Author Archives: JK

Stories About Storytellers Companion Reading (#3)

by JK

Many early readers of Stories About Storytellers have remarked that they finish reading it only to rush to pick up one of the other books Doug has so lovingly described. So to make it easier, this recurring feature revisits some of those books and reminds you why they’re worth a read. Last time, we revisited Broken Ground by Jack Hodgins, and this we’re featuring . . .

Man Descending by Guy Vanderhaeghe (1982)

I did not edit this collection of Guy’s stories, which won the Governor-General’s Award in 1982, but I did publish it. In fact I remember being flu-struck at home when I took the chance to read this manuscript sent in by an unknown writer that my colleagues had recommended, and even through the fever it was clear to me that this was a remarkable book from a fine new voice.

Impressed by Guy’s new book, A Good Man, I’ve just re-read Man Descending, and it continues to delight me. If you’ve skipped over it, for whatever reason, run to catch up to it. The tough, clear prairie voices (often of working-class young guys who are rarely heard in “Literature”) ring out from each page, and from the start you know you’re in the hands of a real writer. Like Alice Munro, Mavis Gallant, Margaret Atwood, Alistair MacLeod and a few others, Guy has shown that Canadian readers (more than most) will respond to short stories, and make them commercial as well as artistic successes. This remarkable book is both.

For a bit more on Guy Vanderhaeghe see page 274 of Stories About Storytellers.

An excerpt on Paul Martin on the Canadian Encyclopedia blog

by JK

Sample another story from Stories About Storytellers this Friday at the Canadian Encyclopedia blog. This week, Doug gives his take on what went wrong when Paul Martin was PM. To read the excerpt, head over to the Canadian Encyclopedia.

(Have you missed the previous excerpts? You can still read the selections on Barry Broadfoot, Brian Mulroney, Mavis Gallant, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Pierre Trudeau,  Stephen Leacock and Alice Munro.)

Editing Tips from Douglas Gibson (#5)

by JK

Every two weeks we’re sharing tips for editors from the desk of Douglas Gibson. Good for those starting out or old hands who need a reminder, these reminders form an engaging guide for sharp-eyed wordsmiths.

Tip #5

Generally, less is more. Yet there are times when more is more — when what the editor spots as repetition is actually beneficial emphasis, and should be kept.

Missed the previous tips? Check out Tip #1, Tip #2, Tip #3, and Tip #4.

The Walrus: “Gibson is a gossip of the first order”

by JK

Sasha Champman praised Stories About Storytellers in the December 2011 issue of The Walrus magazine. The review notes,

“Gibson’s forty years at the epicentre of Canadian publishing inform his rollicking first book, Stories About Storytellers. . . . Gibson is a gossip of the first order, the kind who tells all, or at least enough, about his subjects’ foibles, but always in a way that delights in their eccentricities. He writes with charming exuberance about his role as midwife to the memoirs of several prime ministers. . . . Likewise, Gibson’s stories profile not just storytellers, but also the country that produced them.”

Read the full review online here.

An excerpt on Barry Broadfoot on the Canadian Encyclopedia blog

by JK

There’s more Stories About Storytellers to enjoy on the Canadian Encyclopedia blog. This week share in Doug’s “Hollywood moment” as he’s presented with a manuscript he knows is a bestseller. To read it, head over to the Canadian Encyclopedia.

(Have you missed the previous excerpts? You can still read the selections on Brian Mulroney, Mavis Gallant, Robertson Davies, Alistair MacLeod, Pierre Trudeau,  Stephen Leacock and Alice Munro.)

Tales from Edmonton

by JK

Photo by Kim Fong

My first encounter with the “magic carpet” treatment that authors receive from Literary Festivals came at the Edmonton airport when we were met by the friendly volunteer Jean Crozier, who whisked us in her car to our downtown hotel. In less than an hour I was perched on one of those bar stools reserved for TV talk shows, and trying to interest the passing crowd of shoppers in the possibility of coming along to my show that evening. The amiable CBC host/interviewer got the name of my book wrong, but recovered swiftly after I happened to mention it in the course of my reply. Another of my Awful Warningscomes true in real life. Lunch with the energetic David Cheoros, who runs the festival, resplendent in characteristic suspenders. Then we moved to the Milner Library Theatre for technical preparation — stage setting, lights, screen, sound, with my “Techie,” Jane, handling the computer power point show link-up. I ran through 10 minutes, almost like a real professional actor, then we called it a day . . . or a rehearsal. It’s remarkable fun to work with real professionals in an unfamiliar world.

Photo by Kim Fong

That evening the show went fine, with the attendant photos by the excellent Kim Fong showing what it was like. Afterwards I got to sit there smiling at a table and signing books, some of them to Alberta relatives, but others to apparently sober civilians. There are book-signing tricks, as I am learning. When an old acquaintance whose name you have forgotten asks you to sign, the stand-by “And how would you like me to sign it?” does not always work. “Oh, just to me” is not the reply you want. And the feeble,  “Let me be certain about how you spell your name” can lead to the barked reply,”Mary!” I’m sure there are ways out of this. Time will tell.

— Douglas Gibson

Photo by Kim Fong

Harder Than I Thought: A Publisher Tries to Write a Book

by JK

Over on the Indigo Non-Fiction blog, Doug Gibson has written a guest post titled “Harder Than I Thought: A Publisher Tries to Write a Book.” The piece begins,

In theory, it should have been easy. After all, in a career of over 40 years, I had edited well over a hundred books, and published thousands. In the role of midwife/cheerleader (“Push! Push! You’re almost there, Alistair!”) I had been involved in the creation of hundreds of books. I knew all of the best tricks and techniques for planning then writing books. Indeed, I was such an expert that I had been known to express impatience with authors who were slow in completing their manuscripts. What the hell was the matter with them?

To find out where things go from there, head over to the Indigo blog.

“An event worthy of Stephen Leacock. Charles Dickens even.”

by JK

Writer and broadcaster Nigel Beale live blogged Douglas Gibson’s stage show Stories About Storytellers at the Ottawa International Writers Festival. Beale writes,

Gibson is an engaging, endearing — at times ebullient – animated storyteller, and a talented mimic. . . . Read Stories About Storytellers. It’s delightful fun. And if Gibson delivers his one man presentation of it at a Festival anywhere near you, run to it. It’s even better. Complete with music, it’s an event worthy of Stephen Leacock. Charles Dickens even.

Get a feel for the show by reading the live blog here.