Winnipeg's Uptown talks to Guy Maddin about mythologizing his home city and wooing film noir B-actress Ann Savage to play his mother in My Winnipeg. The feature also profiles Jon Paul Fiorentino (Theory of the Loser Class).
On Wednesday, May 20, Winnipegger Guy Maddin faces off with Transconian Jon Paul Fiorentino for the launch of My Winnipeg and Stripmalling at the 'Sals on the bridge' Salisbury House (50 Provencher Boulevard). The event begins at 7 p.m. and, in addition to readings, features Maddin screening clips of his favourite film mothers and his last walk with Spanky the Guide Dog through Time.
The Washington DC news and culture site, Brightest Young Things, recently posted an article on how to namedrop Montreal poets, in which Coach House authors Jon Paul Fiorentino (The Theory of the Loser Class) and David McGimpsey (Sitcom) feature largely.<!--newline--><!--newline-->Of Jon Paul Fiorentino:<!--newline--><!--newline-->This is the name to namedrop in Montreal.
rob mclennan asks Jon Paul Fiorentino (The Theory of the Loser Class) 12 or 20 Questions on his writers' blog:<!--newline--><!--newline-->3 - Where does a poem or piece of fiction usually begin for you?
That poetic ode to failure, The Theory of the Loser Class, by Jon Paul Fiorentino, won the 2006 Expozine Alternative Press Award at the Expozine Awards Gala in Montreal last night (March 7, 2007).<!--newline--><!--newline-->To reflect the wide diversity of printed matter represented at Expozine, Montreal's only annual small press, comic and zine fair, six prizes are awarded: three prizes in English and three in French, for the following categories: Best book, Best comic, Best zine.
<!--newline--><!--newline-->Jon Paul Fiorentino's latest poetry collection, The Theory of the Loser Class, has been shortlisted for the Quebec Writers' Federation award for poetry, the A.M.
Jon Paul Fiorentino is a young poet whose work I admire, but his latest for Coach House, The Theory of the Loser Class, doesn't come across as wholly coherent. His warranted attack on our society is achieved by nitpicks, cynicisms, and fractioning already present divisions. Yet how can you not applaud a poet who intones: "Air-conditioner anxiety: flop sweat synchrony, apocrine odour sheathes . . ." Or, "And the conservationists: fossils with power washers." (15) even if you don't know what he's driving at.
Only a handful of pages into Jon Paul Fiorentino’s The Theory of the Loser Class, I burst into a friend’s apartment shouting that I had finally found a contemporary Canadian poet whose words embodied the soul and mind of the current generation. Not only that, but like the rest of us, he was a cynical bastard whose work not only lauded our generation, but sharply cut it down, too.
October 9th through 11th, Coach House Books is hitting the Big Apple to celebrate its 40th year of publishing, and we're bringing four of our esteemed poets for the ride. Over three nights, in three separate events, Coach House will bring a taste of one of Canada's best literary presses to New York City. See below for all the event listings.
October 9 - Jon Paul Fiorentino reads at The Poetry Project, New York
In addition to being the start of the summer movie season, a time for flowers and the last name of Rod Stewart's friend Maggie, May is also the month of Doors Open Toronto and the start of Book Expo America! But here's the thing about May: it's the fifth month of the year, and as such (and because we're stumped for sale ideas), we're taking a fifth of the price off every title on the Coach House site!
From May 30 to June 1, the largest publishing event in North America – Book Expo America (or 'BEA' to those in 'the biz') – is hosted at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, and Coach House will be there. Like every year, the Expo provides booksellers and publishing industry workers a preview of exciting new things happening in the world of books.
<!--newline--><!--newline-->Jon Paul Fiorentino's latest poetry collection, 
