Al Makes Big, Liz Makes Bigger

I had a review of Nomeansno's new CD in This Magazine last month (not viewable at that link), which was my first non-local publication, and the first piece of writing that I received payment for (a cheque for $35, which I'm debating either cashing or framing). Happy as I am with that, I'm even more delighted that Skyscraper #23 has run my Rob Wright interview -- extracted from the same long conversation that ended up online at Razorcake. (Skyscraper is in stores now -- or at least at Scratch). It's the first "big" piece of writing I've gotten published. Even bigger is my upcoming Razorcake interview with the Pointed Sticks about their Japanese reunion tour. Local merchants are advised to stock up: it includes conversations with Bill, Nick, and Ian of the band, Sudden Death boss Joey Keithley; local Noize to Go! owner and Waiting for the Real Thing compilation producer Dale Wiese, and Toshio Iijima of Record Base, the Japanese chain that organized the tour. It's a fun read. I'm even happier that both my Nomeansno and Pointed Sticks articles will be seeing German translations in months to come...! First foreign language publication of Al-Words. Now if only I were getting paid...

Alas, the Subhumans are either unhappy with me or so totally preoccupied with their lives that no one has gotten back to me about the article I wrote about them for publication in yet another big American punk zine (and one that does pay, at that). Kept in the dark, I wait for a call or an email. They have some reason to want to distance themselves from me, maybe -- I was getting pretty excitable about Gerry's past for awhile there, since it, alas, happened to correspond with my own adolescence and early politicization. Interesting as it may be, it affects people's lives...


....anyhow, none of this news seems very significant in light of the fact that my friend Elizabeth Bachinsky has been nominated for the Governor General's Award for Poetry. In a shortlist of five, with a jury that includes Evelyn Lau, the nomination is an enormously validating move for Liz, and she'll be contributing something to Discorder in celebration of my recent successes and hers. Governor Generals Award winners are normally notified before the award is announced; since said announcement occurs in less than a week (Nov. 21st), it is somewhat puzzling that no word has gotten out yet. How do you keep a poet in suspense?

Even if you don't like poetry, normally, I'd highly recommend checking out Liz's recent Home of Sudden Service, on Nightwood Editions. It's not every day young BC women get nominated for the GG!