Lisa Young

Guest Blogger: Maddy Curry, Assistant Publisher at Quattro Books, Tells Us About Quattro’s Second Spring Launch Hello digital world! I feel very privileged to be a guest on Lisa’s blog; she is a remarkably talented writer and her blog is always chock full of great advice to writers, established and aspiring alike. I’m also thrilled to talk about Quattro’s latest event. Last Tuesday (May 17th), Quattro Books packed the house once again for the second wave of our spring 2011 line up – even though it was a rainy night (that was far too cold for May), the Supermarket was full to the brim with an attentive audience. (Working the book table has its advantages, one of them being a guaranteed seat.) The room had a great energy to it; this is my sixth launch of Quattro titles that I have worked at, and each time I am always blown away by the dedication and enthusiasm of all those who attend. It can be difficult, sometimes, to believe that people actually like to not only read but be read to; t

I'm feeling pretty quiet - in need of hiding away - turtle-style. It's my introverted side rearing its head. But that's okay - I don't really have time to hibernate - but whether I'm out and about or not - the feeling is with me - quiet. Even in the busyness. What I've been slow to accept is that the life of an editor means always being busy. Hello denial. I kept thinking if I could just get a handle on things - it wouldn't be so busy. Wrong. After almost six years as an editor, I'm starting to realize busyness is a way of life. I mean of course all the deadlines that surprise, surprise, never stop. Writing of course has deadlines - I guess all of life is a kind of deadline. But the thing is, I'm learning to accept my lifestyle/career. I don't run around telling everyone I'm busy (as much). I'm not constantly surprised anymore by the piles and piles of paper on my desk. Eventually the deadlines get done and the paper is recycled and the

This week I had my third meeting with my poetry editor. We have now gone through the entire manuscript. Some poems have been scrapped - others have been polished - others are still undergoing editing. The whole ms is now back in my hands and I have to go through it all section by section: adding, subtracting and basically refining. It's daunting, but I'm finding my way through. I'm also reading a lot of poetry. Just read Denise Levertov's collection, The Sorrow Dance. I loved it - read it in one sitting. Now I'm reading Lorna Crozier's collection, The Blue Hour of the Day. If you open her book to a random page - you never know what you're going to get. She uses a variety of styles and voices. I stumbled upon her poem entitled, "Why I love Pumpkins." I was curious to see what she could do with pumpkins. As it turns out, she can do a lot with them. It's my new favourite poem. This weekend I took some time to work on a flash fiction piece for M