Winter Sparks

The NQ did some hobnobbing over the weekend; it was the third annual Sparks Festival, complete with poetry readings, author Q&As, booth displays and elegant receptions. Lots of chat, a glass or two of wine, and the NQs free chocolates also made a nice impression. Sparks is a nice event, and free yes free, worth watching out for, a bright literary light in late January.

(image: envato.com.)

Watch out for wildlife

Newfoundland and Labrador is a place of many (often wonderful) things, but biological abundance isn't one of them. Very few species are indigenous; adding those that have been introduced (or introduced themselves) still makes for a non-hefty catalogue. Still, we're developing a nice story list for the upcoming magazine, whose theme, as you have surely guessed, is fauna.

(Image: cbc.ca/larry colwell.)

Spring Issue storyboard

And here is an image that is all symbolic, not just of the issue's potential, but (hint) of its theme.

(Image: chestofbooks.com.)

Ready, set...

Welcome to 2012! Perhaps you've geared up for the New Year by declaring a resolution or two. Or maybe you're charting a Paris-style tack and preparing to mark St Sylvestre through to February. The NQ is looking towards Spring, the new issue but a glimmer of ideas, theme, art.

(Image: steamwhistle.ca.)

All the joys of the season

We're still going about our business-as-usual at NQ HQ, but we will be taking some Christmas time over the next week. So this is the last posting for the year; we'll see you in 2012! In the meantime, enjoy this Kate Rusby song, which is hitting a high note on this season's soundtrack.

(Image: www.paintinghere.com)

Distribution day

Today we'll be making our rounds of the retailers, dropping off caches of NQs hither and yon: Afterwords, Johnny Ruth, the Heritage Shops, The Rocket Bakery. We'll be in the mail to a few spots around the island and up to Labrador, too. Some people come right to the source - our office - and of course we're the ones to contact for your gifts. Three calls as soon as we unlocked the office doors this morning, which gives us that nice, warm, look-at-us-we're-helping-Santa kind of feeling.

(image: bigcartel.com.)

Countdown to Winter Issue

Just three more sleeps and they'll be delivered from the printers. Give us a turnaround day for labels and notes and gift cards, and they'll be on their way to you. Will you love the cover as much as we do? (Still trying to keep it a surprise, although hint hint it's a gorgeous piece by one of our best-known artists.) What about our anchor piece, an extensive interview with - with - but, no, we'll try to keep that under gold-foil-Christmas-paper wraps for now. But we hope you feel as excited holding the new NQ your hands as we did putting it together!

(Image: Count Dracula of Sesame Street, ucsc.edu.)