Last friday I got word that Debris was reviewed on Daybreak Alberta, a morning show on CBC Radio One that focuses on arts and culture, hosted by Russell Bowers. Acclaimed author Angie Abdou, who I met through other writers and social media and regular life, is often a guest on the show when it comes to discussing new books that include something of note with regards to the province. She is also a hero, because she took the time to give my book a close read and review it on the show.

According to Angie, the book wasn’t really all that bad. But, you can hear it direct, in her words, if you click this line and listen to the recording of it all. The whole thing is about seven minutes, and it contains words like Hemingwayesque and Talented and Drunkards. Give it a listen if you like.

Sincere thanks to Angie for all her efforts on this. Even if you want to slap me with a fish, you should still listen to the show just to celebrate people like her that put in the time to support other writers and the books they wrote.

I also just saw today that the book was reviewed in The Malahat Review, by Jamie Dopp, an English professor at the University of Victoria. He had some kind things to say about the stories and about the writing itself, such as:

“The stories are told with careful precision, free of authorial judgment, in prose that reminded me of the understated lyricism of later Thomas McGuane or of David Adams Richards. As in McGuane or Richards, there are subtly redemptive qualities to the stories, but any redemption is hard-earned, and begins with a clear-eyed attention to the world that is.”

Of all the writers I like, you don’t hear a lot about McGuane, and he is pretty goddamn good at writing, so I thank Mr. Dopp for this part of the review and for all the other parts as well. I’d also like to thank the Malahat folks. The oldest story in my book, To have to wait, was published in The Malahat Review, Issue 177, a few years back. They nominated the story for the 2012 Journey Prize, and it ended up as a finalist. That was probably the first time anyone started to know about my writing in any significant way, and I’m glad to see the book that story ended up in being covered by the journal that took a chance on it.

Read the full review right here, through the internet. Otherwise, you can find the whole thing in print in The Malahat Review, Issue 194. It will be in there somewhere, along with work by the likes of Kate Cayley and Steven Heighton.

That’s the latest, friends. Happy Wednesday. So long for now…

Hardcastle