Showing posts with label All Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label All Saints. Show all posts

Friday, March 13, 2015

K.D Miller Next Chapter Interview Online

For those of you who didn't get a chance to tune in, K.D. Miller was on The Next Chapter earlier this week talking to Shelagh Rogers about All Saints. Good news is the episode is now online for you to stream at your convenience. And for those of you who prefer the warm analog buzz of the radio, it was also be aired this Saturday, March 14th, at 4PM.


Friday, March 06, 2015

All Saints to be featured on The Next Chapter

We're pleased to announce that K.D. Miller will be featured on the upcoming episode of The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers, to be aired Monday, March 9th at 1PM. She will be talking about her most recent collection, the 2014 Writer's Trust finalist All Saints.


Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Cast Your Vote: All Saints and Paradise & Elsewhere up for 2015 CBC Bookies

Prepare your ballots, dear readers: it is time again for the annual CBC Bookies.



We're pleased to say that this year both All Saints by K.D. Miller and Paradise & Elsewhere by Kathy Page are up for the 2015 Short Story Category! Click here to vote. (Note: if you wish, you can skip categories by pressing the "Next" button). Voting is open until Monday, February 23rd. 



Tuesday, November 04, 2014

K.D. Miller in Maclean's and Globe and Mail: up for Writer's Trust Tonight!

Besides teaching me so much about writing, Alice Munro once taught me something about being a writer. It was 1986. She had just launched The Progress of Love and was doing a reading in a local library. I couldn’t afford to hand her one of the glossy new hardcovers to sign, so I took along my least-tattered Munro paperback – Lives of Girls and Women. She opened it tenderly, looked up and gave me a gracious smile before signing her name.I learned that night that the reader is to be honoured – even if she shows up with a second-hand copy of the wrong book.
A lovely anecdote from K.D. Miller about the graciousness of Alice Munro in The Globe and Mail as part of yesterday's feature on the Writer's Trust award, for which K.D. is up tonight. 

And speaking of influence and homage, K.D. was also featured in Maclean's this past Monday, where she spoke of her debt to Flannery O'Connor and her ability "as a religious person, to see beyond the borders of her faith and at times stare straight into the eyes of evil," something readers acquainted with All Saints and the character of Alice Vipond will no doubt be familiar with.




The Writer's Trust Award is announced tonight at 6:30PM at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto.

Our fingers are crossed for you, K.D.!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Writing Is The Way I Pray: K.D. Miller in conversation with Lori McNulty

This week, The National Post's Afterword is featuring several conversations between the authors nominated for the 2014 Writer's Trust Award. Yesterday featured a fascinating conversation between Lori McNulty and our very own K.D. Miller, giving readers a chance to eavesdrop on their observations on the art of the short story, developing and maintaining personal writing habits, the act of writing as a leap of faith, and much more. Here's a taste of what K.D. has to say: 
Writing is the way I pray. It’s through writing — the creative act — that I come into my own. I frequently have doubts about my relationship with my religion and my church. But writing? Never. ... As an actor, I was taught to observe, to listen and to empathise. As a director, I was taught to evaluate every detail of a scene from the standpoint of the audience. That balance of absorption and objectivity has been a big help to me as a writer.
All Saints is a finalist for the 2014 for the Writer's Trust Award and one of the most critically acclaimed books of the year, proclaimed an instant Canadian classic by Macleans and others.


Friday, October 10, 2014

K.D. Miller Graces the Digital Pages of Chatelaine

What better way to start a Friday morning than with more exciting news about our own K.D. Miller?

She was interviewed, along with her fellow 2014 Rogers Writers' Trust Award shortlisted authors, by glamourous Chatelaine magazine. When asked how her book All Saints developed into a series of linked short stories, K.D. replied:

It started as two stories, “Still Dark” and “Ecce Cor Meum,” that were strongly linked. Then Dan Wells, publisher of Biblioasis, asked for “more Anglican stories.” So I started to think about the people who might rub shoulders, however lightly, with a small, struggling urban church.  The characters started to show up after that — Simon the rector, Kelly the long-time parishioner, Alice the mass murderess who used to teach Sunday School…

After answering more questions about favourite books and hidden talents, K.D. ends the interview by naming "Gimme a Pigfoot (And a Bottle of Beer)" as her favorite song. One happy listen later, we couldn't resist sharing. This one's for you, Ms. Miller.

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

KD Miller's All Saints Shortlisted for Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

Saints alive! Author KD Miller, shortlisted
for the Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
We're delighted to report that at 10:18 this morning, the Writers’ Trust announced that K.D. Miller’s All Saints was shortlisted for its $25,000 annual fiction prize. All Saints was the only short fiction collection to be honoured.

Of the book the jury writes: “From the first page of All Saints, readers know they’re in the hands of a true writer. With language both rich and restrained, images both precise and evocative, Miller entices us into the lives of people who all share a connection to an Anglican church being slowly deserted. Thanks to the subtle and intricate structure of the collection, the individual stories knit into a whole, achieving the effect of a novel, offering portraits of individuals and their tenuous community that claim a permanent place in our minds, and leaving us grateful for K.D. Miller’s artistry.”

Nor, as Thirsty readers will know, are the members of the Writers’ Trust jury—Neil Bissoondath, Helen Humphreys and George Murray—the only ones to note the grace of Miller’s artistry. Maclean’s, in a review whose inch-high headline exclaimed “Hallelujah! A Canadian Classic is Born,” observed that “Miller’s genius, like that of Alice Munro, is wringing suspense—and poignancy—from the quotidian ... Plots and characters link in haunting and astounding ways.” In a starred review, Quill & Quire calls All Saints “the work of a writer with a confident voice and a clear vision.” Publishers Weekly observes that Miller “has an ease of style that produces elegant turns of phrase.” And the National Post, who excitedly asserts that Miller is “firing on all cylinders,” praises stories “tightly interwoven, their connections subtle and teasing.”

The other titles other shortlisted titles are Pastoral (Andre Alexis, Coach House Books), The Confabulist (Steven Galloway, Knopf Canada), Girl Runner (Carrie Snyder, House of Anansi), and All My Puny Sorrows (Miriam Toews, Knopf Canada). The winner will receive $25,000, while each shortlisted author will receive $2,500. The winner will be revealed in Toronto on November 4th at the Writers’ Trust event in Glenn Gould Studio.  Congratulations to KD and all the other nominees!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

From the Vault: KD Miller in Publishers Weekly


As a little tip-of-the-hat to KD Miller, who will be appearing at Biblioasis Anniversary events this week in Toronto, Waterloo (TODAY!), and Windsor (Tomorrow!), I thought I'd post the review of All Saints that ran in Publishers Weekly in July. If you're still on the fence about coming to see her, I say (with all due politesse): hop the hell off! She's one of SIX amazing readers—and seriously, she's really really good—who will be appearing at the Jazz Club and at the Capitol Theatre. Come on out! 
In this collection of linked short stories, Miller (Brown Dwarf) writes about the lives of the parishioners and affiliates of All Saints Anglican Church in Toronto. Each story focuses on a different character. Simon, the church's rector, appears in many of the stories and is the focus of one that explores his relationship with his suicidal wife and his feelings for someone new. Other standout characters include Emily, a writer; Owen, an outsider who first appears as a background character and later as the main one; and Garth, equal parts real (in the fictional world of the book) and imagined (in Emily's literary imagination). Miller, who has previously published collections of essays, short stories and a novel, has an ease of style that produces elegant turns of phrase. Describing one church member's hesitations towards religious modernization Miller writes, "She prefers her religion distant and monumental." The overlapping narratives weave the stories and recurring themes together. Love, faith, marriage, sex, death, aging, mental illness and the meaning of community are all explored with dignity.

Monday, September 08, 2014

What She Has: An Interview with K.D. Miller


Over at The Story Prize blog, K.D. Miller has answered a few questions about her approach to writing:

If you weren't a writer, what would you be doing?
What I would like to be (whether or not I could manage it) is either an actor or a down-and-dirty blues singer. I don’t sing at all, but I do have an acting/theatre background. In fact, it was very much a road not taken.

What else (beyond books and writing) informs or inspires your work?
Theatre. Good acting excites me as much as good writing does, and the two are remarkably alike in terms of the muscles they use. I don’t regret a minute of my acting and directing training. I use it every day at my desk.

Describe an unusual writing habit of yours.
I get up at 4 a.m. and am usually at my desk by 4:30. Yes, really. I write before I set out for my day job, which pays the rent. If a story is on the home stretch, I might write in the evening. But usually, it’s the hour and a half first thing in the morning that gets it done.

Where do you do most of your work?
I compose by hand at an antique “secretary” desk—one with a drop-down writing surface and pigeon holes. For computer work, I have a computer desk that supports my laptop and printer. Both are in the sunroom of my apartment.

What do you do when you're stuck or have "writer's block"?
I go to my desk at the usual time and just read. You have to breathe in sometimes.

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
Write. Stop talking about it, thinking about it, claiming you have no time for it. Just do it. Every day. Ten minutes a day is better than nothing. And it will grow.

For the full interview, please go here.

Monday, July 07, 2014

All Saints: A book to watch

Good morning readers, I hope you all had a great weekend and a happy 4th of July!

More praise has been pouring in for KD Miller's All Saints.  This time it was the Midwest Book Review who featured All Saints in their Reviewer's Bookwatch. 

"Expertly crafted short stories that perform an impressive story arc and engage the reader's fascinated attention from first page to last, All Saints is an extraordinary anthology that documents author K.D. Miller as an impressively gifted and original writer ... highly recommended for personal reading lists and community library collections."

Have a great week,

Deirdre


Wednesday, July 02, 2014

Praise for Kathy Page and K.D. Miller

Morning All! 

I hope you had a wonderful Canada Day, we certainly did here at Biblioasis! 

Kathy Page's Paradise and Elsewhere has been racking up the praise this week.  The Minneapolis Star-Tribune review called it "A mind-bending collection of stories about transformation and adaptation, full of startling ideas, capricious characters and uncanny goings-on ... Paradise & Elsewhere is composed of elastic language and distorted reflections, each story boldly illuminating as it playfully confounds."

In their Canada Day blog That Shakespearean Rag made a list of their top 5 books so far this year and we are so proud that two of our authors were included.  About Paradise and Elsewhere they said “Kathy Page’s new collection is cast in the fabulist mode of Angela Carter, with stories about a society that has outlawed kissing due to an orally transmitted virus, a sea creature who takes the place of a lighthouse-keeper’s missing wife, and a journalism student who takes the notion of communing with nature to a bizarre and unsettling extreme.”

Also featured in That Shakespearean Rag's top 5 books was K.D. Miller’s All Saints. “All Saints is infused with humour, a surprising degree of eroticism, and an uncompromising eye for human fallibility and frailty."

Cheers,

Deirdre

Friday, June 20, 2014

Boyko, Miller in National Post "Shortcuts" Column

What lovelier way is there to canter into the sunset than with a newspaper & some short stories in your saddle roll? Check out this weekend's National Post for Steven Beattie's monthly short fiction column, where he talks about the linked collection as Canadian consommé, calls KD Miller's "Kim's Game" the "Citizen Kane of humiliation," and CP Boyko's "The Prize Jury" a " highly amusing riposte to the culture of literary awards, eviscerating the petty politicking, log-rolling and absurdity that can result from jockeying for recognition." Not bad for a rainy end-of-week, huh? Nice to know that KD and Craig are firing on all cylinders, even if we at the office have a bad collective case of math brain.  Happy Friday!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

"Hallelujah! A Canadian Classic is Born"

Well, it's no exaggeration to say that Anne Kingston's review of All Saints in today's issue of Maclean's Magazine is so glowing you may need sunglasses to read it (well, it's actually raining here, but you know what I mean). It was the first review in the section, it was the title review, and it had full banner art. What you see above ("Hallelujah! A Canadian Classic is Born") is the headline. And though it's hard to pull any one sentence out from the others, as the review consists of two full columns of praise, we think you'll agree that this bit is particularly wonderful:
"Miller's genius, like that of Alice Munro, is wringing suspense—and poignancy—from the quotidian ... Plots and characters link in haunting and astounding ways. As a collection, the stories reflect the power and purpose of all communities, ecclesiastical or otherwise: read like a novel, they offer multi-faceted perspective and illumination. The result is a Canadian classic. If this book doesn't get a Giller prize nod, something is wrong." (our emphasis).


Our cup runneth over. To get a copy of this wonderful linked collection, get thee to a local indie, and remember also that all Biblioasis books are available for sale directly from our website. Booksellers: our books are distributed, as ever, from Raincoast, and if you're interested in a reading copy, give me a shout and I'd be happy to send one your way: jeckerlin@biblioasis.com.

Happy Wednesday!    

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

K.D. Miller @ Luminato Festival: A Literary Picnic

Biblioasis's K.D. Miller and Ray Robertson will be appearing in Toronto at the Luminato Festival this weekend! They will be participating in the fabulous Literary Picnic scheduled this Sunday June 15 from 12pm-3:30pm at Trinity Bellwoods Park.


The event will take place across three stages and will feature readings from forty-five of Toronto's finest authors. The rapid-fire presentation and vast array of writers presents the perfect opportunity to get a taste for new writers while re-connecting with old favourites. In keeping with the picnic theme, delicious food will be available onsite courtesy of Fidel Gastro’s, Localista, The Pop Stand and Greenhouse Juice Co. And on the book side of things, Ben McNally and the Toronto Public Library Bookmobile will be on site to satisfy all your biblio-cravings. 

In addition to Miller and Robertson, participating authors include Austin Clarke, Barry Callaghan, Ins Choi, Don Gilmour, Andrew Pyper, Zoe Whittall, and more. For a full list of participants, click here.

With so much going on, delicious grub and fun in the sun, this is the can't miss literary event of the summer! And don't forget that it coincides with Father's day, so grab your dad, grab some blankets and books, and get thee to Trinity Bellwoods to hear some of Toronto's freshest voices!

Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award


We're very pleased to announce that Cynthia Flood, C.P. Boyko, Kathy Page and K.D. Miller were just long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. Worth €25,000, the award is the biggest prize for short stories worldwide.


Journey Prize-winning author, Cynthia Flood's Red Girl Rat Boy is a precise collection of minimalist stories that explore the lives of innumerable wives, husbands, sisters, and in-laws vexed by short temper and insecurity and trying to navigate through upheaval with grace. 

C.P. Boyko's Novelists is a comedy of manners (and manuscripts), rivaling Vanity Fair for its satirical wit... though not, mercifully, for its length.


Orange Prize-nominee Kathy Page's Paradise and Elsewhere is a collection of dark fables at once familiar and entirely strange.


K.D. Miller has been nominated for a National Magazine Award for Fiction. Her short story collection, All Saints is a moving collection of tremendous skill, whose linked stories illuminate the tenacity and vulnerability of modern-day believers.

Hearty congratulations to all the long-listed authors!

Friday, May 30, 2014

All Saints gets Starred Review in Quill & Quire

Angie Abdou gives K.D Miller's All Saints a rave review in the new Quill & Quire, highlighting the subtle intricacies of the linked story collection and how it "gains momentum, until it begins to feel very much like a novel." Revolving however loosely around the symbol/physical space of All Saints, a Toronto-based Anglican congregation in decline, the book, as Abdou aptly notes, does not consist of your grandmother's Anglicanism: "The collection is as much about eroticism and love as it is about religion and spirituality." Comparing its genre-bendiness to Jennifer Egan's A Visit From the Goon Squad, Abdou concludes that All Saints is "the work of a writer with a confident voice and a clear vision." 





And If that wasn't great enough, Jeet Heer then went on to tweet that "KD Miller is Canada's greatest unknown writer." A hearty and heartfelt endorsement we can get behind. 

And finally, did we mention how lovely the book itself is? The ornate frontispiece is textured and debossed, upping the physical desirability factor to celestial levels.  These pics only hint at the marvels. Go do yourself a favour and pick up a copy!