The first year of the next decade of the rest of our lives is shaping up to be a busy one. I’ll have some interesting announcements here in the near future - including, publisher paranoia notwithstanding, some sample pages of the graphic novel I’m currently working on. But here’s a sneak peek of an anthology I was included in, to be released in March 2010. A handsome cover indeed, and the stories inside promise to be even handsomer. It’s called Piece By Piece: Stories About Fitting Into Canada, and it’s written for the Young Adult market - which is the market that most gets publishers sweaty under the collar. (See Twilight, et al.) Needless to say, this collection will not feature abstemious vampires, but rather real-life horror stories from the front lines of the teen immigration experience. Teen readers, I was warned in an email, “will be quick to call you on your bullshit.” That’ll be a nice change.

There will be several Richard Poplak sightings over the coming weeks. First off, I’m reading from a fabulous collection of new Russian literature - called Rasskazy - on the 26th of September at a fancy vodka bar. I’ll trust the organizers on the wisdom (or lack thereof) in the venue choice. Regardless, the flyer is below.

The following day, I’m reading with my pal and fellow travelling scribe Andrew Westoll in the Humber School for Writers Tent at Toronto’s annual Word on the Street festivities. The talk is called The Young and the Restless: Travel Writers or Writers Who Travel? Mr. Westoll and I will finish things off with a spirited thumb wrestle.