I’ve been pleased to hear that most people I know are challenging the rampant consumerism of the upcoming holiday season. Lots of us participate in gift swaps, only shop for the kids, make and bake presents or insist on a no-gift policy with our friends and families. Many more people acknowledge that they don’t even celebrate Christmas or that the holidays they do celebrate during this time traditionally don’t involved the exchange of gifts. Some are reclaiming the spirituality of these holydays and refocussing on things that don’t cost money.

I love all that.

But if you are going to be shopping this holiday season, why not support Canadian writers, most of whom make very little for their efforts? Here’s how:

-buy Canadian books and magazines! And while you’re doing that, don’t just purchase the works of the most well-known authors (although they do deserve your support too)…branch out and take a look at the smaller, lesser known ones. Check out small presses, chapbooks and home-made zines.

-skip the big box bookstores, both online and on the street. You know who they are. Typically, they demand hugely unfair discounts from publishers, special “fees” to shelve books in prominent locations of the store, and don’t even stock smaller press books or lesser known magazines, let along chapbooks and zines. Skip them! The masses are already shopping there! Instead, go to your local independent bookstore. These stores tend to support a broad range of writing, don’t demand extra fees from publishers and buy at the accepted 40% discount. They also tend to act as local community hubs, and often organize great speakers, readings and courses. In Toronto, my favourites include the Toronto Women’s Bookstore, Type Books, and This Ain’t the Rosedale Library

But maybe you live in a community that no longer has an independent bookstore because your local WalMart or Costco is now selling “Chicken Soup for the Soul”? Well, I have a solution for you too!

-Buy direct from the author, if they offer that option on their website. This allows the writer to earn a 40% profit on their book, rather than the usual 10-15% of net or gross. That means for a $20 book, the author can earn $8, instead of about $2. The Writers Union of Canada offers a database of their members, which is a partial list of Canadian writers’ biographies and publications. Invite a writer to your local holiday event or party to do a reading.

-you can even buy direct from the publisher, which means more money to the author and publisher combined. Some of my favourite presses are Dundurn, House of Anansi, Inanna, and Arsenal Pulp. Favourite magazine include Broken Pencil and Walrus. There are tons more. What are your favourites?

Finally, if you’d like to support Canadian writers this holiday season, oppose governments that insist on slashing arts funding, and lobby against Prime Ministers who make a show of supporting the arts by coopting artist space and singing out of tune. You know who I’m talking about.

For some time, I’ve been a proud resident of Brockton Village, in Toronto’s West End. I have a great sense of community here and I love knowing and getting to know my neighbours.

So, when Melanie Janisse, poet, artist and local coffee shop owner, suggested we run a monthly writers series out of her Dundas West Zoots Cafe I got excited at the idea of connecting with my writer-neighbours too.

The Brockton Writers Series highlights the work of people who live within the dozen or so blocks bordered (loosely, because we are pretty flexible about geography) by Lansdowne/Gladstone/College/Queen Streets. Three invited writers of all genres and experience levels–emerging and established– take the stage and we also offer some open mic time for people who want to share something they’re working on. Most of all, we’re interested in creating community for those who love writing and literature.

This past month, our second ever event, poets Sarah Greene and Melanie Janisse, playwright Janice Goveas, and emerging novelist Mo Pigeon, shared their work to a full house. The feeling was cozy and supportive, and the room buzzed with chatter during the breaks. Our microphone wouldn’t work and sometimes the sound of the expresso maker punctuated our words, but that was just fine.  There was a sense that this series is building into something good.

Writers have been excited to get involved. We’re booked for our next three months! Who knew there were so many talented people living in such a small geographic area? Well, we guessed there were lots of us around, and we’re glad this has been confirmed.

So, next month’s line-up includes playwright Rose Cullis, fiction-writer Jasmine D’Costa and poet Aisha Sasha John. All three  are accomplished in their genres and this promises to be a fantastic night.

Join us the first Tuesday of each month, 7-9pm, at Zoots Cafe, 1438 Dundas Street West, Toronto. The event is free, and books, drinks and other treats are available for sale. If you’d like to be part of the open mic, come sign up at 6:50pm. Contact me if you’re a local writer who wants to read at a future event.

To stay in the loop, join our Facebook group.

I’m facilitating a writing workshop tonight at the AAFS and wanted to spread the news about them. Have a look at this great video:

Just beginning to plan a project, or looking to develop an already established one?   Promoting your novel, an artistic endeavour, or a small business?

I’m facilitating a workshop at Wine, Women and Philosophy , a retreat centre for women near Ottawa and Montreal.

The workshop takes place within a beautiful centre on a private lake and 22 acres of hiking trails. Wine pairings, decadent food and wonderful company accompany this weekend.

Join us! For more info, contact: info@winewomenandphilosophy.com

Hey there, check out an interview I did that was covered by Muslimah Media Watch. If you’re not already familiar with MMW, check them out. Smart, cutting edge stuff…

I’m pleased to be involved in Central Neighbourhood’s upcoming Book Sale and Auction on Saturday, August 22nd. All proceeds will go to support CNH’s programs.

There will be a whack of books there to buy, including autographed copies of first editions by Barbara Gowdy, Wayson Choy, Allistair McCleod and me! I’ll also be doing a reading from Stealing Nasreen at 3:30.

For more information, go to: http://www.cnh.on.ca/events.htm

I’ve been nominated for the MMM People’s Choice Award! Please go vote, and consider voting for me in the Favourite Author category:

http://masalamehndimasti.com/2009/index.php?option=com_pollxt&Itemid=47

Summer is officially here and I look forward to my paid work slowing down and the expansion of my writing life. I’ll be spending much of my summer vacation doing a writing retreat.

I’m currently working on my third novel and am at the 100 page mark. Still so much to write, to understand, to develop. It’s good to have large swaths of time opening up.

And what of the second novel? Well, it’s done, and I’m still shopping it around to agents and am hopeful I’ll find one soon. I have to admit, this is not my favourite part of the writing life. Writing is enlivening. Promotion can be an interesting challenge. Touring is totally fun. But shopping it around? Bleh. I’ve developed a multitude of coping strategies for rejection; I could write a book about it!

And there is some news about Stealing Nasreen, the first novel. It’s been two years since it was published, but the story is still getting some attention.  I just read at Proud Voices at Pride Toronto (the photo at the bottom is courtesy Salma Akbar) . And the novel has just been reviewed by Feminist Review: http://feministreview.blogspot.com/2009/07/stealing-nasreen.html .

And, I still delight in receiving e-mails and Facebook wall posts from happy readers (keep them coming! Reading them is Rejection Strategy # 28).

It’s June (almost!) and with the Inside/Out festival being done and the weather getting warmer I start to think about Pride festivities.

I’ve been attending Toronto Pride since 1994. I’ve walked in the Pride Parade and  marched on Dyke Day nearly every year. This year, Trans Pride will happen for the first time ever in Toronto on June 26th, a wonderful addition to Pride weekend.

I’m very excited to be part of Pride’s literary line-up, Proud Voices, curated by Susan G Cole.  If you are in town, come and listen to my reading on Saturday June 27th at 4pm. For more details:  http://www.pridetoronto.com/press/proud-voices-reading-series/

I grew up without pets, with the exception of a guard dog named Rover when we lived in Zambia (and I was too young to remember him). I didn’t miss them, pine for them, ask my parents for a guinea pig, parrot or dog.

When a previous roommate of mine insisted on getting a cat, I relented, but was convinced I would have no part of it. Within a couple of days I was won over by the kitten. A year later, I added a second kitten to the household, a runt of a litter who reached out of her Humane Society cage to tap me on the arm. Soon, I realized I was allergic to cats after all, and bringing the new one home just added to the dandery air.

When that roommate and I moved on, I agonized over leaving behind my kitty, but my sinuses were glad. For weeks I had dreams in which I’d forgotten to feed her, or left her outside to freeze or perish in various nightmarish ways. I’m happy to say that my old roommate has nurtured both cats into their old ages.

Later, a previous partner insisted we get a dog. Eventually I relented, convinced Iwasn’t going to have any part of it. Well, you know the rest. She (the ex-girlfriend) and I split up and unfortunately we (the dog and I) parted ways.

Since then, I’ve thought about getting a dog and never managed it because I didn’t really have the lifestyle to support all the walking and poop-picking-up required of a pooch.  And then I became a self-employed therapist and writer, and found myself at home alot of the time.

So I insisted on getting a dog. My partner, luckily, has relented. I sit here writing with a dog at my feet (she’s just fallen asleep after licking every drop of honey out a kong–yes, that  might sound x-rated to some of you, but I assure you it’s not). She’s been with us for 5 days now.

Maggie is making me wonder about loving an animal, and how this adoration will make it into my writing. People say that having a child changes the way one writes, but I haven’t heard this said of pets. I recall that in Stealing Nasreen, it seemed really important that Nasreen have a cat named Id, who watched over her behaviour. Id was a companion, but also a witness.   I wonder now if Maggie will make her appearance in a future novel, perhaps as a dog who loves a woman who loves her back.