Marion Agnew

For a few months, I've been posting about five things I'd like to remember from the month. April's are below, and at the bottom I mention the books I've posted about on social media. What it looks like out there as I write this, more or less. Too bad you can't see the flashes and hear the booms. ONE. I’m reading a collection of essays that I don’t want to end. I knew I’d like it, and I’ll talk about it more on social media and link here. (Just ... not yet. I don't want to rush!) I knew I’d like it based on l the preview I got at the OLA Superconference over a year ago. Then I got busy and didn’t get to it until this year. Nevertheless, It’s been lovely, wending my leisurely way through it. And nice to have the confirmation that I still have an idea of what I’ll enjoy, when so much of what I thought I knew about the world has been in flux. TWO. Boy, I thought March was a month that knew something about dithering. April gives it a run for its money. Weather-wise...

Earlier this year, MAKING UP THE GODS received a lovely review in The Source , a community newspaper available digitally at this link .  February 6, 2025 issue In the February 6, issue (page 7), John Pateman, former head of the Thunder Bay Public Library, says many nice things, mostly about the book's characters.   I very much appreciate any review, of course, and it's especially nice when a reader likes the characters I'm also infatuated with (imaginary though those characters may be). I've also been mulling over John's flattering assertion that I come across as a "seasoned novelist with a strong grip on plot and character."  As someone brought up to turn aside praise, of course my first instinct was to say, "Ha! Fooled someone!"  Although at my age, with my years of experience working with words in many settings, I do acknowledged the "seasoned." There's a joke in there about sporting salt-and-pepper hair now, but I'll spare u...

As always (by which I mean for the past few months), I'm tracking five things I want to remember from each month. And if you get to the bottom, you'll find links to places I've been interviewed or appeared, and/or where my work was discussed, along with books I've posted about on Instagram! OBVIOUSLY not a recent photo, but I do believe the lake ice will melt.  Someday... ONE. An update on putting time limits on social media, which I know I've written about somewhere. I’ve noticed as I pick up my phone to scroll, which I still do, I ask myself why. Or sometimes I mutter, “now I’m just irritating myself,” and THEN I ask myself why. And often I put down the phone, which was my goal. Yes, I’m finding time and inclination to do more things, but doing isn’t the point. Limiting social media isn’t a productivity hack—it’s an attempt to improve my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health. And it’s helping, I think. TWO. Addendum to the above: having something to ...

Hi, everyone, it's March. And still 2025. I felt the need to point that out because the months take forever and fly by at the same time.  Not a recent photo, but a fair representation of what today looks like A reminder: on Wednesday, March 12, I'm reading in the Brockton Writers Series . If you're in the greater Toronto Area, head to the Glad Day Bookshop, 499 Church Street. If you aren't, you can watch on their YouTube channel, here :  Brockton Writers Series - YouTube    In addition to the other readers, the evening will feature Asifa Sheikh speaking about Playing with Form in Nonfiction, an always-fascinating topic. Although I tend to default to the standard linear narrative, I've braided narratives and am striking out into other ways to spread my wings.  I'm excited to be part of this event. Participating is one way to remind myself that yes, I've written books and I have spoken to people about them and about writing. I've hung out in the company of...

Here are five things I'd like to remember from February. Not all pleasant, but notable. One. Sometimes it’s worth going into rooms you don’t go into often, just to make sure there’s no dead bird lying in the floor. It apparently fell down the chimney of a long-unused woodstove. I mean, if it had actually happened, which it did, hypothetically. And I guess come spring it’s worth looking into what happened to the screen over that chimney. Roy says it was an owl. I didn’t look too closely. Two. There may come a day when I don’t enjoy shoveling snow—and for sure if I had to do it more often and for longer sessions than I do, I’d be less enthusiastic—but there’s also something reassuring about accepting snowfall in SOME places (grass, trees, rocks, lake ice) but not HERE or HERE (sidewalk, back deck, front porch). Control, but really an illusion of it, because we all know that the snow’s really in charge here. Three. Two words: finishing sugar. I get it now. I don’t understand why pe...

I'll be appearing (from a distance) at the Brockton Writers Series on March 12! Along with other writers who will no doubt be there in person! Here's the basic info about the event: Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. Brockton Writers Series presents readings by: Stephanie Cesca Ben Berman Ghan Anthony Oliveira Marion Agnew Our event will be hosted in person at the Glad Day Bookshop, located at 499 Church St., Toronto. We will also live stream the event on the  Brockton Writers Series YouTube channel ! The event starts at  6:30  p.m. The reading is PWYC and features a Q&A with the writers afterward. I wish I could be there in person, but I'm grateful to their dedication to include non-Toronto writers!  And here's a link to a post on their blog from me, in which I answer interview questions no one has asked . I encourage you to read the other blog posts, too--so fun to hear from other writers in advance! 

Back in the Days of Yore (pre-lockdowns—actually, more than a decade ago, wow, what even is time) I’d periodically get four-hour coffees with a specific writer-friend who is also a musician.   One of the questions we’d mull over is “What is the writer equivalent of scales?” Another was its related idea, “What is a practice session for writers?”   Obviously, the questions don’t have a 1:1 answer. Musicians perform, and although writers can perform also, it’s rarer. Perhaps. For me, anyway. As a writer of things on paper (vs. writing works for performance), I don’t focus on a performance element of my work, though I’ve grown to enjoy the more performative opportunities for readings and conversations. An accident, but I like it!   But! Back to a scale—a form that musicians can practice to gain muscle memory and general mastery.   For me, the equivalent is a daily writing practice. My practice varies, in terms of form, result, and effectiveness (and even ...

I’ve seen several references to the practice of writing “five things” in various places, but I most recently saw it in Medea Lee Patel’s Substack, Dear Somebody. She logs and five things each week! That’s ambitious.   So here are five things I want to remember from January, 2025.   One. Narratives still have the power to settle my brain. I was grateful to re-learn this after several fragmented days early in the month—days that included the mixed gratitude, reverence, and sorrow from the funeral of President Jimmy Carter. A story, a beginning middle end, whether it’s an episode of a cop or lawyer or medical show, a home renovation, a couple looking to Escape to the Country—that cycle brings things to a satisfying conclusion. My brain likes that, especially at 2 a.m.   Two. Speaking of death: from experiencing the death of several friends and acquaintances in the past six months, I’ve gained a new understanding of and appreciation for obituaries. How on eart...

I didn't celebrate the turn from 2024 to 2025 with champagne at midnight (or anything at midnight beyond snoozing). I'm not against traditional celebrations. They can be fun--I've been to several different kinds of parties and observations of the new year.  Yet some rituals of the new year are always available to me, and I find I'm observing and enjoying them. Paperblanks, ordered from my local bookstore,  along with a well-loved Filofax Folio. For example:  I’ve pulled out folders and written 2025 on them, moving the 2024 information to the “tax stuff” spot Making hard choices from among the plethora of opportunities, I’ve added some events to my calendar for January I’m writing in the new nice notebooks  We’re seeing Christmas cards in our mailbox, which is nice—since the postal strike ended, we’ve received mostly junk, and that’s not nearly as fun I’ve watched (several times a brief video (or several) of someone painting with watercolours That last one is less abo...