Today, in conjunction with the launch of my chapbook “Other Brief Discourses,” I’m featured on the website of Open Book Ontario. I recently participated in their new author interview series focusing on reading, which gave me the chance to talk about some books that I love.
Since my recent posts have focused on themes related to Piecework: When We Were French, it seems fitting to mention one of the books I’ve been reading lately. I highly recommend Jacques Cartier Errant / Jacques Cartier Discovers America, by Franco-American playwright, Gregoire Chabot. While it was written more than 30 years ago, and some of the themes do feel a bit dated, Chabot’s humour and insight are a pleasure. He writes in a French that will be recognizable to those who grew up speaking (or, like me, listening to) French in New England (although this volume also includes English translations by the author). What would Jacques Cartier think if he saw us today?
In lieu of a complete book report, I thought I would link to this beautiful open letter to Chabot, written by David Vermette. It addresses some of the questions about Franco-American identity shared by my generation, for whom language and culture are no longer as deeply interconnected as they were for our elders. We are, according to Vermette, a new beast: “The Anglophone Franco.”
Meanwhile, on the Piecework front, my Indiegogo fundraising campaign has passed the $5,000 mark, and we are approaching 75% of our overall fundraising goal. We have just 18 days left to fill the gap! If you haven’t donated yet, I hope you’ll consider pitching in today to support continuing the discussion in which Gregoire Chabot, David Vermette, my characters, and I are engaged. Click here to read more about it.
ABBY PAIGE 