S.W.A.T. Writer-in-Residence Paul Vermeersch has been hard at work this past year editing The Al Purdy A-Frame Anthology. A celebration of a unique place in Canadian literary history, The Al Purdy A-Frame Anthology was published with the help of The Al Purdy A-Frame Trust.
To understand all of the this, let's start back at the beginning: Al Purdy. Al Purdy was one of the most important Canadian poets of the 20th Century. In 1957 he bought a piece of lake shore property near Ameliasburgh, Ontario and began construction on his now-famous A-frame house. This house soon became a major meeting point for visiting writers and artists as Al and his wife welcomed people into their home.
While Al Purdy has since passed away, The Al Purdy A-Frame Trust has been hard at work raising money to purchase and preserve the property along with establishing a writers' residency program. It is this wonderful organization that helped to put together the anthology which is being touted as "a celebration of the most unlikely, outrageous and important gathering place in modern Canadian writing."
If you're interested in this kind of celebration you definitely need to check out the book's launch Wednesday November 18th at 7 PM...
The Al Purdy A-Frame Anthology Launch
Wednesday November 18th 2009, 7PM
Harbourfront Centre, Lakeside Terrace
235 Queens Quay West, TORONTO
TICKETS $8
John Degan of the Arts Council of Ontario will host the evening of poetry and anecdotes from The Al Purdy A-Frame Anthology, which features contributions by Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje and others.
With presentations by Dave Bidini, Russell Morton Brown, Steven Heighton, Dennis Lee, Geoff Heinricks, John Reeves, and Paul Vermeersch. Book sales and an auction featuring Al Purdy items and artwork raise funds for the Al Purdy A-Frame Trust.
