Even Algae are Weird About Sex (et deux nouvelles traductions françaises)

I have another comic out! “Even Algae are Weird About Sex” takes a conversation with a co-worker that happened at the beginning of my scientific career, and uses it as a jumping-off point for a meditation about algae and human sexuality.

If you are in Montreal this Saturday, you can buy your copy at the Incroyable Salon du Zine at the Cité des Hospitalières, 251 ave des Pins, from 1 PM to 6 PM. Otherwise, you can buy a copy at my online shop.

Pas seulement ça, mais j’ai complété deux nouvelles traductions des B.D.s dans ma série C’est comme ça, l’écriture (English, What Writing is Like). Un gros merci à ma rélectrice fidèle, Sophie, qui a beaucoup amélioré ce texte!

Si vous êtes à Montréal ce samedi le 10 février, je vendrai toutes ces zines à l’Incroyable Salon des Zines, à la Cité des Hospitalières, 251 ave des Pins, de 13h à 18h. Sinon, vous pouvez les commander à ma boutique en ligne.

Upcoming Reading in Quebec City!

If you’re in Quebec City on the 18 January, you can come hear me read aloud from my recent verse novella Ulfhildr at the delightfully cozy bookstore-café Mot de Tasse (1394 chemin Ste-Foy). I’ll be joining fellow writers Geoffreyjen Edwards, author of the space opera Plenum: The First Book of Deo, and Richard Andrews, author of the gripping motorcycle odyssey Key to the Highway. The reading starts at 7 pm, and will include a lively audience discussion in French and English!

Frankenstein: A Not-So-Heartwarming Tale of Friendship?

Autumn felt like the perfect season to re-read this scary classic that I hadn’t looked at since it was assigned in high-school. Mary Shelley’s novel is rich in compelling characters — and perhaps surprisingly, with insights about the human need for connection and friendship. My essay on Frankenstein has just come out in Albion Magazine, for anyone who wants to revisit this tale, or discovery it for the first time.

Pre-order link for print version of Ulfhildr

On blustery nights, fast abed in our halls
We rejoice that outside, the jarring waves,
And cruel rocks may yet keep the raiding-parties distant.
We know if we fall unarmed into their hands
We will be no less loot than the boar-helms or rings
That they take from the slain.

You can now order in a print version of my narrative poem Ulfhildr! Unless you are really devoted to your e-reader, this is the format I would recommend, since I think Niv’s beautiful illustrations look best on paper.

And if you want to buy your copy in person, I will have a table at Expozine Montreal, on 2–3 December, and will happily sign it for you!

Pre-order Link available for Ulfhildr e-book

Only a few weeks left before Ulfhildr is published! I’m really excited to be able to share this story of a fierce and unhappy warrior queen whose choices lead her down the inexorable road to disaster, especially with its beautiful illustrations by Niv Sekar. If you like to get your books on an e-reader, you can pre-order it right now and it will arrive on 7 November. If you prefer hard copy, I’m hoping that will be available later this week.

What Writing is Like #2: Room

I finished a new comic zine! The second instalment in my series, “What Writing is Like”, it explores more of the dark feelings around revisions. Namely, what if writing is like a room… one that you can’t escape!

My hope is that I’ll be selling this zine at the upcoming Montreal Expozine in December, but you don’t have to wait that long to read it. Feel free to either contact me through the website form, or order this (and other zines!) through my online shop.

Interview in Coreopsis Journal of Myth and Theatre

I just an this interview with L. Ann Kinyon, the editor of Coreopsis Journal of Myth and Theatre, about the anthology A Compendium of Enigmatic Species, which I co-edited. L. Ann Kinyon was also a contributor to the anthology, which was on the theme of discovering new and fantastical species. If you love science and whimsy mixed with your fantasy, you should give it a read!

Ulfhildr coming soon — with a gorgeous cover

I’m so thrilled to announce that my narrative poem Ulfhildr is going to be coming out in book form later this year with the publishing co-operative Untimely Books, and with this beautiful cover and interior illustrations by Niv Sekar:

This story about a warrior queen faced with an impossible choice, is one spent a long time simmering in my brain, and it’s so exciting to see it with such gorgeous illustrations and design. If you’re feeling impatient for the publication date (I know I am!), you can pass the time by going to listen to an audio-recording that I made a few years ago with a group of friends, featuring incredible sound design by Jocelyne Kiss — for the moment, at least, it’s going to remain available on SoundCloud. Meanwhile, you can keep watching this site for updates, or sign up for updates on the publisher’s site.

Toute la série Drosophila en français dans une seule tome

Ça fait plus que cinq ans depuis j’ai commencé écrire cette série Drosophila, qui raconte les aventures d’une petite bande des mouches à fruits téméraires. Malgré des mutations qui leur semblent inutiles ou même nuisible, Sansailes et ses amis découvrent tout sur la génétiques — et bien d’autres mystères de vie et de l’amitié. La dernière tome à paraître en français laissait les mouches incertaines de leur chemin et les intentions de la technicienne de labo; mais après un long délai, je viens de finir le formattage d’une nouvelle version française de la série intégrale. Si vous attendiez pour savoir la fin — ou si vous rencontrez ce monde Drosophila pour la première fois — c’est maintenant le moment! Vous pouvez achétez votre copie dans mon magasin, ou en me contactant directement. Merci à tout le monde qui m’a soutenu le long de ce projet, et sur à mes traductrices Sophie et Miriam!

Essay on Heath Robinson Machines appears in Albion Magazine

Heath Robinson was an illustrator and cartoonist who witnessed the disorienting pace of technological innovation over the first half of the twentieth century — including the terrifying technologies like tanks and airplanes that would come to characterize two World Wars. Using his gentle humour and skilled pen, he responded with his iconic “Heath Robinson Machines,” the often ramshackle and ad-hoc solutions to the challenges of modern life. My essay on Heath Robinson machines has just appeared in Albion Magazine, where you can learn about the many facets of this famous illustrator.