Halloween Crafting

With our favourite holiday approaching, Halloween prep is in full swing. If you’re looking for costume inspiration, here are a few of our projects in progress:

Library Exhibit

I’m excited to say that Devin, Ashley, and myself all have art up this month! For the month of November, our work will be on display in the program room of the Bloor/Gladstone Public Library in Toronto. Here are a few shots of our pieces in the space:

To see more of our work, check out our portfolios.

-Sarah

Supporting the Arts through Kickstarter

I’m a big fan of Kickstarter and of crowdfunding in general. I think its ability to connect creators with the public is phenomenal, and sites like Kickstarter help fill the gaps left by our current government grant systems. This is why I’ve backed projects like New Nebula: Volume One, The White Review, Floodgate Poetry Series Vol. 2, and Fireside Magazine Year 3, and why I’m currently backing projects like Maxx Giffen’s The Transformation Project and SPROUTLINGS: A Compendium of Little Fictions. Most if not all of these projects are by independent artists and small presses.

Of course, I also create Kickstarters; I’m running one right now. The Quilliad Press is a small press project that everyone in our collective has been involved with in some way, and we’re proud to say that we are huge supporters of independent artists, emerging writers, and our fellow small presses and art organizations. Our submission call for art by Canadian writers and artists for our Halloween-inspired sixth issue is running concurrently with our Kickstarter, and both end today, October 20, at midnight EST. If you’re interested in the literary scifi, horror, apocalyptic fiction, and magic realism that will be in our sixth issue, as well as the dark, magical art, or the chapbooks, art prints, and personalised poetry we’re offering at backer rewards, check out our project page: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1765917797/the-quilliad-press-and-issue-6. Every cent goes toward publishing and promoting Canadian writers and artists.

Hopefully you’ll check out some of these projects. And then, maybe, you’ll start one of your own.

—Sarah Varnam,
Manager of the Apple of my Odd Eye artists’ collective
Editor-in-Chief and Founder of The Quilliad Press

Support Small Press Publishing

As The Quilliad Press’s Kickstarter enters its final stage with a little over 50% raised and $1144 to go, we’re calling on our supporters to support small press. The Quilliad Press publishes work by both Canadian writers and artists and sees these media as working best when they’re used together. There’s a lot of crossover between the Apple of my Odd Eye collective and The Quilliad, the press’s literary journal; we’re trying to reach out to as many people as we can and create something that benefits local artists and writers as well as readers and art lovers. If you love books, literature, visual art, photography, indie publishers, and/or creativity, consider backing The Quilliad Press through Kickstarter by following this link: www.kickstarter.com/projects/1765917797/the-quilliad-press-and-issue-6. Especially since Kickstarter funding is all or nothing (if the full amount isn’t raised, The Quilliad Press doesn’t get any of it), even $5 helps, and you’ll get a digital copy of The Quilliad’ s sixth issue as a reward. Other rewards include personalised poetry on demand, art prints, and chapbooks of art and poetry. Check it out!

Project Spotlight: TRANSformation, a Photography Project by Maxx Giffen

Source: Project Spotlight: TRANSformation, a Photography Project by Maxx Giffen

Go check out The Quilliad‘s feature of this project on trans identity. A great example of the power of combining art+politics.

The Quilliad Press is Kickstarting New Publications

Hey!

As some of you may already know, in addition to managing Apple of my Odd Eye, I am the editor-in-chief of The Quilliad, a biannual journal that publishes the work of emerging and established Canadian writers and artists. As part of our commitment to growth, The Quilliad is now being published through our new small press, The Quilliad Press. And we’re Kickstarting to try to get our next issue of The Quilliad plus our first line of chapbooks out into the world.

In addition to copies of The Quilliad, poetry on demand, our press’s forthcoming chapbooks, and other great rewards, The Quilliad Press’s rewards include chapbooks by me, Sarah Varnam, and fellow Apple of my Odd Eye Collective member Devin P.L. Edwards, as well as art prints by yours truly! Here are a few sample images:

Chapbooks!

“Reach” – Sarah Y. Varnam

“Roots I” – Sarah Y. Varnam

To see the rest, visit The Quilliad Press’s Kickstarter project page at www.kickstarter.com/projects/1765917797/the-quilliad-press-and-issue-6.

—Sarah

Art at Blackbird Bistro

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to install a pile of art at Blackbird Bistro in Toronto, including these two recently revamped pieces:

My work will be exhibited in Blackbird for the month of September. All pieces on display are for sale (if something catches your eye, let me know at syvarnam@gmail.com). My apologies for the following cellphone gallery–I left my real camera at home. 😦

In related art news, my work, Devin’s, and Ashley’s will all be up in a Toronto Public Library branch in November. More details soon.

-Sarah

Old Art, New Inspiration

While packing to move (to a place where we’ll finally have a dedicated arts and crafts room set up!), I discovered a bunch of my old art pieces. I thought I’d share:

I also found a half-finished piece that I want to complete (once everything’s settled down, that is):

I’d been wondering where this piece ended up, so it was exciting to find it again. hopefully we’ll have a lot more news for everyone soon, once we’ve got out new space set up. We have at least one summer event to plan in partnership with The Quilliad.

-Sarah

A Trip to Beautiful, Wild Scotland

Hello!

Apologies for the infrequency of recent updates; we’ve been busy! While there will be some updates on arts events and the like soon, for now I’d like to share some photos from a recent trip to Scotland, because it is a truly gorgeous country. This is only a small fraction of the 800+ photos taken over the course of 10 days–it was hard to put the camera down!

-Sarah, Apple of my Odd Eye collective manager

Hadrian’s Wall

Near Glen Coe

On the train to Mallaig

Carbost

Castle bridge

Botanical Gardens in Glasgow

The scale of the flower gardens in Scotland is truly astounding. Yes, there’s a person in there–our very own Devin Edwards.

As Equals Poetry Film Debut

Two of our artists, Sean G. Marjoram and Devin P.L. Edwards, recently created a fantastic poetry short film, As Equals, with the help of some talented local actors. The film debuted on the web this week on YouTube:

The film will also be screened at The Quilliad‘s fifth-issue launch party on May 9 at Betty’s on King.