Matrix 76
De Niro’s Game by Rawi Hage
Black by George Elliot Clarke
The Men by Lisa Robertson
Stumbling in the Bloom by John Pass
The Future is Queer edited by Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel
Social Acupuncture: A guide to suicide, performance and utopia by Darren O’Donnell
Bow Grip by Ivan E. Coyote
Only This Blue by Betsy Warland
North of 9/11 by David Bernans
[one love affair]* by Jenny Boully
(To order a back-issue of Matrix, click here)
Anansi, 2006
Read by Jane Affleck
On the very first page of the novel, the narrator, Bassam, hooks the reader with a statement that also summarizes the narrative drive: “Ten thousand bombs had landed,”says Bassam, “and I was waiting for George. Ten thousand bombs had landed on Beirut, that crowded city”¦ It’s time to leave, I was thinking to myself.” (more…)
Polestar Books, 2006
Read by Lateef Martin
George jargon makes you better, wetter, sweating blood. You’re not equipped for this type of English. (more…)
BookThug, 2006
Read by Maria Giuliani
A work in five parts, Lisa Robertson’s The Men is a thick exploration of men in social, gender, psychological and philosophical contexts. It is also a comparison of the narrator’s role as a woman in personal, professional, and sexual situations, illustrating the men through the confidence, or lack thereof, of her own sensibilities. (more…)
Oolichan Books, 2005
Read by Darren Bifford
Stumbling in the Bloom, John Pass’ fifteenth book of poetry in just over thirty years, has the distinction of stealing this year’s Governor General’s award. It also has the distinction of being a long and difficult book. (more…)
Arsenal Pulp Press, 2006
Read by James Moran
Borrowing a page from Arsenal’s successful Queer Fear series, Richard Labonte and Lawrence Schimel alchemize a love of sci-fi and queer lit into a respectable if slightly uneven anthology. (more…)
Coach House Books, 2006
Read by Michael Davidge
A scansion of the subtitle anticipates the tonal shifts that make O’Donnell’s book not a screed but a compelling read: call it a manic-depressive manifesto, ranging from the suicidal to the utopian. (more…)
Arsenal Pulp Press, 2006
Read by James Moran
First-time novelist Ivan E. Coyote proves that she’s not only a sprinter, but a middle-distance runner. (more…)
The Mercury Press, 2005
Read by T.K. Murphy
In Only This Blue, Betsy Warland demonstrates her exceptional ability to undermine linguistic hegemonies without being demanding or showy. (more…)
Cumulus Press, 2006
Read by Kelly Ward
It appears that 2006 has marked the stale-date on tragedy. Five years after 9/11, we in North America have decided that we can now be entertained by what happened in New York in 2001. (more…)
tarpaulin sky press, 2006
Read by Catherine Paquette
As a sucker for literary remixes and works that blend genre, I have a special place in my heart for Brooklyn-based writer Jenny Boully. (more…)
ECW Press, 2006
Read by a.rawlings
In Emily Schultz’s Joyland, brother / sister tag-team protagonists Chris and Tammy stand heartache to heartache through their obsessions with video games, boredom-dodging, and newly discovered sexuality. (more…)