008 ; Elisabeth Harvor, Ottawa ON: March 9, 2008 ; Aaron McCollough, Ann Arbor MI: March 6, 2008 ; Endre Farkas, Montreal QC: March 1, 2008 ; Ray Robertson, Toronto ON: February 27, 2008 ; Monty Reid, Ottawa ON: February 26, 2008 ; Glen Sorestad, Saskatoon SK: February 25, 2008 ; Peter Culley, Nanaimo BC: February 23, 2008 ; Elise Levine, Baltimore MD: February 22, 2008 ; Jennifer Bartlett, Brooklyn NY: February 21, 2008 ; Lisa Jarnot, New York NY: February 20, 2008 ; Michael Blouin, Oxford Mills ON: February 18, 2008 ; Mary Borsky, Ottawa ON: February 15, 2008 ; Daphne Marlatt, Vancouver BC: February 15, 2008 ; Zoe Whittall, Toronto ON: February 14, 2008 ; Jenna Butler, Edmonton AB: February 14, 2008 ; Dorothy Trujillo Lusk, Vancouver BC: February 13, 2008 ; Amy King, New York NY: February 11, 2008 ; Gregory Betts, St. Catharines ON: February 10, 2008 ; Rita Donovan, Ottawa ON: February 9, 2008 ; Katherine Govier, Canmore AB: February 8, 2008 ; John Barton, Victoria BC: February 7, 2008 ; Juliana Spahr, Berkeley CA: February 6, 2008 ; Daniel Scott Tysdal, Toronto ON: February 5, 2008 ; Betsy Warland, Vancouver BC: February 4, 2008 ; Andrew Pyper, Toronto ON: January 29, 2008 ; Lynn Coady, Toronto ON: January 28, 2008 ; Karl Jirgens, Windsor ON: January 26, 2008 ; Laisha Rosnau, Prince George BC: January 23, 2008 ; Adeena Karasick, New York NY: January 20, 2008 ; RM Vaughan, Toronto ON: January 19, 2008 ; Susan M. Schultz, Kane'ohe, Hawai'i: January 18, 2008 ; Natalie Simpson, Calgary AB: January 17, 2008 ; Catherine Hunter, Winnipeg MB: January 17, 2008 ; Mari-Lou Rowley, Saskatoon SK: January 16, 2008 ; Steve McOrmond, Toronto ON: January 15, 2008 ; William Allegrezza, Chicago Il: January 14, 2008 ; Garry Thomas Morse, Vancouver BC: January 13, 2008 ; Gary Barwin, Hamilton ON: January 12, 2008 ; Matthew Zapruder, New York NY: January 12, 2008 ; Maxine Gadd, Vancouver BC: January 11, 2008 ; Christine Wiesenthal, Edmonton AB: January 11, 2008 ; Rosmarie Waldrop, Providence RI: January 11, 2008 ; Kathryn MacLeod, Ladysmith BC: January 10, 2008 ; Maxine Chernoff, San Francisco CA: January 9, 2008 ; Sharon Thesen, Lake Country BC: January 9, 2008 ; Logan Ryan Smith, San Francisco CA: January 8, 2008 ; Margaret Christakos, January 7, 2008 ; Rachel Zucker, New York NY: January 6, 2008 ; Stephen Morrissey, Montreal QC: January 6, 2008 ; Rita Wong, Vancouver BC: January 5, 2008 ; Meredith Quartermain, Vancouver BC: January 4, 2008 ; Greg Hollingshead, Edmonton AB: January 3, 2008

Jon Paul Fiorentino, Montreal QC: December 9, 2007 ; Robert Majzels, Calgary AB: December 8, 2007 ; Mark McCawley, Edmonton AB: December 3, 2007 ; Sheri Benning, Saskatoon SK: December 3, 2007 ; Dennis Cooley, Winnipeg MB: December 2, 2007 ; Lillian Necakov, Toronto ON: November 30, 2007 ; Wayde Compton, Vancouver BC: November 26, 2007 ; Shawna Lemay, Edmonton AB: November 25, 2007 ; Cole Swensen, Iowa City IA: November 25, 2007 ; Jay MillAr, Toronto ON: November 20, 2007 ; Christopher Doda, Toronto ON: November 19, 2007 ; Mairéad Byrne, Providence RI: November 18, 2007 ; Stephen Cain, Toronto ON: November 18, 2007 ; Victor Coleman, Toronto ON: November 17, 2007 ; Sean Johnston, Kelowna BC: November 16, 2007 ; Tom Konyves, Vancouver BC: November 15, 2007 ; Alice Major, Edmonton AB: November 15, 2007 ; Amanda Earl, Ottawa ON: November 15, 2007 ; Lawrence Upton, London/Cornwall UK: November 7, 2007 ; Anne Stone, Vancouver BC: November 6, 2007 ; Janet Holmes, Boise ID: November 5, 2007 ; Mark Frutkin, Ottawa ON: November 5, 2007 ; Rupert Loydell, Cornwall UK: November 3, 2007 ; Kim Goldberg, Nanaimo BC: November 2, 2007 ; Steve Venright, Toronto ON: November 1, 2007 ; Matthew Firth, Ottawa ON: October 31, 2007 ; Donato Mancini, Vancouver BC: October 16, 2007 ; John Lavery, Gatineau QC: October 15, 2007 ; Tony Tost, Durham NC: October 14, 2007 ; Rob Budde, Prince George BC: October 12, 2007 ; derek beaulieu, Calgary AB: October 12, 2007 ; Jill Hartman, Calgary AB: October 11, 2007 ; Heather Haley, Bowen Island BC: October 10, 2007 ; Jason Christie, Vancouver BC: October 10, 2007 ; Anne Simpson, Antigonish NS: October 8, 2007 ; Priscila Uppal, Toronto ON: October 8, 2007 ; Nathalie Stephens, Chicago Il: October 5, 2007 ; Sarah Lang, Canada/US: October 4, 2007 ; Stan Dragland, St. John's NFLD: October 4, 2007 ; Steven Ross Smith, Saskatoon SK: October 4, 2007 ; Todd Babiak, Edmonton AB: October 2, 2007 ; Clare Latremouille, Ottawa ON: October 2, 2007 ; Marilyn Dumont, Edmonton AB: October 1, 2007 ; Adam Dickinson, St. Catharines ON: October 1, 2007 ; Chris Robinson, Ottawa ON: September 30, 2007 ; KI Press, Winnipeg MB: September 29, 2007 ; Michael Dennis, Ottawa ON: September 27, 2007 ; Nadine McInnis, Ottawa ON: September 27, 2007 ; Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, San Francisco CA: September 26, 2007 ; Colin Morton, Ottawa ON: September 25, 2007 ; Christine Stewart, Vancouver BC/Edmonton AB: September 24, 2007 ; Pattie McCarthy, Philadelphia PA: September 24, 2007 ; Marita Dachsel, Edmonton AB: September 24, 2007 ; Monica Kidd, St. John's NFLD: September 24, 2007 ; Andy Weaver, Toronto ON: September 22, 2007 ; Jacob Wren, Montreal QC/Toronto ON: September 19, 2007 ; Paige Ackerson-Kiely, Vermont: September 19, 2007 ; Diane Tucker, Burnaby BC: September 18, 2007 ; Gil McElroy, Colborne ON: September 17, 2007 ; Sheri-D Wilson, Calgary AB: September 17, 2007 ; Kristjana Gunnars, Sechelt BC: September 16, 2007 ; Stan Rogal, Toronto ON: September 14, 2007 ; Stephen Collis, Vancouver BC: September 14, 2007 ; Erin Moure, Montreal QC: September 14, 2007 ; Catherine Kidd, Montreal QC: September 14, 2007 ; Souvankham Thammavongsa, Toronto ON: September 13, 2007 ; Phil Hall, Toronto ON: September 13, 2007 ; Elizabeth Hay, Ottawa ON: September 12, 2007 ; Sheila E. Murphy, Phoenix AZ: September 12, 2007 ; Andy Brown, Montreal QC: September 12, 2007 ; Jessica Westhead, Toronto ON: September 11, 2007 ; Ken Norris, Orono ME: September 11, 2007 ; Douglas Barbour, Edmonton AB: September 11, 2007 ; Joshua Marie Wilkinson, Chicago Il: September 11, 2007 ; Ian Roy, Ottawa ON: September 11, 2007 ; Rob Winger, Ottawa ON: September 10, 2007 ; Lance Blomgren, Vancouver BC: September 10, 2007 ; Kimmy Beach, Red Deer AB: September 9, 2007 ; John-James Ford, Ottawa ON/Colombo Sri Lanka: September 8, 2007 ; George Bowering, Vanouver BC: September 8, 2007 ; Nathaniel G. Moore, Toronto ON: September 7, 2007 ; Stephen Brockwell, Ottawa ON: September 6, 2007 ; Noah Eli Gordon, Denver CO: September 6, 2007 ; Thomas Wharton, Edmonton AB; September 5, 2007 ; Catherine Owen, Edmonton AB; September 4, 2007