The front cover of „Putevi“ (Roads), no 6–7, fresh from the printer . . . but you won't likely find it as your local newsstand. „Putevi“ is a literary journal published in Banja Luka, Republika Srpska (BiH). This issue includes an interview with me along with a selection of from the book that doesn’t close (Broken Jaw Press, 2008). The title is “Džo na Balkanu: (razgovor sa Džoom Blejdsom, kanadskim piscem, izvodacem i umjetikom)” (Joe in the Balkans: (interview with Joe Blades, Canadian writer, publisher and artist)). The interview, conducted by Tatjana Bijelić for „Putevi“, and the poems were translated into Serbian by her.
Tatjana Bijelić is a poet with two poetry collections plus a book of eight British poets translated by her. Tatjana teaches in the Filozofski fakultet Banja Luka where she has a “Canada Corner”. We met in 2005 at the Yugoslav Association of Canadian Studies conference at the University of Niš, Srbjia where I was a guest artist–presenter helping launch the three author–three book anthology Slike iz kanade: Tri kanadska pesnika (SKC Niš, 2005). The English version of the “Joe in the Balkans” interview might have found a home in a forthcoming issue of 17 seconds ( : a journal of poetry and poetics ), rob mclennan, editor.
T-shirt: Blue Rodeo
loc: Dundonald construction zone
temp: 18°C
sound: Little Feat Waiting for Columbus
2 comments:
Hello Joe!
I found your site because of my relentless search for the origins of my paternal surname Blades. Your site is great!
Won't bore you with details but my grandfather's name was Ruben Nathaniel Blades, he was British, born in Soufriere, St. Lucia, in the late 1800's. I myself was born in Panama, in the former Canal Zone, to a Cuban-American mother, and a Panamanian-Colombian father....A lot of mixes, a lot of history.
I wrote to the British National Archives to find out if two men, Anthony and Nicholas Blades, who travelled from Devon to Barbados, are ancestors of mine. I await their reply.
By the way, Canada has long been on my list of 'desirable places to live'...It is beautiful. Presently I live in Oahu, Hawaii...and let me tell you, I think this whole warm-weather-all-year-round-thing is totally over rated! Give me the changing seasons anyday!
Keep well, and nice to meet you...Reaching across time and space, to another Blades.
Regards,
Melanie Blades
Hi Melanie,
It's great hearing from you. The Devon connection is interesting because I loved visiting there but have always thought Yorkshire a more-likely origin in England for the Blades. I've known of Blades in the Caribbean--thousands of them--and correspont with several who may or may not be related. Hard to be sure with the scattering.
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