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Rubicon at the Black Stilt
Tonight’s reading at the Black Stilt was a launch by Anglo-Canadian chapbook press Rubicon, promoting Tempus, an anthology/chapbook on the theme of summer, and other works. The night was prefaced by the musical stylings of the David Kosub Trio and very good it all was too, even and also the swift and absorbing open mic set betwixt music and main event.
Yvonne Blomer introduces the evening, with a copy of Todd Swift’s new chapbook, Natural Curve, in hand, with one of the handsome and poem-adorned Rubicon t-shirts hanging on the right.
Grace Cockburn reads.
Barbara Pelman, reading from Tempus and One Stone.
Cynthia Woodman Kerkham concluded the evening, following Andrea McKenzie. -
Time, lack of
I was signed up and looking forward to the Poetry in Transit party at the Vancouver Writers Festival this Friday, but have had to cancel my part in that event.
Organizers were planning a gala event with about 30 participants, which meant we each had a 3 minute slot (unpaid). So when I thought about it, looked at my mountain of boxes and considered it would cost me about 2 days and at least $100 just to get there and back, I thought… not this time. So if anyone out there was hoping to catch up at the event, I’m sorry!
I have more thoughts on bulk packaging of poets at literary events but will save them for another day.
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Raspberries and Bakewell Tarts
Haven’t had much time for poetry lately, but a poet still needs to eat, and I’m still trying to empty my cupboards and freezer of perishables.
I had a little lost jar of ground almonds begging to be used, and ditto a bag of frozen raspberries, so I conferred with Nigella who suggested a Bakewell Tart with Fresh Raspberries (from How to Eat). Bakewell tarts are usually a kind of jam tart with ground almond batter (frangipane) on top; they are equally nice as pies or individual tarts or plumped into cakes, and often to be found in English bakeries. Haven’t seen them in Canada, but maybe it’s because I don’t frequent bakeries so much.
Being surrounded by boxes and chaos I dispensed with Nigella’s home made pastry and pulled out a frozen pie shell which worked perfectly well, although because the shells are smaller than what the recipe called for, there was about a cup of batter left over. And since I was using frozen raspberries, they were quite juicy, so I drained off some of the juice (to save for my morning yogurt of course!) and mixed them with a dollop of jam rather than putting, as the instructions said, a layer of jam on the base. I managed to scorch the topping by adding the flaked almonds from the start of baking as instructed, but other recipes suggest adding the flaked almonds later on and I hope that will work better. So here’s my easy version with North American measurements.
Raspberry Bakewell Tart
1 frozen pie shell
1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed
2 tbsp (or to taste) raspberry or blackberry jam
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup sugar
3-4 tbsp flaked almonds- Heat the oven to 400f.
- Mix the raspberries and jam together and partially drain, so it’s a jam-like consistency. Prick the pie shell.
- Melt the butter and set aside. Beat the eggs and almonds together and add the melted butter.
- Spread the raspberry mixture in the pie shell. Pour almond mixture over the berries.
- Bake 20 minutes, and then sprinkle the flaked almonds on top and bake for 15-20 minutes longer, until puffed and golden.
- Cool and serve either warm or at room temperature.
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In her latest collection, Rhona McAdam navigates the dark places of human movement through the earth and the exquisite intricacies lingering in backyard gardens and farmlands populated by insects and pollinators, all the while returning to the body, to the tune of staccato beats and the newly discovered symmetries within the human heart.
“…A beautiful, filling collection, Larder is a set of poems to read at the change of the seasons, to appreciate alongside a good meal, and to remind yourself of the beauty in everything, even the things you may not appreciate before opening McAdam’s collection….”
Rhona McAdam is a writer, poet, editor, and Registered Holistic Nutritionist with a Master’s in Food Culture from Italy and a deep-rooted passion for ecology and urban agriculture. Her work spans corporate and technical writing to poetry and creative nonfiction, often exploring the vital links between what we eat and how we live. Based in Victoria, BC, and available via Zoom, Rhona is always open to new writing commissions, readings, or workshops on nutrition and the culinary arts.
