The Fiddlehead Blog

10 Rules for Submitting

2012-01-25T11:59:00.000-05:00

If you missed the deadline for The Fiddlehead’s 21st Annual Literary Contest, fret not! The Fiddlehead accepts submissions year-round so if immortalization on the page is what you seek, you’re in luck. Fire up the printer, break out those stamps, and adorn that cover letter with your best John Hancock. But if this humble author may be so bold as to momentarily delay your merry skip to the post

Author Holly Luhning Reading at UNB Fredericton

2012-01-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

Holly Luhning will be reading from her new novel, Quiver, published by HarperCollins Canada, on Monday, January 16th at 8 pm in the Alumni Memorial Lounge at UNB. Quiver, Luhning's first novel, is the thrilling story of Danica, a forensic psychologist from Canada who works at the Stowmoor Hospital in London, England. Danica is drawn into a strange, gothic landscape by her celebrity

Celebrating Young Literary Ladies!

2012-01-03T14:42:00.001-05:00

I listen to CBC radio quite a bit, mostly because I can’t pay for cable, and I have run through all my DVDs, namely, a four-season box set of A Haunting and some bootlegged Harry Potters with burnt-in Greek subtitles. The CBC, as I am sure you know, has some terrific programmes and personalities (Eleanor Wachtel, especially). There are, too, these somewhat bizarre features, interviews with

Happy Holidays from The Fiddlehead!

2011-12-21T13:30:00.000-05:00

It's snowing today outside The Fiddlehead office! Have a wonderful holiday season! We'll be back in the new year.

Interview with Sue Sinclair

2011-12-12T10:01:00.001-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with accomplished Canadian poet and current University of New Brunswick writer-in-residence Sue Sinclair. Over the course of my academic career I have been fortunate enough to hear Sue read her poetry often and finally had the chance to discuss some of the most intriguing and complex elements of her work. Author of Secrets of Weather and Hope (

Reading Forugh Farrokhzad in December

2011-12-08T12:23:00.001-05:00

Iman bivarim beh aghaz fasle sard — “Let us believe in the beginning of the cold season” As the weather grows colder and academic deadlines collide with the hectic holiday season, the urge to procrastinate mounts. At some point I eventually give in and spend a few of these long, gray afternoons with the poetry of Forugh Farrokhzad. Her intricate manoeuvring of abstraction, visceral

Grumpy Old Men (On Richler and Sendak)

2011-11-24T11:19:00.001-05:00

At my Jewish high school in Montreal, Mordecai Richler, of course, was a bit of a hero. Whether or not he liked it, and even though he relentlessly lampooned the Jewish community, he was still one of ours. February at our school was public speaking month. So, every February, the teachers compiled and distributed a list of quotations to all of us groaning, gawky teenagers – possible speech topics

Small Presses, Literary Magazines, and the “big times”

2011-11-22T11:11:00.001-05:00

Interesting conversation going on over at Hayden’s Ferry Review on what is the role of the small press (including literary magazines) other than as a stepping stone to the “big times” (major publishers). Seems to me that the big times just got a whole lot bigger and a whole lot smaller in recent times. Bigger in that some writers and their books are getting more exposure and publicity than ever.

Acclaimed Author Steven Heighton Reading at UNB Fredericton

2011-11-16T12:10:00.001-05:00

Poet, novelist, and short-story writer Steven Heighton will be reading from his new novel, Every Lost Country, on Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011 at 8 pm in the Alumni Memorial Lounge. The novel, Every Lost Country, and the collection of poetry, Patient Frame, were published to acclaim in 2010, and a collection of his writing, entitled Workbook: Memos & Dispatches on Writing, is forthcoming

RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers: Call for Submissions

2011-11-14T11:10:00.001-05:00

The Writers Trust of Canada is accepting submissions for RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers. To be eligible a submitter must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, under the age of 35, unpublished in book form and without a book contract, but whose literary work has appeared in at least one independently edited magazine or anthology. A prize of $5,000 will be awarded to the

Breathe, Just Breate

2011-11-09T12:11:00.001-05:00

I know, I know: I can hardly believe it either. We have to wait another two months for the next issue of The Fiddlehead?! That’s unbearable! Insurmountable! Simply and indefatigably inconceivable! Woe is us. After tiring of twiddling my thumbs and obsessively checking my mail box, I’ve ventured out into the big bad world to find other ways to while away the time. While strolling the aisles at

Timothy Taylor Reading at UNB Fredericton

2011-11-08T11:15:00.000-05:00

Timothy Taylor, Giller-prize nominated author of Stanley Park, will be reading from his new novel, The Blue Light Project, on Tuesday, November 15th at 8 pm in the Alumni Memorial Lounge. Taylor's new novel, The Blue Light Project, is the story of a hostage taking at a television studio during the filming of a controversial talent show. The only demand of the man armed with explosives is

Fiddlehead Congratulations

2011-11-07T09:45:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Paul Tyler, winner of this year's Archibald Lampman Award for his first collection of poetry A Short History of Forgetting (Gaspereau Press 2010). Two of his poems, "Somewhere near the end of song" and "Manitoba Maples"were published in The Fiddlehead 241 (Autumn 2009).

Come one, Come All ….. The Fiddlehead Contest closes in One Month!

2011-11-01T12:56:00.000-04:00

Only one month remaining to enter The Fiddlehead’s 21st Annual Contest! There’s a total of $5000 in prize monies to be awarded and the winning entries will be published in The Fiddlehead’s spring 2012 issue. Remember the deadline is December 1st (postmarked) and all contestants receive a one-year subscription for each entry. For more details check out our website’s contest submission page.

Celebrated Author Antanas Sileika Reading at UNB Fredericton

2011-10-24T12:40:00.000-04:00

Author Antanas Sileika will be reading from his new book Underground on Tuesday, October 25th 2011 at Alumni Memorial Hall on the UNB Fredericton Campus. Antanas Sileika is the author of four novels, including Dinner at the End of the World (1994), Buying on Time (1997), Woman in Bronze (2004) a Globe Best Book of 2004, and Underground (2011). Sileika is the artistic director for the Humber

The 8th Annual Poetry Weekend

2011-10-21T10:54:00.000-04:00

I am living in absolute exhilaration and exhaustion from our most recent poetry weekend. Our presiding spirits were this year two creatures who have been at every poetry weekend: Sharon McCartney and Jack the Dog. They conjured magic. We opened the weekend with a Friday night reading from this year’s UNB writer-in-residence Sue Sinclair. Wonderful beginning. It was really exciting to see so

The Fiddlehead 249 is now out!

2011-10-20T14:37:00.001-04:00

It’s autumn and The Fiddlehead is gently falling into subscribers’ mailboxes and tumbling through magazine stands across Canada. Found within are a bag full of stories, poems and reviews including new works from Bruce Bond, Dede Crane, Elisabeth de Mariaffi, Jeanette Lynes, and Ricardo Sternberg among others. The cover artwork showcases the brilliant autumnal reds of Anna Cameron’s “

Fiddlehead News

2011-10-18T11:43:00.001-04:00

The Fiddlehead 247 (spring 2011), which contained the winners of the 20th annual contest, received a lovely review from NewPages.com. Go take a look! Also congratulations to Clark Blaise whose new book, The Meagre Tarmac, made the Scotiabank Giller Prize long list. His story, "Brewing Tea in the Dark," which was published in The Fiddlehead 248, is from this collection. There's additional

Award-Winning Author Molly Peacock Reading at UNB Fredericton

2011-10-17T09:24:00.002-04:00

Celebrated author Molly Peacock will be reading from her new book, The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life's Work at 72 on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 at 8pm at the Alumni Memorial Lounge on the Fredericton campus of the University of New Brunswick. Molly Peacock, a poet and a creative non-fiction writer, is the author of The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life's Work at 72 (2011)

Award-winning author and filmmaker David Bezmozgis to read at UNB

2011-09-29T10:21:00.000-04:00

Award-winning author and filmmaker David Bezmozgis will be reading from his Giller Prize long-listed novel, The Free World, at the Galleries in Memorial Hall on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 8pm. David Bezmozgis was selected by The New Yorker as one of the twenty writers of fiction under forty years old most likely to be a major writer of his generation. Latvian-born Canadian Bezmozgis

The Fiddlehead is Pleased to Welcome Writers from Across Canada to the 8th Annual Poetry Weekend

2011-09-26T11:38:00.003-04:00

The 8th Annual Poetry Weekend opens Friday, September 30th, at Memorial Hall at 8pm with a reading by UNB writer-in-residence Sue Sinclair. Readings by local poets and writers from across Canada will take place on Saturday and Sunday, October 1st & 2nd, at 11am, 2pm, and 8pm at Memorial Hall Poets include Amanda Jernigan, Jeffery Donaldson, James Langer, Warren Heiti, Leigh Kotsilidis, Linda

Reading Series Week of Sept 19: Gary Geddes and Wayne Johnston

2011-09-15T13:40:00.000-04:00

2011-2012 Reading Series!

2011-09-15T11:04:00.001-04:00

Below is the list of writers scheduled to read at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton during this academic year. All the readings are free! So if you are here in Fredericton (or coming by for a visit), take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to hear great Canadian authors reading from their new works. Most readings are in the evenings either at Memorial Hall or Alumni Memorial Hall

Looking out the window at Campus House

2011-08-26T10:21:00.000-04:00

The Fiddlehead's office space is in Campus House, a small 1950s ranch house in a small wooded area at the edge of the campus. Yesterday this was the view from the managing editor's window.

Toasting the Summer Fiction Issue

2011-08-18T12:39:00.003-04:00

A great time was had by all at the Toronto launch of The Fiddlehead’s Summer Fiction issue at the Dora Keogh Pub. It was a perfect setting for relaxing, having a cold drink, and listening to writers reading selections from their Fiddlehead stories and other works. Pictured below, Leon Rooke and Rebecca Rosenblum entertain the crowd by reading from their Fiddlehead stories “Art of the Pig” and “

The Fiddlehead's Summer Issue Launch

2011-08-03T14:01:00.000-04:00

Ben McNally Books is hosting the Toronto launch of The Fiddlehead’s Summer Fiction issue (no. 248). Reading at the event will be The Fiddlehead’s own Fiction Editor, Mark Anthony Jarman, along with Rebecca Rosenblum, Kathleen Brown and Leon Rooke. When: Monday Aug 8 2011 7:00pm Where: The Dora Keogh 141 Danforth Ave Toronto ON If you are in the Toronto area, do drop into

Fiction Editor's Pictures from Ireland

2011-07-26T08:42:00.001-04:00

Fiction Editor, Mark Anthony Jarman at the Cork World Book Festival in April, Cork, Ireland. Cork World Book Fest combines readings by world class writers in a variety of settings with a cultural streetfair: book stalls, music, street entertainment, the spoken word, and more. It is a participative, inclusive event, involving members of e.g. book clubs as well as giving audiences who would not

The Fiddlehead 248 is Out!

2011-07-18T09:04:00.002-04:00

It’s summer time and the living is easy, especially if you have a copy of The Fiddlehead’s all-fiction summer issue! 17 stories are packed inside including "Brewing Tea in the Dark" by Clark Blaise, "Geriatric Arena Grope" by Bill Gaston, "Cuts" by Katherine Govier, and "Leon" by Rea Tarvydas. The cover artwork is from Réjean Roy's "Petit Route de Canot 3." So kick off your sandals, and

James Langer's Best Poetry Books

2011-07-07T09:05:00.005-04:00

As promised during the Radio Fiddlehead podcast, here is a list of my ten favorite poetry collections published in Britain and Ireland over the past decade (in no particular order). This isn't pretending to be a "Best Of" list by any means, so if you're reading this and notice something's missing, feel free to fill in my blanks. Simon Armitage, The Universal Home Doctor Alice Oswald, Dart Paul

Anita Lahey’s Top 10 Poetry Books by Canadians since 2000

2011-07-04T09:35:00.001-04:00

This is “a” Top 10, not “the” Top 10—on another day, other collections may have come more forcefully to mind. Poetry is like that. The list is in order by title, not by rank. Coal and Roses, P.K. Page (Porcupine’s Quill, 2009) A collection of Page’s glosas that shows how rich with possibility this form is (in the right hands). Each poem is accompanied by an image of the inspiring poet—the

Ross Leckie’s Best Poetry Books

2011-06-30T13:54:00.000-04:00

I decided to take books off my shelf in a bit of an arbitrary fashion, focusing on first books or books that didn’t receive enough attention, in my view. On another day it would be a different set of books. Canadian Eric Miller. In the Scaffolding. 2005 Miller is one of our very best poets. This book shows him at the height of his powers. He uses long sentences that are structured to

Radio Fiddlehead: Best Poetry Books of the Previous Decade

2011-06-22T14:34:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our Radio Fiddlehead podcasts, now available on our blog. Our most recent is a round table on the best poetry books of the 2000’s featuring James Langer, Sharon McCartney, and Anita Lahey. In the comments please enter your own lists! Say why you like the books you are listing. Over the next two weeks we will post lists from Ross Leckie, Anita Lahey, and James Langer and with a

Editor spotted at Frye Festival

2011-06-17T12:22:00.000-04:00