Zoe Whittall

Great video blog review of Bottle Rocket Hearts

2012-01-17T08:09:00.001-08:00

Interview in Maisonneuve Magazine

2011-11-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

You can read an interview with me on Maisonneuve Magazine's blog, about writing and my short story "Oh, El" which was recently published in the print version of the magazine.

mostly I've been swimming in lakes, but also...

2011-07-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

- I have a new short story called It's Just Not Working Out in the lastest issue of THIS magazine
- I'm reading on August 11 at Another Story Bookstore on Roncesvalles Ave in Toronto

Other than that, I'm working away on the new novel, and occasionally on the collection of short stories called We Might Be The Worst People on Earth.

For some folks who asked on Twitter, I do love attending book club meetings. If you'd be interested in booking something like that you can reach me via laura@anansi.ca for Holding Still for as Long as Possible, or m.howsam@cormorantbooks.com for Bottle Rocket Hearts.

Holding Still for as Long as Possible wins a Lambda Literary Award!!!

2011-05-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

I just returned from an overnight trip to NYC for the Lambda Literary Awards. My most recent novel won in the best Transgender Fiction category. You can read about the night on the Entertainment Weekly blog? For real.

This is Emma Donoghue announcing my book in the best lesbian fiction category. Eileen Myles, who faithful readers will know is a friend and someone I admire very much, won the prize. So that rocks.

Me clutching my prize in a lovely state of shock.

My fellow canuck nominees and seatmates: Daniel Allen Cox, Amber Dawn and Vivek Shraya.

spring update

2011-05-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,

I had an awesome reading at the Parliament street library in Toronto last week. I talked about my rapid reads novel, The Middle Ground, published by Orca Books. I haven't had such a lovely and engaged crowd in quite a while. I will find out on June 9th if it wins the Ontario Library Association's Golden Oak award.

In other news, I'm currently at work on my screenplay and the fourth novel, and I'm also trying to learn to drive. I'm pretty terrible at it so far.

There is a great review up on the Lambda Literary Awards of Holding Still for as Long as Possible. Here is an excerpt:

"The book is grounded in Josh’s EMT work, weaving cardiac arrest and twelve hour shifts among the nuances of these characters’ relationships with each other, creating a foundation of trauma that expertly juxtaposes life against death. And Josh within himself is a case study of perfect post-coming out literature: while we know he is trans, we’re following him in his life as it is, not while he struggles with identity, or patiently explains hormones to new friends. Josh is just a guy, and with these parameters we get one of the best trans man portraits fiction has yet to see.

Whittall also paints confident portraits of each character’s fluid sexuality, without getting bogged down in labels and politics: Amy is still attached to her ex-boyfriend Jason, but crushes out on the girl she sees at Starbucks; Billy doesn’t bat an eye when she morphs from mourning her girlfriend of seven years to falling for a guy. Whittall is expertly setting the tone for a whole new generation of queer fiction.
...

Whittall demonstrates her talent in the book’s crescendo, a flawlessly narrated collision of the characters’ lives. With the ending, a story that begins as interesting catapults into un-put-downable, and cements the characters of Josh and Amy and Billy in my heart. I’m still thinking about them. I can’t wait to see what queer magic Whittall pens next."

OP Mag reviews Holding Still for as Long as Possible

2011-04-18T06:03:00.000-07:00

The wonderful Tom Leger, publisher of Topside Press in NYC has reviewed HSFALAP on the Original Plumbing magazine blog. I would encourage you to read the whole review here. But if you're in a scanning mood, here is an excerpt:

"The thing that makes this novel markedly different than almost every other novel ever written in the history of the novel, is that it is written from an insider’s perspective about young trans and queer people ... it is an immensely important book. Holding Still might be the first of a new upsurge in literature about trans people – authentic narratives, executed skillfully and received with great acclaim. I want you to read this book and I want you to write a novel, because I want to read more of these. I want trans people to realize that our lives, that our communities, that our worlds are valuable and deserve to be recorded."

That last line made me tear up a little bit. Thanks Tom!

Holding Still for as Long as Possible is nominated for two LAMBDA Literary Awards!

2011-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

This is a photo from Xtra's article about the awards

HSFALAP is on the shortlist for Transgender fiction and Lesbian fiction. I am beyond thrilled!

Xtra! wrote an article about all the Canadians on the 2011 list.

I'm pleased to see fellow Canadian femme Amber Dawn's book Sub Rosa nominated for Debut Lesbian Fiction. I just interviewed her for Queeries. Also happy to see Gender Outlaws: The Next Generation on the list. I just finished reading it, and it rocked.

In other news, I'll be working with writer Lisa Foad on the film version of HSFLAP this year. And I just found out that Bottle Rocket Hearts the film is going to receive funding from Telefilm. All in all, a tremendous week. Plus, it's warm enough to ride my bike. Woot!

Featured in Elle Magazine!

2011-01-11T17:39:00.000-08:00

This is the issue here on the right, and Biggie Smalls is only pretending not to be interested.

In other news, I'll be on CBC Radio's Day 6 show tomorrow with a silly rant I wrote about my anxiety around the boomers aging.

2011!

2011-01-07T13:27:00.000-08:00

A lovely surprise when I returned home from vacation: I made the cover of Xtra! magazine in December. I had to post this photo taken by lovely performance artist Jess Dobkin. It features a great sticker from the 2010 Take Back the Dyke march - the highlight of my 2010 pride week. Thanks to Alice Lawlor for the fantastic article, of which I will excerpt here:

It’s been quite a year for Zoe Whittall. In the spring, her critically acclaimed second novel — a vivid depiction of Toronto’s Queen West community entitled Holding Still for as Long as Possible — was published in paperback. Then it was nominated for a ReLit Award, an honour that recognizes the best new work from independent publishers.

And in the fall, Canada Reads came calling.

In other news, I will be appearing in Winnipeg on March 7th with Chandra Mayor and Ivan Coyote, and in Ottawa at Algonquin College some time this spring. Algonquin chose Holding Still for as Long as Possible for their One School One Book campaign.

!! How could I forget - I'm appearing in the anthology Persistence: All Things Butch and Femme edited by Ivan E. Coyote and Zena Sharman.

If you're in Toronto, you might see me trying my hand at stand-up comedy. I'm not quite brave enough to advertise my gigs yet...but perhaps I will in the future.

Bottle Rocket Hearts makes the Canada Reads Top Ten!

2010-11-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks so much to Cormorant Books for the stellar campaign, everyone who voted, and Dance Yourself to Death! I just screamed so loud the cats ran under the couch! Happy Tuesday indeed, Jian.

*dorky CBC retro t-shirt in photo is completely nerd-tentional.

Bottle Rocket Hearts for Canada Reads

2010-11-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Bryan Ibeas and Carolyn McNeillie at Cormorant Books made this film to promote my novel for Canada Reads. I know my book is a bit of a long shot, so we thought it wouldn't hurt to find a creative way to get the word out. The film features original music by my favourite Toronto band, Dance Yourself to Death.

What do you think? I'm sorry I don't know how to make the screen fit - I'm not exactly a tech whiz.:)

Positive review of Holding Still for as Long as Possible in Booklist

2010-11-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Holding Still for as Long as Possible.
Whittall, Zoe (author).
Sept. 2010. 300p. Anansi, paperback, $14.95 (9780887849640).
REVIEW.
First published September 15, 2010 (Booklist).

This captivating glimpse into the lives of three twentysomethings showcases Whittall’s ability to create complex characters. Connected through social circles in their Toronto neighborhood, they struggle to accept the past while mapping out the future: Josh, a female-to-male transgender works strenuous shifts as a paramedic and tries to erase from his mind the atrocities he witnesses daily; Amy, his ex-girlfriend and an amateur filmmaker, lives off of her wealthy parents; and Billy, a former child pop star, now endures extreme anxiety attacks. As the three become wrapped up in each others’ lives, the emotional roller coaster dips and rises. Haunted by memories of the tragedy of 9/11 and of the rampant fear of a SARS epidemic, which served as the scenery of their youth, this new generation’s members proclaim their true feelings through text messages and drown their excess emotion in booze. A poignant climax seems almost like a dream as the characters drift toward the shattering conclusion. An unforgettable depiction of growing up in the new millennium.

— Annie McCormick

Bottle Rocket Hearts made the 2011 Canada Reads Top 40!

2010-10-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's my partner's birthday today, and this morning she sent me a text from work that said: "All I want for my birthday is for you to get on the Canada Reads list!" Isn't that the sweetest thing? My gf has amazing luck, so it happened! Bottle Rocket Hearts made the top 40.

You can go here to vote. You can read more about Bottle Rocket Hearts on the Cormorant Books website, which also features a handy electronic preview of the first chapter, so if you're not familiar with the book you can feel free to check it out.

Thanks so much to everyone who voted.

Canada Reads

2010-10-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Much to my delight, someone else has recommended my first novel, Bottle Rocket Hearts, for Canada Reads 2011. If you would like to see it become one of the 40 books the panelists will have to choose from, you can go here to vote. There are lots of fantastic books on the list so far.

Personally, I'd love to see so many books on the list - When I Was Young and In My Prime by Alayna Munce, Fauna by Alyssa York, or Cumberland by Michael V. Smith - and these are just the ones I'm thinking of off the top of my head.

I'm sitting in my hotel room in London, Ontario right now. This afternoon I'm speaking on a panel with Shelagh Rogers from the CBC. Then it's back to Toronto, and back to work on the script version of Bottle Rocket Hearts, and my short story collection in progress.

From the Chelsea Hotel

2010-09-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

We're about to go to my reading at the McNally Jackson store. First a brief nap - we're tired from walking around the east and west villages today. Loving NYC - wish we had more time here. Had brunch with the lovely poet and novelist, Eileen Myles, and our tour mates, Emily Schultz and Brian Joseph Davis. Then we went to The Strand - epic book heaven.

ReLit Shortlist & NYC reading

2010-09-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Holding Still for as Long as Possible, now available in the United States, was short-listed for the ReLit Award. Poets & Writers magazine blogged about it, and included my (veerrry DIY, slightly embarrassing) book trailer.

I'm very excited about my very first spot on a shortlist and honoured to be included.

Next week I'll be in New York City, reading at the McNally Jackson store with fellow Anansi author Emily Schultz, along with Jim Hanas and Amanda Stern.

You can follow me on twitter here.

Thanks, Toronto!

2010-08-11T15:54:00.001-07:00

Holding Still

2010-07-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of my friend Jen Markowitz (rock star) and Sorrell Scrutton (also rock star) reading my first book and my most recent book, on my couch while I was at work. Don't they look cute?

I've launched a manuscript consultation service. If you would like me to read and comment on your work in progress, see my new blog.

I don't really have any news, except that the e-book version of Holding Still for As Long as Possible will be out soon with Kobo, and I will be in New York City this September to promote the American release, with fellow Anansi author, Emily Schultz.

I'm mostly working on the script adaptation of Bottle Rocket Hearts. Writing a treatment is more difficult than I anticipated, but so far so good.

I'd love to hear from you if you've read Holding Still for as Long as Possible. I'm also on Twitter if you'd like to connect that way.

Montreal, Montreal

2010-06-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

I will be in Montreal for a reading on June 21st. It's part of the Summer Literary Seminars program. Also on the bill are Sina Queyras, Mary Jo Bang, and Erin Moure. It takes place at the deSeve Cinema at 7:30 p.m.

first day of summer

2010-05-25T19:50:00.000-07:00

* Holding Still for as Long as Possible is now out in paper. It's pretty and now way more portable and affordable! The Globe & Mail picked it as one of the hot new paperbacks!
* I wrote the cover story for this month's Quill & Quire, a feature on author Katherine Govier.
* I wrote a review of Girl Crazy by Russell Smith for the Globe & Mail.
* I will be reading at the Trigger festival in Toronto on June 11th, with fellow femme writers Anna Camilleri and Debra Anderson.
* I will be reading in New York City on September 14th, at McNally Jackson, 52 Prince St., with Amanda Stern, Emily Schultz, Jim Hanas, and Brian Joseph Davis.
* Sad about the death of artist Will Munro, who is memorialized by friends in Eye Weekly.

Holding Still For as Long as Possible has been optioned for film!

2010-04-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

The official deals announcement:

Film rights to Holding Still for as Long as Possible by Zoe Whittall optioned by Avi Federgreen of Federgreen Entertainment Inc, arranged by Sarah Cooper of The Saint Agency in association with Samantha Haywood of the Transatlantic Literary Agency.

The unofficial announcement: Yippee! Woot! Awesome. I'm so excited to work with Avi. I've signed on to co-write the script, and will be working with a young female director from Newfoundland, Jordan Canning.

Spring update

2010-04-06T18:12:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting, but its spring in Toronto and I've been busy biking around my new neighbourhood and feeling pretty awesome about the end of winter.

Some new things:

My newest book is a bit of a departure for me, and I'm a little nervous about it. The Middle Ground is a short novel I wrote for Orca Books' Rapid Reads series, and is now out in stores! It's about a small town girl and one insane and oddly violent day in her otherwise normal life. I wrote it last summer while visiting my partner's family in Ruthven, a small town near Leamington, Ontario. The series is geared towards readers with low literacy skills, but the books can be read by anyone who wants a quick, engaging read. I've spent a lot of time in airports this year, and I think they'd make a great carry-on book.

Here is the requisite photo-of-me with book, and below that, a new head shot by Halifax-based photographer, Shannon Webb Campbell. Shannon is also a fabulous journalist and writer.

Bottle Rocket Hearts optioned for film

2010-02-10T14:06:00.000-08:00

I'm very excited to announce that film rights to Bottle Rocket Hearts have been optioned to producers Michelle Mama, Stephanie Markowitz, and Sonia Hosko, and executive producers Jennifer Weiss and Simone Urdl, who co-produced Sarah Polley's Away From Her. I've been hired to co-write the script with Linsey Stewart, a writer from the CBC TV show Being Erica. The deal was arranged by Sarah Cooper of The Saint Agency, on behalf of Samantha Haywood of the Transatlantic Literary Agency.

Woot! Now...who will play Eve? Suggestions?

Best Books of the Decade

2009-12-30T05:05:00.000-08:00

* HSFALAP made the National Post's Best Books of '09 list , the longlist for the #CanadaAlsoReads list, and Xtra's Best Queer Books of 2009.

This morning I woke up at an ungodly hour w/ my girlfriend - she had a 7am shift, and the kitten required pre-dawn play time. The plan was to write for two hours before 9am. Ah, those vacation goals! Instead I spent the last half hour creating a list of my favourite books of the decade.

The list is based entirely on my post-read reaction: 1) the overwhelming desire to buy copies for everyone I knew 2)the urge to display prominently on favourite volumes shelf 3)desire to online-stalk author 4)the urge to utter the phrase Why Didn't I Think To Write Like This?

The results:

Lullabies for Little Criminals – Heather O’Neill
When I Was Young and In My Prime – Alayna Munce
Liar – Lynn Crosbie
Stunt – Claudia Dey
Cumberland – Michael V Smith
Orphan Love – Nadia Bozak
Some of the Parts – T Cooper
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
Mean Boy by Lynn Coady
Special Topics in Calamity Physics – Marisha Pessl
The Lichtenberg Figures by Ben Lerner

Zoe Whittall on The Next Chapter

2009-12-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

You can click here to listen to a podcast of my interview with Shelagh Rogers on CBC Radio's The Next Chapter. Or catch it on CBC Radio 99.1 FM at 4:00p.m. this Saturday.

There is a new reprint of Bottle Rocket Hearts available and it looks beautiful, complete with review quotes on the cover.

I'll be reading tomorrow at 8:00p.m. at the Toronto Women's Bookstore for their Naughty & Nice sale - come save money and support a fantastic feminist bookstore.

& because I love you, here is a photo of my new kitten, Biggie Smalls:

review from Edmonton Journal!

2009-11-10T07:27:00.000-08:00

Whittall's territory in Holding Still for as Long as Possible is not the complex system of relationships among Toronto's artsy set. Rather, it is an exploration of the emotional complexities within the main characters, and how they manifest when they're alone and in the company of others. The novel is broken into sections narrated by Josh, Amy and Billy, allowing for often disturbingly intimate insights. Everything is on the table, from questions of gender and sexual orientation to depressions both clinical and romantic, from the legacy of early fame to the repercussions of childhood neglect. It's a harrowing, utterly compelling read.

It's also a misleading read. Much will be made of the age of the characters, and the times in which they live. Yes, these are young people living in an accelerated culture, but the questions they face, the struggles they endure, are as timeless as the sound of the breath of the person sleeping next to you, as fundamentally human as the broken bodies Josh faces every day. Holding Still for as Long as Possible isn't about texting and IMing and the glib surfaces of the dialogue, it's about the pulpy, bleeding depths of the heart and soul.

Click here for full review.

What Critics Are Saying About HSFALAP...and some tour photos!

2009-11-08T15:42:00.000-08:00

Some new & exciting news: I was interviewed by Shelagh Rogers for the CBC radio show The Next Chapter. I will post details about the show's date and time as soon as I know them.

I don't update the blog very often, but I do twitter a lot lately w/ details about readings and reviews. You can follow along here: www.twitter.com/zoewhittall

Here's what critics are saying about Holding Still For As Long As Possible:

"With Holding Still, Whittall has established herself as a writer of immense vitality and courage; she stands as the voice of a lost, but thanks to her not forgotten generation: the boys and girls who will inherit the Earth." The National Post

"... Whittall is a dexterous puppeteer, and the book is unputdownable."
- The Globe and Mail

"... Whittall is a writer of richly nuanced characters. There's not a flubbed note in any of the voices& Whittall has still made a grand entertainment out of everyday collisions."
- Eye Weekly

"...a story that really speaks to the generation while offering some sage advice about living & there are moments of genuine, understated authenticity, especially in Whittall's depiction of complex human dynamics."
- FFWD

"The opening chapter introduces dutiful Josh, a transgender paramedic, responding to a call from a delusional man who claims to have been stabbed in the groin by a ghost. Robustly etched, Josh's narrative is immediately -- and consistently -- engrossing. Not only does Whittall's depiction of his work and colleagues enthrall, but her expert and compassionate telling of his after-hours dilemmas and compulsions have a cinematic richness full of enticing textures and tones. The sure-footed promise evident in Bottle Rocket Hearts, Whittall's 2007 debut, is easily matched here." The Vancouver Sun

"In Holding Still for as Long as Possible, the awareness of mortality intersects with the romantic restlessness of youth. It makes for a story whose vital signs are fully present and robust." The Toronto Star

"Zoe Whittall is a championing voice of outsiders and outcasts, of surviving your 20s and all their hangovers" The Coast

"Holding Still holds an astonishingly astute mirror to a generation still struggling to define itself. A fine sophomore novel by one of Canada's most promising young writers."
- The Westender

This is the view from our hotel room on the last night of my book tour. It was extra-special fancypants for my gf's 33rd birthday:

Elizabeth Bachinsky, Lisa Foad, and I at the Vancouver International Writers' Festival:

This is a deer we saw on our walk down a mountain in Banff:

Book Tour Day 6: Banff

2009-10-18T15:40:00.000-07:00

Here I am trying to capture the view from our hotel room in Banff at the Arts Centre. It's day six of my festival tour promoting both Holding Still and Precordial Thump. Last night I performed at the Poetry Cabaret, hosted by the lovely Lorna Crozier, amongst some very talented poets I was honoured to share the stage with - Karen Solie, Billeh Nickerson, Alexis O'Hara and more.

Wordfest is a great festival to be a part of - who knew you could have so much fun in Calgary? I got to read with a varied cross-section of writers, like Colin McAdam and Elizabeth Bachinsky and Barry Callaghan. With the exception of Nickleback being mandatory in all restaurants and stores, it pretty much rocked. Next stop: Vancouver International Writers' Festival.

HSFALAP review round-up

2009-09-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Toronto: I hope to see you at Word on the Street tomorrow. I'll be reading at 5:30pm in the Great Books Marquee, right after Lauren Kirshner, who you should try to catch as well!

"With Holding Still, Whittall has established herself as a writer of immense vitality and courage; she stands as the voice of a lost, but thanks to her not forgotten generation: the boys and girls who will inherit the Earth." The National Post

Full review here.

Interview and review in Xtra! here.

Review and interview...and Corpusse reference?.. here.

Great review in the Toronto Star...then off to read at Eden Mills

2009-09-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

"At one point, Josh reflects, "There's something about watching someone die right in front of you that makes your petty relationship problems seem of little importance."

No one could argue with that. Yet for most of us, most of the time, life is our own petty concerns – which is why the relationship dynamics Whittall chronicles will resonate with anyone, straight or gay, who's ever fallen in or out of love.

In the final section of the novel a major crisis occurs, and this catalyst furnishes a resolution to the story. It seems like a convenient plot device, in a way. But the crisis also bears out one of the novel's major motifs, as illustrated by Josh's experiences as a paramedic: Life can change drastically (or end) in a flash, and there's no telling how or when that can happen.

In Holding Still for as Long as Possible, the awareness of mortality intersects with the romantic restlessness of youth. It makes for a story whose vital signs are fully present and robust." Barbara Carey, The Toronto Star

Holding Still For As Long As Possible - out and getting some reviews!

2009-09-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

For up-to-date news, follow me on twitter: www.twitter.com/zoewhittall

The latest review from Calgary's FFWD Magazine:

This is the second novel from the award-winning Canadian writer Zoe Whittall, who presents us with a story that really speaks to the generation while offering some sage advice about living... there are moments of genuine, understated authenticity, especially in Whittall’s depiction of complex human dynamics. She manages to beautifully encapsulate that sickening feeling when you realize your ex might be over you and to convey how it feels to fall in love with startling brevity.

And in a world where everything is connected — including your sexual partners — the anticipation of how these characters will be affected by the accident (and affect one another) is a real page-turner. Although the turning point comes late in the novel and falls short of the catastrophic conclusion we eagerly envision, the journey is enjoyable and the prescription for living is clear — and right on the money."

"Whittall has written an ambitious saga that keeps readers turning pages" - FAB magazine

"Holding Still for as Long as Possible is a clear improvement over Whittall’s affected debut, Bottle Rocket Hearts. A pervasive sense of authenticity runs throughout the novel, whether the focus is on the practices of EMS paramedics or on the mental anguish fostered by repeated attempts to drown out reality in a sea of booze and casual sex." Steven W. Beattie, prepared for The Walrus

My video trailer

2009-08-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a lot of fun filming my promotional trailer for the new novel. A rough cut is linked from twitter and facebook and pasted below. Above is a still photo from the shoot taken by Joel Johnson. He's one of the 5 paramedics I convinced to make a human pyramid, have wheelbarrow races and do fake CPR in Trinity-Bellwoods park, all in the name of promoting my book.

The book has a three narrators, and one is a medic in downtown Toronto named Josh. Major themes in the book include emergency, disordered anxiety and how we change during moments of crisis. I thought having some real medics - many of whom helped me research for the book - goofing around to Jens Lekman's plucky little song about death was a perfect way to set the tone for potential readers.

stormy summer update

2009-08-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

*The Toronto launch of Holding Still For As Long As Possible will be held on September 30th at the Gladstone Hotel, as part of This Is Not A Reading Series. Details TBA. Here is a link to the Facebook invitation.

* Precordial Thump made the ReLit Award Longlist!

* Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/zoewhittall

Pre-order HSFALAP, and upcoming gigs!

2009-07-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

Order the hardcover version of Holding Still for As Long As Possible by clicking this link!

Upcoming Appearances:

-The Leacock Festival this Saturday in Orillia with Lisa Foad and Gale Zoe Garnett.
- Eden Mills Festival
- Word on the Street in Toronto
- Calgary WordFest
- Vancouver International Writers' Festival

My new front cover!!

2009-06-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Design by Ingrid Paulson for House of Anansi Press.

Cover story in Capital Xtra!

2009-04-14T21:13:00.000-07:00

Photo by Jenna Wakani

"Down-to-earth and lacking the egotism often found in young, successful writers, 33-year old Whittall is funny, charming and ironic. This often comes through in her work, which is laden with thick tones of authorial personality. Bottle Rocket Hearts, for example, contains some of the most tragically funny and self-destructively entertaining characters to emerge out of Can Lit in recent memory." Click here to read the full article by Lorianne Garrison.

joiner

2009-03-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

http://twitter.com/brazenbmx

2009-03-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

I'll be reading with Dave Brock, Sean Dixon and more. 9-11pm, at This Ain't the Rosedale Library, on April 9th. On April 29th, I will be reading at the Ottawa International Writers' Festival.

In other news, my new novel is officially called Holding Still for as Long as Possible. I'm working on the final touches now, and it will launch with House of Anansi this coming fall.

2009-03-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got to meet Daniel MacIvor, the prolific & genius writer (in residence at Guelph, currently), and since I'm almost done the MFA program there, we met to discuss my work.

Proof of my glee/nerdom:

long time coming

2009-03-05T17:39:00.000-08:00

I've been finishing up the final draft of my second novel, coming out with House of Anansi **in hardcover** this fall. Woot! I've been calling it The Beast. The Beast doesn't allow much time for other things.

Upcoming Events:

- Ottawa International Writers' Festival, April 29th. Details TBA. Did a photo shoot with photographer Jenna Wakani for Cap Xtra. Despite the worst sinus headache of the century, we had a lot of goofy fun.
- I will be reading at Harbourfront Centre on March 25th with 19 other poets as part of an under-35-year-old poets extravaganza.
- I'm one of the authors involved with The Canada CODE, the first digital collaborative art project of its kind and a project of the Cultural Olympiad of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. I know, me + olympics = tres bizarre, but it's a pretty interesting project.

I finally got new headshots done since trying to be 28 all the time was getting a bit, well, dishonest. The lovely Kelly Clipperton took them. Here is a sample:

Pics from the launch of Precordial Thump, December 3rd, 2008

2008-12-19T12:14:00.001-08:00

The lovely cover, featuring photo of Jess Lyons by Neetu Bains.

Joe, Lara and I

MC & I

Sandy & Lisa Foad - you should all buy her new book, The Night is a Mouth, right now!

Big thanks to Chelsey Lichtman, Emma McKenna, Julia Gruson-Wood, Nolan Natasha, Lisa Foad and Marcilyn Cianfarani for making the night amazing!

Precordial Thump gets its first review in Xtra!

2008-11-26T18:06:00.000-08:00

"This is not a sad book, in fact, it's calculated, and prolific; it's literary open-heart surgery...In this series of poems, which reads as carelessly genius, Whittall is part pop psychologist and personal historian, artfully combining found material with Polaroid memory captures." - Mariko Tamaki

From Quill & Quire...it's official

2008-10-29T21:01:00.001-07:00

Deals: October 30, 2008 | 3:46 PM | By Stuart Woods
House of Anansi Press publisher Lynn Henry has acquired at auction the new novel by Zoe Whittall. Doing Nothing for As Long As Possible, the follow-up to Whittall's well-received 2007 debut Bottle Rocket Hearts, is the story of how a love triangle comprising three Toronto hipsters unravels in the wake of a disastrous freak accident. Anansi will publish the book as one of its lead fiction titles in fall 2009. The deal was arranged by Samantha Haywood of the Transatlantic Literary Agency.

In other news - I am off to France in less than a week, for a 2.5 week long touring literary festival through the country, thanks to the fabulous Neil Bisoondath and Cormorant Books. MC will be joining me for a week in Paris and Brussels...can't think of a better way time to spend the normally blah Toronto November.

Those of you in Toronto, please come out on December 3rd for the launch of Precordial Thump, my third book of poetry, at the Gladstone hotel. Stay tuned for details.

Birth Announcement - Precordial Thump!

2008-10-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

Please order a copy from your nearest independent bookstore - I like The Toronto Women's Bookstore, This Ain't the Rosedale Library and my neighbourhood indie, Type Books. You can also order a copy from the problem child of publishing - (though I will confess to enjoying how books arrive in two days) or the big corporate meanies.

mention on CBC.ca today

2008-10-17T06:01:00.000-07:00

From an article by arts writer Sarah Liss, Stunt Woman - Toronto writer Claudia Dey’s city of the surreal

Young Canadian writers like Dey and O’Neill (Dey jokingly dubs them “the grimy dozen”) are answering Northrop Frye’s archetypal CanLit question — “Where is here?” — by shining their flashlights into the seedier nooks and crannies of Canada’s urban centres and suburban wastelands. Young writers like Ibi Kaslik, Zoe Whittall and Emily Schultz are carving out a magical new geography of Canada that incorporates a love of poetry, an appreciation of industrial beauty and a strong commitment to teasing out issues of race and class.

+ precordial thump arrives from the printers next week. I'll be launching in Toronto on December 3rd at the Gladstone Hotel as part of the Granny Boots series. More details TBA.
+ I'll be in France this November with celebrated author Neil Bisoondath as part of the festival Les Belles Etrangers.
+ Click here to read an article about me in the U of Guelph paper.

so many ways to sleep badly

2008-10-03T09:25:00.001-07:00

I wrote a review of Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore's new novel, So Many Ways to Sleep Badly, for Now magazine this week. The rapid-fire, honest glimpse into the post-gay ruins of San Francisco will likely break even the toughest punk heart.

It's at the printers...

2008-10-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

"With Pink Eye" poem appears in the new issue of Taddle Creek

2008-09-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

The official launch of Taddle Creek’s fiendishly good Halloween issue takes place on Wednesday, October 22nd, at the Cadillac Lounge, 1296 Queen Street West, beginning at 8 p.m. There will be ghoulish readings by Tony Burgess, Joey Comeau, and Zoe Whittall. There will be macabre music, possibly by the Sin-Tones. Click here for more info or to purchase a copy.

Precordial Thump, my third poetry book, will arrive in a few weeks. Launch info as soon as I figure out what I want to do about it. I'm reading at Word on the Street this Sunday at the Proud Voices stage with the other Dayne Ogilvie Award shortlisters.

Globe Mention Today

2008-09-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

The lovely Gale Zoe Garnett mentioned me in her review of Miriam Toews new novel, The Flying Troutmans, amongst a very flattering list of writers. Click here to read the whole story:

This energetic originality does have literary sisters and brothers: Sherman Alexie, Billie Livingston, Emma Richler, Zoe Whittall, Thomas King and the inevitable J. D. Salinger come immediately to mind. The power-thrust, the growing pains, the humour, the surprises and the layering are core to all of the above.

I will be reading this coming Wednesday at Granny Boots, an early evening arts cabaret at the Gladstone that happens every week, with Emma McKenna, Nolan Natasha, MC Joan Nestle, Lisa Bozikovic and Liz Brockest, aka the girl with ukelele who sang chapter four of Bottle Rocket Hearts in my short film of the same name.

pic of my new poetry book and from Writing Outside the Margins

2008-08-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

Me with Tara-Michelle Ziniuk, Hadassah Hill & Michelle Tea, at the Writing Outside the Margins Festival. It was truly a femme poets on parade day! I read straight through a thunder storm. That's a first. More to come - some pictures from the Sunshine Coast Writers' Festival in BC, esp.

Want to pre-oder my new book??

2008-07-01T19:05:00.001-07:00

Then click here. This is the artwork that will appear on the cover. It's by the very talented, super-awesome Neetu Bains.

Winner of the Second Annual Dayne Ogilvie Grant!

2008-06-17T05:55:00.000-07:00

EMERGING GAY WRITER RECOGNIZED AT PRIDE WEEK 2008
THE WRITERS ’ TRUST OF CANADA TO PRESENT SECOND ANNUAL
DAYNE OGILVIE GRANT TO ZOE WHITTALL

TORONTO, ON – June 17, 2008 – The Writers’ Trust of Canada announced today that Zoe Whittall is the recipient of the second annual Dayne Ogilvie Grant. The $4,000 grant is given to an emerging gay writer from Canada. The grant is funded by an endowment established by Robin Pacific. A jury comprised of novelist Elizabeth Ruth, poet Maureen Hynes, and bookseller Dan Bazuin selected the winner.

Don Oravec, Executive Director of the Writers’ Trust, stated, “I am honoured to be partners with Pride Toronto and The Word on the Street to promote this unique grant. Announcing this grant during Pride Week provides emerging gay writers the deserved distinction in the community.”

Whittall is scheduled to read from her work and participate with the jurors in an informal question and answer session at the Proud Voices Stage on Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 6 p.m., in James Canning Gardens Park, north of Dundonald Street, between Yonge and Church Streets. Proud Voices is a co-presentation between Pride Toronto and The Word On The Street.

...for more info contact: Contact Don Oravec (416.504.8222 ext. 244, or doravec@writerstrust.com)

ReLit Longlist and some readings!

2008-06-14T07:18:00.001-07:00

*Bottle Rocket Hearts made the ReLit Awards longlist!! Stay tuned for more awards news on Monday.

*I made the Bitch Magazine Things We Love list in the newest issue, courtesy of Maritimes arts journalist and blogger Shannon Webb-Campbell, with a fantastic write up and photo. Here is a scan:

Last September I took an impromptu romantic weekend away in the Bloomfield area and I'm so delighted to go back to read at the Prince Edward Country Authors' festival this Saturday. It takes place at Books & Company in Picton. Stay tuned for my pride readings announcements coming on Monday as well.

My essay in Event magazine, Monday to Friday with the Perpetually Emerging Writer, appears in the newest issue and I also have poems in the new issue of Exile Quarterly.

Knows How to Party...*

2008-05-12T18:19:00.000-07:00

The first shot is of the incredibly awesome and generous-with-her-genius poet Eileen Myles and Marcilyn Cianfarani, aka my smoocherella, on a Sunday afternoon in the Mission the day after our reading. The second pic is with my friend Joey Stevenson, who introduced me at the Small Press Traffic reading series.

The title poem from my next book, Precordial Thump, will appear in the next issue of The Fiddlehead. I also have a suite of poems called Sternal Rub appearing in Exile Quarterly, and several poems, including one from a new Hotel series, making their debut in the Gallows Humour issue of Matrix Magazine. Watch for an essay - well, more like a scrappy sarcastic list - on the writing life appearing in a forthcoming issue of Event.

*when does one become too old for a Tupac reference?

2008-04-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

some quick hits

2008-03-30T04:14:00.001-07:00

Click here to read my review of Maya Merrick's The Hole Show in the Globe & Mail.

Click here to read the details about my upcoming event in San Francisco with Eileen Myles at the California College of the Arts.

Above is a photo of Marcilyn and I at the recent sold-out launch of SKIM, a graphic novel written by the amazingly talented Mariko Tamaki.

I'm currently teaching creative writing at St.Mary's secondary school as part of Descant's SWAT program. You can read about it here.

Reading in Ottawa with Stacey-May Fowles

2008-03-19T13:36:00.000-07:00

Event info - Please let your Ottawa friends know!

First Female Fiction Series
Saturday, April 12, 2008 - 7:30pm - 10:00pm
Octopus Books - 116 Third Ave - Ottawa, ON
6132332589 - Email: octopus@octopusbooks.ca

We are looking forward to the second part in our reading series, which will bring two of Toronto’s most exciting writers to Ottawa.

upcoming appearances

2008-02-07T18:27:00.001-08:00

- Reading at Hamilton's GRITlit festival on April 5th at 2pm w/ Sean Dixon.
- reading with Eileen Myles at Small Press Traffic in San Francisco on April 19th
- Being a guest at the Sunshine Coast Writers' Festival in August
- Reading with Michael V. Smith at the Common Magic - The Legacy of Bronwen Wallace conference in Kingston on March 7th.
- You can join the Bottle Rocket Hearts Facebook Group here
- I was a guest at the Toronto Public Library's Book Lover's Ball last week - very surreal. There's a photo of me in the bathroom of the Fairmount Royal York (that is bigger than my entire apartment) but I can't seem to figure out how to connect my cell phone to my lap-top, so alas, no evidence of my first black-tie affair.

Oh, and please order my book now because for my birthday, coming up next week, all I really want in the whole wide world, is a second printing with 100% less typos.

Bottle Rocket Hearts makes the TOP 100 Books of 2007 by the Globe & Mail

2007-12-01T11:05:00.000-08:00

Click here to read Martin Levin's comment on the list choice.

can I get a...?

2007-11-25T15:42:00.000-08:00

Bottle Rocket Hearts was selected as one of the Top Ten Books of 2007 by Quill and Quire magazine!!!

Thanks, Jake!

2007-11-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

I woke up to find a great facebook note from Nova Scotia poet and current Guelph MFA colleague, Jacob McArthur Mooney , who read my book and created my very own wikipedia page in lieu of an Amazon review. I'm heading off to our poetry class - sadly, our second to last class with the awesome Ken Babstock . Our guest today is Karen Solie.

In other news, a little insider bird told me BRH is going to be on Quill & Quire's Best Books 07 list in their upcoming issue. Amazing way to round off BRH's first year on earth.

Named Best Emerging Author by Now Magazine

2007-11-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

In Now Magazine's Best of Toronto 2007

Best emerging author
ZOE WHITTALL
"We knew T.O. scenester and poet Whittall had a cool critical sensibility – she edited the excellent anthology Geeks, Misfits And Outlaws (McGilligan) and reviews books for NOW. But she blew us away with her first novel, Bottle Rocket Hearts (Cormorant), about growing up queer in Montreal. Hope the next one's set in T.O."

I *love* when I'm referred to as a scenester because in reality I barely leave my house to go to social events unless I am being paid to be there, or it's a dear friend's birthday or book launch. I get to seem much cooler than I am.

Zoe in Metro News!

2007-10-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

I'm in Metro News today! Click here to view.

Also, I'm still writer in residence for OpenBookToronto and blogging about the International Festival of Authors for Now Magazine, where I frequently freelance as a book reviewer.

I'm off to Montreal tomorrow for the reading on Wednesday night with Neil Smith and Jon Paul Fiorentino. Then on Thursday night it's the 30th anniversary for Between the Lines, the tenacious publisher of non-fiction where I've been working as promotions manager since March. If you'd like to come celebrate with us, come to the Gladstone Hotel at 7:00p.m. in the Ballroom.

upcoming appearances

2007-10-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

Montreal

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 6 P.M. AT DÉPANNEUR CAFÉ, 206 BERNARD STREET WEST— Neil Smith / Jon Paul Fiorentino / Zoe Whittall

Toronto

Hosting - International Festival of Authors
OCT 27th, 4PM PDT Reading/Interview - Lloyd Jones
Interviewer: Paul Quarrington

Waterloo

Saturday Nov 3 @2pm, reading/signing with Tish Cohen
Words Worth Books, 100 King Str S, Wloo 519-884-2665

West Coast - Victoria / Vancouver in January, San Francisco mid-April w/ Eileen Myles...check my blog for dates...

xo

Review from She Does the City website

2007-10-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Those who grew up in the nineties will appreciate the book’s references to Doc Martens, the 1995 referendum, Sonic Youth and the Spice Girls. If Leonard Cohen and Mordecai Richler immortalized the Montreal of their generation, Whittall immortalizes the Montreal of ours.

Click here to read the full review.

Open Book Toronto

2007-10-01T15:36:00.001-07:00

I am the current writer in residence for the website Open Book Toronto. . Please check it out!

Pics from Word on the Street

2007-09-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I was interviewed for CBC Newsworld's The Scene by Jelena Adzic.Here is a pic with my her and my fabulous publicist, Sheila Hawks. It's been a looong weekend - who decided to put Nuit Blanche and WOTS in the same 24 hour period?

I was very excited to see my poetry animated on the TTC during the festival as part of the Words Travel Fast exhibit. (Animations playing on subway stations digital screens for the entire twelve hours of Nuit Blanche, without interruption from news flashes and marketing.) The 6 motion-poems commissioned for Words Travel Fast emerged from the collaborative pairing of poet Emily Pohl-Weary with motion graphics artist Karen Richardson, poet Emily Schultz with motion graphics artist Franco Barroeta Fonseca. I was paired up with motion graphics artist Emma Lopez.

Video of the videos to follow shortly!

Here is the edited version of the trailer! Enjoy!

2007-09-21T18:59:00.000-07:00

Click To Play

PLus, if you are in Toronto, here are some upcoming gigs:

Sunday September 23rd at the Art Bar for the Nuit Blanche poetry anthology launch
Word on the Street - September 30th, 2:30, Proud Voices Ten
October 9th as part of She Does The City at the Gladstone Hotel with Sean Dixon and Jessica Westhead

A review in the Vancouver Sun by Karen X. Tulchinsky

2007-07-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

"Whittall's background as a poet shines in every paragraph. Her poetic voice hits hard and with beauty. Yet it is the drama of a gay-bashing (I can't say more without giving away too much) that haunts the latter part of the novel. We know that people die from hate crimes, but we don't often get such a close look at the ramifications on the survivors' lives.

Bottle Rocket Hearts will resonate with queer readers. For heterosexual readers I suspect it will provide a jarring dose of reality of the dangers still faced by gay men and lesbians -- simply because of whom they love. Gutsy, gritty, urban and sleek, Bottle Rocket Hearts is a compelling story told by a writer skilled in her craft. It leaves me wanting more."

Click here for the full review.

I always wanted to hold the MTV mic, it's true

2007-07-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

I was on MTV Live a few weeks back to talk about my novel. Here are some pics:

There was a band called Faber Drive on as well, and I've never heard of them, so I must be quite old.

I saw Built to Spill last night in Toronto and they were absolutely fantastic, and definitely a lot older than I remember:)

GLOBE AND MAIL REVIEW!!!

2007-05-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

"Zoe Whittall might just possibly be the cockiest, brashest, funniest, toughest, most life-affirming, elegant, scruffy, no-holds-barred writer to emerge from Montreal since Mordecai Richler staked out the moral terrain that would define and shape his work with A Choice of Enemies in 1957."

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL REVIEW

despite the dozens of emails I've received this week from straight friends & family re: my book

2007-05-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

I still think this is true - Why don't straight people read gay books?

my trailer

2007-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

Click To Play

little films about my book

2007-05-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

Click right here to watch GIRL WITH UKELELE SINGS CHAPTER FOUR (of my novel).

On the same site, you can watch my new improved BRH trailer!

my video premiere and book launch!

2007-05-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight is my book launch! I woke up an hour early cause I'm too excited / nervous to sleep. I hope to see you there - The Gladstone Hotel, part of This is Not a Reading Series with Sky Gilbert launching Brother Dumb and hosted by Elvira Kurt. Sky and I will be interviewed on stage by Maggie Macdonald, author of Kill the Robot and member of the indie rock super-ensemble, The Hidden Cameras. Starts at 7:30 and is free!

The Toronto Star ran an amazing review on Sunday, a full-page with a photo. They called it "lively and winsome". I'm going to scan it for the blog when I get a chance to breathe. It's been non-stop work and no play lately.

xo

Dear Arianne Rubenstein, I don't know you but please be mine!

2007-04-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

For a full review of Bottle Rocket Hearts click: here

"Bottle Rocket Hearts, the debut novel from NOW contributor Zoe Whittall, is a coming-of-age tale that goes down like a cherry popsicle. It's a delicious, bright suburban delicacy melting in the inner-city sun....Queer kids have to be tough, dangerous and fucking smart to keep from falling over the precipice society puts them on. Evie has to fight for her right to exist on a day-to-day basis in ways other teens do not, and it makes her wise beyond her years.

And because Whittall knows her characters so intimately and speaks the same language they do, she makes the indescribable believable. Her writing makes noises; it has a heartbeat.

This sensitive treatment of a difficult subject will be a classic.

Buy it, read it and then keep it for your daughters."

amateur novel trailer - !

2007-04-25T19:41:00.001-07:00

Parting of the Sensory*

2007-04-21T20:26:00.000-07:00

Click here to read a piece on me on the Until Monday blog.

Click here to read a piece on a blog by an old friend (does someone count as an ex if you were 16?) who I found, along with several dozen friends from elementary school in the townships and high school pals from the west island, on Facebook.

I can't stop listening to the new Modest Mouse* record and I'm quite happily reading two new books from Connundrum, Catherine Kidd's novel and a graphic novel gem by Emily Holton. I also just finished A.M. Homes' This Books Will Save Your Life and am loving Michelle Tea's YA novel Rose of No Man's Land.

Tell me what you're reading.

And remember, dear Toronto, to come to my launch on May 2nd at the Gladstone. Sky Gilbert (author of Brother Dumb, and many other amazing novels & plays) and I will be in conversation with musician and novelist Maggie MacDonald. Special Guest Elvira Kurt. 7:30 pm, free admission. Special Bottle Rocket Themes cupcakes by Cakes on Cakes!

testing - blog for Between the Lines lead title

2007-04-21T16:44:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Chanelle!

2007-04-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

I just did my first interview for the book on CIUT with Channelle Gallant and Louise Bak. It was awesome! I'm so excited to start the promo ball rolling. And someone even called in while I was reading to get the name of my book so they could buy it. Awesome.

I'll be in my home town (sorta) this coming Monday!

2007-04-11T15:48:00.001-07:00

[Montreal. March 27, 2007] The Quebec Writers’ Federation invites Montreal book lovers to an evening with three gay and lesbian authors from Quebec. Montreal writer and host Peter Dubé will lead a discussion with Zoe Whittall and Mark Tewksbury. The writers will read from their latest work and will answer questions from the audience.

Mark Tewksbury is best known as a gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer. His remarkable sixteen-year athletic career included three Olympic medals, numerous world records, and inductions into three major halls of fame: the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, and the International Swimming Hall of Fame. Last year he published the moving, humorous, and motivational Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock (Wiley, 2006), a personal memoir about his time in and out of the closet as a major figure in Canadian sports.

Zoe Whittall is the author of The Emily Valentine Poems (Snare, 2006) and The Best Ten Minutes of Your Life (McGilligan Books, 2001). She is also the editor of a short fiction collection called Geeks, Misfits & Outlaws. Her first novel, Bottle Rocket Hearts, is forthcoming with Cormorant Books. Her fiction and poetry appear in many anthologies, including Breathing Fire 2: Canada's New Poets, edited by Lorna Crozier and Patrick Lane. Originally from South Durham, Quebec, she currently resides in Toronto.

The event will be hosted by Montréal-based author Peter Dubé. Dubé is the author of the novel Hovering World (DC Books 2002), the short fiction collection At the Bottom of the Sky (DC Books, 2007) and the Vortex Faction Manifesto (Vortex Editions, 2001) In addition, his essays and critical writings have been widely published in journals such as CV Photo, Esse and Spirale, and in exhibition publications for various galleries, among them SKOL, Quartier Éphémère and the Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery of Concordia University.

Organized by the Quebec Writers’ Federation, Out Writers Out Loud is part of the year-round “Writers Out Loud” series, which features readings and interviews with prominent English-language authors, mostly from Quebec. It allows a brief glimpse into the minds of some of the most interesting and artistic members of Quebec’s English-speaking literary community. Audience members are invited to ask questions and books are available for purchase and to be signed.

Out Writers Out Loud:
Peter Dubé, Mark Tewksbury, Zoe Whittall
Monday, April 16th at 8 p.m.
Boa Bar
4465 St-Laurent Blvd
Admission is free

For more information, please call the Quebec Writers’ Federation at (514) 933-0878 or visit www.qwf.org.

-30-

MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Christopher DiRaddo
(514) 842-5087
mobile: (514) 806-5087
diraddo@videotron.ca

my book!...

2007-04-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

If you order a copy from Amazon (or better yet, from your independant bookstore! (www.womensbookstore.com) right after reading this, I will mail you a thank-you card and possibly include a funny drawing or a recipe or a little poem. I'm not even kidding.

advanced praise for Bottle Rocket Hearts

2007-03-25T10:19:00.000-07:00

"A woeful and hilarious ode to the last days of a girl's childhood. Whittall has created characters who combine the lumimous joie-de-vivre of Oscar Wilde with the self-destructive fury of Johnny Rotten. A portrait of Montreal in the mid-nineties that successfully recreates its hedonistic, Salvation Army band, gender-bending glory." Heather O'Neill, author of Lullabies for Little Criminals, winner of CBC's Canada Reads 2007.

trendy, i know!

2007-03-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

My novel has a myspace page.

Please LINK ME TO YOURS!

exciting updates

2007-03-15T06:16:00.000-07:00

If you CLICK here you can see my agency's website. Click on the Bottle Rocket Hearts icon and you'll get info about my book!

invitation to Toronto

2007-03-08T06:16:00.000-08:00

Dear friends - I know this is last minute and there's lots of good stuff going on tomorrow night - but if you come to this gig, you can meet my Dad, and he's pretty cool.

IV Lounge Reading Series
Mar 9 - 8:00pm, free admission.
Zoe Whittall (The Emily Valentine Poems)
Tara-Michelle Ziniuk (Emergency Contact, poems)
Mary Lou Zeitoun (The Safest Place in the World, fiction)
326 Dundas St W, across from the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Upcoming Gig!

2007-03-06T13:38:00.000-08:00

Nobody Passes makes a visit to Toronto

It’s the delicious and devastating NOBODY PASSES tour!!!!
Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of Gender and Conformity
Edited by Mattilda a.k.a. Matt Bernstein Sycamore

NOBODY PASSES IN TORONTO
Tuesday, March 13 @ 8 p.m.
This Ain’t the Rosedale Library
483 Church St
Toronto, Ontario
(416) 929-9912
with Stacey May Fowles, Zoe Whittall and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha

NOBODY PASSES starts by tearing binary gender norms to shreds, and then proceeds to examine the perilous intersections of identity, categorization, and community in order to challenge the very notion of belonging. Susan Stryker says it “gleefully demolishes the smug propriety that lurks within most contemporary debates about gender and diversity” and Naomi Zack says, “Nobody Passes is a fascinating example of how feminism and gender studies can support radically new identities that develop at the speed of life—or it may be part of the end of identity politics as known so far.”

I'm so excited!! Here is the cover of my first novel...

2007-03-05T13:48:00.000-08:00

I can't even believe that's a sentence I can utter honestly!

deleted!

2007-03-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

I'm re-working and polishing the draft of a blog I wrote last night concerning Canada Reads. I'll be posting it on the Descant blog (http://www.descant.ca/blog/) later this evening.

Upcoming Appearances

2007-02-27T12:07:00.000-08:00

Montreal
Writers Out Loud - with Mark Tewksbury
Monday, April 16th at 8:00 p.m.
Bar Boa, 5301, St. Laurent.
An event organized by the Quebec Writers' Federation

Toronto
I will be hosting an evening for the International Reading Series at Harbourfront Centre.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
7:30 p.m. Lakeside Terrace
Readings: Simon Armitage, Mark McNay, Hermione Lee, Anchee Min

And here is a photo of our cabin fever meal from last week. When will the snow stop? Sigh!

Birthday Photos

2007-02-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

My sweetie and I!

My new haircut.

updates

2007-02-14T18:48:00.000-08:00

I have an article in the latest issue of the Quill & Quire on being a writer who sometimes works in the publishing industry.

I'm also blogging a lot for Descant magazine. The new issue of Shameless Magazine will be out in April - my first issue as reviews editor.

In about two and a half hours, I turn 31. I've had enough valentines day chocolate and sugary drew-barrymore/hugh grant romantic comedy that I need an insulin drip. My novel goes to print very soon - my first book-related gig is in Montreal on April 18th with Mark Tewskbury, an event put on by the Quebec Writers' Federation.

Send me your news - how come no one ever comments? PLease say hi, lurkers.

thank-you, Pamela!

2007-02-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

The Emily Valentine Poems is Poetry Book of the Issue in Broken Pencil Magazine!

SO IRONIC that it's called Baby Remember my NAME since my name is not spelled correctly!!

2007-01-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to be a part of this book BUT I'm so not excited that my name was mis-spelled!!!!

Still, pretty cool book to be a part of. Even if I'm 31.

This is Not a Reading Series - Double Launch with Sky Gilbert

2007-01-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

SKY GILBERT and ZOE WHITTALL double launch

SKY GILBERT – Brother Dumb (ECW Press)
ZOE WHITTALL – Bottle Rocket Hearts (Cormorant
Books)
with special guest ELVIRA KURT
Toronto authors Sky Gilbert and Zoe Whittall
celebrate the launch of novels Brother Dumb, and
Bottle Rocket Hearts.
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St W,
Toronto
Wed, May 2, 7:30-10pm (doors 7pm), free

be cool to your school

2007-01-12T16:30:00.000-08:00

I am very excited to have been chosen to be a part of this amazing program. I've always wanted to teach writing workshops more consistently and now I get to work with a school in Scarborough for twelve weeks this semester.

I'm also one of the new bloggers for Descant literary journal's website. Expect some snarky and loving commentary on the lit scene to show up soon next to my overused headshot.

I also have an article coming up in the March issue of Quill & Quire about the up and downsides of being a writer who works in the publishing industry.

Today I worked with the lovely people at the Literary Press Group where I've picked up a short term contract as database designer. Here is the view from my desk:

I learned how to make a video blog!!

2007-01-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

This is my first test project. It involves my dear friend Joe and his ability to fly through doorways. I hope you like it!

digging the well with the needle, part 2

2007-01-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a happy holiday. Here is a photo (from my new digital camera!!) of my adorable girlfriend with my parent's equally adorable pooch. We were happy to get to the Eastern Townships for a visit.

I have to interview Vincent Lam in about twenty minutes for FFWD magazine. I don't know why I get so nervous before phone interviews, you'd think I'd be used to it by now. In the mean time I answering interview questions for Monday magazine over email, my preferred method of the Q&A.

I'm excited to continue my categorical worship of the greatest Canadian playwright next week with another presentation at Buddies by Daniel MacIvor - this time it's 'Monster'. I can't wait.

McGilligan Books!

2006-12-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

For the last five years or so I've been involved with a lovely small press, McGilligan Books.

I've started a new blog for us: Please link us! Check the blog for frequent updates about what our authors are up to. I just posted an entry about Ottawa dub poet Oni, the Haitian Sensation. She's on the cover of the Ottawa Xpress - very exciting!

no more resumes, for the love of

2006-12-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

Books news: I'll be reading at the IV Lounge reading series on March 9th with Tara-Michelle Ziniuk.
Work News: I'm the new reviews editor of Shameless magazine. Send me your books, cds and pitches! zoe@shamelessmag.ca

Yesterday was an excellent day for Canadian celebrity spotting. Ron Sexsmith walked by our front-window table at the Tequila Bookworm, and I did that thing where I smiled at him because I thought I knew him, then realised he was just familiar-famous. Anyway, I noted he walked on the other side of the street on his way back:)

L. and I went to see a taping of the Hour after our not-so successful (on my part) attempt at writing the novel all afternoon. It seems the first 140 pages took about 30 days, the next twent-five took 3 months. I'm still working on my article pitch for a piece on George, not deterred at all by the Toronto Life cover, which was great but very generalised. Anyway, it was fun in that he was very interactive with the audience between takes, allowing for about five questions each time, which made up for the fact that all the guests were pre-taped. He was charming and entertaining, with the occasional bit of irritating thrown in here and there.

Couldn't sleep last night at all, so here I am at 8am listenting to Journey's Can't Stop Believing while my cat gives me stern upset-look that clearly I am leaving again for day three of new day job, an office she resents immensely.