By Chris M. Barkley:
“Oh what is stronger than a death? Two sisters singing with one breath.”
— From The River Has Roots
On Friday March 7th, Joseph Beth Booksellers hosted the multiple award winning Canadian author Amal El-Mohtar at their Cincinnati, Ohio location to an audience of more than 50 people.
The stop in Ohio was the fourth of five stops on an abbreviated tour of North America for Ms. El-Mohtar in support of the solo debut of her new fantasy novel, The River Has Roots (Tordotcom, 144 pages, $24.99).
Ms. El-Mohtar, who currently resides in Ottawa, remarked that she encountered remarkable good weather at her previous stops (in Brooklyn, New York, Portland, Maine and Chapel Hill, North Carolina).
That is, until she landed in Cincinnati, which was overcast for a majority of the day with a high of 48°F. But, she said, that the weather here was absolutely fine with her considering that when she left Ottawa it was -10°F…
Among the other things Ms. El-Mohtar imparted about her latest work that it was partially inspired by an old Appalachian murder ballad, an ambition to combine magical and musical elements together in a fantasy setting and, most importantly, her relationship with her younger sister, who is a very proficient musician in her own right.
Ms. El-Mohtar also was very enthusiastic about the audio version of the book, which features music performed by her and her sister Dounya El-Mohtar and singing by audio narrator Gem Carmella as well. Several audience members were observed listening to the audio version as they were waiting in line to have their books signed.
Kentucky sff author Gwenda Bond was scheduled to host the signing but was unavailable at the last moment. Joseph Beth bookseller Mike Yetter stepped in as the host and whose voice you will hear in the interview and question and answer session.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW ON SOUNDCLOUD.
- Amal El-Mohtar interview Audio File: 1 hour and 3 minutes.
UNCORRECTED AI TRANSCRIPT.
All photos by Chris M. Barkley
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And here’s a pro tip for all of you out there who might be recording events on your cell phone; be sure to completely turn off the wi-fi AND notifications before you start, otherwise they may startle the hell out of the folks you’re recording…
Chris B.
If it hadn’t been on a Friday and if I’d known about it ahead of time, I might have been able to make it. Oh, well.