“Writing the World”: Conversations with Writers at the Elizabeth Bishop Festival

One of the afternoon events at the Elizabeth Bishop Festival in Great Village, N.S., on 8 August 2015, is a conversation with four exceptional writers: John Barnstead, Binnie Brennan, Carole Langille and Harry Thurston. This conversation will be moderated by yours truly. We will be profiling all these writers as the winter and spring progresses. This post features Halifax writer and musician Binnie Brennan.

Binnie Brennan (http://binniebooks.com/) has written three books of fiction, Like Any Other Monday, published by Gaspereau Press, and Harbour View and A Certain Grace, both with Quattro Books. Her short fiction has been published in several literary journals, including Existere, The Adirondack Review, and All Rights Reserved. Binnie is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers, where she was mentored by M.G. Vassanji and Alistair MacLeod. She is a long-time member of Symphony Nova Scotia’s viola section, based in Halifax.

Her debut novel, Like Any Other Monday, is a fictional portrait of the young comedic genius and vaudeville star, Buster Keaton. Her interest in Keaton has an Elizabeth Bishop connection. Bishop left an unfinished poem “Keaton” about which Binnie has written for The Keaton Chronicle (Vol. 22, Issue 3, Summer 2014), the newsletter of the International Buster Keaton Society Inc.

Binnie was a regular artist-in-residence at the Elizabeth Bishop House, where she not only spent time writing,

but also sharing her knowledge and enthusiasm about Buster Keaton during one of the well-attended “Afternoons with…,” that were held at the house over the years. 

Binnie is in the centre in blue. Note the dining room table now covered with edibles.

Here is a link on this blog to Binnie Brennan’s “First Encounter” essay about Elizabeth Bishop: http://elizabethbishopcentenary.blogspot.ca/2010/04/first-encounter-x-happy-birthday-eb-by.html

More festival profiles will follow. Stay tuned!