Over 100 people joined the party for the online launch of The Bad Wife. After a year of pandemic events, audience members know how to bring energy to the event. For those who couldn’t be there, you can get the flavour of the evening from the chat, reproduced below. You will have to imagine the amazing readings and the moments when the microphones were turned on and everyone clapped and cheered!
Waiting for the event to start rolling. Kyle from Shelf Life Books welcomes everyone and does a territorial acknowledgement.
You’re the best, Micheline
Hi Micheline, congratulations!
Micheliiiiine! Congrats!
Excited to be here. Congrats Micheline.
Micheline: You’re missing Louise Halfe for me? Thank you!!
Hello, everyone. Brava, Micheline!
Break a leg tonight, Micheline! Or, rather, twist an ankle.
look at all these friends
hello all you lovely people
Congratulations!!!
Congrats, Micheline!!! Killer book!!!
Hello, amazing people! Congratulations Micheline!!
Hope Micheline and friends have a ton of fun putting this event on. Excited to be here!
Congrats Micheline!
Hello old friends! and Congrats Micheline <3
Warmest congratulations Micheline 🙂
Congratulations, Micheline! Can’t wait to read your book myself!
Looking fabulous, Micheline. Really looking forward to the event!
John Wall Barger, host and author of The Mean Game, starts the evening.
“Put Your Love in the Chat” is a great poem title.
Wahoooo. John good to see you.
Here’s the book page for The Bad Wife: https://uap.ualberta.ca/titles/992-9781772125481-bad-wife
Hope y’all buy a copy!
Order via our host bookstores. Retail price is $19.99 (plus shipping and taxes)
Shelf Life Books: contact@shelflifebooks.ca or order online: https://bookmanager.com/7603274/
Glass Bookshop: mail@glassbookshop.com or order online: https://glassbookshop.ca/
snapping intensifies
Readings by Tyler Engstrom and Matt Sutton
“it will have been enough”
great reading, Tyler
A percussive boom!
“beaten by the boots of a million mistakes”
these titles are smoking, Matt!
wow, Matt !
Great work Matt, crushing it
wow SWEARING!? Very disappointed with you, Matthew
Great poems, Tyler and Matt!
Go, Micheline!
The main event!
Yay Micheline!
Carley <3 hello
Just picked up the book today, Mich.
Amazing book
John reads a poem from The Bad Wife
“I wanted you to love me so hard”
I can’t wait to get my copy!
I swore off feeling. So, fuck you Micheline for making me feel things. <3
Awesome poem and good job reading it John! Also good to see you again!
That poem made me sob so you’re not alone
Micheline starts her reading.
Yayyy Micheline!
“gather dirt and wounds/ stay calm and frightening”
“Become an unreliable narrator”
Wow.
“here is the diaphanous”
Fabulous
Very cool poem
Micheline’s website: www.michelinemaylor.com
Book page for The Bad Wife: https://uap.ualberta.ca/titles/992-9781772125481-bad-wife
“the last of this little mottled heart”
One of my favourites…
“the crow sees the body first”
Such beautiful language
“I kill you with my forgetting.” Wow.
the clouds… my goodness
“I wonder about the free will of clouds”
“The sky smudges pus grey…” I cannot wait for my already ordered-copy to arrive!
“children moan like bagpipes”
Wow
Shivers
“homewreck dreams of you” :0
mmmmm — excellent!
“shrouded in a cloud of disaster”
Stunning!
“slow motion exit”
so evocative
“I drank of my warm coffee in cool silence” – Beautiful!”
“the sound: optimistic and thick in the head” !
Shall I read another? asks Micheline.
MORE
yes!
Wow. Great reading.
“Open sesame!” lol
I’m positive we would all listen to you read PG 13 poems for the rest of our lives
John: If you folks have questions for Micheline, please put them here in the chat
We’ll hopefully have time for Q&A
Love it
i bet you did
Of course it is
Micheline, this is a powerful book. I have it beside my bed and I have read it several times since I bought it. I have been looking for… I’m not sure what. I have found many of the feelings, fears, understandings that I developed while living and guiding my parents through their break up so many years ago. A tough book to read.
Micheline, This is an amazing book!!! Very raw and honest – and honest is a very difficult thing! Great job!
Wow
dammmmn
that was ass-kickingly good. “Celtic glacial tint”!
Now that’s a fuckin closer
keep once inside hot damn
Wow!!!
Wow!
An extraordinary reading! Thank you.
Wow! Amazing Micheline!!!!
Incredible!
Amazing amazing!
what a scud of a voice!
Wow!
Thanks for this fantastic reading, Micheline! I’m so looking forward to reading the rest!
tender and poignant …. wow !!
❤❤❤
Glorious words! Wow, thank you, Micheline!
You rock, girl!
Amazing!
Beyond, beyond, Beyond WOW
Amazing <3
So, so powerful.
Fantastic!
That was utterly incredible Micheline. Just wow
Fantastic poems Micheline!!!
SO much love for you, Micheline, that was a brilliant and visceral and powerful reading that added so much to these poems.
Stunning
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
Last poem was astonishing.
powerful!!! fantastic, Micheline! Beautifully made! Thank you!!
amazing life in poetry
Wonderful reading Micheline. Thankyou!
Q&A period
Question – did the pantoum and villanelle originate in those forms? (Poetry geek question)
thanks Matt and Tyler <3
So beautiful. Thank you
Wonderful, wonderful, upon wonderful. Brava, Micheline!
Lovely
Did you write the last poem last?
Mich these poems are just incredible.
Wonderful reading, Micheline! Thank you! Thank you!
Next theme for Quartet: Fuguiness!
Question – how long did this collection take to develop?
“Fugue-y-ness”?
interestingly the closed captioning is calling that a few Guinness, which I think is apt.
LOL
Breathtakingly Beautiful Micheline!!
Nothing wrong with a few guinness’s
Fuguiness is where it’s at
this is a great question john wall
and great answer
Confessional isn’t equivalent to masturbation.
… not just a drum solo
Sylvia Plath got Ted Hughes published… she sent his work out in the early days
form and sound and metaphor
vomitorium lol
creativity happens in community
I will be embroidering “Vomitorium of Disaster” on a pillow.
Well worth the wait.
What does your present spouse think of this? He responded: He loves it (and her) !!!
Thanks Micheline
Wouldn’t be anywhere else!
Love you sister!
What a reading! Thank you. Congratulations!!
Thank you to all of the readers and to John for leading the event. Thank you, Shelf Life Books YYC and Glass Bookshop YEG.
forget those dorks! you are my dork
Thank you for giving us a reason to be here Michel
[After Micheline mentions other events happening at the same time, in particular Louise Halfe and Ian Williams…)
Wait, Ian Williams? What?!
Micheline****
Thanks so much for this fabulous reading and stunning book and brilliant discussion!!!! ❤
Fantastic event – thank you to everyone who participated!!! Big congratulations!
I owe you so much, Micheline. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me <3
Beautiful reading, Micheline! Thank you
Thank you so much Micheline! What a beautiful reading and evening!
Hooray, Micheline! what a wonderful night!
Thank you everyone for putting this all together, and thank you so much Micheline!
Gorgeous evening! Gorgeous book! Gorgeous poet! <3 <3 <3
Great stuff, thanks for the beautiful readings!
Can’t wait to get my hands on your book….witty and amazing
Wonderful event, and I cannot wait to get your book! <3
Excellent discussion!
Thanks, Micheline! What a wonderful evening!
Wonderful reading, Micheline!
Congratulations
That was great, Micheline!
YAYYY MICHELINE!!!
Great evening! Love you, Mich!
Thanks Micheline, wonderful reading. So nice to see you
Thank you John for being an amazing host!