The publisher and poet Mona Fertig discusses The Summer Book (Mother Tongue, 2017), a collection of writing about summer in British Columbia, the other books she’s publishing this fall and beyond, and more, with Joseph Planta.

The Summer Book edited by Mona Fertig (Mother Tongue Publishing, 2017). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Summer Book

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

There’s a lamp post just outside 131 Water Street here in Vancouver that bears a plaque. These plaques by the way, found throughout the city, are a project by the Vancouver Public Library, BC Bookworld and the VPL’s Foundation, and they mark the notable authors, stories and personalities in this city. The plaque on Water Street honours Mona Fertig at the original site of the Literary Storefront, a legendary meeting place that was a store, an event space, and for the seven years or so it was in existence a place for the literary community to gather. You can read about it in Trevor Carolan’s book The Literary Storefront: The Glory Years which was published in 2015. He was on this show when the book came out, and Mona joins me now to catch up, talk about the books she’s recently published. She of course runs Mother Tongue Publishing and this past spring published The Summer Book. It’s a collection of 24 essays, humour and meditations on summer. Since we’re talking in early November, and snow is being forecasted, a return to summer is due. I’ll get Mona to tell us about this collection and the terrific writers part of this book. There’s Brian Brett, Anne Cameron, Daniella Elza, Eve Joseph, Des Kennedy, Grant Lawrence, JJ Lee, Christine Lowther, and many more. Mona is of course the champion of the Unheralded Artists of BC series, and they’re coming out with the tenth and final volume this fall, a biography of Arthur Pitts. That’s written by Kerry Mason and that’ll be out shortly. It’s always good to catch up with Mona, who I’ve reached this morning from Salt Spring Island, where she runs Mother Tongue with her husband Peter Haase. www.mothertonguepublishing.com is the website. Season after season they put out great books. Please welcome back to the Planta: On the Line program, Mona Fertig; Ms. Fertig, good morning.

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