Essays
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Reading by Five Alberta Authors
Five Alberta authors to feature in North/West Passages online event marking 50th Anniversary of The Writers’ Union of Canada For more information, interviews or photos, contact Jackie Carmichael at Carmichael dot Jacqueline at gmail dot com Five Alberta authors will feature in an upcoming online event marking the 50th Anniversary of The Writers’ Union of Canada. North/West Passages is a year-long monthly Zoom-based reading series celebrating authors from The Writers’ Union of Canada. Featured readers on Tuesday, Oct. 17, at 6 pm Alberta time will include authors Lori Hahnel, Katherine Koller, Sharon Butala, paulo da costa, and Anna Shannon. “I’m dazzled by the calibre of writing this series is attracting. Each of these…
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James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction
Alberta has just made my writing a little more visible by honouring me with another award for non-fiction. Jury Remarks: “Enclosures” is a skilful study of the environment and the self as both manipulated and restricted by complex cultural expectations and the background of a fascist government. The elegant prose and moving scenes frame a beautiful story of struggling with the idea of freedom for humans and animals alike. The second-person narrative was an effective and touching way for Da Costa to expound his feelings about raising and eating animals all while dancing between history and tradition, childhood and adulthood, revolution and freedom. My congratulations to Kyra and Marcello (who…
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Enclosures
Check out this podcast from Reckoning Magazine where the editor Michael DeLuca talks about my essay Enclosures. You can read the complete text too or download the podcast to listen at your leisure … whenever and wherever . Enjoy! Podcast Episode 18: Enclosures https://reckoning.press/?powerpress_embed=3058-podcast&powerpress_player=mediaelement-audio Today I’m going to read you an essay by paulo da costa, “Enclosures”, from Reckoning 6. I think of this piece as a new perspective in an ongoing conversation that started, for me, with Kate Schapira’s essay “On Political Change, Climate Change, and the Choice to Not Have Children” that appeared in Catapult in 2017, and my editorial piece in Reckoning 2, “On Having a Kid…
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WGA 2023 Literary Award Readings
Please join the Writers’ Guild of Alberta for readings from twelve finalists of the various 2023 Alberta Literary Awards. Featuring short readings from Lareina Abbott, Paulo Da Costa, Marcello Di Cintio, Patti Edgar, Tasnuva Hayden, Kyra Koustrup, Kimberley McCullough, Seth Rasporich, Trevor Schmidt, Vivek Shraya (virtual), and Chris Turner. April 25 7:00pm – 9:00pm (MDT) Shelf Life Books 1302 4 St SW 100 Calgary, AB Canada get directions Calgary – Reading with the FinalistsTuesday, April 25, 7:00 pmShelf Life Books, 1302 4 St SW #395 Tuesday, April 25th at 7pm, please join the Writers’ Guild of Alberta for readings from 12 finalists of the various 2023 Alberta Literary Awards. Featuring…
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Enclosures, Short-Listed for the 2023 Alberta Literary Awards
My creative non-fiction essay, Enclosures, published by Reckoning, has been short-listed for the James H. Gray Award for Short Nonfiction. Congratulations to the other two finalists as well. Marcello Di Cintio with “The Cowboy Exclaims” (Canadian Geographic) and Kyra Lark Koustrup with — “You and the Grass” (Freefall). If you are in Calgary please come and celebrate with us literary excellence and the Alberta’s writing community. Awards will be presented in nine categories that include fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry, memoir, and children’s literature. Alberta Literary Awards Gala 2023 (in-person, Calgary): Saturday, June 3, 6:00 PM to 10:00PM. Location: Fort Calgary (750 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB). Tickets for the gala are $50…
