Tuesday, October 08, 2013

And Now a Word on Alexandra Oliver


Greetings from my cozy desk in the Bibliomanse.

My name is Alicia, I'm a new intern here at Biblioasis and I'm thrilled to be able to bring you important information on our exciting events and authors alongside Melissa.

Today I'm bringing you word on the wonderful poet Alexandra Oliver, who will be reading in Calgary tomorrow evening and across Ontario in the coming weeks. She has been nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize as well as for the CBC Literary Award. Her writing has appeared in several journals and publications internationally, including Orbis Rhyme International, Light Quarterly, Future Cycle Poetry, and The Vancouver Sun.You can also find her work in About.com's Poems After the Attack, an anthology of reflection on the 9/11 attacks.

Where the English Housewife Shines, her first book, was released in April 2007. Meeting the Tormentors in Safeway, her latest from Biblioasis, is an exploration on the many faces of domestic life. Her work has been described by fellow writers as “brilliantly contemporary poems in traditional forms,” (Charles Martin) and “poems that bite and entertain” (Jeanne Marie Beaumont).

She can be found dividing her time between Toronto, Canada and Glasgow, Scotland.


Final Request

When I am dressed for heaven, I will wear
no wedding white, no peau de soie or gold
embroidery. Not me. Nor will I hold
a Bible or a snippet of your hair.
I curse the navy twin-set you prepare,
the sulky bow-neck blouse that makes me old.
If you disguise me thus when I am cold,
how will the others recognize me There?
Please put me in the muumuu that I bought
a dozen years ago. The one you hate.
The one that makes you plead with me to change
each time I put it on. I’ve often thought
I’d leave you in a good, embarrassed state
as I do now. So nothing would be strange.

Alexandra will be appearing tomorrow night in Calgary at Words Worth Books at 7 pm with Lucie Wilk. Can't make it? No problem! She will be touring the country throughout October so check the list below and stop in for an evening of words. (That way you can pick up five copies of her book. You know, one each for your mother, your father, your brother, and your dog.) 

Oct 10: Waterloo, Words Worth Books, 7pm

Oct 16: London, Poetry London, 7:30pm

Oct 17: London, Fanshawe College, 2:00pm
Oct 17: Toronto, The Garrison, 7pm

Oct 18: Windsor, Biblioasis, 7pm

Oct 22: Toronto, Art Bar Poetry Series, 8pm


Want to study up in advance? Here's a link to Alexandra performing at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.



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