A RECIPE FOR DISASTER & OTHER UNLIKELY TALES OF LOVE
RUNNER UP FOR THE 2013 DANUTA GLEED LITERARY AWARD & WINNER OF THE F.G. BRESSANI PRIZE for SHORT FICTION
Funny, tender and poignant, A Recipe for Disaster is populated by quirky characters who blend desire, imperfect love and comfort food into the sweet and salty mix of daily life while they yearn for the sustenance of human connection. A bemused child witnesses her mother flirt with a police officer responding to a domestic dispute call. A young woman mourns the end of a relationship, recalling the potently toxic recipe that created the disastrous union. A son struggles to accept his father’s emotional frailties and reject his passive approach to loss. A couple finally commits–to breaking up. A recently divorced woman meditates on the source of her ravenous cravings. A woman decides to end the prolonged vow of silence she took with her devout, hyper-critical mother. Six skilful and witty stories that will engage your heart.
JURY COMMENTS: Eufemia Fantetti’s slim volume of stories, A Recipe for Disaster, is more of a treat than a snack for literary foodies who like their stories fun, brisk, and effortless. The theme of food is sustained without dominating the stories; it functions like a recurring secondary character or a soundtrack. Fantetti’s storytelling is both supple and disciplined as if she were whisking plots and characters together until the reader can hardly distinguish whether characters are acting or being acted upon. True to life, that’s how disasters work.
Funny, tender and poignant, A Recipe for Disaster is populated by quirky characters who blend desire, imperfect love and comfort food into the sweet and salty mix of daily life while they yearn for the sustenance of human connection. A bemused child witnesses her mother flirt with a police officer responding to a domestic dispute call. A young woman mourns the end of a relationship, recalling the potently toxic recipe that created the disastrous union. A son struggles to accept his father’s emotional frailties and reject his passive approach to loss. A couple finally commits–to breaking up. A recently divorced woman meditates on the source of her ravenous cravings. A woman decides to end the prolonged vow of silence she took with her devout, hyper-critical mother. Six skilful and witty stories that will engage your heart.
JURY COMMENTS: Eufemia Fantetti’s slim volume of stories, A Recipe for Disaster, is more of a treat than a snack for literary foodies who like their stories fun, brisk, and effortless. The theme of food is sustained without dominating the stories; it functions like a recurring secondary character or a soundtrack. Fantetti’s storytelling is both supple and disciplined as if she were whisking plots and characters together until the reader can hardly distinguish whether characters are acting or being acted upon. True to life, that’s how disasters work.
PRAISE FOR A RECIPE FOR DISASTER
"A Recipe for Disaster is a delicious treat. With her fresh, intelligent voice and lush prose, Eufemia Fantetti serves up stories that are
at once achingly familiar and laugh-out-loud funny.”
-Ayelet Tsabari,The Best Place on Earth
"A delicious blend of dark humour and edgy insight, Fantetti's stories zero in on the emotional precipices of intimate relationships--mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, couples coming together or falling part. Fantetti has an unflinching eye and irreverent wit that exposes the surreal in the real, as well as a gift for finely honed dialogue that slices right through to the core of family dysfunction. Food becomes an expression not only of love, but of longing, resentment, despair and, ultimately, truth. A memorable debut collection."
- Fiona Tinwei Lam, Intimate Distances, Enter the Chrysanthemum
"In Eufemia Fantetti’s A Recipe for Disaster and Other Unlikely Tales of Love, the humour always arrives by way of characters and relationships that evince a dark and essentially human agony—and, vice versa, the moments of anguish nevertheless have something funny at their edges. Like the sour you crave with the sweet of the sauce, and the pain you love in the heat of the spice, Fantetti’s truths will nourish you with their magnificent mix of contradictions. Whether or not you say grace first, read this book and give thanks for the arrival of this brilliant new literary voice."
- Wayde Compton, Performance Bond,
at once achingly familiar and laugh-out-loud funny.”
-Ayelet Tsabari,The Best Place on Earth
"A delicious blend of dark humour and edgy insight, Fantetti's stories zero in on the emotional precipices of intimate relationships--mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, couples coming together or falling part. Fantetti has an unflinching eye and irreverent wit that exposes the surreal in the real, as well as a gift for finely honed dialogue that slices right through to the core of family dysfunction. Food becomes an expression not only of love, but of longing, resentment, despair and, ultimately, truth. A memorable debut collection."
- Fiona Tinwei Lam, Intimate Distances, Enter the Chrysanthemum
"In Eufemia Fantetti’s A Recipe for Disaster and Other Unlikely Tales of Love, the humour always arrives by way of characters and relationships that evince a dark and essentially human agony—and, vice versa, the moments of anguish nevertheless have something funny at their edges. Like the sour you crave with the sweet of the sauce, and the pain you love in the heat of the spice, Fantetti’s truths will nourish you with their magnificent mix of contradictions. Whether or not you say grace first, read this book and give thanks for the arrival of this brilliant new literary voice."
- Wayde Compton, Performance Bond,
REVIEWS OF A RECIPE FOR DISASTER & OTHER UNLIKELY TALES OF LOVE
An interview on ItaloCanadese by Domenico Capilongo, author of I thought elvis was Italian, hands down my favourite title and also something I believed as a child.
A review in The Overcast as part of CanLit Fridays by the multi-talented, clearly-doesn't-need-any-sleep Chad Pelley.
An interview in The Humber Literary Review. Check out Beverly Cooper too. She was my playwriting classmate and is now a dear friend. Better yet, check it all out. It's a great new literary magazine.
A review from the Descant Magazine blog by Lesley Kenny, a writer and supremely witty woman. I was in the middle of an ESL Literacy lesson plan meltdown when this review was posted and it made my month.
A review alongside Eat It: Sex Food & Women's Writing on Pickle Me This, Kerry Clare's fabulous blog (where she writes oodles about books.) Lovely to find myself here, in delicious company!
A shout out from Ayelet Tsabari (where she also mentions the Next Wonderful Writer You Should Follow - Nancy Jo Cullen - her story collection, Canary, is deservedly getting rave reviews) and a mention by Kathy Friedman in The New Quarterly!
An interview about writing A Recipe for Disaster and the meaning of life, the intimidating world of gluten free and missing Vancouver (for all the small reasons - the ocean, the mountains, and the big ones - the people) with the tireless book promoter Joseph Planta on his site The Commentary. He calmed my nerves beforehand and is simply excellent to talk with, we kept talking after we were done. Thank you, Joseph!
A review in The Vancouver Sun (also in The Edmonton Journal) by the marvellous M.A.C. Farrant, whose writing I have long admired. I loved My Turquoise Years, (a memoir) and The Secret Lives of Litterbugs (an essay collection). I woke up as if it was an ordinary day and after checking my email, I felt the need to put on a tiara and dance around my apartment. A frantic search ensued to borrow a tiara, a ball gown and a cup of Champagne. This is what comes of hanging out with writers instead of royals, no one has any crown jewels or formal frocks to lend out, but my stars, they are the best company.
A review in The Overcast as part of CanLit Fridays by the multi-talented, clearly-doesn't-need-any-sleep Chad Pelley.
An interview in The Humber Literary Review. Check out Beverly Cooper too. She was my playwriting classmate and is now a dear friend. Better yet, check it all out. It's a great new literary magazine.
A review from the Descant Magazine blog by Lesley Kenny, a writer and supremely witty woman. I was in the middle of an ESL Literacy lesson plan meltdown when this review was posted and it made my month.
A review alongside Eat It: Sex Food & Women's Writing on Pickle Me This, Kerry Clare's fabulous blog (where she writes oodles about books.) Lovely to find myself here, in delicious company!
A shout out from Ayelet Tsabari (where she also mentions the Next Wonderful Writer You Should Follow - Nancy Jo Cullen - her story collection, Canary, is deservedly getting rave reviews) and a mention by Kathy Friedman in The New Quarterly!
An interview about writing A Recipe for Disaster and the meaning of life, the intimidating world of gluten free and missing Vancouver (for all the small reasons - the ocean, the mountains, and the big ones - the people) with the tireless book promoter Joseph Planta on his site The Commentary. He calmed my nerves beforehand and is simply excellent to talk with, we kept talking after we were done. Thank you, Joseph!
A review in The Vancouver Sun (also in The Edmonton Journal) by the marvellous M.A.C. Farrant, whose writing I have long admired. I loved My Turquoise Years, (a memoir) and The Secret Lives of Litterbugs (an essay collection). I woke up as if it was an ordinary day and after checking my email, I felt the need to put on a tiara and dance around my apartment. A frantic search ensued to borrow a tiara, a ball gown and a cup of Champagne. This is what comes of hanging out with writers instead of royals, no one has any crown jewels or formal frocks to lend out, but my stars, they are the best company.
HOMETOWN BOOK LAUNCH -TORONTO
My father, Micheleantonio Fantetti, had to miss Jeopardy for the launch.
It looks like by this point he was getting tired of posing for photos, but he left feeling like a rock star.
Friends! Family! You couldn't ask for a better crowd.
In the foreground are my TESL classmates - inspiring and fabulous people.
Ayelet Tsabari, brilliant writer, amazing emcee, excellent photographer, inspiring writing teacher AND chef extraordinaire (she made the Apple crisp for the event.) Did I mention she has a baby? She also manages to look great on severely limited sleep. Buy her book, The Best Place on Earth, and know happiness - I'm not just saying so because I have loved her writing from the day we met in a workshop - she's been named one of CBC's Writers to Watch, no surprise to her many fans.
That's my Italian hand, talking in the left corner of this photo. It appears to be saying, "Introducing the fabulous Kathy Friedman," though she needs no introduction. You can find out more about her writing through her website. I can't wait for the debut of her story collection!
The brilliant Becky Blake also read at the Recipe for Disaster launch.
Here she is taking it easy before she goes back to her writing desk to wow us again. In the not-so-distant future, we'll be celebrating the release of her first novel.
Beverly Cooper (GG nominated playwright & superb bookseller) and Naoko Kumagai (another wonderful writer we'll be lining up to buy books from - I am on pens and needle-sharp quills waiting for the publication of her story collection!) Just a few more of the remarkable folks I found in the University of Guelph's MFA in Creative Writing.
This is the money shot. The cupcakes had espresso icing. That's right. Over to the side you can see amazing gluten free Apple crisp and Zucchini bread mini muffins. Tiger butter and chocolates were also scattered around.
Desserts were made by Ayelet Tsabari, Sean Brereton, Debra Friedman and Jill Margo. I was in Sugar Heaven.
I like to call this photo "I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Writing Groupie" - we'll recreate this shot at Kathy & Becky's book launches, and possibly do a cover of The Ramones "I Wanna Be Sedated" or The Clash's "Rock the Casbah"...No one's confirmed my song selections as yet, but I've got high apple pie in the sky hopes.
It's quite possible the song the band will cover is Tequila! by The Champs, because I know all the lyrics to that one. It's also in my vocal range.
GO WEST BOOK LAUNCH - VICTORIA & VANCOUVER
The short version: I grew up in Etobicoke, and took Iron Maiden's advice to run to the hills (The Rockies). Mother Tongue Publishing is located on Salt Spring Island, BC. British Columbia is the first place I called home. I miss the small things, like the ocean and the mountains. I miss the big things, like the people. Here's a few photos from the November 2013 Double Debut Launch.
A Recipe for Disaster & Other Unlikely Tales of Love launched alongside Lucky, Kathryn Para's award-winning novel.
Me, Mona Fertig (the unstoppable force behind Mother Tongue Publishing) and Kathy Para. (As above, so below.)
That's the fabulous writer Fiona Lam, waiting for a signed copy! Find out more about her writing at her website. Go!
My ex-roommate, dancer and choreographer Caroline Liffmann (aka Bunny-C, or Carolina Liffmanna in Italian) came, even though she was experiencing a seasonal plague.
My friends Derek and Mary Rose hopped on a boat and came to the first launch in Victoria! They are the dynamic duo behind MRM Associates, picture research and copyright clearance specialists. Look 'em up. Derek's my honorary brother (the honor is mine) and Mary Rose, another dear soul, stepped up to produce My Own Private Etobicoke for the Fringe Festival many moons ago.
Amy & Cathy: friends + family = framily, think same root as the word fraternity, throw in females, and there you have it - excellent company.
Done like dinner! I was famished. Getting up and speaking in front of people, it's like climbing Kilimanjaro while standing still, amiright?
Best.celebratory.Chocolate.Martini.ever.
Central Branch of the VPL, I heart you.
The disc of the moon shines for all to see. - Buddha