Today, June 18, 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the unveiling of the 33RPM LP record. I’ve decided to mark the occasion with the following brief history of the LP’s invention and early years, adapted from a history of the record industry I wrote in 2003-2004.
A HISTORY OF THE LONG-PLAYING RECORD, copyright 2008 by Louis […]
Hello everybody! Just so you know, I began blogging here on the Broken Pencil website, where I expect to add posts every couple weeks through to the end of July.
I also DJed on CKUT earlier this week (Tuesday May 27, 2008), and you can click here to download the one-hour show. I was filling in […]
While doing some spring cleaning an envelope full of ticket stubs shuffled up to the surface; I scanned a number of them here:
The envelope had stayed in the back of a drawer where I’d thrown it right after moving into my apartment ten years ago, one of those things I never looked at but never […]
A Fine Ending disappeared from amazon.ca’s rankings for a few weeks after the first printing sold out in March, but after being back in print for about a month, it has raced back up the rankings. As of May 8, it sits at number 11 on the Canadian short stories chart, and number 86 on […]
Louis Rastelli will be presenting excerpts from his novel, A Fine Ending, in person at Montreal’s Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival on Sunday, May 4 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. The event is hosted by Marianne Ackerman and also features readings by Mary Soderstrom, Nigel Thomas, Issa J. Boullata and Sanja Domazet. Tickets are […]
In case anyone is having trouble finding a copy of A Fine Ending, please note that the first printing is almost sold out. It is currently listed as unavailable on most online sites (such as amazon.ca or the chapters-indigo online site), but will become available again in about a month. In the meantime, copies can […]
There is a review of Louis Rastelli’s novel, A Fine Ending, in the Globe and Mail, available online here. Excerpt:
“A Fine Ending reads like a middle-of-the-night yarn from a slightly stoned scribe who has set himself the task of telling everybody’s story - for a laugh or at least a smile. Yet hovering overhead is […]
Louis Rastelli’s Distroboto project is celebrating its 7th anniversary on Friday, Jan. 25, from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. at Salla Rossa, 4848 St-Laurent.
It is a benefit show for the non-profit project which involves former cigarette machines selling local art, music, books, comics, short films and crafts for $2.00 in various cafés and bars around […]
A Fine Ending was reviewed in last Sunday’s Halifax Daily News (click to see review). The paper also ran an interview with Louis Rastelli (available here). There is a longer version of this interview available on the journalist’s personal blog, right here.
From the review:
“Louis Rastelli’s debut novel, A Fine Ending, is a captivating tale of […]
A very positive review in the Montreal Gazette is now online. Some excerpts:
“Although Louis Rastelli’s A Fine Ending is written in a smooth, flowing style reminiscent of J.D. Salinger or Jacques Poulin, that doesn’t fully explain the novel’s appeal, which is voyeuristic as well as literary This roman à clef pulls back the curtain on […]