Book Description

A major collection of superb "flash fiction" writing by one of Canada's best authors. Ken Rivard has published two collections of poetry and eight collections of fiction during his literary career. "CanalWatch is a collection of flash fiction written over numerous visits to Ohau, the man made waterway in Honolulu which serves as the dividing line of Waikiki on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Each story is based on the passing image of a particular person, place, event, object or overheard conversation (whether real or imagined ) in or around the La Wai Canal. Readers are invited to sit in the brief story moment of each flash fiction peice. Most times each narrative turns back on itself with the first line of this story also becoming the last line, resulting in a kind of story portrait...Occasionally, readers may be asked to suspend their disbelief. Other times, the point in time being described may appear to be too real to be untrue. Often, a particular idea or image simply asks "what if?" Then the story takes off and brings the readers along for the ride. Enjoy the "what if's" and the "not so what if's." - Ken Rivard, from the IntroductionCritical Acclaim for Ken Rivard"Rivard's writing is honest, refreshing, startling, imaginative and gets the reader emotionally involved..." - W.P. Kinsella"A master of imagery...once again Rivard treats these personal subjects with humanity." - Wendy RaJalka, Calgary Herald"Amazing collection...Such thought-provoking portraits ...render the reader party to intense moments in private life..." - Virginia Gilllham, Canadian Book Review Annual"The most impressive of Rivard's work is its tendency towards a surrealistic, dream-like quality." - Bob Attridge, Newest Review."I was born and raised on a working-class Montreal street inhabited more by rats than people. We were surrounded by fields, factories, railroad tracks and trains where, as