Upcoming Readings

Readings, March/April 2009 (an updated list):

March 5 – Rochdale Rhymes and Readings, 8 pm at The Regal Beagle (335 Bloor St. W., Toronto) w/ Ally Fleming and Sue Reynolds.

March 10 – Carousel Appreciation Party, 7 pm at The Bullring (Univerisity of Guelph) w/ Clara Blackwood and Desi DiNardo.

March 25 – Pivot, 8 pm at The Press Club (850 Dundas Street West, Toronto).

April 25 – livewords, 8 pm at Cervejaria (842 College Street, Toronto) w/ David W. McFadden.

Tim Ormond’s Eulogy with Ridicule and Blame

Over the next few months I plan on posting a handful of poems that have appeared in the first 11 issues of Misunderstandings Magazine. While MM does have a web presence (www.misunderstandingsmagazine.com), this is an easy way for me to share some of our creative content. 

First up is Tim Ormond’s Eulogy with Ridicule and Blame. It appeared in Issue 9.

He pinned his hopes downtown in his pockets
until they burned sweet through to his shorts
later to be found face down
by composting pterodactyls
with the hairs plucked off from his groin.

When we came home we found him sleeping at the table,
and, giggling, we penciled circles beneath his eyes.
When he awoke he found his dinner at the ready,
but with knife and fork stapled to his thighs.

He never knew what jobs to give to flowers or to beanstalks,
he never dreamt up names for the stray dogs in the trees,
he never thought that stairs looked better in the city;
he simply felt these things were fine where they all lay.

You should have told him he’d get lost inside the forest
with all the circus tops along the way,
and the lion tamers’ ropes to tie and bind him:
he’d always thought we’d let him sit and let him play.

And I don’t think he ever knew that the snow held a message
more coherent and direct than the stars.
He’d always hoped that he’d be flying, instead he
lay down dying in the torts and the tarts and the cars.

You should have warned him about the creepers in the offing,
the endless routines to the all-day-longs,
you should have told him to hang on to his piano,
and the show tunes to his mom’s sing-alongs.

Tim Ormond. Photo courtesy of Lisa Myers

In other MM related news, I’d like to welcome our new intern, Blair Trewartha, to the team. Blair is Gadzooks! “person in our neighborhood” for the week of February 12, 2009 http://www.gogadzooks.com/episodes_2/episode_171/episode171_thisis.htm

MM11 launched!

Misunderstandings Magazine Issue 11 was launched on Friday, February 6, 2009 to a terrific crowd at Cervejaria in Toronto. I’d like to thank to our performers: Sandy Pool, Blair Trewartha, Aaron Tucker, Myna Wallin and Jenny Sampirisi (subbing for Camille Martin).

The MM team is indebted to the founder and host of the livewords reading series, Edward Nixon, who’s  not only a fantastic writer, but has supported us over the entire run of the magazine. 

Open Book Toronto has posted launch photographs at: http://www.openbooktoronto.com/articles/photos_launch_misunderstandings_magazine

 

Baiting Hooks at Seen Reading

Literary voyeur Julie Wilson has posted a reading of my poem baiting hooks on her blog, Seen Reading. Her interpretation is lovely, even if she does grossly exaggerate my age at 30. 

Check it out at: http://www.seenreading.com/the-velocity-of-escape-jim-johnstone-guernica-editions/