Welcome to the new blog for The Top 100 Canadian Singles book. It’s going to be released soon, on Sept. 30th, from Goose Lane Editions. It’s been two years in the making, and is sure to spark debate, conversation, and above all, lots of passionate talk about the great music of Canada.
Sometime during the middle part of June the Netfirms e-mail account I had been using for Branta business first swallowed all but a handful of letters then followed that trick up by kicking me out completely. So I apologize if you sent in queries or submissions or anything over that last couple of months, but that stuff appears to be in the world wide dead letter office of the web.
So let’s be clear: the primary motivation for this self-exposé is neither ego nor the desire for absolution for some wrongdoing about to be discovered. I have not sinned against y’all. Purely and simply I don’t have a Feature Post to go to right now. Since early May is a transitional time for many lit types, what with finishing school terms or the commitments that go along with new books, spring deadlines and the like, tossing together something for Branta is no one’s top priority. Except for mine, of course. Although that’s not entirely true for reasons to be revealed.
weirdsodapop232
Tihs hot guy arcoss the street is shvoeling our dirve way :O I thnik I’m in the mood for some dirve way shovelnig ;]
Please do not encourage weirdsodapop232.
bouncysimba1877
About damn tmie Victroia Secert has the matcihng panites to thier bars IN-STCOK about 5 hours ago via web
Please do not follow bouncysimba1877… madness lies in that direction.
Here are a trio of pieces for you to pass along at work today in order to seem quirky, cutting edge, thoughtful… or just like you spend too much time online. Wired’s rundown of The 10 Most Absurd Science Paper Titles… A new Edgar Allen Poe collection by Eric Mongeon… and Geist’s Artist and Writer Fund. Happy forwarding.
They are the forms that break new ground, use unexpected combinations to express either new ideas or long standing ones that benefit from little shocks or big pushes. They can ask big questions. They can offer researched answers. But after looking at them side by side for about a decade I’ve come to a conclusion that their root difference is: new music actively gathers to it an audience whereas poetry seems content being left alone.
“I hope to hell that when I do die somebody has the sense to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetary. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you’re dead? Nobody.”
J.D. Salinger
“Essence, inner being, soul, heart’s core,
quiddity (poor thesaurus!)—are they one?
each other’s twin, perhaps?—I doubt it. Heart
and soul? O, surely, one the flesh and one
the ghost of flesh, less heavy but more dense.
And yet their object, their intent, their aim
sprung from that inner being, arrowing
truly towards its target, is become
singular and centred as a flame.
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same.”
P.K. Page Each Mortal Thing / fromThe Walrus
We just had our first modest snowfall in Fredericton. Nothing to write home about… or text home about, depending on your level of technology… but a signpost nonetheless. And since we’re not ones to ignore augury here at Branta it seemed a good time to inaugurate (oops…) the changing seasons with selections from our first volley of unsolicited contributions.
Links are inside this post.
