Hide Article Text (OCR)
Small Prairie publisher celebrates five years of successWhen Saskatoon poet Glen Sorestad and illustrator Neil Wagner collaborated on a publication of Sorestad’s book “Wind Songs” in 1975, they had no idea their enterprise would reach its current proportions.On Nov. 14 their creation, Thistledown Press, celebrated its fifth anniversary, with a ‘‘gala evening featuring all but one of their growing “stable of writers.The occasion was an auspicious one in its own right, with 16 Western Canadian poets gathering for a joint reading, held at Saskatoon's Earner Auditorium. The event attracted an audience of 110, television and newspaper coverage, and was recorded for rebroadcast on radio. The variety of thepoets' work and reading styles resulted in an entertaining blend, and the 90 minutes of poetry passed quickly. The following wine/cheese/bookselling booksigning reception was a smash success, with Thistledowns’ table of books being bought up by the appreciative audience. For poets and audience alike it was a rare opportunity to talk with new and old friends from a variety of locales across the West.The evening coincided with the launching of three new Thistledown titles, bringing the Press’ total to 21 books. The handsome productions of John Hicks’ “Winter Your Sleep, Barbara Sapergia's “Dirt Hills Mirage” and Leona Gom’s “Land of the Peace” are ample evidence of Thistledown’s continued vigor as a publisher.BookwatchBy Lome DanielThe Fifth Anniversary was, in fact, as much as a celebration of the Press’ survival as it was of the writing it has produced. In Canada’s difficult publishing industry, a small press in Saskatoon which only publishes prairie poetry would seem doomed to failure. Quite to the contrary, Thistledown has established a solid regional market for its poetry, and shows no signs of collapse.With Sonia Sorestad and Susan Wagner becoming involved early in Thistledown’s development, the Press has operated under the volunteer labor of its four proprietors until just recently. Now three other Saskatoon poetry enthusiasts have bought into the press, giving it a larger base of support, and a parttime staff person has been hired.Plans are underway for the publica-, tion of five or six new books in 1981, including at least one volume by an Alberta poet. To this point, Thistledown has published books by Alberta residents Bert Almon, Bill Latta, Michael Cullen and yours truly, as well as former Albertans Peter Christensen and Leona Gom. While it’s unfortunateAlberta poets have to look beyond their own province to get published, it is good to know we have a sympathetic ear at such presses as Thistledown.Evenings such as the Thistledown gala are life-giving eyents: giving life to hard-working publishers, to poets who seldom receive a personal response to their work, to a sense of community, and to the poetry itself — taking words off the page and making them “come alive”.For something a little closer to home, keep your eyes open for an announcement of the upcoming reading by the seven Alberta members of the League of Canadian Poets, tentatively scheduled for Red Deer in January or February.A variety of individual poetry readings are also taking place at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery in Lethbridge over the winter. Coming up on Deb. 4 is Governor-General’s Award winner Joe Rosenblatt, followed by Tom Marshall on Jan. 29, and then two more “G-G” winners, Dorothy Livesay on March 5 and George Bowering on March 26, beginning at 8:00 p.m. each night.On Thursday, Feb, 12, the Lethbridge Public Library will be the scene of an evening of poetry by students and faculty of the University of Leth- bridge.In the meantime, further information, a catalogue, or books may be obtained from Thistledown Press by writing 668 East Place, Saskatoon, Sask.. S7J 2Z5.
Newspaper Details
, ,
Mon, Jan 01, 0001
Page 0
Full Page
Clipped by
Techno S.
NA, 20 Aug 2024
Other Publications Near ,
Prairie Post
Lethbridge Sun Times
Lethbridge Herald
Lethbridge Daily Herald
