A rowdy bunch of new books stir up excitement at Ring House 2 on Monday:
Robert Kroetsch’s Too Bad: Sketches Toward a Self-Portrait
Alice Major’s Memory’s Daughter
rob mclennan’s wild horses
An exciting enough day when a dear favourite poet comes in for his marketing meeting...but then freshly printed books began to arrive, a friend from the media swung by to get in an interview for the radio, and pizza came through the door...pizza! forget trying to achieve any objectives on the old to do list...let's bask in the joy of three new books by three distinct voices in Canadian poetry.
I’m really proud of this one, Robert Kroetsch confessed to us after UAP designer Alan Brownoff interrupted our marketing meeting with ultrafresh copies of Bob’s Too Bad: Sketches Toward a Self-Portrait. Ken Davis, marketing guru for Lone Pine Publishing and host of CKUA’s Bookmark, had also popped by to get a quick interview with Bob for this Sunday’s program. Abandon all hope, ye who wish to market books…it’s time to celebrate the new arrivals.
We weren’t expecting any books for a couple days, in advance of a special Too Bad launch this Saturday at Grant MacEwan University (West End campus). While Bob had come in specially for the marketing meeting from Leduc, the advent of all three poetry titles in our Spring 2010 catalogue started the wheels wobbling.
Too Bad wasn’t the only arrival. Alice Major, who is much handier to the Press, came round soon as she learned Memory’s Daughter was in. Made for a candid photo opportunity. I wish wild horses author, rob mclennan was handier too; it would have been perfect if the Ottawan son could have joined us. Maybe I’ll try photoshopping him into one of these snapshots.
And after lunch, when Marketing Manager Cathie Crooks and Bob and I went to see our beloved acquisitions editor Peter Midgley talk about some of the history and his own experiences as a university student in 1980′s Apartheid South Africa—the Student Movements that Changed the World panel was part of the University of Alberta’s International Week—well, that pretty well blew the wheels off anything resembling trad marketing work for the rest of the day.
It was worthwhile of course. Not everyday a two-time Governor General’s Award winner pops by to share in the joy of another job well done. I can’t wait to see him again at the launch this Saturday.
Congratulations Bob, Alice, rob! Your books are beautiful!!
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- Bob already put to work autographing my copy.
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- Bob Kroetsch and CKUA’s Ken Davis, post-interview.
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- Too Bad designer Alan Brownoff talking shop with author Robert Kroetsch.
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- Peter Midgley looks on as Alice gets a load of her newest book of poems, Memory’s Daughter.
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- The thrill of receiving your new book never gets old. Memory’s Daughter is Alice Major’s third work with the UAP. Too Bad is Robert Kroetsch’s seventh with us.
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- Robert Kroetsch, Peter Midgley, and Alice Major savour the fresh fruits.
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- Bob points out the pony’s patootie on the back cover of rob mclennan’s wild horses–brilliant cover design featuring a carousel horse from West Edmonton Mall (WEM being one of rob’s favourite destinations here in Edmonton :)
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- The Studhorse Man sizes up mclennan’s wild horses with Cathie Crooks, Peter Midgley, and Alice Major.
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- The hat trick: wild horses, Memory’s Daughter, and Too Bad.
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- A very proud day for UAP. Congratulations rob mclennan, Robert Kroetsch, and Alice Major!
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- Robert Kroetsch and Alice Major trading books.
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- Peter Midgley, Vitaliy Shyyan, and Ryan Dunch discuss Student Movements that Changed the World.
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- UAP Editor Peter Midgley.
Filed under: books, events, haha, New Books, news Tagged: | Alan Brownoff, Alice Major, Bob Kroetsch, Canadian literature, Canadian poetry, Cathie Crooks, Jeff Carpenter, Memory's Daughter, Peter Midgley, poetry, rob mclennan, Robert Kroetsch, Too Bad: Sketches Toward a Self-Portrait, wild horses
You’re right that the thrill of a new book never gets old! Thanks so much for the beautiful way you have put my three titles together!
These three books are beautiful! And, well, you all should be just plain proud of what you’ve created.