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Tara McGuire

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15 Questions

15 Questions

This is a found poem, made mostly from the delightful language of 15 year old people on a summer getaway. It makes me happy to think of these creatures and what their lives might become.…

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  • by Tara McGuire
  • Posted on January 4, 2019May 14, 2020
  • 5 Comments on 15 Questions
25

25

Today is Holden’s twenty-fifth birthday. There is cold potato where my heart should me, my throat has forgotten how to swallow, and once again my brain cannot make sense of this. There should be balloons,…

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  • by Tara McGuire
  • Posted on July 19, 2018May 5, 2021
  • 14 Comments on 25
Three Years

Three Years

Canada Day long weekend is a rough one for me, for our family. There is a building heaviness like the whump of low pressure before a storm. The rain and mercury sky make perfect sense. …

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  • by Tara McGuire
  • Posted on June 29, 2018May 14, 2020
  • 3 Comments on Three Years
My Tweets

taramcguire

As a new writer, asking accomplished authors to bl As a new writer, asking accomplished authors to blurb my book, was a very uncomfortable and intimidating exercise (No, the publisher does not do this for you). I decided, What the hell, the worst thing that can happen is they say no. But the worst did not happen. Astonishing, award-winning, generous writers whom I have admired for years said, Yes! 

*(I mean, not all of them, some were busy)
. . . . .
I am eternally grateful to
@joannarakoff 
@lawrencehillwriter 
@alixohlin 
@jannarden 
who all took time and attention from their busy creative lives and families to read my thick sad book, take it seriously, and support this work. 

. . . . .

And now that I have been asked to comment on other writers’ work, I realize what a big (t)ask and privilege it is. ❤️

. . . . .

From Joanna Rakoff, My Salinger Year:

“HOLDEN, AFTER AND BEFORE, I will not lie, is a brutal book. Tara McGuire, a Canadian radio broadcaster, begins with her son’s death from an opioid overdose, then goes back in time, sifting through his life—their life together–attempting to understand where things went wrong. I had to read this one in small doses, putting it down and taking deep breaths, but it’s a story that hit very close to home for me, so…A powerful, searching tale that investigates, ultimately, what it means to be a mother. Also praised by: A favourite fiction writer of mine, Alix Ohlin.”
Seeing HOLDEN in the same frame as these incredibl Seeing HOLDEN in the same frame as these incredible books and writers I admire so much (in The Walrus! Recommended by Ivan freaking Coyote!!!) made my heart jump and vibrate. I mean, look at them!! ❤️ 

I’ve been speaking a lot lately about the overdose crisis, which honestly has been really tough, but to be recognized as a writer is very important to me.  It’s a good day. 

Thank you!! @ivancoyote @thewalrus @arsenalpulp 

• • • • •

The best way for me to gauge how I feel about a book is to count up how many lines from it I jotted down on the pad of paper I keep next to my bed to read back to myself later. How many lines from the book I carried with me after, kicking them around behind my eyelids when I closed them. How many lines I read back to myself, over and over, until they morphed into memories, into keepsakes, like a lucky coin you slip into that little pocket in your jeans that sits under your right hip. I’ve been packing lines from Holden After and Before with me for three weeks now—and counting. Documenting the beautiful life and tragic opioid overdose of her son, a twenty-one-year-old graffiti artist, Tara McGuire uses fiction, supposition, and speculation to sculpt a loving memory of an artist, an addict, a boyfriend, a friend, and a son. This book will haunt you in the very best and most terrible of ways.

—Ivan Coyote
For Holden, and Tristan, and the thousands and tho For Holden, and Tristan, and the thousands and thousands of other families feeling the absences of their special people so deeply today and every day. May their light always shine. 

#candlelightingday2022 🌎
Officially a @ubccreativewriting MFA graduate. Two Officially a @ubccreativewriting MFA graduate. Two-and-half-years later, but still a pretty sweet day. These two have been there every step of the way. ❤️❤️

I loved my time in the @ubccreativewriting program. I learned more than I could ever have imagined from the brilliant and generous faculty, and made some very good friends. My life has been changed by this experience.  I am endlessly grateful.
This is my agent ❤️ @marilynbidermanlitagent @ This is my agent ❤️ @marilynbidermanlitagent @transatlantic_agency and me at last night’s Toronto launch. 
Marilyn worked very hard to find the perfect publisher for Holden After & Before with @arsenalpulp. 
❤️
The journey of being a first time writer is a tough one, and this work in particular is very vulnerable. We couldn’t have found a more supportive and caring home for this book.
❤️ 
Thanks to Flying Books for hosting our little soirée @flyingbooks_to
What a beautiful bookstore!! My gratitude to Martha & Sabrina and everyone who generously came to listen!! Especially those who have also lost, or are worried about, loved ones, and shared their stories with me. Thank you for telling me that reading about Holden has helped you feel seen and understood.
❤️
Big appreciation to Missy McLean from @momsstoptheharm who  guided the perfect conversation. 😘😘 See you tonight in Cobourg!!
📷 @melgaardwrites
Thank you to the whole team @thesocialctv for havi Thank you to the whole team @thesocialctv for having me on today to talk about Holden After & Before. 📕 
Your thoughtful conversation makes a big  difference!! 
What fun to meet the kind and beautiful @melissagrelo @cynthialoyst @laineygossip @jessie_rae57 🌽 😂 and thanks for the quick hug & visit @marilyndenis 😘
Sometime in the late 80s when I was first starting Sometime in the late 80s when I was first starting in radio, I had the pleasure of working as a morning show producer for Terry David Mulligan. He was warm and funny, demanding and endlessly creative. He was also a very big deal at the time as Much Music was all anybody watched. I learned so much from him about passion for music, family & the hustle of working in media. Recently, Terry invited me on his Mulligan Stew Podcast. He definitely cried more than I did. ❤️

Audio & video at Link in bio.
Hello Toronto people! I will be Ontario-launching Hello Toronto people!
I will be Ontario-launching Holden After and Before  @flyingbooks_to on Tuesday November 8. 
Would love to see you there! 
Please share with your YYZ friends and readers. 
Thank you!!
What a week!! 📚❤️ Taking a slow morning to What a week!! 📚❤️ Taking a slow morning to listen to the rain and process this year’s @vancouverwritersfest. It was an incredible thrill to meet so many accomplished writers, and be welcomed with my first book. What a privilege to hear authors I have admired for so long and discover new ones I’m excited to read (the bedside book stack is problematic!) 

Thinking about the insightful questions and thought-provoking conversations both on and off the stages. I am inspired all over again by the universality and compassion that is possible by simply arranging words on pages. Biggest thank you @hurtigleslie, Sarah Wang, and your brilliant team including the flocks of kind volunteers. 

To new & old friends, THANK YOU!! 📚📚📚 See you in seven years! 🤣
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Recent Posts

  • Words Can Lead the Way…
  • Holden After and Before
  • Celebrating Holden Through Art
  • I Want To Tell You How This Feels
  • All the Greens
  • On Living in Captivity

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Tara McGuire
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