Short Stories from a Member of Bruce Peninsula

It strikes us as odd sometimes that the Canadian music scene and the Canadian lit scene don't have more to do with each other. There are a few notable examples, of course, of people and projects with one foot solidly in both worlds: Leonard Cohen, Dave Bidini, Whale Music. But there still doesn't seem to be as much crossover as we'd have guessed; the people who show up to great shows aren't always the same people who show up to great readings. So we were particularly intrigued to hear that Misha Bower — whose band, Bruce Peninsula, was deservingly long listed for the 2009 Polaris Prize — is publishing a book of short stories called Music for Uninvited Guests.

And we're even more intrigued now that we've read the first story: a brief, mysterious tale about postcard pin-ups with an ambiguous ending that hints at profound and unnerving truths. Which is just the kind of Canadian lit we can get behind.

There's a trailer for the book, which we'll post below. And you can buy it through Bower's website here, which will also get you a free mixtape, including songs from Bruce Peninsula, Timber Timbre and The Weather Station among others. The book's launch party will be at The Great Hall on West Queen West on Thursday, October 11, with performances by Doug Paisley, Simone Schmidt and members of Bruce Peninsula.