Great wine takes time. So does great writing. Put these worlds together and you get an amazing new anthology, A Literary Harvest: Canadian Writing About Wine and Other Libations. Years in the making, this anthology includes exciting writing from 42 Canadian writers who explore the making, drinking, and symbolism of this age-old beverage. Just like a sommelier choosing a perfect pairing, take time to pour over this wonderful anthology and enjoy every last drop.
What made you interested in publishing an anthology about wine?
Canton: About ten years ago, I went to the international interdisciplinary conference, “Landscapes of Wine in Literature and Cinema,” in Grumello del Monte, in Northern Italy. I was invited to write a story set in a vineyard and to give a keynote address on wine and Canadian writing. The weekend before the conference, I stayed in a pensione in Trento to write “Refuge in the Vineyard,” which appears in A Literary Harvest. I wrote the keynote in English, since I was looking at wine and literature in Canada, but when I got to the conference, I realized that everyone except one other speaker was Italian. I self-translated on the spot, which provoked a lot of anxiety, but it all worked out. The Italian version of the essay, “Il Sapore canadese: dal vigneto al paesaggio letterario,” was published in the volume I paesaggi del vino: immagini e rappresentazioni, edited by Maria Pia Arpioni and Francesco Della Costa. During the research that led to the paper, I realized that there was not much on wine and literature in Canada. I was inspired to rectify that by putting together A Literary Harvest.
What has been the most challenging part of putting this anthology all together?
Canton: It has taken a really long time, about eight years, to get this volume published. Contributors came and went, editors came and went. The challenging part was not knowing whether the project would ever get to the printer and to the bookstore. I am thrilled that the volume was presented in May at Montreal’s Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival and at Toronto’s Librissimi Italian Book Festival; and in June, at the University of Bologna, as part of the Canadian Association for Italian Studies conference, and at AccentiFest in Charlottetown.
What do you hope this anthology will bring to readers and writers?
Canton: A Literary Harvest includes unique literary voices in different genres (fiction, memoir, poetry), which deal with happy and fun times as well as difficult moments. I hope that readers will identify with some of the texts. Perhaps they’ll have memories of making wine with a grandparent, or they’ll be inspired to learn how to make wine. It takes time, energy and diligence to make good wine and that is equally true of writing a publishable text. Both processes are slow, time-consuming artforms as Carmine Starnino explains in his poem “The Winepress,” when he juxtaposes wine and words, the winepress and the printing press. In many stories in this volume, the drinking occurs not just within the texts, but also beyond it. I am inspired by the writing of the 42 authors included in the anthology. And I am pleased to introduce new and emerging writers alongside award-winning authors and poet laureates. Their texts and drinking voices form a potable Canadian literature. I know that readers will fall in love with some of the writing. I hope that they will begin to follow the new writers. The 42 writers and their works give us new understandings and diverse perspectives about the lived experiences of people – for better or worse.
Why did you agree to work on this anthology?
Cusmano: I joined the project in Summer of 2022, while I was still a student at McGill University. I had already worked as an editorial assistant (on the Here & Now volumes) with Longbridge Books. At that point in my studies, I was looking for a non-university project. I had been hearing about a “wine anthology” in the works for some time and, when I joined, there was quite a lot of work to be done on the editing and planning front. I looked forward to completing a project that involved such a variety of literary connections to wine and alcohol. Ultimately, it took two and a half years to get it done. Throughout the process I enjoyed reading different kinds of writing and remained committed to the idea of seeing it through, much like a winemaker remains committed to the months-long process.
What was the most fun part of selecting each of the pieces for the book?
Cusmano: We received a lot of very good quality submissions, and some that had to be refined. It was enjoyable to work in tandem with the authors to get a piece just right. Reading some of these pieces for the first time spoke to the potential that we had to craft something well-rounded and well-written. The initial call for submissions went out in 2016, but we took in entries up until 2024. That was also exciting, because these eleventh-hour submissions generated an excitement that propelled me and my co-editors over the finish line. But equally fun is the process of working with contributors, whether they submitted in 2016 or 2024. What makes an anthology especially interesting is that it involves the work and perspectives of dozens of people. By profession, the editor must meet people where they are. An editor cannot be too acquiescent to authors’ demands, but one also can’t be a dictator who arbitrarily changes people’s stories. A good editor has to meet writers where they stand and enhance their stories on their terms, and not just transform them into whatever he thinks the writing should sound like. Many of the entries in A Literary Harvest involve different genres and writing styles, and what’s ultimately most fulfilling as an editor is being able to perfect the contributor’s vision of an excellent short story or an excellent essay and help get it out there.
What were your first thoughts about working on this anthology?
De Gasperi: Those who know me say that I am a very enthusiastic individual, and I get very excited about new ideas and potential projects to work on. In this case, the proposed anthology was a first of its kind and I immediately agreed to be on the editorial committee. I didn’t know one of the other editors at the beginning of the project, but I knew Licia and I always work really well with her and that was another plus that made me want to be part of this new adventure. When you sip a glass of wine, your experience is much more elevated if you share it with great company and I knew I was set for a wonderful project knowing Licia was part of it. Of course, the wine has to be good too, so the theme had to be appealing and, in this case, it certainly was; we were delving into a never-done-before publishing endeavour. It is true that wine and other alcoholic beverages are present in Canadian writing but before the publication of our anthology there wasn’t a single volume dedicated exclusively to such writing, bringing together different literary genres, and writing styles. I see this volume as a wine cellar containing different wines, some well-aged, some new, some in wooden barrels, others in fancy glass bottles, some are red, white, rosé, still, dry, sparkling…
Why is the anthology divided into sections with titles?
De Gasperi: Our anthology is quite substantial in terms of contributions. We wanted to make the reading experience engaging without feeling overwhelming and we decided to group the contributions by themes. Readers can jump from one section to another without missing out on the overall experience. The idea was to organize the contributions as if choosing a bottle of wine to share with friends and family: we first learn about the vine and its grapes, its life trajectory, how it was made and the journey it took to arrive on the shelf; and then how sharing a glass is part of our social fabric, either at the forefront or in the background of all sort of events. I think the range of the contributions provides an excellent overview and introduction to the act of drinking in Canadian literature.
Like any fine wine, once the bottle is done, we often head back into the cantina to see if there is another. Will there be a volume two of this anthology?
De Gasperi: Mai dire mai… never say never… I think a companion volume to this anthology would be a valuable addition to the project. Hopefully, the first volume is an inspiration to both established and emerging authors to explore further and/or differently the themes presented, with new materials being produced. Only time will tell.
There are a few literary groups, but many Italian Canadian writers are still ignored.