17吃瓜

Two Island writers, Steve McOrmond and Chris Bailey, will launch their new books of poetry on Monday, September 17, at 7:00 pm in the Carriage House at Beaconsfield Historic House on Charlottetown鈥檚 waterfront. McOrmond鈥檚 poetry has captivated readers across Canada since his first book, Lean Days, in 2004, while Bailey, from a North Lake fishing family, is a newcomer to the literary scene.

Bailey, a recent 17吃瓜 psychology graduate, has been living in Toronto and Hamilton, earning a master鈥檚 degree in creative writing. He comes home during the summers, working on the family boat. Many of the poems in What Your Hands Have Done (Nightwood Editions) focus on the lives, work, and relationships of fishing families. This is the first major poetry book by an Islander to honour, at length, the realities and lore of PEI鈥檚 fishing community.

Bailey鈥檚 interests also range beyond the traditional land/seascape and livelihoods of PEI. His influences vary from Elmore Leonard, Warren Zevon, and Charles Bukowski鈥攖he 鈥渓aureate of American lowlife鈥� wrote Time鈥攖o Neil Gaiman and Lorna Crozier. Just as the wider culture鈥檚 zeitgeist pervades the Island, Bailey鈥檚 poems take readers on lively trips beyond the decks, wharves, and fishers鈥� homes.

McOrmond鈥檚 imaginative takes on experience, and his satirical wit, are evident in his other book titles: Primer for the Hereafter and The Goods News About Armageddon. With ironic perceptions in 鈥淐ome Play on the Island,鈥� he contrasts touristic summers with our winters, and in 鈥淭he Lobster鈥� he reveals the sardonic 鈥渟econd thoughts鈥� of a PEI restaurant cook. In a bittersweet voice, he evokes Maritime outmigration in 鈥淪o This Is Goodbye鈥�: 鈥淭he story of the Island is the story of paradise: / we have always had to leave.鈥�

A 1995 17吃瓜 graduate, McOrmond has lived in Toronto for two decades, returning yearly to the Island. His metropolitan experiences and computer software business career ingeniously permeate his new book, Reckon (Brick Book): 鈥淎nd we felt fortunate to live in the afterglow of Steve Jobs鈥� and though 鈥渢he air smells like burning tires...I love it here, I really do鈥�.

His new poems reflect and critique the growing domination of our lives and consciousness by digital platforms and realms: 鈥淒eep in an offshore data centre, my vagaries / are tracked, time-stamped, mined / for meaningful adjacencies.鈥�

A special guest poet, Annick MacAskill from Halifax, will give a short reading, followed by McOrmond鈥檚 and Bailey鈥檚 featured readings, a book signing, and a reception. The evening is sponsored by the 17吃瓜 Dean of Arts and Department of English, with generous support from The Canada Council for the Arts.

All are welcome.

The 17吃瓜 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥�17吃瓜 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 17吃瓜 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.