Six Questions interview #178 : Trevor Mahon

Born in northern Ontario, Trevor Mahon now calls Ottawa home. Having spent his childhood in a half-dozen Ontario towns, which taught him how to avoid wearing out his welcome, he lives with his wife and son in the suburbs and can often be found indoors or outdoors, but almost never in the ducts of an office tower. The Man Who Hunted Ice, his first novel, distills his fascination with the absurdity of celebrity.

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

A: I’ve been in Ottawa since 2000, when I finished university in Fredericton and returned home—my parents had moved from central Ontario to Carp, and I ended up settling here.  Both sides of my family are from the Ottawa Valley, so it makes sense that I ended up in the city. 

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

 A: I’ve been writing since high school (that is, for decades!), very quietly, submitting something about once every five or ten years and shrugging off the rejections.  Several years ago I decided it was time to make a concerted, honest effort to get something published.  My upcoming debut novel (The Man Who Hunted Ice, pub. date October 15, 2023, via Now or Never Publishing and available for pre-order) was the third manuscript I sent around to publishers during that period. I’m definitely not an overnight success.

I’ve only recently taken tentative steps on social media towards introducing myself to the local writing community.  Had to emerge from my writing cave!  So far the people I’ve communicated with have been great—talented and generous.

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?

A: Since I’m only just making inroads into the community, I can only say that hearing “You can’t write in a silo, you need a network” 100 times finally had an impact on me! 

Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

Ottawa is fairly staid and quiet, which is one reason so many people from other cities make fun of it and why so many residents like it.  It’s a lovely, steady place that attracts fascinating people from across Canada and elsewhere.  There’s an intelligent and practical vibe to the population here that really appeals to me.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

Maybe it’s my lack of imagination, but just about everything I write now takes place in Ottawa, even if it’s not explicit.  When I write about a “downtown,” I’m picturing Ottawa’s; when I picture water or bridges or streets, I’m drawing from my surroundings.

Q: What are you working on now?

Another novel, which I’m piecing together while finalizing edits with my publisher on my debut.  Like my debut, this new one is a bit of a satire, a dark comedy.  It’s in the early stages and I’m in the process of finding out what, exactly, the story is that I’m trying to tell.

 

Six Questions interview #177 : Alix Laimite

Alix Laimite (she/her) is a writer and visual artist whose work focuses on rendering emotion through portraiture. She studied English at the University of Ottawa. Her work has appeared in Lammereiger Magazine and FarSide Review. She lives with her husband, son, and basset hound in Ottawa, Canada.

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

I grew up in rural western Quebec, where job prospects were few and I watched as the women around me were married off to their high school boyfriends. I packed up and moved into the city for Univeserty and a chance at a new perspective. I have moved around, but Ottawa has been my home base for over a decade.

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

After my English degree at the University of Ottawa, I went through a slump of not reading or writing. It took years to get back into practice after the marathon of higher education. It wasn't until early in the pandemic that writing became a daily escape. I reached out online to people in the local community to work with and got mixed results. It's hard not seeing someone face to face. But I came away with a handful of trusted and reliable critique partners and beta readers.

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all? 

I love beta reading. In general, I am an avid reader, but there is something so prescient about reading something so new. Being one of the first people to examine someone's work is an honour that people don't take seriously. Developing a shared trust with another writer is intimate. Writing is putting your inner thoughts out there for other people to see.

Beta reading is also an exacting teacher. Reading someone else's work can teach you lots of things about your own writing and the invisible mistakes you are making. Every writer has words they rely on-- had, just, sigh, own,-- and until you can spot someone's crutches in the wild you will never find all of your own. Seeing plot holes and continuity errors in others’ work can help you realize where they are in your own writing.

I cannot recommend Matthew Matthew Salesses’s book Craft in the Real World enough. If you have ever felt ostracized, overlooked, or misunderstood in a regular critique circle, it is because the system of critiquing was developed to do just that. The current standard requires rejecting unfamiliar and uncomfortable truths and belittling your story until it emerges like a polished river stone, but I believe we are entering a new era where in it is the rough parts that will make new stories extraordinary.

Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

I have found that most people in Ottawa are from somewhere else. Huge cross sections of the population have come to the city for school and work and made it their home. Drawing upon all these different experiences and perspectives can broaden your writing horizons.

I listen to a wide variety of different writing craft podcasts and am often delighted to discover listener questions come from Ottawa writers. I think more people are actively writing in the city than it appears.

The city also offers extensive soft power institutions that would not be available to us in other places. The National Gallery and Arts Centre, endless tourist and music festivals, and cultural exchange festivals, all offer chances to broaden your horizons for inspiration and to overcome writer's block.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

My most successful short story to date is about the hardships and loneliness of early motherhood. Sending it out to critique partners illustrated the divide between those who understood and those who saw it as hyperbole. Some readers called it moving, while others referred to it as suffering porn. Its divisiveness helped position the work in my mind. If you want to sell something to a literary magazine, a piece that makes some people angry and others cry is a sure bet.

Having those different approaches at my disposal was necessary for how the story needed to land. You don’t always have to accept everyone's feedback, but a differing take can sometimes breathe new life into something that isn’t working or holding back the rest of the piece.

Having varied perspectives will help challenge beliefs you didn’t realize you thought of as innate. Common sense isn’t common and often ideas you take for granted, someone else can reveal as immature, impolite, or impossible.

Q: What are you working on now?

I am currently finishing up the final draft of my second novel, getting it ready for beta reading and querying. My first novel was such a learning experience, but those lessons are on the page and despite it being a labour of love, it will remain mine alone.

My current manuscript is a murder mystery satirizing the orthorexic health a wellness industry's slippery slope into cult territory. For a quick breakdown:

At sixteen, AJ and Sequoia’s friendship was intoxicating. But when Sequoia went missing in the final days of their senior year, AJ found being away from her possessive friend a sudden relief. Sequoia returned with a bullshit alien abduction story and AJ left for college without ever asking for the truth.

After twenty years of estrangement, Sequoia asks and AJ agrees to be her Maid of Honour. This is AJ’s chance to ask what really happened. Arriving at the beachfront Tijuana compound of the Transcendence Method, Sequoia’s reincarnation-based religion, AJ feels like her doormat teenage self again.

When AJ uncovers that a tenet of The Method’s beliefs has the acolytes changing their wills to leave everything to Sequoia with the promise of generational wealth in their next life, she must get past both Sequoia’s personal assistant and her secret boy toy to stop the nuptials.

I would love to hear from other Ottawa writers looking to swap story feedback.

 

Six Questions interview #176 : Nathan Erb

Nathan Erb is a fourth-year undergrad in Carleton University's English program with a concentration in creative writing. In 2022, he received an honourable mention in Carleton's Songwriting and Poetry Competition, an honourable mention for the George Johnson Poetry Prize, and second place in the Carleton English Department Fiction Writing Competition. In 2023, he won first place in the George Johnson Poetry Prize. His fiction and poetry appear on the Carleton English department's website, Sumac Literary Magazine, and Bywords.ca. He can be found on Twitter @nathanerb_

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

I was born and grew up in Barrie, Ontario, until after the height of the pandemic, when I moved to Ottawa. I'd lived and attended university in Thunder Bay at Lakehead for eight months, but studying Outdoor Recreation wasn't for me. I chose to move to Ottawa as I'd visited once in 2018 for a Fleetwood Mac concert and loved the atmosphere, which seemed as good a reason as any to consider relocating here. Carleton University's English program with a concentration in creative writing also piqued my interest, and the advice of some friends who loved the school solidified my plan.

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and, subsequently, the writing community here?

I took the "Writer's Craft" class offered at my high school, Bear Creek Secondary, and found, with the help of many patient and benevolent teachers, that I loved English enough to pursue writing as a hobby. After my first year at Lakehead, I had the opportunity to begin to practice writing more seriously in Carleton's creative writing workshops, run by David Stymiest and Nadia Bozak. These two professors and my classmates continue to guide me as I develop my work.

In 2022, I joined the Carleton Poetics Society as Head of Events and Planning. In addition to our monthly open mics at Haven Books, we ran a few socials and workshops for the many talented writers at the university. These events were my first introduction to any kind of community in Ottawa.

Though I am new to the local scene, many community members have encouraged me to continue, whether they know this or not. In 2021, I received an honourable mention in the George Johnson Poetry Prize, which Jean Van Loon judged. This year, Ben Ladoucer judged the prize, and I placed first. So, while I have yet to meet much of the community formally, it has provided me with essential support, something I hope to return in time.

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?

As many young writers might, I've tended to think of writing as an isolating, sometimes anti-social activity, but the support I've recently received has corrected this false conception. Any endorsement by someone who is not biological family, or an acquainted friend, is a real encouragement to continue what I'm doing. My family members always support me when I tell them about my publications and readings, but to have people who do not know me personally read and accept my work is a true honour. Ottawa's tight-knit community has helped me quickly discover the necessity of collective effort in the arts.

Q: What do you see happening here that you don't see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

With two universities, a decent balance of green spaces and built environments, and a somewhat nagging government presence, it's no surprise that Ottawa is a creative hub. I can only speak from a Carleton student's perspective, but the amount of creative labour my fellow students perform is unbelievable, especially considering their commitments to school and, often, work. Haven Books seems to be the heart of the arts at Carleton, hosting musical and poetry-based open mics every month—often incorporating both communities into one night, quite successfully.

The 2-4-1 open mic run by Jeff Blackman is another local cultural gem that allows poets of all sorts to share their work with the very people who so often inspire it. The night's tone is constantly varied in style and energy, with some poets reading minimalist works while others lean into a more narrative style. It's always a thrilling snapshot of everyone's preoccupations, what they like to read and what concerns them about the city. The Ottawa arts community is the antithesis of stuffy. Everyone, regardless of experience, is always welcomed and encouraged here.

I believe Ottawa's precarious position between big-city anxiety and small-city comfort fuels the community's creativity. As the national capital, we have a profoundly complicated history (even in the past two years), but the artistic community remains resilient, supportive, and with its often-irreverent outspokenness, inspiring.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

My work has gone through a mysterious transition since I moved to Ottawa. Before living in the city, I wrote exclusively formal poetry, mostly sonnets and blank verse inspired by folktales, nature, and the like. But eventually, I slipped into a mode of free verse that engages more concretely with the political and social issues I see us all dealing with in the city and larger culture. This year, in March, I donated a poem called "Behold the Sabretooth Squirrel" to Tales from Behind the Counter, a charity zine produced by Kiran Niet and Becca Yates of Haven Books. The proceeds were donated to Ottawa Inner City Health.

Q: What are you working on now?

Gabriel Comba, a gifted singer-songwriter, and fellow student I met performing at an open mic, has tentatively agreed to collaborate on a project over the summer. While we're still discussing details, the project will likely be a polyphonic blend of music, narrative, and spoken word poetry. For updates, follow @gabrielcomba on Instagram.

In the meantime, I continue to write poems and little bits of fiction when I find quiet, intending to publish them in literary magazines.

Six Questions interview #175 : Michelle Sinclair

Michelle Sinclair worked as a policy analyst on human rights issues for many years. She studied international development and social work at McGill University and creative writing at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. Her work has appeared in The Antigonish Review and other journals in Canada and the United States. Her first novel, Almost Visible, was published in 2022 and won The Miramichi Reader Award for Best Fiction. It was also chosen as one of the top Editor’s picks by 49th Shelf. She lives in Ottawa with her husband, three children and three pets.

Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?

My parents are both from the Maritimes (New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, respectively), and likely would have stayed in Halifax or Fredericton to be close to their large families if my dad hadn’t been offered a job in the foreign service. I was born in Ottawa for that reason, though we moved every few years, so I only spent a few years in Ottawa while I was growing up. I studied  in Montreal and travelled internationally for internships, but work brought me back to Ottawa when I was hired with the public service. I thought we were settled, but no! My husband’s studies and work moved us to Paris for a year, and then to Pittsburgh for four years. We’ve been back in Ottawa since 2016, and I think I can safely say that we’re staying put.

Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?

I have always loved to write, and as a kid I enjoyed a certain notoriety as a “good writer” in my grade 2 class when my teacher announced to the class that I had written a good story.

About ten years ago, when we moved to the outskirts of Paris, my husband was working, my four year old daughter was at kindergarten, and I was at home with a four month old baby. I found a writing class in English in the heart of the city, and was overjoyed at the prospect of having something to do and an excuse to go into Paris every week. I brought my son on the train every week to those classes, and he would sit on my lap smiling at everyone (he was uncommonly easy-going) as we wrote. As an exercise, we were even instructed to write a story from his perspective.

In Ottawa, I found a group of writers through a colleague in the public service. We still meet as often as we can, and they’ve been tremendously helpful. I also started working at Books on Beechwood during the pandemic, and writers are good shoppers! One day an Ottawa author came into the store and we got to chatting, and he kindly invited me to an event where I was able to meet some other fiction and mystery writers. I’ve tried reaching out to more experienced authors for advice and support, and I’ve been bowled over by their kindness and generosity in sharing their expertise.

I only published my first book last fall, so I still feel like the new kid in the class. I have more work to do to discover writing communities in Ottawa!

Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all? 

It helps to know many of your goals, concerns, and fears are shared by others. Being part of a community can also help answer practical, financial, and logistical questions, particularly around marketing and self-promotion. I hadn’t thought about this at all before I was published - I thought getting published was the end goal. Also, there are more opportunities and events in Ottawa than I expected. It’s helpful to know about them, and to have advice from more experienced writers. It’s also lovely to be part of a community, because writing can feel lonely!

Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?

The CBC All in a Day book panel is wonderful, as is the new CBC All in a Day book club, which is doing a great job to highlight and promote Ottawa authors and booksellers. I also want to point out how wonderful the Ottawa Public Library is (as a support to writers), as is the Ottawa International Writers’ Festival. The pandemic slowed things down but I’m so impressed with the number of creative events, which highlight Ottawa’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity. I hope this will continue and expand.

As the capital city, Ottawa has access to political writers, politicians and diplomats. For example, the Politics and the Pen event – a fundraiser for the Writers’ Trust – brings together political and literary circles. There is a unique group of writers in Ottawa – those who’ve had careers in the foreign service or in politics, writers from foreign Embassies, former Governor Generals, or the current Viceregal Consort, for example.

Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?

My first book was written with university students in mind, but working at Books on Beechwood has shifted my perspective slightly. Readers in Ottawa have a broad range of experience, and while Ottawa readers are discerning and well-read, so many are looking for an escape - something that will speak to their experience and also allow them to dream.  Now when I write, I’m thinking of the bookstore customers. I want to write something they’ll enjoy!

Q: What are you working on now?

I have a short story coming out with my former university, which I might try to extend into a novella or novel at some point. I’m also working on a second novel (very early stages!) and some random short stories.