then / here / now / there
Above/ground press has published a new chapbook of Cary’s poetry.
Above/ground press has published a new chapbook of Cary’s poetry.
Some time ago, Cary started a new chapbook press, Found Object. The purpose of the press is to bring deserving work back into print. You can see chapbooks by Maureen Scott Harris, Beverley Daurio, as well as articles by Cary on the Found Object site:
https://foundobjectpress.wordpress.com/
Cary’s latest novel is up for West Coast (Red Cedar) and East Coast (Hackmatack) awards, both voted on by kids! You can find out about the awards here:
https://www.redcedaraward.ca/
https://hackmatack.ca/
It’s always a pleasure to see a review or article about a novel after it’s been out in the world for some time. Michael Greenstein, who has reviewed Cary’s work several times over the years, provides a sensitive reading of “The Student” in The Seaboard Review. Perhaps what is most interesting is Greenstein’s focus on style and technique rather than just story. You can read it here (it’s free):
https://theseaboardreview.substack.com/p/cary-fagan-the-student?utm_campaign=email-half-post&r=1owfmu&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
The review journal Miramichi Reader recently introduced reviews of chapbooks. Here’s a quotation from the new review of Cary’s chapbook, “Fifty-Two Lines About Henry,” published by above/ground press:
"A funny, heartfelt ride, Fifty-Two Lines About Henry is a fast-paced, witty, and undeniably charming meditation on the many thoughts and feelings that populate our strange, unknowable days."
You can see the whole review here:
https://miramichireader.ca/2024/06/fifty-two-lines-about-henry-by-cary-fagan/
And you can order the chapbook (it’s only $5) here:
https://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2024/01/new-from-aboveground-press-fifty-two.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1_-wbKUu2rxFhXZzwX0hytZ9NWjP9An3qgQ9wLUkbpzacSJVcArO02vDo_aem_SkjbA-Om_xnyNZqJ5xyv8w
Several years ago Cary began a journal blog to review chapbooks in the belief that many fine publications didn’t get sufficiently noticed. After a hiatus, he’s begun to review again. You can see it here:
https://word.music.blog/
The indefatigable rob mclennan asked Cary to do a short reading of some of his poems for rob’s Virtual Reading Series. You can see it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PthY2OGAn_Y
rob mclennan’s quite extraordinary chapbook press, above/ground, has published Cary’s “52 Lines About Henry,” a comic if somewhat dismaying portrait of a man. You can find it here:
https://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2024/01/new-from-aboveground-press-fifty-two.html?fbclid=IwAR368KbKJvfBwQBvbiKIDt463e66NpQbvzYT8Bp2DLF5-HwtzM-nw1cDTDE
Cary wrote about it here:
https://periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2024/02/cary-fagan-on-fifty-two-lines-about.html?fbclid=IwAR00LJHPHpNJ4McUiMvgP2H_3ZVepcaDyABt3gSQltRdaEnkjKOlrbCeU5g
Cary’s new novel for kids has been getting some nice attention.
“A lighthearted look at friendship and change—an enjoyable story of understanding (and misunderstandings), sprinkled with fairy tale–inspired poems.” -Kirkus Reviews
“Immensely likeable…a funny and thought-provoking middle-grade novel about the power of stories—especially the ones we tell ourselves.” -Quill & Quire
“Fagan’s appealing book taps into the trusting naivete of many primary aged children and the wish to believe in fairy tales. Highly recommended.” -CM Reviews
“Andie turns out to be a born storyteller, a revelation that changes everything.” -New York Times Book Review
Cary attended two events for this year’s Vine Awards, a public reading along with Adam Sol, Sheila Heti, and Gary Barwin, and then the lovely awards lunch where he was delighted to receive the $10,000 award for children’s literature.
Cary’s novel ‘The Animals’ has won the Silver Award for Humor from the review journal Forward. You can see it here:
https://www.forewordreviews.com/awards/winners/2022/humor-1/?fbclid=IwAR0z_Onz3-IZ6AOi3CN83Y-9HPRe9DuD2WTzu3V0mGUpRjLp8Ias2YqlZOI
A poetic volume that raises keen questions about ephemerality, connection, and regard across the natural world. STARRED REVIEW
― Publishers Weekly
Cary Fagan’s story provokes a lot of thought on emotions and on the idea of death. … It encourages an open discussion about expressing emotions and respect to wildlife.
― CM: Canadian Review of Materials
A Where the Wild Things Are vibe may lead [readers] to think about the proper uses of nature.
― Booklist
Fagan’s storytelling is simple but deeply felt. … Tolstikova’s childlike -mixed-media illustrations convey the emotional depth of the seemingly small experience.
― Horn Book
A wonderfully unusual and meaningful tale. … Singularly poetic and profound and funny. … For readers looking for books that explore children’s connections with and respect for wildlife, emotional processing, or more broadly about cycles of life, Boney is a terrific picture book pick.
― Fab Book Reviews
A short but sweet story with very vivid and beautiful illustrations which are very thought-provoking. … It teaches us that, sometimes, we have to do things that aren't easy to make the situation right.
― CanLit for Little Canadians
You can see the list here:
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6674493
"Funny, provocative, magical, and warmly engaging." — Vancouver Sun.
“Fagan distills enchantments from the ordinary while treating the forces that corrupt ordinary life with sardonic incision. Each scene proffers a surprise, strung together to form a sometimes baffling, always delightful whole.” —Forward Reviews
“Addictive…a puzzling and lively parable.” — Literary Review of Canada
“Adopting a wolf, weasel or wolverine sounds like an extremely bad idea, but in Cary Fagan’s novel The Animals, it adds to the overall zaniness of the topsy-turvey world he creates.” — Winnipeg Free Press
”An absolute pleasure to read. Just a lovely, immersive, transporting experience.” —Advance the Plot
“You will be absolutely ecstatic…lingers with you long after you’ve devoured the last word.” —Lindsay Wincherauk, I Love It
“The pages will fly by in this compact novel. The writing is excellent and the narrative resembles an allegorical fairy tale.” —She Treads Softly
You can see the announcement here along with the winners in other categories:
https://www.cjlawards.ca/?fbclid=IwAR3ehkYlfBMmXoOMr-qvjpPxHohvkygQdMUtIwwZD9J2puYdIbld1sLMUBA
You can read an excerpt and see a video of Cary talking about his new novel, The Animals, here:
https://bookhugpress.ca/fall-2022-fiction-preview-the-animals-by-cary-fagan/
Alison Gadsy of Junction Reads interviewed Cary about his new story collection. They talked about where stories begin and other aspects of the form. You can see it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzWnJITSzPo
The Red Cedar Book Awards are run by B. C.’s Young Readers’ Choice Awards Society and are voted on by the kids of British Columbia.
You can see the list of fiction nominees here:
https://www.redcedaraward.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/frca20211.pdf
The Willow Awards are voted on by kids in Saskatchewan. You can see all the nominees here:
https://willowawards.ca/
“King Mouse,” with illustrations by Dena Seiferling, is a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award.
You can see all the finalists here:
https://bookcentre.ca/news/2020-ccbc-book-awards-shortlists#baillie