Is the protagonist of Stripmalling (ECW Press), “Jonny”, a fictitious anti-hero or an alias for author Jon Paul Fiorentino? Could Jonny’s artist friend, “Evan”, be a stand-in for the book’s real-life illustrator Evan Munday? And what are the chances that a chain of big box discount stores whose name ends with “Mart” would spread like ivy and decimate local economies?  Noted author Zoe Whittall will discuss such riddles with Fiorentino and Munday, following a screening of the film, The Way Of The Smock: The Making Of Stripmalling. – A This Is Not A Reading Series event presented by Pages Books & Magazines, ECW Press, EYE WEEKLY, Gladstone Hotel, and Take Five On CIUT.

Gladstone Hotel Ballroom, 1214 Queen St West, Toronto
Mon March 2; 7:30pm (doors 7pm) $5 Cover (Free with book purchase) 

STRIPMALLING is the story of one young man’s embarrassing and hilarious journey to literary awareness. Jonny lives and works in a strip mall in suburban Winnipeg. For some people, this would be an exciting and fulfilling life. But Jonny has a dream: he wants to be a writer. He has almost everything he needs to make this dream come true: a supportive girlfriend, an active imagination, and an abundance of subject matter. There is only one obstacle: his own relentless stupidity.

Imagine Proust without all those annoying words and insights. Imagine a book so funny, so clever that even just touching it makes you a smarter, better person. Part journal, part comedy routine, and part graphic novel, Stripmalling is a unique experiment in genre and voice that is ambitious, accessible and laugh-out-loud funny.

Parts of Stripmalling have appeared on CBC Radio One’s All in a Weekend and in THIS Magazine, Filling Station, Word, Event, Matrix, sub-Terrain, and Opium.

JON PAUL FIORENTINO is the author of four books of poetry including Hello Serotonin and The Theory of the Loser Class, and one book of comedic fiction, Asthmatica. He lives in Montreal where he teaches writing at Concordia University and is the editor-in-chief of Matrix magazine. Stripmalling is his debut novel.

EVAN MUNDAY can be identified by his penchant for wearing neckties in social situations that do not call for them. He is also the Publicist at Coach House Books. Munday writes and illustrates the obscure comic book, The Amazing Challengers of Unknown Mystery. His illustrations have appeared in such publications as Broken Pencil Magazine.

ZOE WHITTALL is a widely respected poet, novelist and performer. Her bestselling debut novel Bottle Rocket Hearts was on the Globe & Mail’s “Best Of Year “list. Whittall won the Dayne Ogilvie Award for Best Emerging Gay Writer in Canada, and was selected by NOW Magazine as emerging author of the year. Her poetry books include Precordial Thump.

MEDIA CONTACTS
Jon Paul Fiorentino, Evan Munday, Zoe Whittall: Sarah Dunn, sarah@ecwpress.com, (416) 694-3348
This Is Not A Reading Series: Chris Reed, tinars@pagesbooks.ca, (416) 598-1447