Humber School for Writers Grad, Margaret Lindsay Holton

    

   Delighted to be profiled in Humber Alumni News! 

For the FULL INTERVIEW  -  that includes a timely digression on the designing and making of 'The Four Canadian Fireside Chairs' as seen below - 

The article also mentions a few of the book projects I've done over the years ...  Note, links wont work on the screengrab below. - If looking for my most recent title, TRILLIUM, go to Amazon:  https://amzn.to/2q0iEeL /  - Older commercial titles can be found via my Amazon author page. Other MLH art & poetry book projects can be found HERE.
 

Finally, minor point, it is not clear in the article that I was a 'Graduate' student at the Humber School for Writers. I had already finished my Bachelor of Arts years before at the University of Toronto. I was most fortunate to receive the President's Scholarship to understudy in the 'Graduate Creative Writing Program' with 2x Giller prize winner, M.G.Vassanji.

Noteworthy nugget for die-hard Canadian literary historians - I still have all his notes!  

Beach Reads: PARADISE - with pinhole by M.L.Holton

ISBN: 978-9970853-8-9

Thrilled to be included in the third anthology of the Beach Reads series, PARADISE, published by the Third Street Writers based in Laguna Beach, California. (Released early May, 2019.)

When musing on what paradise is and isn't, I realized that Family and Nature are probably the two most defining components of any given life.

Both spheres 'shape' our home lives on this planet. These spheres can manifest as either a living hell filled with strife and acrimony OR they can invite and welcome us to safe places filled with abundance. (For most, it's generally a topsy-turvy mix of both!)

The visual I selected to synthesis these two spheres was an award-winning pinhole paper-photograph that I did some time ago, called Granny's Lounger. To my mind, this image encapsulates the best of both: generational human care-taking and the complex bounty of the natural world.

Granny's Lounger is faithfully reproduced in this delightful volume opposite a charming poem, 'Latched', by Ellen Girardeau Kempler. Ellen's tender poem also honours the often unseen - but never forgotten - natural forces that shape us daily.

If looking for a thought-provoking summer read, pick up this well-assembled anthology.

Double page spread from PARADISE supplied by Third Street Writers - Copyright Third Street Writers

  

Margaret Lindsay Holton - Artist & Author of TRILLIUM

Happy to share this recent on-line interview with IdeaMensch about my arts practice:

 how I do what I do and why I do it. Candid and straight-forward, I tell it like it is ... 

Excerpts follow: 

Margaret Lindsay Holton is a senior Canadian artist and an award-winning fiction author from the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, Canada. She has recently released her third novel, TRILLIUM. Appointed an ‘Alumni of Influence' by University College at the University of Toronto in 2018, she is also an out-spoken activist. Lindsay readily stands up to protect further industrial degradation of our shared environment. She writes – “We must be Nature’s Caretakers, not just Nature’s Takers.” Lindsay maintains her vibrant arts studio on the Hamilton Beach strip on the shores of Lake Ontario.

 

Where did the idea for your company come from?

I knew, very early on, before leaving University, that I wanted my own arts-based business. MLH Productions represents my name (MLH) and what I do (produce creative works.) Acorn Press Canada happened a decade later when I noticed that the Canadian publishing industry was being swallowed up and re-jigged by American and global concerns. I was adamant that I wanted my ‘world view’ expressed as a ‘Canadian’ not as an American or as a globalist. My mantra for that venture: ‘From little acorns mighty oaks grow.’ ...

 

What advice would you give your younger self?

Take better physical care of my Self. Our bodies are amazing ‘tools’ and ‘temples’. When we abuse ourselves, through drugs or alcohol or physical injury, we throw away the incredible possibilities that this ‘vessel’ has given each and every one of us. I was rather rough on my ‘younger’ self. Luckily, the body has amazing restorative powers too. We can and should take better care of our physical selves.

 

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Much of what passes for art these days is crap. Just because someone is ‘creative’ and can shape colourful clay balls into blobby figurines does not make them an ‘artist’. Being an artist demands much more then a boozy weekend paint party or a year or two of production. Being an artist is an ‘all or nothing’ kind of endeavor. Meaning, my Life is that of a full-time Artist. It’s what I’ve done and will continue to do until I’m dead. Poseurs and amateurs may grab at the ring. They may even become ‘influencers’ or revered social tarts. But a genuine artist seldom seeks fame, glamour or monetary gain. Those aren’t the real challenges. The very real and very serious challenge is the daily improvement of one’s abilities. Get better at what you are compelled to do every day. That’s it.

 

As an artspreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Sleep. Seriously, good sleep can make or break your productive day. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and get up early. Set the routine, establish it as a habit, then follow it religiously. Periodic glitches are allowable, but I guarantee, you’ll want the benefits of a good nights rest again before too long.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Every person in the business of business should watch Kate Raworth’s TED TALK on a sustainable economy … Take it from there. ...

 

What is your favorite quote?

Helen Keller was prone to saying remarkable things. I particularly like this quotable quote: “Toleration is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle.”

TRILLIUM by MLHolton now on AMAZON 

as Ebook or Trade Paperback.

The Act & Art of Writing - SPEECH - M.L.Holton, March, 2019

'THE ACT & ART OF WRITING' by M.L.Holton  
Pre-Recorded on Soundcloud
 WAAH 'Speaker's Series', Art Gallery of Hamilton, March, 2019 

New novel, TRILLIUM, e-book or paperback, on AMAZON.CA 
 ('The Frozen Goose', written, produced & directed, by MLHolton)

 Now available too, on Speakola, 
an eclectic collection of speeches throughout the ages.
One of my favourites, under the Arts/Culture banner, 
is a timely speech by UrsulaLeGuin ... 

Join Canadian Artist & Author, Margaret Lindsay Holton, for Lecture on 'The Act & Art of Writing' & BOOK LAUNCH of her new novel, TRILLIUM, at the Art Gallery of Hamilton

Book Cover  - TRILLIUM by M.L.Holton

' The Act & Art of Writing '

- With Special Guest, M.L.Holton

 (Part of the WAAH SPEAKER'S SERIES)

Award-winning Canadian author and artist, Margaret Lindsay Holton, is releasing her third novel - TRILLIUM. 

"Spanning a period of 250 years, three distinctly different young men arrive and strive within the burgeoning wine-making region of Niagara. Now available in e-book or paperback, this explosive generational family saga explores a number of on-going issues: land ownership, the often hidden origins of male toxicity, the development of female empowerment and the very real impact of cold hard cash."

Find out more about her epic new work  - TRILLIUM  - via the Facebook fanpage or follow along on Twitter - (hashtag: #landlustloot)

Join Margaret Lindsay Holton for an engaging lecture on 'The Act & Art of Writing'. Afterwards, enjoy a  FREE Screening of the critically acclaimed 25 minute WW1 Canadian film -  The Frozen Goose - written, directed and  produced by her in 2016.

M.L.Holton  is delighted to be an Invited Speaker in the popular 'Speakers Series' hosted by the Womens' Art Association of Hamilton. A book signing will occur at the end of this unique BOOK LAUNCH Event.

Art Gallery of Hamilton

123 King Street - Downtown Hamilton 

 Thursday - March 21st, 1-3pm

Price:  Non-members - $5 at the door. 

 (Please Note: Limited Seating / First Come, First Served)

Location Shot for The Frozen Goose, (2015) by M.L.Holton

UPDATE: Wednesday, March 20th, 2019 -

It is with deep regret, due to circumstances beyond my control, that I must announce that the TRILLIUM book launch at the Art Gallery of Hamilton has been CANCELLED.**

My intended lecture about 'The Act & Art of Writing' can be found here > https://soundcloud.com/canadada/the-act-art-of-writing-by-mlholton/s-d2kGp

TRILLIUM, my third novel, released in January 2019 in e-book or paperback, can be found on Amazon.CA >https://amzn.to/2q0iEeL 

Alternate e-book formats - (Kobo, Indigo, Apple etc) - are here:  https://books2read.com/TRILLIUM

(The FROZEN GOOSE film & trailer, referenced in the lecture, can be seen here > https://thefrozengoose.vhx.tv/)

Margaret Lindsay Holton

Golden Horseshoe Artist & Author

'A View from the Easel' - MLHolton Lakeside Studio

Posted on Hyperallergic, January 18th, 2019

Lakeside Studio (2004-2012) of MLHolton, Lake Ontario, Great Lakes, Canada

NEVER SAY NEVER! --- Today, I received a most charming note from Deena at HYPERALLERGIC (a popular on-line art culture website) saying that my studio photo submission, from over FOUR YEARS ago, had just been published in their 'A View from the Easel' feature. She quaintly apologized for the long delay ...  

Better LATE, then NEVER, I say! --- It doesn't really matter that I am no longer at that wonderful location. I am not far away from there though and I still am on this wonderful body of water.

The lake is such a daily reminder of what is truly GREATER. ... Our amazing planet twirls, spins and wobbles, flying through space. The lake rises and falls to the tug of the rotating moon. Even with our limited scientific knowledge, it all remains most magical, mystical and mysterious.

Take a look at the other studios in the article. Deena made solid editing choices. I am very happy to be included  ...  Hyperallergic, January 19th, 2019.   

I am now offering this print for sale on Fine Art America - Have a gander! 

Another Great Book Review for TRILLIUM by M.L.Holton

Reviewer writes: "I cannot recommend this book enough!" 

Yes! Thrilled by another excellent '4 out of 5 star review' for TRILLIUM. Set in the beautiful Niagara peninsula over a timeframe of 250 years from 1750s to 2000s, three very distinct families make a go of it.

The e-book of TRILLIUM is now available on Amazon.CA or on Books2Read (for alternate e-book formats). NB: US exchange rate in effect for US-based purchases.

Also, happy to report that the 'Artist 1st Edition' is no longer available. Updated print editions can be found on Amazon as a trade paperback, with 340 pages and the same cover design.

Finally, very pleased to be reviewed by fellow readers on GOODREADS! 

 I'm also working on an author's page over there, so please be sure to connect and/or follow along!

On & UP!

New Growth - IPad Sketch by MLHolton

New Growth - iPad sketch by Canadian artist, MLHolton

Year-end mucking around ... There are several art apps available for ipad users that make this kind of finger-swiping doodling fun. This one is mostly an exploratory exercise that made it very quick to think about colours & forms, in contrast and in compliment. It's very easy to get into the 'groove' to just ipad doodle, to just play with it, and goof around. :) - Happy New Year. mlh