Poetry lets us know we are not alone by Thomas Leduc

At this moment we are a world of poets. When our emotions are struggling, we search our words to make sense of what’s happening around us. The news drips, a leaky tap to our ears, as we huddle up in our homes and search for answers. We scroll through social media, listen to our leader’s speeches, and talk with one another. From our neighbours and loved ones we witness actions of weakness and bravery. Hidden in all these words and actions is poetry. A limerick to make us laugh, a haiku to have us ponder, a few lines to remind us we are all human, connected and loved. Recently my wife was scanning some of my grade school photos and she came across a poem I had written when I was about eleven years old. The poem is titled Bravery To Me. I forgot this poem existed. There was no reason for my parents to keep this poem. They kept no other school papers except report cards, so why did they keep the poem. Why did we find it now? Was it because now the definition of bravery is being test around the world?

In our songs, in our speeches, in our war cries and on our tombstones. The oldest piece of writing ever found is of a poem. We keep them because we need them. They touch the truth; the soul of what it is to be human. Words are what define us so choose them wisely, share them, write them down and keep them. When you need to define what you see happening in the world around you, poetry will find you. Poetry lets us know we are not alone. A world of poetry means I see you; I hear you; I feel you and I will connect with you. Thomas Leduc, author of Slagflower: Poems Unearthed from a Mining Town

Journey Into the Realm of Bookselling by Cory Gaudette

I’ve been a reader since I can remember. Even before I was an avid reader, my mother would read to me every night. The Harry Potter series being one of our favorites. As a teen, I was obsessed with classics. The Bronte sisters and Jane Austen were my go-to novels. And, as an adult, I dove deep into the worlds of fantasy and historical fiction. It’s no surprise to me that I got hired at my favorite, local bookstore, Bay Used Books. I’ve been shopping there since I was 12 or 13. Working as a bookseller only confirmed my love of literature. With a constant flow of recommendations from other readers, and one-on-one book discussions with readers who loved the same titles and genres as me, the values of reading became much more apparent to me. Being a reader and a bookseller went hand-in hand. Here’s what changed. In 2016 I started in the Public Relations program at Cambrian College. I was adamant about getting some education and experience to better myself and lifestyle. Unfortunately, during this time, the only reading I could get in was textbooks with similar titles like “Intergrated Marketing Communications” and “Introduction to Marketing”. I much preferred Isabelle Allende, Barbara Kingsolver, Susan Cokal, and of course, J.K Rowling, but I had to give them up to focus on my studies. At the end of my three-year college program, I was tasked with finding a suitable position in the Public Relations field for a seven week placement. I had some ideas, but was thankful when I found a lead at Latitude 46 Publishing. After a quick interview with the publisher, Heather Campbell, my placement was confirmed, and I was delighted to stay in the book industry, which I didn’t think was a possibility for me. Being a reader and a bookseller aided me in the basics of being a publicist for local, Northern Ontarian authors. However, being a reader and a bookseller made me blind to all the hard work that happens behind the scenes in the publishing process. As a reader/seller, you only see the completed work, as though the book is written by the author and handed directly to the reader. As a publicist, you start at ground zero. I work with the author and a designer to get a finalized product. This includes the layout, cover design, re-reading and editing, finding a printer to get copies, and the never ending deadlines. Then comes the hard part. Marketing the book so that booksellers are aware of it and buy it for their stores to sell to readers. This includes book launches, social media marketing, and making hundreds of connections to festivals, podcasts, blogs, etc, that coincide with the book’s theme and author. I learned quickly that selling books is not an easy task. However, after my seven week placement with Latitude 46, I understand the need for their work. Latitude 46 is dedicated to publishing Canadian Literature, something that large book sellers tend to write off. Large booksellers want best-sellers and guarantee buys. But this doesn’t stop the small publishing press. They continue to publish titles that enrich Northern Ontario’s literary community and work hard to get great Canadian content out there. Being a publicist for local authors, and supporting their books has been an amazing opportunity for me. Ultimately, my goal as a publicist is to sell more books, but in a much different way from when I work at the bookstore. At the bookstore, people walk in with the intention of finding a book, whereas a publicist must find a reader. Two different stories, all for the love of a great read.

STORIES, INSIGHTS AND PRACTICING MINDFULNESS

Thank you CBC for the following article! Helping others navigate through stressful life events was the motivation for Gary Petingola to write The Response: Practising Mindfulness in Your Daily Life. In his debut book, launching on Feb. 22, he shares insights, stories and easy-to-follow mindfulness exercises gathered throughout his career. A retired medical social worker at the Health Sciences North, Petingola is certified to teach mindfulness-based stress reduction through the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He and his wife, Sheila Damore-Petingola, run Mindfulness on the Rocks, which offers an eight-week program that includes a combination of mindfulness practices, group sharing of experience with practice, and the exploration of topics such as mindfulness, stress, and communication. “The book is a compilation of stories and insights I shared on a weekly listserv for professional social workers from around the world,” he explained. Petingola said he realized that what he had been sharing over the years would be helpful for others. “I added easy to follow mindfulness practices to each story and insight, making it a handy resource for daily use.” A launch for The Response: Practising Mindfulness in Your Daily Life is set for Feb. 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the Taphouse Northern Grill and Pub on Regent Street. Another signing will be held at Chapters on March 1 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Book shares tips on reducing stress through mindfulness

Writing in the Anthropocene by Brit Griffin

My imagination has been tuned into the ticking of the Doomsday clock for some time. The crucible of extreme events, of catastrophe and Armageddon, have always been of interest. How we behave in these worst moments says something about us as human beings. That interested me. And so it was natural that my first work of fiction would be speculative fiction. The Wintermen series started out as speculative fiction about climate change. I probably started thinking about the storyline in 2010, intrigued more by the idea of perpetual winter than climate change. As the first book went from draft to final version it evolved, more preoccupied by a warming climate, by the consequences of our addiction to fossil fuels. I spent the next several years imagining and writing about a possible future, exploring a cautionary scenario that helped me think about what might be and how we could act to avoid that future. Problem is, it is no longer speculative. There is no more future tense when it comes to climate change, there is only the here and now. As I write, Antarctica recorded its hottest day ever. Climate change rages through our daily media coverage; maybe even now reaching a toxic tipping point of media saturation. Too many animals reduced to ash, too much of the mass extinctions. Too many homes washed away or burnt. It is not possible for me to write about climate change as a what if, and that changes the project. So when I came to write the third, and final, book in the Wintermen series (At the End of the World, fall 2020), it was with an understanding of it as a book of transition and uncertainty. So how then to write about climate change now? It is time maybe to shift from the dystopian project to the utopian one. If we could tear it all down, what would we want instead? Art can help us imagine a different way of being, to resist an apocalyptic machismo that turns a select few into successful preppers and the rest of us into victims. The imagination can be a sharp weapon. We could use it like a crowbar, to pry open the narrow vision of how humans and non- humans can be in the world together. To see more wholistic visions, and versions, of ourselves.

Paid Internship Opportunity

Three Month Paid Internship Opportunity Do you want to learn more about independent publishing in Canada? We have a unique opportunity based in northern Ontario. We are seeking a Communications Officer Intern for a 3 month paid internship. Thanks to the Ontario Book Publishers Organization and Ontario Creates, a communications intern will learn about manuscript acquisitions, marketing and publicity through first hand experiences, inside a small independent publishing house located in Sudbury, Ontario. We publish distinctive literary works by creators living and loving Northern Ontario, as well as works about the unique landscape and culture of the north. See the attached job description for more details. Submit your resume to info@latitude46publishing.com before October 15th. Communications Intern Job Description_Sept 2019

We are looking for Indigenous writers and artists for our next anthology

Latitude 46 Publishing is looking for Indigenous creative nonfiction and fiction short stories, prose, poetry, song, photo and visual artwork for its next anthology. Darlene Naponse will be working as editor with Latitude 46 Publishing to publish an open anthology sharing words and imagery that explores the theme of community in relation to Indigenous time that has passed, time that is now and time that comes. The call for submissions is open to self-identifying Indigenous writers. Anthology will be published in fall 2019. Fiction genres accepted include: speculative fiction, science fiction, dark fiction, futurism, superhero fiction, science fantasy, horror, utopian and dystopian fiction and fantasy. We are seeking original work up to 6,000 words, up to four poems/songs or two photos/drawings per submission. Please include a short bio (100 words) with your submission. If you are an oral storyteller or if you require special assistance in transforming/translating your story, please contact Darlene Naponse at darlenenaponse@gmail.com– subject Latitude 46, Transforming/Translating. Publication is scheduled for Fall 2019. There is no fee to submit your story. Payment for publication is $150. Submit through the online portal at www.latitude46publishing.com. Include contact information, (full, name, mailing address, and email address) on the first page of all submissions. Fiction and creative nonfiction submissions must be double-spaced and numbered. For fiction and creative nonfiction, please include the word count on the first page of your submission. For questions, contact info@latitude46pubishing.com Deadline for submissions is Friday February 8^th, 2019.

About the editor: Darlene Naponse is an Ojibway woman from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, Northern Ontario, Canada. She is a writer, director, and video artist. www.naponse.com

Book captures rise of Duhamel and Radford

The behind-the-scenes story of one of Canada’s most accomplished skating pairs team is now available. Come celebrate the launch of Soulmates on Ice: from hometown glory to top of the podium at Salute Coffee Company, 73 Elm St., on Oct. 27 from 3-5 p.m.

Join Latitude 46 Publishing and Sudbury-based sports journalist Laura E. Young for an afternoon of reading and coffee. In Soulmates, Young chronicles the unlikely path Meagan Duhamel of Lively and Eric Radford followed on the way to the top of the world in figure skating. The two-time world pairs champions and three-time Olympic medalists reflect on how they developed a working relationship and honed their resilience in a sport that often left them bloodied and bruised. Here, Young answers some questions about her book. Q & A with Laura E Young

Why was it important for you to tell this story?

I wanted to celebrate Meagan’s long career in skating. She wanted it to be the story of her career with Eric Radford and I was more than game to do that. As well, they have a lot to say about teamwork, sportsmanship, professionalism and performing under stress – all of which is relevant beyond the world of sports. And, at the end of the day, this is a love story. 2. What were some of the challenges in writing a book under a tight deadline? As a working journalist, I adore deadlines and need them. Still, there were times when I wondered how we would get it all done, but I figured Meagan and Eric know how to make things work so let’s test that theory under tight deadlines in the literary and publishing world. 3. As Meagan and Eric were in their final competitive year, how did you manage to interview them? Timing was the weirdest thing on this book. There were pockets of time where we could all meet and do the bulk of the work long before they departed for the 2018 Olympics and their final competitive skates. There was a college strike (I teach part-time at Cambrian College), which freed me up from teaching to concentrate on the drafting and interviewing. That strike coincided with the Grand Prix season where they had pockets of time in between events. We managed. Sometimes, interview times were pushed back in the day or switched, but we still found 45 minutes here and there to do the work. The biggest challenge came after the Olympics with trying to get back on track. We had been away from the project for about three months and they were understandably tired. Eric talks about this in Soulmates, the importance of taking baby steps towards a goal and when you look back, the goal is completed or you’ve at least made all this progress. 4. In the book, both Meagan and Eric, talk openly about their private and professional lives. Was it difficult to access this information and gain their trust? I have known Meagan her entire career and we all know each other in a ‘Sudbury way.’ Two degrees of separation or whatever it is. She is also so open in all her interviews, but it had been a few years since we had met in person. So, for me it was key to go to Montreal in September of 2017 (again a perfect pocket of time revealed itself). I watched them skate and conducted a few initial interviews there. Then I think we built up trust over time. I am a fan of theirs and of sport in general and that was obvious throughout the process. I followed a strict outline that they had approved. The trickier bits came later in the writing after we had done a lot of talking. I asked questions in a neutral way, open-ended way. And, of course, it’s great fun to talk about the Olympics after you perform the way they did and achieve everything you could ever imagine and more. 5. Any surprises along the way? There were a few bombs loaded with information dropped during interviews, which means there are a few surprises for readers – even though Eric and Meagan are well-interviewed and all over social media. I was intrigued by how alike they are, even though people didn’t agree with the pairing and they endured a lot of criticism. I wanted to cry when Eric talked about how hard it was growing up and being bullied in his hometown. Meagan has put her body through so much, right down to losing some hair at one point. They have both emerged healthy and happy with a great attitude and exciting career plans. As I’m privy to a few off-the-record details, I’m so excited to see what happens next for both of them.

Lat46 launches new anthology of Northern Ontario experiences

The Sudbury Star Thursday March 22 2018 By Keith Dempsey In an effort to commemorate Canada’s 150th anniversary, editors Karen McCauley and Laura Stradiotto wanted to capture Northern Ontario and its experiences. At the same time, they wanted to take into account the controversies and criticism surrounding Canada’s 150th birthday. In 150 Years Up North And More, they think they have done both. (more…)

Telemarketing: The Bottom Rung

In the fall of 1996, while between theatre directing gigs, I was employed by a telemarketing call centre in Toronto to sell long distance phone packages to small businesses over the phone. During my eight month tour of duty I was indoctrinated into the high pressure world of telephone sales and the fight for survival in that wild and woolly call centre. It was an opportunity to meet and study the people who worked in those ridiculously stressful jobs which I equated with a military unit. The pressure was intense. You had to make 150 to 200 cold calls per day. You had to get at least three sales a day, five days a week, for a total of 15 sales a week to get your commission. If you fell short, if you got 14 sales, you didn’t get your commission. It was all or nothing. In order to hit your 15 sales there was pressure to slam (con a customer by switching their telephone service without their knowledge or authorization). The experience provided the framework for much my new novel, A Matter of Will, providing the reader with a behind-the-scenes look at the world of telemarketing fraud as seen through the eyes of Will Crosswell, an out of work actor, and the men employed by a fictitious long distance phone company provider in the mid-nineties. A Matter of Will unfolds at a time when internet sales, cell phone long distance, and the new long distance providers like Telus and Fido were still on the horizon. The characters in the book are bound up in a dysfunctional brotherhood of isolation and competitive one-upmanship. They are Darwin’s apes battling for survival in an old technology world on the verge of extinction. They are weeds at the bottom rung of the Great Chain of Being. And so they hustle onward – bantering, zinging, barbing, and jabbing away at each other, held in time and place by the nature of their unrelenting, repetitious telemarketing jobs. Telemarketing calls are one of society’s most irritating pet peeves. Who hasn’t received an annoying telemarketing phone call right in the middle of their dinner? Telemarketing replaced the door-to-door salesmen of the fifties. Why? You can’t shoot someone over the phone. Telemarketing is criticized as unethical due to the high-pressure sales and slamming techniques used during unsolicited calls. Because of the volume of complaints against the telemarketing industry, the American Government responded with increased protection for consumers and regulations for telemarketers. The Telephone Commission Protection Act, enacted in 1991, stated that telemarketers had to abide by a series of rules to stop fraudulent practice and slamming. The CRTC followed suit a few years later. Even despite the regulations, unscrupulous telemarketing companies did not comply with the laws. And the slamming continued. Jump to twenty-seven years later. Time: the present. In a January 23^rd,2018 news article, CBC announced that its investigation of the sales practices of major telemarketing companies has prompted growing calls to hold a public inquiry. On the heels of more allegations of wrongdoing inside the industry, dozens of telecom workers contacted Go Public, revealing intense pressure to upsell customers. The CRTC responded by saying that examining sales practices of Canada’s telemarketers doesn’t fall under its mandate. In wake of the CBC’s recent investigative report, sadly, nothing has really changed in the tele-sales industry… only the technology. By Rod Carley

Latitude 46 Publishing Launches 5 New Books

To hear radio interviews with each author visit http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/sudbury-publishing-company-new-boooks-1.4312353 By: CBC Sudbury This past week, a Sudbury-based publishing company celebrated the launch of five new books. Latitude 46 Publishing focuses on northern Ontario authors and stories. CBC Morning North host Markus Schwabe sat down with each author.

A Matter of Will by Rod Carley

North Bay director, playwright, actor and author Rod Carley said the main character Will Crosswell is a composite of many people he’s met in his life.

Rod Carley is the author of A Matter of Will. (Roger Corriveau/CBC)

The novel tells the story of Crosswell’s time at acting school in the 1970s. Carley said Crosswell is “like a wolf in wolf’s clothing.” “He goes from one theatrical mishap to one other relationship mishap, a series of mishaps over and over again,” he said. “Finally, his fiance dumps him and he’s forced to take a job on the bottom rung of the great chain of being … he’s a telemarketer. And all that goes bust.” Crosswell eventually hits rock bottom and ends up in AA Carley said. After that, the story takes a twist when Crosswell meets an unconventional minister and eventually enrols in divinity school.

Wolf Man by Suzanne Charron

In the early 1920s, a man named Joe Laflamme moved to Gogama, Ont. to transport lumber.

Suzanne Charron is the author of Wolf Man. (Markus Schwabe/CBC)

He was born in Quebec and had lost many of his sled dogs. While out trapping, Laflamme caught a wolf and decided to create his new pack. “He went about not only working with his wolves … as he was a showman, he also showed off his wolves,” author Suzanne Charron said. “He did carnivals and sportsman shows.” Charron extensively researched Laflamme and eventually wrote about him. This is the second edition of her book.

Wazzat by Roger Nash

In the 1970s, Canadian poet Al Purdy once told Sudbury’s Roger Nash that good poetry should surprise the reader. “What I’m trying to do when I’m writing is identify my own sense of ‘wazzat’ of wonder of the world around me, in Sudbury in particular,” Nash said.

Roger Nash is the author of Wazzat. (Roger Corriveau/CBC)

Nash’s latest novel is a collection of verbal snapshots of experiences people can have in Sudbury. “About what it is like to cross a frozen lake at 40 below,” he said. “Poems about gulls shifting in huge conferences from lake to lake, amongst our 300 lakes to have their important meetings which I assume gulls have.” This is Nash’s 19th book.

River of Fire: Conflict and Survival Along the Seal River by Hap Wilson

What’s it like to be a river guide on one of Canada’s most dangerous whitewater rivers? Hap Wilson’s book recounts his experience as a guide on the Manitoba river. “There were several wildfires burning in northern Manitoba,” he said. “After a few days, we ended up confronting a fire the size of Prince Edward Island.” The crew had to avoid the fire which was jumping back and forth across the river. Wilson said they also had to wrap wet bandanas on their faces to be able to breathe.

Hap Wilson is the author of River of Fire: Conflict and Survival Along the Seal River. (Markus Schwabe/CBC)

The trip was extra challenging Wilson said, as one person on it was mildly sociopathic, and was putting the group in danger. The person lead the group into a life-threatening situation while navigating the boat. “I had to make a decision whether or not to take this person’s life because of the situation we were in,” Wilson said. “Having been faced with that ultimatum, you know, you can’t shake those things off.” Wilson wouldn’t tell CBC News what happened, but said he explains it in his book.

Surviving Stutthof: My father’s memories behind the Death Gate by Liisa Kovala

Growing up, Liisa Kovala knew her father had experienced something during World War II, but said she didn’t really understand what had happened until she got older. She eventually learned about her father’s time in Stutthof, a concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. Kovala said it took a long time for her father to open up, but he eventually told her harrowing details of grueling work, starvation diets and abuse.

Liisa Kovala is the author of Surviving Stuffhof: My father’s memories behind the Death Gate. (Roger Corriveau/CBC)

“There’s so many times when I thought ‘how could he have survived any of this?'” Kovala said. “There’s so many moments where he just shouldn’t have survived.”