Description
Join us on Friday, May 16 at 6:30 p.m. for a night with lauded B.C. author Kate Braid and enjoy a reading from her new collection The Erotics of Cutting Grass (Caitlin Press), a celebration of life’s later chapters and an embrace of ageing on one’s own terms. Braid will be joined by author Rob Taylor for a conversation about this uplifting new work.
Braid has never been one to follow the beaten path. In 1977, she broke barriers by stepping — or rather, stumbling — into the male-dominated world of construction. With two beloved memoirs, Journeywoman: Swinging a Hammer in a Man’s World and Hammer & Nail: Notes of a Journeywoman, she’s shared her journey as a trailblazer in the trades.
Her new memoir tackles the fresh territory of women, bodies, and aging, and we can’t wait to hear more at Upstart & Crow. Books will be on hand for sale and signing. Tickets are free, but please RSVP here as space is limited.
About the moderator:
Rob Taylor is the author of four poetry collections, including Weather and The News, which was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. He is the editor of What the Poets Are Doing: Canadian Poets in Conversation and Best Canadian Poetry 2019. He lives in Port Moody.
About Upstart & Crow:
Located on Granville Island, Upstart & Crow is a not-for-profit literary arts studio for curious readers and creative storytellers alike. We are international in our outlook, and local in our sensibilities. We create opportunities to surface new talent and champion bold ideas through events, workshops, literary launches, unique partnerships — and yes, we also sell books!
Accessibility:
The main studio of our shop is accessible for folks with mobility aids. There is a washroom on the main floor available for attendees.
Questions: hello[at]upstartandcrow.com.
The Erotics of Cutting Grass
Forget everything you think you know about growing older. Kate Braid’s perspective is anything but conventional. In these love stories to life and living, Kate dismantles the tired clichés about aging and the female body. From weightlifting in her senior years to questioning why older people in love are seen as “cute,” but not “hot,” and even delving into the mysteries of “remembering” past lives, Kate’s stories are a refreshing take on what it means to age with audacity.
Travel with Kate as she adventures through France, still gets “checked out” on the street, picks up a new instrument, and has a secret love-affair with a ride-on Husqvarna grass cutter. She also navigates the role of step-mother and contemplates how second- and third-generation immigrants in a new world can truly make this land feel like home. Each chapter is filled with insight, candour, and a rebellious spirit that’s sure to resonate with non-traditional women who refuse to be defined by society’s expectations.
The Erotics of Cutting Grass is a celebration of life’s later chapters, written with the same unique mix of humour, frankness, and vulnerability Kate’s readers have come to know and love. Join her on this smart, thought-provoking journey that redefines what it means to embrace ageing on your own terms.
