I couldn’t possibly create a series featuring a variety of individuals’ favourite books without including a list of what our artists are reading! Today, I present you with a few great picks chosen by some brilliantly creative individuals that I have had the fortune of meeting since I have been in Ottawa. Enjoy!
Mélissa Laveaux – Singer/Songwriter, Paris France
Book of 2009: Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao
by Junot Diaz
“It was a very very different reading experience. I’d never read such a lively narrator. And just when you thought a narrator this lively could not be tied to our main characters, you are wrong. The writing is frantic, romantic and anything but idealistic. And yet, throughout the story, you keep hoping. The story isn’t about Oscar – it’s about everyone. Everyone he touched, everyone who was touched by something in their own experiences and touched him back – sometimes good, sometimes bad. It was a difficult book to read because it hit so close to home. I’m of Haitian descent and the Dominican Republic is the other country sharing the island. And while both countries claim to have nothing in common, our histories are nothing but parallels and dramatic and abrupt intersections. And I have to gab about the footnotes. Don’t skimp on them! At first they annoy, and by the end, you’re wishing there were more…”
Mélissa also wanted to share the following article with us, adding “my two favourite authors are friends!”: Danticat & Diaz On Writing, Justice, And Being A “Nerd Of Color”
Mélissa Laveaux is an Ottawa musician of Haitian descent signed to NoFormat records. She is a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist who plays music described as a mix of roots, folk, and blues using her signature percussive finger-style guitar and soulful vocal stylings. In 2006, Laveaux released a first full-length album of her own songs. It was co-produced with percussionist Rob Reid (on tabla and cajón) and Lisa Patterson of Imaginit Music Studios. Laveaux has received critical praise from her peers such as Juba Kalamka of Deep Dickollective and is a Songs from the Heart recipient from the 2006 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals conference in the World Music category for penning “Koud’lo”. In 2007, Mélissa won the Lagardère Talent foundation’s musician bursary. Her second full-length effort will be released in 2009 with help from the bursary’s funds under NoFormat records. (source: Wikipedia)
Visit her website: http://melissalaveaux.com
Jessica Ruano – Local Arts Promoter, Ottawa Ontario
Book of 2009: Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
“I’ve been on a Virginia Woolf kick lately, having recently watched The Hours and being subsequently inspired to reread her magnum opus Mrs. Dalloway. My dad – who sports a rather impressive library of his own – lent me his copy of Orlando, a more accessible, less stream-of-consciousness style, fictional-historical biography. The eponymous character lives through four centuries and ages only a handful of years; Orlando starts out as a gorgeous male specimen, and then, midway through the story, he transforms into an equally beautiful woman. And, like Tiresias, Orlando questions, among other things, whether sex is more enjoyable for men or for women. The answer is never revealed, but the research process is delicious.
Why did I love this book? First of all, the opening sentence is superb: “He – for there could be no doubt of his sex, though the fashion of the time did something to disguise it – was in the act of slicing at the head of a Moor which swung from the rafters.” It contains irony, foreshadowing, historical background, and even a hint of comic racism. Beyond the lyrical writing style and witty remarks, this book is extraordinary in its discussion of sexual identity and sexual politics. When our protagonist first notices the object of his infatuation, he cannot tell if it is a man or a woman; and yet this has no bearing on his attraction, except that he is concerned with what people might think. Furthermore, when Orlando becomes female, he (she, at this point) is hardly concerned with the transformation: it is only when she dons the skirts and wrappings of a woman does she begin to notice the differences, both externally and internally.
These are talking points that are still appearing regularly in online forums and in queer press like Xtra. We behave as though this type of discussion is something new, uncomfortable, and not yet appropriate for the majority. And yet Woolf was sparking this same discussion with grace and intelligence almost one hundred years ago in mainstream literature. Something to think about.”
Jessica Ruano writes the popular Ottawa Arts Newsletter. She is also a highly talented writer and spoken word performer.
Nadine Thornhill – Actor/Playwright, Ottawa Ontario
Book of 2009: Brewer’s Dictionary Of Phrase And Fable, Seventeenth Edition
“I did pitifully little reading this year. But Brewer’s was my go-to reference work for creative writing. It’s by far my favourite dictionary. Way funner than Oxford’s!”
Nadine is an actor, playwright, blogger and occasional poet. She works undercover as wife, mother and super klutz.
Nadine will be the featured performer at the next Voices of Venus spoken word event on January 12th at 8pm at the Umi Cafe in Ottawa.
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One Comment
Thanks for including me, Julie! I love this series.