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I have been following admiringly the Ottawa Poetry Newsletter’s occasional series On Writing. Amanda Earl’s piece on using poetry to shepherd herself through a major health crisis lingered with me for weeks, and I identified with Faizel Deen’s thoughts on the writer’s isolation. Mostly, I have coveted the opportunity to contemplate why I write, too.…
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I’m happy to announce that, after almost 9 months of planning, fundraising, rehearsing, filming, and editing, the DVD of Piecework: When We Were French has finally been sent off for duplication. In just a few weeks, the duplicated copies will be in my hands and ready to be distributed to donors, supporters, and eager audiences…
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Two months ago, I wrapped up a weekend of performances at Lost Nation Theater and the filming of the DVD of my solo show, Piecework: When We Were French. Since then, I’ve hardly uttered a peep about the project here, in large part because the filming was just the beginning of the work! But I…
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My chapbook, Other Brief Discourses, was released earlier this winter by Ottawa’s above/ground press. It is a handsome little pamphlet of poems that imagine the return of Samuel de Champlain to the territory of New France in the present day, accompanied by a Franco-American guide. Now, its first review, by Ryan Pratt on Ottawa Poetry…
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I’ve been spending the week at Lost Nation Theater in Montpelier, Vermont. Today we were shooting footage for the DVD of my solo show, Piecework: When We Were French, and tonight I perform the first in a weekend of shows at LNT. It’s a revival of the show sponsored by the Alliance Française of the…
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Just one week until the curtain rises on the Montpelier revival of my solo show, Piecework: When We Were French! I’m gearing up to return to Montpelier’s Lost Nation Theater for four performances, March 28-30. Do you have your tickets yet? Piecework: When We Were French Lost Nation Theater – City Hall Arts Center, Montpelier,…
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Just a few hours ago, the on-line fundraising campaign to support a DVD production of Piecework: When We Were French came to a close, and I’m delighted to report that we not only met, but exceeded, our original fundraising goal! In the end, 116 donors from across North America and beyond stepped forward to support…
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[Added 06/2026: As this is still a very popular page on my site, I feel compelled to let readers know that there are much more useful sources on this topic. Here are two recent articles:A focus on the Founder EffectWhen DNA Lies: Genetic Genealogy Limitations] [Added 11/2021: For more interesting reading on the topic of…
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One week ahead of deadline, my Indiegogo fundraising campaign has reached its original goal! Some time last night, the donation came through that put us over the top and assures that the DVD production of Piecework: When We Were French will move forward. Fundraising does not come naturally to me. I love to listen to…
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March is the International Month of Francophonie, celebrating French language and culture throughout the world. I wonder whether the very idea makes some Americans of French descent quake in their boots. Many Franco-Americans have, at best, an ambivalent relationship to the French language. During my research for Piecework: When We Were French, I spoke with…
