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
Coach House will, as of February 14, offer free digital downloads with the purchase of any print edition (provided, of course, the book currently exists in e-format). You buy one of our print books, the electronic book is yours for the taking.
Sounds great, but how does it work? One of two ways:
Coach House founder and master printer Stan Bevington is this year’s recipient of the Robert R. Reid lifetime achievement award for excellence in book art. The award is given annually by the Alcuin Society, a non-profit dedicated to preserving and celebrating Canadian contributions to print culture.
Previous Robert R. Reid recipients include former Coach House typesetter and designer Glenn Goluska.
In a two-part interview with Coach House founder and master printer Stan Bevington, Nigel Beale, from the Biblio File podcast, delves into the intriguing combination of factors that inspired Bevington's passion for print culture and took Coach House to the forefront of Canadian book design.
The interview is both a journey through the history of technologies and typefaces, as well as an advice manual for collectors seeking rare pieces of Canadiana.
<!--newline--><!--newline-->Jon Paul Fiorentino's latest poetry collection, 
