BookLust

I Got Posted 6

My first one in colour! Hooray! However, I do wish that I'd had more than 2.5 hours to whip up the darn thing....

To see a larger version of the illo, click here.

As you may infer from the illo, the article is a rather negative perspective on bloggers and the phenomena of blogging. In my defense of doing this illo, all I can say is... Mortgage!! Big fat mortgage to pay!! And well, I have no problem with poking fun at myself, in a way. And actually, it was very fun to draw! But I certainly don't agree totally with the article. What is it with journalists these days that they feel the need to trash blogging? "It's not going to change the world, you know!", they all snidely reply. Well duh. None of us really know what lies ahead for the future of blogs and blogging. But this pervasive 'holier than thou' attitude I keep encountering with print people is just getting boring.

Here's a bit of the article:
UPDATE:
If you're interested in reading the entire article, it was original posted online in the Financial Times, February 17th, by a gentleman named Trevor Butterworth. He also had a temporary blog posted in order to acquire feedback from the article. The comments are closed now, but it's still worth reading what everyone has to say, I think.

Ultimately one really has to take this article with a grain of salt, because the author has approached the phenomena of blogging from mainly a financial perspective, which in my opinion, is silly. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that most people who blog are not doing it for financial gain. There are other benefits of blogging that go beyond monetary gain.

As for advertising revenue, no one appears to be getting rich from blogging. According to Advertising Age, Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos, one of the most popular blogs in the world, was making around $20,000 a month just before the last presidential election. When I e-mailed Moulitsas to ask what he was making now, he refused to say: "Really, it's no one else's business. I'm not a public company."

Similarly, Gawker Media and Pajamas Media (a blog news service that includes law professor Glenn Reynolds' heavily trafficked site Instapundit) either refused to or did not respond with any figures.

"Let's just say it's more than a case of beer, but not enough for us to quit our jobs," said Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the writers behind gofugyourself.com, a wickedly inventive take-down of celebrities wearing "frighteningly ugly" clothes, which consistently draws 100,000 plus visitors a day, making it one of the most frequently visited blogs on the internet.

The problem is that few blogs do even that much traffic. According to the monitoring done by thetruthlaidbear.com, only two blogs get more than 1 million visitors a day and the numbers drop quickly after that: the 10th ranked blog for traffic gets around 120,000 visits; the 50th around 28,000; the 100 th around 9,700; the 500th only 1,400 and the 1000th under 600. By contrast, the online edition of The New York Times had an average of 1.7 million visitors per weekday last November, according to the Nielsen ratings, and the physical paper a reach of 5 million people per weekday, according to Scarborough research.

That is one reason why advertisers are still sticking with the mainstream media. The other has to do with the very basic selling point of blogging. "There is a certain loss of control when it comes to advertising on blogs," said Mark Wnek, chairman and chief creative officer of Lowe New York. "The connection the most popular citizen journalists cultivate with their devotees is through an honest, uncensored, raw freedom of expression, and that can be quite uncomfortable territory for a traditional marketer."

The dismal traffic numbers also point to another little trade secret of the blogosphere, and one missed by Judge Posner and all the other blog-evangelists when they extol the idea that blogging allows thousands of Tom Paines to bloom. As Ana Marie Cox says: "When people talk about the liberation of the armchair pajamas media, they tend to turn a blind eye to the fact that the voices with the loudest volume in the blogosphere definitely belong to people who have experience writing. They don't have to be experienced journalists necessarily, but they write - part of their professional life is to communicate clearly in written words."

And that, in the end, is the dismal fate of blogging: it renders the word even more evanescent than journalism; yoked, as bloggers are, to the nending cycle of news and the need to post four or five times a day, five days a week, 50 weeks of the year, blogging is the closest literary culture has come to instant obsolescence. No Modern Library edition of the great polemicists of the blogosphere to yellow on the shelf; nothing but a virtual tomb for a billion posts - a choric song of the word-weary bloggers, forlorn mariners forever posting on the slumberless seas of news.

Yeah. Whatever.

The Beautiful People

So I'm on the phone with my mom, and I'm assuming she's going to ask how my Literary Gala went. Well yes, she did ask, but she had plenty of her own news to tell.

"Well, first there was the evening where I got to welcome the Lieutenant Governor, the Hon. James Bartleman for the annual Mary Fix Memorial Lecture. And did I mention that myself and my colleagues were recognized by the City of Mississauga's Mayor and Council at the weekly Council Meeting, for winning the OLA Award for Archival and Historic Preservation? Oh, and yes, by the way, I'm to be on Rogers Television (Cable 10) on Thursday evening a t about 7:15 p.m. to appear on Talk Local, a phone-in talk show from 8 to 10 p.m., because you know, February is Heritage Month."

"Well, what do expect?" I replied, "We are the beautiful people, you know!"

Snort.

But seriously, my mom is so cool. That's her on the far left, with the short grey hair and glasses. The lady in front holding the award is the indominatable Mayor Hazel McCallion, 85 years old and still going strong! Many thanks to Catherine Monast, for permission to use this photo.

And If you'd like to find out more about Mississauga Library's amazing Historical Images Gallery, click here.

And if you happen to live in Mississauga, why not check out my mom tomorrow night on local TV! Way better entertainment than Survivor and Lost, for sure!

Way to go, mom!

Literati Life

Apologies for the late posting on last night's party. Deadlines and dentist appointments took priority for most of the day.

So... where to start? Well, first off, I had an amazing time. Ami was just as I imagined her to be – warm and down-to-earth, funny and bright and just a delight. Naturally she was the toast of the town for the evening, but any chance I could get, I stole a few moments to chat with her, and get to know her a little better. I do recall that at one point we were posing together for a pic, taken by my hubby, and Bravo! Television was filming us. God, if those guys have any sense they will edit that part out (only 'cuz of my funny mug – not Ami's!).

The beautiful and elegant Louise Dennys, executive vice president of Random House of Canada, was the host of the evening and gave a wonderful speech about The New Face of Fiction programme, and its many talented authors. I have seen Ms. Dennys interviewed on TV quite a few times, and she just shimmers in person.

Ami also gave a lovely talk about her book, her inspiration for writing The Birth House and she read some really juicy sections of the novel, too. She seems like a real pro when it comes to entertaining a crowd.

There were many people I didn't know at this party, as well as many faces I recognized. Yes, Ann-Marie MacDonald was there. Without a doubt, the tiniest person I have ever, ever encountered! But when she got on the small stage to talk about The New Face of Fiction programme, and her feelings about writing, she seemed like she was ten feet tall. What a presence!

Antanas Sileika, the Artistic Director of the Humber School for Writers was there, and boy he's a lot taller than when I used to see him as a regular on the now defunct Imprint. I also saw Paul Quarrington and Marnie Woodrow. And Silken Laumann, too! I heard that she's got a book coming out soon. Boy did she look amazing. The delightful Richard Bachmann, owner of one of my favourite bookstores, A Different Drummer was also there, and we had a lovely chat. It was also great to see Michel Basilieres again. What a friendly, funny guy! Michel introduced me to Geoffrey Taylor, the artistic director for the International Festival of Authors.

Forgive me for saying this to those who love high-heel shoes, but I gotta say: High-heel shoes are dumb, ok? Just plain dumb. And I was dumb for wearing them last night. Oy. I wore a pair of long black pants that required high heels, without realizing that it was a stand-up-the-whole-night party!!! No chairs!! Eventually I could not take the pain anymore, and right in front of Michel Basilieres and Geoffrey Taylor, I took off my shoes. Classy, huh?

It was also a real treat to finally get to meet another blogger friend, Deanna! She's warm and friendly and very attractive and she's a book luster, just like me! (Sorry Liam, I couldn't find you! Where were you?)

There's probably a hundred things that I'm forgetting to add...my brain is still trying to soak up the whole evening, and I'm tired and flustered with deadlines, too. I will try and post some photos tomorrow if they come out ok (yes, I still don't have a damn digital camera yet).

I can't say this enough... thank you soooooo much Ami, for inviting my husband and me to this wonderful party. It was an absolute joy to get to meet you! Congrats on a fabulous book!

The Birth of a Novel

So nervous about tonight! What the heck am I gonna wear? I should have got my hair cut. I can't find my little sketch book! Sigh....

I finally got the book in the mail (thanks, Deanna!) by the way. I love the lush cover design. The author Ami McKay has posted a great interview with the cover designer on her blog, Incidental Pieces. And if you'd like to find out more about Ami and the creation of her novel, check out this great article about the author.

My goodness, Ami, you are a talented writer. I must admit that I've never had much interest in the history of midwives, but your gift of storytelling and your humour and ability to create such engaging characters has won me over. And your descriptions of this village in Nova Scotia, the climate, the land – I'm spellbound.

I highly recommend The Birth House!

Sigh... now I gotta go and try to make myself look beautiful....

I Got Posted 5

Yup, I've got an illo in today's National Post. Another fun one to illustrate! To see a larger version, click here.

The article points out how radically different childhood is these days, compared to two or three decades ago, specifically all of the changes in technology, and how that affects young kids on so many different levels. Another big challenge these days are the many new fears a parent faces, due to our sophisticaed technology, as well as so many new pressures in school and social life for young children. Here's a section of the article:

Childhood today differs radically from childhood just two or three decades ago. Play dates, video games, and instant messaging are just two signs that an older form of childhood has given way to something dramatically different.

The most striking transformation has occurred in children's play. There has been a sharp decline in walking, bike riding, and time spent out of-doors. Increasingly, children's leisure activities are technologically mediated and take place inside a home. At the same time, more of kids' activities outside the home are highly structured and supervised, from play dates for the youngest kids to organized sports as they grow older. In the United States, unnstructured play and outdoor activities for children 3 to 11 declined nearly 40% between the early 1980s and late 1990s.

Why has childhood changed? A demographic and economic revolution has fueled the rise of "postmodern" childhood. Today's parents want fewer but "higher quality" kids. In many cities, over 30% of kids are only children. With more mothers working, there are fewer adults in a neighborhood to provide informal supervision. As geographic mobility has increased, parents know fewer neighbors, and feel less comfortable letting their kids play unsupervised outside. Meanwhile, economic growth and higher standards of legal liability mean that the empty lots where past generations played have disappeared.

It is a cliché that the "new" economy of the 21st century places a high value on education. Between 1970 and 2000, the real wages of U.S. high school dropouts decreased by roughly 20% while the real wages of college grads increased about 20%. As a result, much more is at stake in elementary and secondary education than in the past.

These developments have had far-reaching consequences for parenting. Parents worry more than ever about their children's well-being. As marriage bonds have grown more fragile, parents invest more of their time, emotion, energy and resources into their kids. An increasing number of parents view their children as an extension of their self and regard parenting as an art and a science. All parents are Jewish mothers now.

Anxiety is the hallmark of contemporary parenting. Today's parents agonize incessantly about their children's physical health, personality development, psychological well-being, and academic performance. From birth, parenthood is colored by apprehension. Contemporary parents worry about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and physical and sexual abuse, as well as more mundane problems, such as sleep disorders and hyperactivity.

Contributing to parental anxiety are three decades of panics over children's well-being. Since the early 1970s, there has been recurrent alarm over stranger abductions, poisoned Halloween candies, childhood obesity, and pedophiles luring children over the Internet.

I must confess that if I had kids, I would probably be one of those worrying parents. I worry enough as it is about all my nieces and nephews!

Thank goodness we opted for cats!

Independent Reading 2

It's about time I focused on another independent bookstore, don't you think? And this independent bookstore, The Book Mark, is a very, very special one indeed.

You can find The Book Mark at 2964 Bloor St. West in Toronto, in the delightful Kingsway Village, which is just a hop, skip and a jump away from, yes The Bloor West Village.

There are many things that make this bookstore stand out, one of them being the fact that The Book Mark is the oldest surviving independent books tore in Toronto! In September 2005, The Book Mark celebrated its 40th birthday. That is no small feat, considering the overwhelming competition from monsters like Chapters/Indigo.

The original name of the store was The Boom Mark, founded in 1965 by Nan Chapin, at a different Bloor Street location. A year later the store moved to another address, Jackson Avenue, and then in 1995 The Book Mark was bought by its present owner, Sue Houghting, and the store moved to its present location. Ms. Houghting used to shop in the original store from the age of three and onwards, and began working there in 1988 before she finally became store manager and owner. Now that is what I call a passionate bibliophile!

The store itself is small and cosey, and beautifully decorated. Attractive yellow, burgundy and brown bookshelves stand out against the warm green walls, creating a very welcoming atmosphere. Charming knick-knacks can be found all throughout the store, and I even noticed what looked like an old medieval sword in the History section. The original owner, Nan Chapin, travelled to England and created the most exquisite brass rubbings from old medieval gravestones, and these one-of-a-kind works of art can be found on various walls of the store. Because space is limited in the bookstore, Ms. Houghting is very careful in her book selection. The first day I entered this stores years ago, I was overwhelmed with the quality of books before me. Every book I encountered was something I wanted to buy. There were absolutely no duds to be found. I was particularly impressed with the History, Literature and Literary Criticism section. For a small place, this store packs a strong literary and non-fiction punch. And the Children's section is just stellar.

The staff have always been very helpful and knowledgable, and it was because of these many delightful qualities about this store that I decided I must get an interview with Ms. Houghting herself, to find out a little bit more about this amazing woman, and this amazing store. As you can imagine, as the owner of The Book Mark Sue Houghting is a very busy lady, and so I am very, very grateful that she took the time out of her hectic schedule to answer my questions. Thanks so much, Sue!

I read in a magazine article about you which stated that you used to go to this bookstore as a child. Are there any special memories you have of the store back then that really stand out?

My mother started taking me into The Book Mark when I was about three or so. (That was when the store was on Jackson.) I remember always looking forward to going in, particularly before we'd head up north for the summer because I'd be allowed to get a huge stack of books. Enid Blyton was a huge favourite so I was always looking for new ones. I always loved the fact that the children's books were in their very own room - it made me feel special. I also remember sitting on the horse which I'm very glad we still have in the Kids' section!

I also read that you began working there after graduating from University. Was this a gradual thing, the desire to run a bookstore, or something you knew early on that you always wanted to do?

I fantasized about either working in a bookstore or a library from the time I was pretty young. As I got older my love of dance (watching not performing) surpassed my desire to be in a bookstore so I was heading in the direction of Arts Administration - I actually worked for a modern dance school for a few years while in University. But I became unhappy with that pretty quickly and one of my friends asked me what I really wanted to do and I said "own The Book Mark". So he encouraged me to look into working there; I was hired in 1988 and everything seemed to, more or less, fall into place!

Congratulations on being the oldest surviving independent bookstore in Toronto! What would you say is the secret to The Book Mark's continued success?

Excellent Customer Service - you can't beat it. We know many of our customers by name as well as by their tastes in reading. We do everything we can to help them - find the books they're looking for, suggest new books or order in hard-to-find books. My staff are all wonderful people who love to read, and love to talk about their favourite books. Certain customers "attach themselves" to certain booksellers and will only buy what they suggest. I also like to think that we keep a very good selection of books on hand - not only the bestsellers, but some unique titles that others might not bother to stock. I've been told that we have one of the best History sections in the city. And we started the tradition of welcoming dogs and giving out "treats" a long time ago!

What are your concerns for the future of independent bookstores, and the nature of publishing and reading in general?

It's a frightening time for independent bookstores. We've just witnessed the sad closing of Mabel's Fables [an independent children's bookstore] across the street. Publishers are constantly looking for new markets and the result of that is that their oldest customers, the independents, lose business. We cannot treat books as "loss leaders" as others do. We have to continue to hope that certain sectors of the public value old-fashioned cust omer service and buying books from people who actually read. Luckily for us, and many other strong independents, that is still the case. As for the general nature of publishing and reading, I think the future outlook is good. Most publishers are still willing to pick up new authors and promote their works which is very promising. And people are always looking for the next great book to read, I don't see that ever stopping.

How many people do you employ?

I usually have eight people on staff.

So... I urge you to visit this store if you are in Toronto! It is a rare gem not to be missed in one's lifetime. And when you step into the store, you will notice a lovely old needle-point on the wall above the cash register, which reads:

When I get a little money I buy books;
And if any is left I buy food and clothes.
– Erasmus

The Bestest Valentine

Though I'm not a super big fan of Valentine's Day, I did get to do something very special that was somewhat valentine-related.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at The Hospital For Sick Kids in Toronto, drawing cartoons for kids in the Emergency ward, to hopefully brighten up their day. This annual event is called the Kartoonists 4 Sick Kids Kaper.

So since it was Valentine's Day, I did happen to draw quite a few valentine's cartoons. I cannot begin to express what an amazing experience it was, bringing smiles to all those kids' faces.

I wasn't the only cartoonist there, of course. There were plenty of seasoned professionals drawing their hearts out, too. What a thrill to meet Anthony Jenkins and Brian Gable of the Globe and Mail, and the hilarious and talented Susan Dewar of the Ottawa Sun. Also in attendance were Toronto Sun court artist and illustrator Pam Davies, cartoonists Tak Bui and Bob Kain, and the organizers of this amazing annual event, cartoonist Ted Martin and his wife Dawn.

Thank you, Ted, for inviting me to this very memorable event!

Reading Women

Artists have long been attracted to the challenge of capturing the intimacy and tranquillity of reading. This book brings together a compelling selection of beautiful paintings, drawings, prints and photographs of women reading through the ages. Engaging commentaries explain the context in which each image was created, while a fascinating introduction explores the history of women and reading, offering an insight into how the activity enabled women to escape the narrow confines of domestic life and gain knowledge of the outside, male-dominated world.

Must get this book!

Oh, and still on the subject of women and reading... yes, today is Valentine's Day, and yes, this commercially-created day does play great havoc on the tender hearts of all those single ladies out there, who do not need to be reminded that they are single. And really, what's wrong with being single? Not a damn thing. But if this excessive chocolate and flower buying day is beginning to get on your nerves, go out and get yourself your own Valentine's Day gift. Get thee to a bookstore, honey, and treat yourself to that delicious book you've been hankering for!

Actually, there should be a new holiday, where we celebrate books and reading, and we buy each other and ourselves nothing but books and book paraphernalia! Instead of hearts and flowers filling our heads, the whole day should be focused on everything biblio. We could call it Bibliotine's Day! Send yourself or your loved one a bibliotine!

And remember...a woman is never lonely or alone when she is in the company of a good book!

Happy Bibliotine's Day!

Fab Four Things Tag

This meme's been going around quite a bit lately, and I figured eventually someone would get me! Thanks, Paula! (And yes, it's true, I got nuthin' better to do than unpack #@!!*! boxes!)

So here are my answers...

Four Jobs I've Had:
• Short-order Cook
• Library Technician
• Cartoonist Instructor
• Supervisor for a Market Research Firm

Four Movies I Can See Over And Over:
• Clockwork Orange
• Equus
• The Year of Living Dangerously
• Strictly Ballroom

Four Places I've Lived:
• Monymusk, Jamaica
• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Mississauga, Ontario
• Hamilton, Ontario

Four TV Shows I Love:
(You may not recognize them; they're all old Brit shows. What can I say? I'm a Brit TV freak).
• As Time Goes By
• Inspector Morse
• Waiting for God
• Daziel and Pascoe

Four Places I've Vacationed:
• New York City
• Scottsdale, Arizona
• British Columbia
• Jamaica

Four Of My Favourite Dishes:
• Chicken Risotto
• Homemade Veggie Pizza
• Angel Hair Pasta Primavera with Olive Oil, fresh ground Pepper and Parmesan Cheese
• Aged white cheddar cheese on top of buttered toast and good quality honey (Don't knock it 'til you've tried it)

Four Sites I Visit Almost Daily:
I hate to play favourites.

Four Places I'd Rather Be Now:
• New York City
• England
• Italy
• But you know what? I'm so happy in my new home, that where I am right now is just fine. In fact, it's fabulous.

Four Bloggers I’m Tagging:
I won't tag anyone in particular ('cuz I don't play favourites!) If you feel like doing it, knock yourself out!

I Got Posted 4

Here's an illo I did for today's Saturday National Post. To see a bit larger version, click here.

Boy was this one fun to do! I just love drawing Stephen King. So deliciously freaky and normal at the same time.

The article discusses the prevalent use of cell phones in horror films and novels these days, focusing mainly on Stephen King's new best-selling novel (and no doubt soon to be movie) Cell.

Here's a section of the article:

In the recent months, cell phones have become newly terrifying. Our once-mundane cellular-inspired fears –– of brain cancer, of terrorists using them to detonate remote devices –– have been replaced by more gruesome visions. Horror maestros from Stephen King to Takashi Miike have taken our ambivalent post-9/11 feelings about cell phones (they played a crucial role in nearly staving off a terrorist attack, but they were also the source of incredibly painful goodbyes) and reworked them into a vehicle for evil –– ghosts, plagues, and rampaging psychos. The cell phone, in their hands, is not a tool of empowerment but another instrument of terror. Humanity's going to hell, and you don't dare call your mother.

Stephen King's Cell, which sits at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list, is the bloodiest encapsulation of this world view. A pulse sent out over cell phones by someone –– Islamic terrorists? disgruntled hackers? –– turns cell-toting humans into predators who bite one another's necks and club one another's children. Soon, the zombified masses are roaming the streets by day and pausing to "recharge" by night –– lying side-by-side in moonlit stadiums, like a thousand Nokias resting in their cradles. It's up to a crusty band of outsiders –– read: Luddites who cling to land lines –– to battle their way out of the cities and regroup in wireless-free zones up north. "What's the market penetration?" one of them asks, surely the first time those words have been uttered in a Stephen King novel. So despicably evil is the cell phone that the survivors rarely speak its name –– they indicate it with a sad gesture, a thumb at the ear and a pinky held at the mouth.