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Submitted by Grace on February 12, 2013 – 12:49pm
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February 8 Performance John K Sampson, Christine Fellows, Rhea Tregebov & Steven GallowayJanuary 22, 2013 Media contact: Laurie Townsend (604) 822-9161 Singer-songwriters Christine Fellows and John K. Samson (of The Weakerthans) perform at UBC February 8, at 8:00 pm Toronto Launch of All Souls’
A Reading with Rhea Tregebov Aisha Sasha John and Shannon BramerToronto New School of Writing Presents: A Reading with Rhea Tregebov, Aisha Sasha John and Shannon Bramer.Toronto New School of Writing is pleased to host a reading by Vancouver poet Rhea Trebegov in conjunction with her Counterfactual Workshop. This will be Rhea’s first Toronto reading from her new book, All Souls’ , published by Signal Editions. Joining Rhea for the evening are Toronto poets Aisha Sasha John and Shannon Bramer, who will read from their work. When: 20 February 2013, 6:30-8:30 (readings will start at 7 sharp) Where: Supermarket 268 Augusta, in the back room The New School of Writing Toronto Workshop February 19, 2013The Counterfactual: A Workshop with Rhea Tregebov19 February 2013, 6-8:30pmLocation: 401 Richmond Street West, Studio 408 The counterfactual – what didn’t happen, the path not taken or the path not there – can be a fundamental source of creativity. This workshop will examine how departures from our own, or world, history generate writing. What is the mindset that fosters imagination? Whether we are writing poetry with autobiographical sources, or speculative fiction that builds invented worlds, one of the more alarming aspects of writing is the pressure to “make something up.” Iconoclastic micro-fiction writer Etgar Keret has said that he is interested in writing stories that are fundamentally true, not factually true. How do we separate the facts from the truth of our writing, and how do the facts, as well as alternatives to the facts, interact with what we have to say? Winnipeg Free Press Review of All Souls’Born in Saskatoon and raised in Winnipeg, Vancouver-based Rhea Tregebov begins her seventh collection, All Souls’ (Signal, 78 pages, $18) with a poem in which “You thought all the poems had grown up / and left home. You didn’t expect to find one / putting its little hands on your face.” A fine, fitting metaphor for the moment of poetic inspiration, which is notoriously difficult to place into words. Quill & Quire Review of All Souls’ by George FetherlingRhea Tregebov opens her seventh poetry collection by telling us about a visitation she had that unexpectedly put an end to a period of literary silence: “You thought all the poems had grown up / and left home. / You didn’t expect to find one / putting its little hand on your face.” This is a book about cycles, such as the poet’s geographical progress from Winnipeg to Toronto, then from Toronto (“I’m such a sorry mess I’ll miss it”) to the West Coast, where she teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia. Most of all, it centres on the cyclical experiences of families, of watching children becoming adults and adults eventually dying (or in her father’s case, getting lost in dementia): “My father can’t draw the hands of the clock, / can’t draw its face. In his own hand, the pencil / falters, rests.” “Family Dinners,” the last of three poem sequences, is the heart of the book, uniting Tregebov’s themes of childhood, maternity, and decay with gardening, dining, and impermanence. To read the full review, go to Quill & Quire or here. The Toronto Quarterly Interview with Rhea Tregebov on All Souls’TTQ – What inspired you to start writing poetry? TTQ – How difficult is it for you to write a great poem?
To read the complete article, go to http://thetorontoquarterly.blogspot.ca/2012/11/rhea-tregebov-all-souls-interview.html Vancouver is Awesome feature on Reading
What are you currently reading? Your thoughts on it? I’ve just finished Linda Svendsen’s Sussex Drive, a wickedly funny Ottawa satire with a very frightening, too-close-for-comfort political message. And I’ve started Annabel Lyon’s The Sweet Girl, which features Aristotle’s daughter Pythias, and is a sequel to The Golden Mean, Lyon’s book about the philosopher. I find the way Lyon is able to enter the human mind of Classical times uncanny, unsettling, and fascinating. Since I can never read just one thing at a time, I’ve also started Rachel Rose’s new book of poetry, Song & Spectacle. I’m a long-time fan of Rose’s work, and admire as much the wisdom of how she sees the world as the technique that makes her such a skilled writer.
To read the whole feature, go to http://vancouverisawesome.com/2012/11/28/read-all-over-rhea-tregebov/ Maisonneuve review of All Souls’“All Souls’ (Signal Editions), Rhea Tregebov‘s seventh collection of poetry, unwraps the banal, beautiful experiences of a uniquely Canadian life. The lines are delicate but visceral: ‘Soon / it will rain, soon wind will spread / the prairie dust, moths will give up / their lives against the glass,’ Tregebov writes in ‘House Work.’ Tregebov’s poems are thoughtful and confident, but never overreach. Her use of language is effortless, allowing the book to contemplate—sometimes quietly, sometimes more forcefully—the way in which small moments speak to a larger human consciousness.” Taylor Tower, Maisonneuve, Issue 45. Poem for All Souls’ DayThe title poem of Rhea Tregebov’s new book on this dark day… All Souls’ Day
Some moon – full, and fall. So close it grazes the houses. The clocks gone back now – six and it’s near dark. That moon bright, though, and this city. Cars, their lights, wash by on pavement made for them. This sidewalk, its dates marked in concrete (1977, 1992), made for me. By someone. That someone a soul now perhaps, body done, in earth. Winter soon.
© Rhea Tregebov from All Souls’, Signal Editions, Véhicule Press, September 2012 ISBN: 978-155065-338-0 Vancouver Jewish Book Fair Panel From Poetry to Prose
Thursday Nov 29 @ 6:30pm MEET THE AUTHORS From Poetry to Prose and Back Rhea Tregebov / All Souls’ Susan Glickman / Smooth Yarrow Isa Millman / Something Small to Carry Home Tickets: $14.00 BUY TICKETS ONLINE >> or call 604-257-5111 Susan Glickman’s sixth collection of poetry, The Smooth Yarrow, just came out in May. According to Quill and Quire, “Glickman’s writing is defiant: like yarrow, it is lean and strong, not only beautiful, but possessed of myriad healing properties.” She is also the author of two novels for adults, The Violin Lover, which won the 2006 Canadian Jewish Fiction Award, and The Tale-Teller, which just came out this autumn, the “Lunch Bunch” series of children’s books, and a prize-winning work of literary criticism, The Picturesque & The Sublime: A Poetics of the Canadian Landscape.” Isa Milman is a poet and visual artist who lives in Victoria, BC. Born a displaced person in Germany in 1949, she grew up in the United States and came to Canada in 1975. She’s a graduate of Tufts University, and holds a Masters of Rehabilitation Science from McGill, where she taught for a decade. She is the author of Between the Doorposts (Ekstasis Editions, 2004) and Prairie Kaddish (Coteau Books, 2008), both of which won the Canadian Jewish Book Award for poetry. Her latest collection, Something Small to Carry Home, was published by Quattro Books in April 2012. Bluesy, opinionated, sly, self-chastising and tender, Rhea Tregebov’s All Souls’—her first collection since 2004—commands a range of tones wider and bolder than anything in her previous six books of poetry. Inspired by crises both personal (divorce, adult children, aging parents) and societal (global warming, financial implosion),All Souls’ bracingly addresses the quandary at the heart of our present moment: the fear of change and the fear of standing still. Enriched by a sharp palate and crackling with confidence, Tregebov’s new poems capture life in all its rueful aspects, and do so with a lyricism of considerable beauty and power. Green College UBC Principal’s Series:Reading from Rhea Tregebov’s 7th Collection of Poetry, All Souls’ Rhea Tregebov, Creative Writing Program, UBC
Coach House, Green College, UBC
November 13 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Bluesy, opinionated, sly, self-chastising and tender, UBC Creative Writing professor Rhea Tregebov’s All Souls’—her first collection since 2004—commands a range of tones wider and bolder than anything in her previous six books. All Souls’ bracingly addresses the quandary at the heart of our present moment: the fear of change and the fear of standing still. Enriched by a sharp palate and crackling with confidence, Tregebov’s new poems capture life in all its rueful aspects, and do so with a lyricism of considerable beauty and power. Rhea Tregebov at the Thin Air Festival of Writing, WinnipegMAINSTAGE: VOICES FROM OODENA/VOIX D’OODENA September 23, 2012 { 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm}Oodena, the natural amphitheatre at The Forks, has been a gathering place for centuries. THIN AIR celebrates that history with a collage of commissioned work from writers who have made a mark on the local scene. Gather on the stairs for a magical evening of words in many flavours. Bring a jacket—the air is cool as the sun sets. Location:
Admission:
FREE
More on Manitoba Reads long list for The Knife Sharpener’s BellManitoba Reads Longlist: The Knife Sharpener’s Bell has been long-listed for Manitoba Reads. The Winnipeg International Writers Festival, THIN AIR, has teamed up with CBC Manitoba SCENE and McNally Robinson Booksellers for the second annual Manitoba Reads, a made-in-Manitoba book celebration in the spirit of Canada Reads, Canada’s biggest battle of the books. . … A panel of experts has selected 12 great Manitoba titles and The Knife Sharpener’s Bell has made the list! Readers anywhere in Canada or the world can vote on their favourite to help decide what is the best Manitoba book for summer reading. Voters have from now until August 12, 2012 to choose four favourites, and those four final titles that receive the most votes will be pitched by a panel of literary pros and keen advocates in front of a live audience on Friday, September 21 2012 at the Centre culturel francais as the kick -off to THIN AIR 2012. After that debate, on-line voting will open again, with the winning title and a portion of the live debate being aired on CBC’s Weekend Morning Show on Sunday, September 23, 2012. The initial audience poll, which runs from July 24 through August 12, has a great prize pack—$150 in gift cards from McNally Robinson, a couple of THIN AIR Festival Passes, and some cool CBC merch. To be eligible to win, visitors simply leave a comment after they vote. People can vote every day, and each vote comment enters the draw. Please pass the word along to your friends via email, social media, etc. The more votes, the better! The Knife Sharpener’s Bell on Manitoba Reads long listManitoba Reads long list: 12 books for summer readingTuesday July 24, 2012In the spirit of Canada Reads, Canada’s biggest battle of the books, CBC Manitoba is proud to present Manitoba Reads, in partnership with McNally Robinson Booksellers and the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. The Knife Sharpener’s Bell, by Rhea Tregebov  Ten-year old Annette Gershon is content enough growing up in her father’s delicatessen in Winnipeg’s Jewish North End, but for immigrant families scratching out a living in the Dirty Thirties, even subsistence is a delicate balance. Everything changes when her parents decide to take the family “home” to the Soviet Union to escape the devastation of the collapsing capitalist economy. The Knife Sharpener’s Bell is the seldom-told story of a doomed return, and a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit. To read the rest of the article, go to
Recordings of Yiddish Stories and Poems by Women WritersReadings by members of the Winnipeg Yiddish Women’s Reading Circle (recorded in 2011). The Winnipeg Yiddish Women’s Reading Circle meets monthly in order to read, hear, and discuss stories and poems by female Yiddish authors that would otherwise be forgotten. By rescuing the stories of these writers, the participants in the Reading Circle are also able to enjoy listening and speaking their mameloshn, or mother-tongue. Yiddish was the language of Central and Eastern European Jewry and was brought to Winnipeg by Jewish immigrants. Many of the women in the Reading Circle are the children of immigrants and thus grew up in Yiddish-speaking homes. Some of them were students at the I. L. Peretz Folk Shul, a Winnipeg Yiddish-language school that was the first full-time Jewish day school in North America. Other members immigrated to Winnipeg from Europe after the Holocaust. The Winnipeg Reading Circle has been remarkably active since its inception in 2001. In 2007 the group published an anthology of English translations of their favourite stories, Arguing with the Storm: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers, edited by Rhea Tregebov (Toronto: Sumach Press; New York: The Feminist Press). The Reading Circle was also recognized by the UNESCO and was included in its Register of Good Practices in Language Preservation. Yiddish is no longer spoken or understood by the majority of Ashkenazi Jews (Jews of Central and East European origin). The women of the Winnipeg Reading Circle belong to an increasingly small group of Winnipeggers fluent in the language. The stories and poems presented here have been translated into English, but the women who read these stories for you hope that by listening to the original Yiddish, even those who do not understand the language will get an impression of the humour, linguistic musicality, and emotional depth in the Yiddish language and Yiddish literature. To access the website, click here. The Short List and Winner of the Kobzar: Photo
Winner Shandi Mitchel centre (in blue skirt) beside founding member Joy Kogawa (left) and Myrna Kostash and Rhea Tregebov (right) Bio formatted on Tatiana de Rosnay’sHaving just seen the film version of Sara’s Key, which alternately moved and frustrated me, I looked up the biography of the novel’s author, Tatiana de Rosnay and must confess I found a wee bit of hubris in the expansive coverage of her lineage. To that end, I have modelled my own biographical note based on her format… RT Rhea Tregebov was born on August 15, 1953 in the suburbs of Saskatoon. She is of Russian Jewish descent. Her father was Canadian civil engineer Sam Block, her grandfather was wrecking and salvage company owner James Block. Rhea doesn’t know the name of her paternal great-grandmother but she wishes she did. Rhea’s mother is Canadian, Jeanette Block, daughter of delicatessen owner Aaron Grosney, and great-great-granddaughter of someone who was probably a very interesting person. Rhea is also the niece of moving company owner Hymie Block. Rhea was raised in Winnipeg, where her father designed irrigation ditches and brought in indoor plumbing to rural Manitoba communities while working for the provincial government. He was always home by 5:30. Lilian Nattel on The Knife Sharpener’s BellThe Knife Sharpener’s Bell 18 Jan 2011 5 Comments by Lilian Nattel in Literary Tags: Rhea Tregebov, The Knife Sharpener’s Bell The Knife Sharpener’s Bell is a novel about a Canadian family, originally from Russia, which returns to the Soviet Union – yes returns. This happened more times than people realize, when the depression was hitting hard. Communism was so respected that in 1932 Will Durant, a writer and journalist, could not get an article about the Ukrainian famine published in Harper’s or The Atlantic, because those eminent publications worried about alienating readers. Now here I have to pause to tell you about the author of this novel, Rhea Tregebov, whose family history includes a story of returnees to the Soviet Union. Rhea is a friend of mine, an accomplished poet and writer of children’s stories. My kids still sometimes mention them. Rhea is also a creative writing prof out at the University of British Columbia. I hope that her students appreciate her. Rhea has the unique gift of being able to criticise writing while making it sound like praise. I don’t mean that she deals in flattery or half-truths or lies, but that she has a way of putting criticism that is energizing, making one want to roll up the sleeves and get to work. Her criticism magically engages confidence in what has already been done and what can be done with that work. I don’t know how she does it. Rhea was my mentor in a program for first novels at The Writers’ Union of Canada when I was writing The River Midnight. It was my first novel, and her feedback helped me to bring it up more than a notch. A few years later, somewhere around the third draft of The Singing Fire, I was thinking that I should quit writing and get a job pushing paper. But Rhea’s special brand of encouragement mixed with criticism got me back onto the fourth draft, which involved cutting vast swaths of the novel and starting from scratch…better. I think that Rhea, in her own unostentatious way, knows everybody who is anybody in Canadian literature. I’m not sure that I’m anybody, but she’s been a gift in my life, and I know in many others. Her entire ouevre, and there are many wonderful books, can be seen at her website. Have a look and do more – buy. http://liliannattel.wordpress.com/2011/01/18/the-knife-sharpeners-bell/ The Knife Sharpener’s Bell Globe & Mail Top 100 book for 2010Globe Books SpecialJim Bartley’s top 5THE KNIFE SHARPENER’S BELL The imminence of disaster – sensing it will come, not knowing how – infuses this tale of a Winnipeg family resettling in ancestral Ukraine. From callow childhood to belated understanding, snapshot scenes slowly coalesce into the arc of decades. Tregebov’s sorrows are admirably unlyricized, her nostalgia tart rather than sweet. The emerging Holocaust lurks like a slumbering monster, determinedly denied until it begins to claim victims. Globe and Mail, November 27, 2010 For more top books of 2010, to go http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/jim-bartleys-top-5/article1814783/ 2010 J. I. Segal Awards presented November 10 MontrealThe 41st J.I. Segal Awards Gala of the Jewish Public Library honoured the winners in eight categories on Jewish themes. These prestigious awards, presented every two years, are designed to encourage and reward creative works on Jewish themes and to perpetuate the memory of the great Canadian Yiddish poet J.I. Segal. The prizes were awarded at a public ceremony on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. at the Gelber Conference Centre in the Jewish Public Library, 1 Cummings Square (5151 Côte Ste-Catherine Road), Montreal. For information, call 514-345-2627 ext. 3017 or visit www.jewishpubliclibrary.org. This year 10 recipients were awarded in the following eight categories: Prof. David E. Fishman and Boris Sandler for the Dr. Hirsch and Dora Rosenfeld Prize for Yiddish and Hebrew Literature; Rhea Tregebov for the Shulamis Yelin Prize in English Fiction and Poetry Prize on a Jewish Theme; Jeffrey Veidlinger for the Tauben Prize in English Non-Fiction on a Jewish Theme; Maurice Chalom for the Prize in French Literature on a Jewish Theme; Moshe Dor for the Barbara Kay Prize in Translation of a Book on a Jewish Theme; Esther Trépanier and Allan Levine for the Prize in Canadian Jewish Studies; Nira Friedman for the Yaacov Zipper Prize in Education; Garry Beitel for the Michael Moskovitz Prize in Film on a Jewish Theme. Rhea Tregebov’s debut novel The Knife Sharpener’s Bell has been selected the winner in the the category of Prize in English Fiction and Poetry on a Jewish Theme. of the prestigious The last winner in 2008 was Leonard Cohen for The Book of Longing. Other past award winners include Irving Layton and Adele Wiseman. Jury citation: “In reading, we adventured from the pale of Russia to the suburbs of Toronto to the fields of Saskatchewan—in both verse and prose. The decision was indeed difficult. Rhea Tregebov’s first novel The Knife Sharpener’s Bell stood out for the beauty of its prose, the ambition of its scope, and the strength of its story. [Tregebov's] sensitivity to language and attentiveness to history are both evident in this riveting bildungsroman, which has already garnered other award nominations and considerable critical attention. We congratulate her on this debut novel, and we look forward to her future books.” The J.I. Segal Awards of the Jewish Public Library are made possible by the J.I. Segal Cultural Foundation, founded by the late Dr. Hirsh Rosenfeld and Mrs. Dvora Rosenfeld. They were established in 1968 to honour and perpetuate the memory of J.I. Segal, and to foster Jewish cultural creativity in Canada. J.I. Segal (1896-1954) is acknowledged as one of the most respected Yiddish poets. His work is characterized by its deep lyrical expression and evocation of the dignity of Jewish life in the Eastern European shtetl and in Canada. Segal strove to show that “a people and its culture are inseparable.” His poetry lives on in Yiddish and in translation. The Knife Sharpener’s Bell November selection for TPL book clubThe Knife Sharpener’s Bell is the November selection for the Toronto Public Library’s online book club, Book Buzz. November 1 to 30, 2010
Book Buzz is a book club for everyone interested in reading. Participants can join from any connected computer in Toronto, or anywhere, at any time. On the first day of every month, the Book Buzz librarian launches a new book discussion in the online Discussion Forum. Rhea Tregebov will be joining the Dicussion Forum to answer questions posted by the readers throughout the month. Toronto participants can place a hold on the book from the Book Buzz main page. To post comments about the book, readers need to register to become members. To participate in Rhea Tregebov’s author chat, readers go to the Discussion Forums, and choose the chat folder. For more detailed directions on registration and joining the author chat, go to: http://bookbuzz.torontopubliclibrary.ca/about.html For details on The Knife Sharpener’s Bell, go to: http://bookbuzz.torontopubliclibrary.ca/Featured_Books/November_Book.html G&M Review of Eve Joseph’s The Secret Signature of ThingsThe poems in The Secret Signature of Things are immersed in the rich landscape of British Columbia. In the first section of the book, Menagerie, Joseph takes on the voices of 10 resident creatures, some native to B.C., some domestic. By inhabiting this variety of creatures, Joseph extends the usual limits of the lyric, allowing the reader to imaginatively enter into the point of view of the subjects of her poems – crow, carp, swallow – whose voices she assumes. Joseph employs a lean, streamlined lyric, reliant on the clarity and integrity of her images. To read full review, go to: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/review-the-secret-signature-of-things-by-eve-joseph/article1714924/ Reviewed by Rhea Tregebov Globe and Mail Update Published on Monday, Sep. 20, 2010 12:37PM EDT Knife Sharpener’s Bell Wins Segal AwardThe Knife Sharpener’s Bell has been selected the winner of the prestigious J.I. Segal 2010 Awards in the the category of Prize in English Fiction and Poetry on a Jewish Theme. The prize is to be awarded at a public ceremony on Wednesday, November 10, 2010 in Montreal. The awards, presented every two years, are designed to encourage and reward creative works on Jewish themes. The last winner in 2008 was Leonard Cohen for The Book of Longing. Other past award winners include Irving Layton and Adele Wiseman. Ekphrasis Twelve at the Art Gallery of OntarioSunday, September 26th at 3 pm. Ekphrasis Twelve at the AGO Ekphrasis, one form of art commenting on another, goes back to Ancient Greece and continues on as a vital form in our century. Artists of every stripe have long found inspiration in the artistic expression of their peers and forbears. At the AGO, you can have it all: artworks that inspire and a diverse collection of creative responses, works of art in their own right. Join poets Rhea Tregebov, Alison Watt, Sue Chenette, Sue MacLeod, John Reibetanz, Jim Nason, Helen Humphreys, Joanne Page, Julie Salverson, dancers Julia Aplin and Hope Terry, and jazz cellist Kye Marshall for an afternoon of poetry, music and dance. Walker Court at the Art Gallery of Ontario Regular admission prices apply. Ekphrasis: a rhetorical device in which one medium of art tries to relate to another… and in doing so, relate more directly to the audience, through its illuminative liveliness… For example, a painting may re-present a sculpture; a poem portray a picture; a sculpture depict a heroine of a novel; in fact, given the right circumstances, any art may describe any other art (Wikipedia). YouTube reading of Billy Collin’s “Litany”Even more impressive, here’s the same three year old reciting all 30 lines of former US poet laureate Billy Collin’s “Litany” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVu4Me_n91Y&feature=player_embedded Here’s the text of the poem: Litany You are the bread and the knife, You are the bread and the knife, However, you are not the wind in the orchard, It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge, And a quick look in the mirror will show It might interest you to know, I also happen to be the shooting star, I am also the moon in the trees © Billy Collins YouTube reading of Tennyson’s “The Eagle”I know YouTube videos are suspect, but this three year old seems genuinely to love the poem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fzk8E_RKeQ4&feature=player_embedded Here’s Tennyson’s text: He clasps the crag with crooked hands; The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls; 1851 G&M Review of Triny Finlay’s Histories Haunt UsTriny Finlay’s second collection of poetry, Histories Haunt Us, intends to unpack past events in order to comprehend their impact on the present. Finlay’s method is delicate, elliptical. The book’s first section, New Astronomers, opens with a series of five poems examining loss in the context of the speaker’s fragile psychological state: “pills and group and pills and group and pills” (Abstract Loss, 4). To read full review, go to: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/review-histories-haunt-us-by-triny-finlay/article1674454/ Reviewed by Rhea Tregebov Globe and Mail Update Published on Monday, Aug. 16, 2010 12:28PM EDT G&M Review of George Sipos’s fine The GlassblowersThe Daily Review, Wed., Aug. 4‘Out beyond the window’ George Sipos George Sipos’s new collection is technically brilliant and free of the romanticizing common to poetry about nature. Review by Rhea Tregebov: To read complete article, go to: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/books/review-the-glassblowers-by-george-sipos/article1661508/ YouTube video Rhea Tregebov reading at La MuseA glimpse of the amazing La Muse Writers’ Retreat. Rhea reading new poems, some written there. Two links: one (5 1/2 minutes) and the second one (less than a minute). The baby cooing is John and Kerry’s daughter Gloria, one of the muses of La Muse. Part 1 Part 2 La Muse Writers’ RetreatStill recovering from the joy of my time in Languedoc, France. Check out La Muse, surely one of the world’s most astonishingly beautiful, and affordable, writers’ retreats. |
