The Winter of Art's Discontent
During a recession, governments both federal and municipal are on the hunt for places to cut costs and the arts seem to be an easy target. Laura Trethewey followed the carnage of arts funding cuts across the country to see the effect on local artists and, ultimately, our culture.
Grease Lightening
Poet Billeh Nickerson's latest offering is fresh from the deep fryer and teeming with substance
Flatmancrooked
The US micropress with mega-ideas
Excerpts
from Marta Chudolinska, Michael Deforge, Jen Y.
Fiction
by J Jack Unrau, Dave Proctor
61 reviews
Lots more. See it all here.
Ryan Ringer
Ryan Ringer is a multidisciplinary artist and social convener. He enjoys wearing fake moustaches, conducting immersive fictions, building funny Flintstone cars out of cardboard and leading busloads of artists into the cultural chaos of New York City and other urban destinations. Ringer is perhaps best known as director and chief curator of Methinks, a social art arena founded in 2003, and Project 165, a young artist-run space in Toronto's Kensington Market. The two co-exist to support the social, professional and creative development of emerging artists (aka cultural workers); to challenge the ways in which culture is made, perceived, supported and consumed; and to make radical advancements at the confluence of art, politics, play and daily life.
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Les Mont-Royals
Les Mont-Royals is a series of one-page comics revolving around the iconic cross perched on Montreal's Mont Royal. The zine is a strange, frequently violent affair, populated by stick-figure men and minimalist drawings. In one comic, a man climbs onto the cross only to get crushed by an incoming passenger jet. In another, a giant is fellated by the cross. Others feature the cross being converted into the McDonald's golden arches, a man falling from above and becoming impaled on it, as well as a ... Read more.
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Online exclusive: Screen printing video
In our summer DIY issue of Broken Pencil I tried my hand at building a screen printing apparatus. In the end it worked well and was a pretty cheap endeavour. But at the end of that article I also promised that I would deliver a video of screen printer Michael Morton, from Crime League, teaching me to screen print sometime between the release of that issue and the delivery of our Canzine issue. Well, it's a little late, but here it is! ... Read more.
March 11, 2010
Kaie Kellough, Philip Quinn talk to BP
We've got a pair of online exclusive interviews for you. Joel Deshaye speaks to Kaie Kellough, bilingual poet, editor, educator, and performer in Montréal. He has performed solo and with jazz accompaniment from coast to coast and is currently recording spoken word with jazz arrangements. His most recent project is his book, Maple Leaf Rag, which will be published by Arbeiter Ring Press in Winnipeg this spring. An Interview with Kaie Kellough Nathaniel G. Moore caught up with Toronto novelist and poet Philip Quinn to discuss his brand new book The Skeleton Dance, a novel which takes place on the mean, formerly clean streets of Toronto before the century ticked over into the new millennium. This dark novel depicts the human casualties and debris piled up around the downtown bank towers in a way only Quinn can deliver. Philip Quinn's The Skeleton Dance ... Read more.
March 10, 2010
So, this is our new website. By my count, this is the fifth major version of the thing since we launched our original site in 1995. Hopefully it'll hold together. No doubt it's full of little bugs and glitches. If you see any, I'd be obliged if you'd let me know. There's a lot of stuff here, like the complete contents of BP Issues 34 to 46, plus a large representative sample of stuff going all the way back to Issue 1, and we've still got some historical documents yet to post. We've also added some groundbreaking new features, like pictures. Progress marches on. Take a look around. Let us know what you think. Last time I checked, the comment function was working. The bug hunt continues. Bugs are dropping left and right. ... Read more.
March 8, 2010
I’m back from yet another NYC Roadtrip - deeply inspired and stoked to get back to my little Toronto grindstone. And I must say, this New York adventure - not unlike the other ones, by the way - was truly a transformative experience, a real life-changer - a personal revival even - in large part due to the amazingly adventurous, giving spirit and steadfast dedication of the brave crew behind the project: Jeanetta Dunn, Karol Orzechowski and Alex Bowron. You see, leading a busload of people into the cultural chaos of New York for five days of organized mayhem - all the while facilitating a fun, creative, inclusive, community-focused environment for all - is not an easy task. Don't get me wrong. It’s a lot of fun. It’s exciting. And it’s got major rewards (albeit not of the monetary kind). But, as I said, it ain't easy. It takes nearly two months of preparation - promotion, research, planning - not to mention the five days we're in New York, lead... Read more.
March 8, 2010
The Deathmatch Ends. Eshleman Triumphant
The third annual Broken Pencil Indie Writers' Deathmatch clattered to a halt at midnight last night, leaving Nelson Eshleman the last scribbler standing. In fact, Eshleman dominated the final, unleashing a fanatical army of supporters against the hitherto formidable Jordan Abel, who was missing in action for most of the round. This was by far the most lop-sided victory in the history of the Deathmatch. We salute our champion. Broken Pencil also thanks our worthy combatants, our special guest commenters, all who entered the contest and all those who voted or posted long and vitriolic screeds in the comments section. If you posted something nice, or maybe even thoughtful, hell, we thank you too. The Deathmatch will return. ... Read more.
March 8, 2010
It's the final round of Deathmatch: Abel versus Eshleman. It's homicidal bear and his druggie buddies vs. homicidal domestic terrorists and the blogger who caught them. The ultimate battle!! Go vote. ... Read more.
March 2, 2010
It's the Deathmatch Semifinal Round 2!
Coming out of Semifinal 1, won by Abel in a nail-biter, it's Eshelman vs. Horner in a nihilistic battle of man vs. nature, a Broken Pencil-style Canadian matchup East vs. West minus the spiritual epiphanies and flowery poetics! Whoever wins, we're looking at a very interesting final! Moderating this round is guest moderator David Clink, the artistic director of the Rowers Pub Reading Series. He is the author of five poetry chapbooks and the editor of seven others. He is the co-publisher of believe your own press, webmaster of poetrymachine.com and author of the poetry collection Eating Fruit Out of Season. ... Read more.
February 23, 2009
Deathmatch Semi-Final is Neck in Neck in Final Stretch
Wow, with just the weekend to go for voting, it's Abel's story of drugs and an angry man-bear at 51% and Dupcak's tale of drugs, sex and performance art at 49%. What a round! North America's no-holds-barred short story contest continues! Go vote!... Read more.
February 19, 2010
In Defense Of Small Music Venues
A round table discussion hosted by Serena McCarroll with Bob Wiseman, Peter Rowan, Ryan McLaren, Kenneth Farrell, Maria Bui, Leah Buckareff and Aidan Baker. Prologue When Tyler and I first opened All Citizens, within the tiny farming community of Bruno, Saskatchewan, hosting music shows was on our roster of things to do. It didn't happen right away and certainly not in the manner we expected it to. What did happen wildly surpassed our expectations and left us dizzy in it's wake. It began with an email from a certain Bob Wiseman "Dear amazing people who moved to Bruno and are making something excellent there..." That's really how it all started. Bob Wiseman and Geoff Berner played to a sold out audience in Bruno on March 16th 2009. In exchange we awarded them with a key to the town (the Mayor didn't bat an eye when asked permission), an idea inspired by artist Biliana Velkova. That one remarkable night triggered many more shows (and many more award presentations) culminating in the de... Read more.
February 17, 2010
The Festival of the Photocopier, Melbourne
Attention Australian readers: the Sticky Institute's The Festival of the Photocopier is running through the rest of this month. The festival celebrates Australia's zine culture through various workshops, talks, gatherings and a zine fair, and has already featured talks on the history of zines and the punk scene, a queer zine night and a "frenzied zinemaking activity." Upcoming events include a food-zine launch that promises to explain the difference between macarons and macaroons (with a taste test on site!), a talk by zinesters who have had to face the legal system in the making their zines and a talk by a Melbourne zine-elder Iain McIntyre. For the full schedule visit http://www.stickyinstitute.com/festival2010/fest.html On a side note, Luke You, who helped to coordinate this event with the Sticky Institute, will be the author of the zine philosophy in the spring issue of Broken Pencil. ... Read more.
February 15, 2010