Sidling Up to the Age Bar<\/strong><\/h3>\nTake prizes for young writers, for example. Encouraging the young is laudable, writes Joanna Walsh in The Guardian<\/em><\/a> but, she points out, \u201cThere\u2019s a correlation between setting an age bar and encouraging the already privileged.\u201d<\/p>\nAge bars can be discriminating in indirect ways. Only the economically privileged can afford an MFA or devote themselves to writing at a young age. A person who is economically or culturally disadvantaged might take much longer to debut. Female writers, for instance, often delay their careers to raise children which means they may \u201cemerge\u201d later than their male counterparts. Writers with physical challenges or health issues may come even later to publishing. Writers from cultural groups whose voices publishers deem “marginal” may not emerge at all.<\/p>\n
Walsh offers a simple solution to this embedded discrimination. Replace \u201cyoung\u201d with \u201cnew\u201d or better yet, \u201cemerging.\u201d And I would add: expand the definition of “published.”<\/p>\n
Instead of consolidating racism, sexism, class, and gender discrimination, prizes\u2014through careful criteria and thoughtful language\u2014can help bring those walls tumbling down.<\/p>\n
The Ghost in the Machine<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/o-monopoly-digital-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>Humans, argues Franklin Foer, in his new book World Without Mind<\/a>, are by nature tool-makers and tool-wielders. But the existential threat of Big Tech might change all that. He worries that in giving over our work to machines, we are, in fact, giving over ourselves to those who operate the machines.<\/p>\n\u201cI worry that we\u2019re headed to a world of total surveillance\u2014and that the presence of watchful eyes will inhibit us from thinking original, subversive thoughts. I worry that we\u2019re outsourcing too many of our mental activities to machines\u2014and these machines are run by a small handful of monopolistic corporations\u2026I worry that the big technology companies use their surveillance of us to create a portrait of our mind, and that they exploit their intimate knowledge of us to keep us clicking and watching. In short, I worry that we\u2019re headed to a world without contemplation, a world lacking in originality and depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/short-stories-300x225.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Paper as a Breath of Fresh Air<\/strong><\/h3>\nTrain stations in France now offer vending machines that print stories while you wait. Just press 1, 3, or 5 to receive a free fairy tale, poem, or bit of classic or modern fiction that takes that 1, 3, or 5 minutes to read. Described by publisher Short\u00e9dition as \u201ca journey before the journey,\u201d the goal is to encourage reading and promote writers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe paper medium is a breath of fresh air,\u201d says the director of Short\u00e9dition<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s more unexpected that a smartphone screen.\u201d<\/p>\nIn Books We Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndigo, Canada’s online and bricks-and-mortar bookseller, came in sixth this year in an\u00a0annual\u00a0study that assesses which brands Canadians trust the most.<\/p>\n
Conducted by the University of Victoria School of Business, the study surveyed more than 6,500 consumers about nearly 300 Canadian companies across 26 industry sectors, and asked them to rank the companies on customer service, quality of product or service, and their\u00a0values and sense of social responsibility.<\/p>\n
The bookstore chain came in sixth, behind Mountain Equipment Co-op, CAA, Costco, Fairmont Hotels, and Ikea.<\/p>\n
NEWS FROM MY CASITA<\/b><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1019-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>The Convict Lover<\/strong><\/em> at 30<\/strong><\/h3>\nOn Saturday, September 30, 2017, Project Bookmark Canada<\/a> unveiled a plaque marking the place of The Convict Lover<\/em> in our country\u2019s literary landscape.<\/p>\nAlmost exactly thirty years ago I discovered the letters that became this book. The research and writing took eight years, and all that time I thought that maybe a dozen people would want to read such an old-fashioned tale. But others saw what I saw\u2014a deeply human story about the irrepressible urge for human connection.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0803-2-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>At a time when monuments are being pulled down because they enshrine the stories of victors, the powerful, it moves me deeply to see the installation of this monument, which recognizes prisoners, men (and women) who are particularly vulnerable to the abuses of power, whose voices are rarely heard and when they are raised, are too often dismissed by those who forget that they are human beings, like the rest of us\u2014flawed, hopeful, despairing, desperate for human contact.<\/p>\nIf you come to Kingston, make Garrigan Park one of your stops. In fact, follow the entire and the Bookmark Canada Trail<\/a> across Canada!<\/p>\nFROM THE\u00a0DEPARTMENT of How Time Flies<\/b><\/h3>\n
My summer was taken up with revision of my novel Refuge<\/em>, due out in fall, 2018. For the first time, I asked 10 people to be my beta readers. (It’s the manuscript that is second-rate at that point, definitely not the readers!) I selected each reader for their unique perspective\u2014Burmese speakers, a nurse, millennials, a nonagenarian. They not only caught a thousand small errors and omissions, they gave me a fresh perspective on the story, which created the distance I needed to dive back in and make this book as good as it could be. Thank you!<\/p>\nAutumn brings a fresh round of festivals, with onstage appearances<\/a> and workshops<\/a>. Please drop by for a chat!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/qxmppnadrofabbjnmh7e-300x169.jpg\")
<\/a>LINKS I LOVE<\/b><\/h3>\nMiriam-Webster <\/a>has introduced a new etymology tool called Time Traveller. With it, you can find the precise moment when a word first entered the printed English language.<\/p>\nA quick look at 1949<\/a> revealed these words and phrases, newly hatched the year I was born: Cobb salad, coronary heart disease, flip side, hologram, lonely hearts, pyramid scheme, same-sex, six-pack, sweet spot, and my personal favorite, writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/bookshop-221x300.jpg\")
<\/a>THE BEST LITTLE BOOKSHOP<\/b><\/h3>\nThe Tamworth Book Shop<\/a>, located in the wee village of Tamworth 45 minutes northwest of Kingston, lives in a small, two-storey, red-brick coach house on the front lawn of the bookseller’s property. The books are so well chosen and well-displayed, I wanted to move in.<\/p>\nThe physical shop is only open April through December. Fortunately,\u00a0Robert Wright <\/a>also operates an online store that specializes in nineteenth and twentieth century literary first editions.\u00a0But you have to make the trip to Tamworth to see the odd and delightful button collection that lines the top of the shelves in the Tamworth Book Shop.<\/p>\n
Age bars can be discriminating in indirect ways. Only the economically privileged can afford an MFA or devote themselves to writing at a young age. A person who is economically or culturally disadvantaged might take much longer to debut. Female writers, for instance, often delay their careers to raise children which means they may \u201cemerge\u201d later than their male counterparts. Writers with physical challenges or health issues may come even later to publishing. Writers from cultural groups whose voices publishers deem “marginal” may not emerge at all.<\/p>\n
Walsh offers a simple solution to this embedded discrimination. Replace \u201cyoung\u201d with \u201cnew\u201d or better yet, \u201cemerging.\u201d And I would add: expand the definition of “published.”<\/p>\n
Instead of consolidating racism, sexism, class, and gender discrimination, prizes\u2014through careful criteria and thoughtful language\u2014can help bring those walls tumbling down.<\/p>\n
The Ghost in the Machine<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/a>Humans, argues Franklin Foer, in his new book World Without Mind<\/a>, are by nature tool-makers and tool-wielders. But the existential threat of Big Tech might change all that. He worries that in giving over our work to machines, we are, in fact, giving over ourselves to those who operate the machines.<\/p>\n\u201cI worry that we\u2019re headed to a world of total surveillance\u2014and that the presence of watchful eyes will inhibit us from thinking original, subversive thoughts. I worry that we\u2019re outsourcing too many of our mental activities to machines\u2014and these machines are run by a small handful of monopolistic corporations\u2026I worry that the big technology companies use their surveillance of us to create a portrait of our mind, and that they exploit their intimate knowledge of us to keep us clicking and watching. In short, I worry that we\u2019re headed to a world without contemplation, a world lacking in originality and depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paper as a Breath of Fresh Air<\/strong><\/h3>\nTrain stations in France now offer vending machines that print stories while you wait. Just press 1, 3, or 5 to receive a free fairy tale, poem, or bit of classic or modern fiction that takes that 1, 3, or 5 minutes to read. Described by publisher Short\u00e9dition as \u201ca journey before the journey,\u201d the goal is to encourage reading and promote writers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe paper medium is a breath of fresh air,\u201d says the director of Short\u00e9dition<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s more unexpected that a smartphone screen.\u201d<\/p>\nIn Books We Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndigo, Canada’s online and bricks-and-mortar bookseller, came in sixth this year in an\u00a0annual\u00a0study that assesses which brands Canadians trust the most.<\/p>\n
Conducted by the University of Victoria School of Business, the study surveyed more than 6,500 consumers about nearly 300 Canadian companies across 26 industry sectors, and asked them to rank the companies on customer service, quality of product or service, and their\u00a0values and sense of social responsibility.<\/p>\n
The bookstore chain came in sixth, behind Mountain Equipment Co-op, CAA, Costco, Fairmont Hotels, and Ikea.<\/p>\n
NEWS FROM MY CASITA<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/a>The Convict Lover<\/strong><\/em> at 30<\/strong><\/h3>\nOn Saturday, September 30, 2017, Project Bookmark Canada<\/a> unveiled a plaque marking the place of The Convict Lover<\/em> in our country\u2019s literary landscape.<\/p>\nAlmost exactly thirty years ago I discovered the letters that became this book. The research and writing took eight years, and all that time I thought that maybe a dozen people would want to read such an old-fashioned tale. But others saw what I saw\u2014a deeply human story about the irrepressible urge for human connection.<\/p>\n
<\/a>At a time when monuments are being pulled down because they enshrine the stories of victors, the powerful, it moves me deeply to see the installation of this monument, which recognizes prisoners, men (and women) who are particularly vulnerable to the abuses of power, whose voices are rarely heard and when they are raised, are too often dismissed by those who forget that they are human beings, like the rest of us\u2014flawed, hopeful, despairing, desperate for human contact.<\/p>\nIf you come to Kingston, make Garrigan Park one of your stops. In fact, follow the entire and the Bookmark Canada Trail<\/a> across Canada!<\/p>\nFROM THE\u00a0DEPARTMENT of How Time Flies<\/b><\/h3>\n
My summer was taken up with revision of my novel Refuge<\/em>, due out in fall, 2018. For the first time, I asked 10 people to be my beta readers. (It’s the manuscript that is second-rate at that point, definitely not the readers!) I selected each reader for their unique perspective\u2014Burmese speakers, a nurse, millennials, a nonagenarian. They not only caught a thousand small errors and omissions, they gave me a fresh perspective on the story, which created the distance I needed to dive back in and make this book as good as it could be. Thank you!<\/p>\nAutumn brings a fresh round of festivals, with onstage appearances<\/a> and workshops<\/a>. Please drop by for a chat!<\/p>\n<\/a>LINKS I LOVE<\/b><\/h3>\nMiriam-Webster <\/a>has introduced a new etymology tool called Time Traveller. With it, you can find the precise moment when a word first entered the printed English language.<\/p>\nA quick look at 1949<\/a> revealed these words and phrases, newly hatched the year I was born: Cobb salad, coronary heart disease, flip side, hologram, lonely hearts, pyramid scheme, same-sex, six-pack, sweet spot, and my personal favorite, writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n<\/a>THE BEST LITTLE BOOKSHOP<\/b><\/h3>\nThe Tamworth Book Shop<\/a>, located in the wee village of Tamworth 45 minutes northwest of Kingston, lives in a small, two-storey, red-brick coach house on the front lawn of the bookseller’s property. The books are so well chosen and well-displayed, I wanted to move in.<\/p>\nThe physical shop is only open April through December. Fortunately,\u00a0Robert Wright <\/a>also operates an online store that specializes in nineteenth and twentieth century literary first editions.\u00a0But you have to make the trip to Tamworth to see the odd and delightful button collection that lines the top of the shelves in the Tamworth Book Shop.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Humans, argues Franklin Foer, in his new book World Without Mind<\/a>, are by nature tool-makers and tool-wielders. But the existential threat of Big Tech might change all that. He worries that in giving over our work to machines, we are, in fact, giving over ourselves to those who operate the machines.<\/p>\n\u201cI worry that we\u2019re headed to a world of total surveillance\u2014and that the presence of watchful eyes will inhibit us from thinking original, subversive thoughts. I worry that we\u2019re outsourcing too many of our mental activities to machines\u2014and these machines are run by a small handful of monopolistic corporations\u2026I worry that the big technology companies use their surveillance of us to create a portrait of our mind, and that they exploit their intimate knowledge of us to keep us clicking and watching. In short, I worry that we\u2019re headed to a world without contemplation, a world lacking in originality and depth.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Paper as a Breath of Fresh Air<\/strong><\/h3>\nTrain stations in France now offer vending machines that print stories while you wait. Just press 1, 3, or 5 to receive a free fairy tale, poem, or bit of classic or modern fiction that takes that 1, 3, or 5 minutes to read. Described by publisher Short\u00e9dition as \u201ca journey before the journey,\u201d the goal is to encourage reading and promote writers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe paper medium is a breath of fresh air,\u201d says the director of Short\u00e9dition<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s more unexpected that a smartphone screen.\u201d<\/p>\nIn Books We Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndigo, Canada’s online and bricks-and-mortar bookseller, came in sixth this year in an\u00a0annual\u00a0study that assesses which brands Canadians trust the most.<\/p>\n
Conducted by the University of Victoria School of Business, the study surveyed more than 6,500 consumers about nearly 300 Canadian companies across 26 industry sectors, and asked them to rank the companies on customer service, quality of product or service, and their\u00a0values and sense of social responsibility.<\/p>\n
The bookstore chain came in sixth, behind Mountain Equipment Co-op, CAA, Costco, Fairmont Hotels, and Ikea.<\/p>\n
NEWS FROM MY CASITA<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/a>The Convict Lover<\/strong><\/em> at 30<\/strong><\/h3>\nOn Saturday, September 30, 2017, Project Bookmark Canada<\/a> unveiled a plaque marking the place of The Convict Lover<\/em> in our country\u2019s literary landscape.<\/p>\nAlmost exactly thirty years ago I discovered the letters that became this book. The research and writing took eight years, and all that time I thought that maybe a dozen people would want to read such an old-fashioned tale. But others saw what I saw\u2014a deeply human story about the irrepressible urge for human connection.<\/p>\n
<\/a>At a time when monuments are being pulled down because they enshrine the stories of victors, the powerful, it moves me deeply to see the installation of this monument, which recognizes prisoners, men (and women) who are particularly vulnerable to the abuses of power, whose voices are rarely heard and when they are raised, are too often dismissed by those who forget that they are human beings, like the rest of us\u2014flawed, hopeful, despairing, desperate for human contact.<\/p>\nIf you come to Kingston, make Garrigan Park one of your stops. In fact, follow the entire and the Bookmark Canada Trail<\/a> across Canada!<\/p>\nFROM THE\u00a0DEPARTMENT of How Time Flies<\/b><\/h3>\n
My summer was taken up with revision of my novel Refuge<\/em>, due out in fall, 2018. For the first time, I asked 10 people to be my beta readers. (It’s the manuscript that is second-rate at that point, definitely not the readers!) I selected each reader for their unique perspective\u2014Burmese speakers, a nurse, millennials, a nonagenarian. They not only caught a thousand small errors and omissions, they gave me a fresh perspective on the story, which created the distance I needed to dive back in and make this book as good as it could be. Thank you!<\/p>\nAutumn brings a fresh round of festivals, with onstage appearances<\/a> and workshops<\/a>. Please drop by for a chat!<\/p>\n<\/a>LINKS I LOVE<\/b><\/h3>\nMiriam-Webster <\/a>has introduced a new etymology tool called Time Traveller. With it, you can find the precise moment when a word first entered the printed English language.<\/p>\nA quick look at 1949<\/a> revealed these words and phrases, newly hatched the year I was born: Cobb salad, coronary heart disease, flip side, hologram, lonely hearts, pyramid scheme, same-sex, six-pack, sweet spot, and my personal favorite, writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n<\/a>THE BEST LITTLE BOOKSHOP<\/b><\/h3>\nThe Tamworth Book Shop<\/a>, located in the wee village of Tamworth 45 minutes northwest of Kingston, lives in a small, two-storey, red-brick coach house on the front lawn of the bookseller’s property. The books are so well chosen and well-displayed, I wanted to move in.<\/p>\nThe physical shop is only open April through December. Fortunately,\u00a0Robert Wright <\/a>also operates an online store that specializes in nineteenth and twentieth century literary first editions.\u00a0But you have to make the trip to Tamworth to see the odd and delightful button collection that lines the top of the shelves in the Tamworth Book Shop.<\/p>\n
In Books We Trust<\/strong><\/h3>\nIndigo, Canada’s online and bricks-and-mortar bookseller, came in sixth this year in an\u00a0annual\u00a0study that assesses which brands Canadians trust the most.<\/p>\n
Conducted by the University of Victoria School of Business, the study surveyed more than 6,500 consumers about nearly 300 Canadian companies across 26 industry sectors, and asked them to rank the companies on customer service, quality of product or service, and their\u00a0values and sense of social responsibility.<\/p>\n
The bookstore chain came in sixth, behind Mountain Equipment Co-op, CAA, Costco, Fairmont Hotels, and Ikea.<\/p>\n
NEWS FROM MY CASITA<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/a>The Convict Lover<\/strong><\/em> at 30<\/strong><\/h3>\nOn Saturday, September 30, 2017, Project Bookmark Canada<\/a> unveiled a plaque marking the place of The Convict Lover<\/em> in our country\u2019s literary landscape.<\/p>\nAlmost exactly thirty years ago I discovered the letters that became this book. The research and writing took eight years, and all that time I thought that maybe a dozen people would want to read such an old-fashioned tale. But others saw what I saw\u2014a deeply human story about the irrepressible urge for human connection.<\/p>\n
<\/a>At a time when monuments are being pulled down because they enshrine the stories of victors, the powerful, it moves me deeply to see the installation of this monument, which recognizes prisoners, men (and women) who are particularly vulnerable to the abuses of power, whose voices are rarely heard and when they are raised, are too often dismissed by those who forget that they are human beings, like the rest of us\u2014flawed, hopeful, despairing, desperate for human contact.<\/p>\nIf you come to Kingston, make Garrigan Park one of your stops. In fact, follow the entire and the Bookmark Canada Trail<\/a> across Canada!<\/p>\nFROM THE\u00a0DEPARTMENT of How Time Flies<\/b><\/h3>\n
My summer was taken up with revision of my novel Refuge<\/em>, due out in fall, 2018. For the first time, I asked 10 people to be my beta readers. (It’s the manuscript that is second-rate at that point, definitely not the readers!) I selected each reader for their unique perspective\u2014Burmese speakers, a nurse, millennials, a nonagenarian. They not only caught a thousand small errors and omissions, they gave me a fresh perspective on the story, which created the distance I needed to dive back in and make this book as good as it could be. Thank you!<\/p>\nAutumn brings a fresh round of festivals, with onstage appearances<\/a> and workshops<\/a>. Please drop by for a chat!<\/p>\n<\/a>LINKS I LOVE<\/b><\/h3>\nMiriam-Webster <\/a>has introduced a new etymology tool called Time Traveller. With it, you can find the precise moment when a word first entered the printed English language.<\/p>\nA quick look at 1949<\/a> revealed these words and phrases, newly hatched the year I was born: Cobb salad, coronary heart disease, flip side, hologram, lonely hearts, pyramid scheme, same-sex, six-pack, sweet spot, and my personal favorite, writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n<\/a>THE BEST LITTLE BOOKSHOP<\/b><\/h3>\nThe Tamworth Book Shop<\/a>, located in the wee village of Tamworth 45 minutes northwest of Kingston, lives in a small, two-storey, red-brick coach house on the front lawn of the bookseller’s property. The books are so well chosen and well-displayed, I wanted to move in.<\/p>\nThe physical shop is only open April through December. Fortunately,\u00a0Robert Wright <\/a>also operates an online store that specializes in nineteenth and twentieth century literary first editions.\u00a0But you have to make the trip to Tamworth to see the odd and delightful button collection that lines the top of the shelves in the Tamworth Book Shop.<\/p>\n
<\/a>The Convict Lover<\/strong><\/em> at 30<\/strong><\/h3>\nOn Saturday, September 30, 2017, Project Bookmark Canada<\/a> unveiled a plaque marking the place of The Convict Lover<\/em> in our country\u2019s literary landscape.<\/p>\nAlmost exactly thirty years ago I discovered the letters that became this book. The research and writing took eight years, and all that time I thought that maybe a dozen people would want to read such an old-fashioned tale. But others saw what I saw\u2014a deeply human story about the irrepressible urge for human connection.<\/p>\n
<\/a>At a time when monuments are being pulled down because they enshrine the stories of victors, the powerful, it moves me deeply to see the installation of this monument, which recognizes prisoners, men (and women) who are particularly vulnerable to the abuses of power, whose voices are rarely heard and when they are raised, are too often dismissed by those who forget that they are human beings, like the rest of us\u2014flawed, hopeful, despairing, desperate for human contact.<\/p>\nIf you come to Kingston, make Garrigan Park one of your stops. In fact, follow the entire and the Bookmark Canada Trail<\/a> across Canada!<\/p>\nFROM THE\u00a0DEPARTMENT of How Time Flies<\/b><\/h3>\n
My summer was taken up with revision of my novel Refuge<\/em>, due out in fall, 2018. For the first time, I asked 10 people to be my beta readers. (It’s the manuscript that is second-rate at that point, definitely not the readers!) I selected each reader for their unique perspective\u2014Burmese speakers, a nurse, millennials, a nonagenarian. They not only caught a thousand small errors and omissions, they gave me a fresh perspective on the story, which created the distance I needed to dive back in and make this book as good as it could be. Thank you!<\/p>\nAutumn brings a fresh round of festivals, with onstage appearances<\/a> and workshops<\/a>. Please drop by for a chat!<\/p>\n<\/a>LINKS I LOVE<\/b><\/h3>\nMiriam-Webster <\/a>has introduced a new etymology tool called Time Traveller. With it, you can find the precise moment when a word first entered the printed English language.<\/p>\nA quick look at 1949<\/a> revealed these words and phrases, newly hatched the year I was born: Cobb salad, coronary heart disease, flip side, hologram, lonely hearts, pyramid scheme, same-sex, six-pack, sweet spot, and my personal favorite, writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n<\/a>THE BEST LITTLE BOOKSHOP<\/b><\/h3>\nThe Tamworth Book Shop<\/a>, located in the wee village of Tamworth 45 minutes northwest of Kingston, lives in a small, two-storey, red-brick coach house on the front lawn of the bookseller’s property. The books are so well chosen and well-displayed, I wanted to move in.<\/p>\nThe physical shop is only open April through December. Fortunately,\u00a0Robert Wright <\/a>also operates an online store that specializes in nineteenth and twentieth century literary first editions.\u00a0But you have to make the trip to Tamworth to see the odd and delightful button collection that lines the top of the shelves in the Tamworth Book Shop.<\/p>\n
Almost exactly thirty years ago I discovered the letters that became this book. The research and writing took eight years, and all that time I thought that maybe a dozen people would want to read such an old-fashioned tale. But others saw what I saw\u2014a deeply human story about the irrepressible urge for human connection.<\/p>\n
If you come to Kingston, make Garrigan Park one of your stops. In fact, follow the entire and the Bookmark Canada Trail<\/a> across Canada!<\/p>\n My summer was taken up with revision of my novel Refuge<\/em>, due out in fall, 2018. For the first time, I asked 10 people to be my beta readers. (It’s the manuscript that is second-rate at that point, definitely not the readers!) I selected each reader for their unique perspective\u2014Burmese speakers, a nurse, millennials, a nonagenarian. They not only caught a thousand small errors and omissions, they gave me a fresh perspective on the story, which created the distance I needed to dive back in and make this book as good as it could be. Thank you!<\/p>\n Autumn brings a fresh round of festivals, with onstage appearances<\/a> and workshops<\/a>. Please drop by for a chat!<\/p>\n Miriam-Webster <\/a>has introduced a new etymology tool called Time Traveller. With it, you can find the precise moment when a word first entered the printed English language.<\/p>\n A quick look at 1949<\/a> revealed these words and phrases, newly hatched the year I was born: Cobb salad, coronary heart disease, flip side, hologram, lonely hearts, pyramid scheme, same-sex, six-pack, sweet spot, and my personal favorite, writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n The Tamworth Book Shop<\/a>, located in the wee village of Tamworth 45 minutes northwest of Kingston, lives in a small, two-storey, red-brick coach house on the front lawn of the bookseller’s property. The books are so well chosen and well-displayed, I wanted to move in.<\/p>\n The physical shop is only open April through December. Fortunately,\u00a0Robert Wright <\/a>also operates an online store that specializes in nineteenth and twentieth century literary first editions.\u00a0But you have to make the trip to Tamworth to see the odd and delightful button collection that lines the top of the shelves in the Tamworth Book Shop.<\/p>\n<\/a>At a time when monuments are being pulled down because they enshrine the stories of victors, the powerful, it moves me deeply to see the installation of this monument, which recognizes prisoners, men (and women) who are particularly vulnerable to the abuses of power, whose voices are rarely heard and when they are raised, are too often dismissed by those who forget that they are human beings, like the rest of us\u2014flawed, hopeful, despairing, desperate for human contact.<\/p>\nFROM THE\u00a0DEPARTMENT of How Time Flies<\/b><\/h3>\n
<\/a>LINKS I LOVE<\/b><\/h3>\n<\/a>THE BEST LITTLE BOOKSHOP<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/merilynsimonds.com\/books-unpacked-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_1282-3-e1507047435875-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n