Reflecting on a Reading

I went to a reading here in Montreal last night, part of a five-city set of promotional readings of first fiction by published by the Literary Press Group of Canada, a consortium of independent, small literary publishers. Different people are reading in each city: it's a great idea, well-promoted. The reading was in a bar/music venue, and there were quite a few people in attendance, attentive and appreciative, including several publishers and representatives from the Canada Council.

The work was pretty good, if a bit uneven. I liked the writing of the two women who read. Pamela Stewart, the author of Elysium, has done a lot and experienced a lot; she had a gritty, honest, original style grounded in life's realities and, I sensed, in spirituality; the other was a young woman of Canadian and Indian parentage (Nila Gupta, left) who has written a book of cross-cultural stories from her own experience; her reading from the first story drew me in. But the crowd liked the last guy: edgy, urban, self-deprecating; he said "fuck" a lot; they even made him read an encore. Then everyone went back to eating and drinking: from the prices posted on the chalkboard I am quite sure each person there spent at least the price of a book, which were still lying mostly unsold on a table when I left. To be fair, I didn't buy a book either, for two reasons: I hadn't expected to spend that much cash (the bar required you to order food if you wanted a drink, not always the case here), and I couldn't decide which of the two women's books to buy. I plan to go and look at them in the bookstores later this week. But afterwards, riding home, it just irked me how unconsciously people were throwing cash at the bar while supposedly supporting the arts. Who was really profiting from the evening, and how much spillover would there be for the writers themselves?

It's hard to tell. I'm just beginning to learn about the Canadian lit scene and how it works. Literary publishing, like all of the arts, is much more heavily subsidized by the government than it is in the U.S., and it's at least somewhat easier to live as an artist here. What I sense is less struggle, but also less ambition: people have art shows, they have readings, and it's an excuse for a party; it's all very good-natured; there's less at stake, less competitiveness, and also less hope and expectation. Last night's writers were all serious about their work and deserve to be read. People do read here, and they are supportive of the arts: they're proud of Canadian writing, they go to book fairs, they use libraries. It may be easier to get published here. But book sales are low, much lower than in the U.S. I wonder if the Canadian public, knowing that the arts are subsidized, simply doesn't feel compelled to pony up for books, while they clearly spend plenty on booze and restaurants. How many times will these writers get to read their work? How did it feel to them last night? Of course, it's hard enough to sell books anywhere - this is a tough business.

All of this got me thinking about what we're doing at qarrtsiluni , now heading toward its third anniversary of online publication. Even though nobody is making any money, it feels respectful to the artists to present their work this way; the quality is high, the interaction tries to be both compassionate and timely, and there are a growing number of readers and comments on the published works.

What I want as a writer, and what I hope for as a publisher and editor, is for the words we struggle over to be taken seriously and to be presented with as much dignity and integrity as possible, with opportunity for feedback, appreciation, and the possibility of developing interest in reading more of the author's work. The current theme, Nature in the Cracks, is just finishing up and has resulted in some remarkable posts; we're currently receiving a mini-flood of submissions for the next theme, Water. We'd especially like to receive more prose submissions, so if you have something to say on that very broad and fluid topic, please check out the How to Contribute page, and send us your best efforts.

Comments

[marja-leena]

As always, I enjoy learning through your eyes; in this case some of the differences in Canadian and US book publishing. I'm not sure if the subsidies can be blamed for lower book sales. Canada's population is a lot smaller, and that is a big factor in sales numbers. Also, when the big online booksellers came into the market, there was a huge loss in independent small booksellers who could not get the same breaks in book returns. This also affected many publishers in Canada who no longer exist. I'm not sure of this but I get the sense that there are fewer Canadian books being published than two or three decades ago.

[Dave]

Struggle and competition are highly overrated; what doesn't kill you takes years off your life. As an ambition-challenged writer myself, I'm wondering if we shouldn't start a program to introduce more Canadian writers to the blogsphere. Think we could get a government subsidy for that? :)

[Siona]

Hi Beth!!

[beth]

Marja-Leena, you're quite right about the numbers, thanks for pointing that fact out! In Quebec, the situation may be different than in Canada as a whole, as far as the trend in numbers of books published, because there has been such a push to support French-language writing; I'm pretty sure I read that many more French-language books are being published here than in the past, and that volume actually outstrips readership. Montreal is, no doubt, an anomaly - living here, you'd think everyone in the world was an avid reader because books are always in the news and at the center of events.

Dave - right! That's what I was thinking, actually - have no idea how though! It feels much more old-fashioned here.

Siona - great to hear from you!

[marja-leena]

I'm not surprised about Montreal, Beth. I think it may be culturally the richest city in Canada. Quebec is known to support the arts including literature far more than any other province, and that shows.

[Kate]

I've just wandered upon your blog. Love your picture of Vermont. I don't know if this will work or not--leaving my comment--but will try it.

[beth]

Hi Kate - Of course it worked! Welcome, bienvenue! If you keep reading you will find, I think, a somewhat similar writing voice to your own, and another woman's journey into place and spirit. I absolutely love what you are writing on your new blog - it's fascinating and beautifully, sparely written. You've gained yourself another reader -- and former neighbor, I suspect, at least in the same general vicinity. Keep going!!