Are you a friend to words? Sure you are. So I’m excited to invite you to the launch of a new publication, my first ever chapbook,* titled (wait for it...) “A Friend to Words” on:
This will be an enormously fun and seriously complete evening, as the brilliant Jane Munro is also launching her poetry chapbook, “Straights and Narrows.” Snacks, readings, interviews… I hope to see you! All are welcome; seating is limited.
My chapbook, published by the wonderful and dedicated folks at espresso, contains a single new short story, which is a rewrite or remix of or inspired by Nakajima Atsushi’s Zen masterpiece, “The Expert.” I think of it as a comic fable; the publisher calls it a satirical nightmare; make of that what you will. For now I can tell you that it features highly ascetic writers, ants, highly competitive writers, trips to Paris, trips to Saskatchewan, and mentions of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok — so yes, something for everyone.
What’s a chapbook, you ask? Well, etymologically, “chap” here relates to “cheap," but is even more closely linked to “chapman” - a peddler or merchant — and chapbook initially comes to mean a small pamphlet containing tales, ballads, or tracts -- sold by the side of the road, as it were. These days, a chapbook is a small, short, and relatively inexpensive book, often containing poetry or other literary works.
Going back to the origins and essence of what publishing is and means, Bernard Kelly, Cary Fagan and Rebecca Comay have made this into a truly lovely creation and I’m delighted to share it, in a limited edition of 100 copies, available for sale on the night and here and now via the espresso chapbooks website.