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Bassist Wendy Atkinson has performed with numerous groups and produced her own solo CD called Trim. She performed at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival with poet Bud Osborn and guitarist David Lester in 1998, in conjunction with Osborn's CD called Hundred Block Rock (it received national airplay and was made into a video that has been screened at a variety of video poem festivals around the world and was acquired by CBC's national TV show Zed). She is the co-author of I've Fallen in Love With You (Get to the Point Publishing) and author of A Back and Forth Story, which was exhibited around North America as part of the touring Bookmobile Project (Montreal/Philly). Her book Summer BBQ (2005) was also selected for inclusion in the Bookmobile Project.
She lives in Vancouver, Canada
REVIEWS:
"Her spare, atmospheric and often chilling movements owe more to the ominous ambience of godspeed you! black emperor or the droning dread of Labradford." - eye weekly
"...the stunning blanket of warm night that Atkinson creates with four strings and 4-tracks. Like Daniel Lanois's ethereal slide-guitar work, the bass is presented here with all its possible timbres and tones, sliding in and out of time, and weaving wonderful walls of bassy bassness." --Broken Pencil: magazine of zine culture and the independent arts
"...even more remarkable is that her tools of choice are electric, acoustic, and upright basses, instruments more generally featured in an accompanying role than up-front....She's at her best, though, when she composes by setting several different bass sounds against each other, as she does on "Somehow Dissolves,"; "Stumble,"; and "New Terrorism."; Plucking some notes while letting others swell up from silence, concocting thick, bowed drones and slow-moving fuzz-toned atmospheres, deploying radio static and seasick glissandos, she takes us places no chops monster could ever access - and although dark, the ride is fascinating." -- Georgia Straight, Vancouver's Entertainment Weekly
"It's become increasingly common in jazz and improv circles for bass players to go it alone, but unaccompanied solo albums by rock bassists still aren't very common. Vancouver-based Wendy Atkinson's Trim could give such projects a good name......Her melodies are quite song-like and remind me of the stark, simple constructions favored by post-punk like the Mekons, the Young Marble Giants an the Raincoats twenty-odd years ago."; --Signal to Noise Magazine
"Wendy Atkinson attacks, massages and creates low-end atmosphere on her new all-bass record, Trim. At times playful, mostly mournful but always moody, Atkinson's bass songs are strange, [and] pretty..." --Punk Planet
"Atkinson has the chops and you have to hand it to her for recording and mixing this on a 4-track." --Chart Magazine
Trim has consistently charted on college radio stations across Canada and been heard nationally on CBC's Brave New Waves.
"Your CD is great"; - Jeff Goad, pirate radio show (Brooklyn, NY)
"It has found a good home on our playlist"; - Luke, MD, CiTR (Vancouver, BC)
"I liked it so much I made it a top 5 add.";- Ed Blake, MD, CJSF (Vancouver, BC)
"I think it's a lovely record."; - Joel Calahan, MD, KSPC (Pomona, CA)
"We're quite enjoying your Trim album. Thanks for the art."; - Scott Stevens, MD, CFRC (Kingston, ON)
"Minimal and ambient, atmospheric and evocative. Reminds me of Vincent Gallo's soundtrack music in feel." - Murray Jason, Zookeeper Online KZSU (Standford, CA)
"We appreciate this type of music outside the mainstream, thanks again."; - Brandon, MD, KBOO (Portland, OR)
[BCBW 2004] "Music"
***
BC’s newest publisher
Interview (BCBW 2023)
Wendy Atkinson takes over Ronsdale Press after the passing of publisher Ron Hatch. An arts programmer and musician with a background in publishing, Atkinson shows what to do with an English degree.
BC BookWorld: After two decades in the performing arts, you are back in publishing. How does your new role as publisher relate to your previous work?
Wendy Atkinson: I worked most recently at the Chan Centre at UBC where I created and programmed a performance series called Beyond Words. That series explored the power of words in performance and highlighted progressive social justice themes. For example, I paired writers Carmen Aguirre, Aislinn Hunter and Nancy Lee with choreographers to create new work, and I booked performing artists who have published books such as Tanya Tagaq, Ivan Coyote, Cliff Cardinal and international artists like Laurie Anderson. I’m excited to bring my programming vision to my publishing ideas for Ronsdale Press.
BCBW: What is your connection to BC publishing?
WA: Many years ago, when I was just out of university and wondering what to do with an English degree, I started working at the Association of Book Publishers of BC. I was very lucky to be mentored by executive director Margaret Reynolds, who was recently honoured with the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award. I later worked for Brian Lam at Arsenal Pulp Press, and I have always admired his strong focus and vision for the press. In my musical life, I played bass on East-side poet Bud Osborn’s CD, Hundred Block Rock.
BCBW: What opportunities do you see for Ronsdale Press?
WA: After acquiring the press in 1988, Ron and Veronica Hatch worked hard to build the press into its existing form. Ronsdale has ‘good bones’ with its solid distribution and sales representation; good relationships with authors, booksellers, suppliers and funders; and solid 30-year publishing history.
Recently, we have been revitalizing marketing efforts, especially through social media. This past fall we created video book trailers for all of the fall titles, which have been very popular and increased traffic to Ronsdale’s YouTube channel.
We have also been exploring promotional opportunities in non-book media. For example, Alexander Globe, author of Gold, Grit, Guns, appeared on BNN Bloomberg’s Commodities show, and Antony Di Nardo’s poetry book Forget- Sadness-Grass was excerpted in Canadian Gardener.
BCBW: What are your plans for Ronsdale moving forward?
WA: My first goal is to publish all of the books that Ron Hatch contracted before he passed away, and by this summer all of those books will be released. My next step is to bring my vision to future publishing decisions. I am prioritizing diverse authors and books that tackle contemporary themes as well as continuing with Ronsdale’s strengths, such as BC history. This spring we are publishing Hands Like Trees, a story cycle by Sabyasachi Nag that poetically depicts the entangled lives of the Sen family. George Elliott Clarke said “Hands Like Trees is Arundhati Roy as if written in the mode of Alice Munro.”
Next fall we are publishing two adult fiction titles: an epic story of a woman living through the Japanese invasion of China and a short story collection that takes a frank and evocative look at the power and vulnerabilities of “women of a certain age.” We are also publishing a YA novel that tackles climate change with the main character reeling from the repercussions of the Fort Mac fire in Alberta.
BCBW: What challenges do you see ahead?
WA: During Ron’s lengthy illness and after his passing there was a lot of uncertainty around the future of the press, which meant that many of Ronsdale’s activities were stalled. Assistant publisher Kevin Welsh was instrumental in keeping Ronsdale going during that difficult period. As we re-ignite the press, I’m passionate about collaborating with writers to bring their books into the world.
Ronsdale also faces the same challenges as other publishers regarding dramatic increases in paper, printing and shipping costs; the changing landscape for book review media; and how to connect with readers. Also, in this time of increasing consolidation and influence of US publishers, support of independent Canadian presses is more important than ever.
I look forward to connecting with colleagues through the ABPBC to talk about these issues. Book publishing has always been a challenging, vital and exciting business, and book publishers are resilient!
She lives in Vancouver, Canada
REVIEWS:
"Her spare, atmospheric and often chilling movements owe more to the ominous ambience of godspeed you! black emperor or the droning dread of Labradford." - eye weekly
"...the stunning blanket of warm night that Atkinson creates with four strings and 4-tracks. Like Daniel Lanois's ethereal slide-guitar work, the bass is presented here with all its possible timbres and tones, sliding in and out of time, and weaving wonderful walls of bassy bassness." --Broken Pencil: magazine of zine culture and the independent arts
"...even more remarkable is that her tools of choice are electric, acoustic, and upright basses, instruments more generally featured in an accompanying role than up-front....She's at her best, though, when she composes by setting several different bass sounds against each other, as she does on "Somehow Dissolves,"; "Stumble,"; and "New Terrorism."; Plucking some notes while letting others swell up from silence, concocting thick, bowed drones and slow-moving fuzz-toned atmospheres, deploying radio static and seasick glissandos, she takes us places no chops monster could ever access - and although dark, the ride is fascinating." -- Georgia Straight, Vancouver's Entertainment Weekly
"It's become increasingly common in jazz and improv circles for bass players to go it alone, but unaccompanied solo albums by rock bassists still aren't very common. Vancouver-based Wendy Atkinson's Trim could give such projects a good name......Her melodies are quite song-like and remind me of the stark, simple constructions favored by post-punk like the Mekons, the Young Marble Giants an the Raincoats twenty-odd years ago."; --Signal to Noise Magazine
"Wendy Atkinson attacks, massages and creates low-end atmosphere on her new all-bass record, Trim. At times playful, mostly mournful but always moody, Atkinson's bass songs are strange, [and] pretty..." --Punk Planet
"Atkinson has the chops and you have to hand it to her for recording and mixing this on a 4-track." --Chart Magazine
Trim has consistently charted on college radio stations across Canada and been heard nationally on CBC's Brave New Waves.
"Your CD is great"; - Jeff Goad, pirate radio show (Brooklyn, NY)
"It has found a good home on our playlist"; - Luke, MD, CiTR (Vancouver, BC)
"I liked it so much I made it a top 5 add.";- Ed Blake, MD, CJSF (Vancouver, BC)
"I think it's a lovely record."; - Joel Calahan, MD, KSPC (Pomona, CA)
"We're quite enjoying your Trim album. Thanks for the art."; - Scott Stevens, MD, CFRC (Kingston, ON)
"Minimal and ambient, atmospheric and evocative. Reminds me of Vincent Gallo's soundtrack music in feel." - Murray Jason, Zookeeper Online KZSU (Standford, CA)
"We appreciate this type of music outside the mainstream, thanks again."; - Brandon, MD, KBOO (Portland, OR)
[BCBW 2004] "Music"
***
BC’s newest publisher
Interview (BCBW 2023)
Wendy Atkinson takes over Ronsdale Press after the passing of publisher Ron Hatch. An arts programmer and musician with a background in publishing, Atkinson shows what to do with an English degree.
BC BookWorld: After two decades in the performing arts, you are back in publishing. How does your new role as publisher relate to your previous work?
Wendy Atkinson: I worked most recently at the Chan Centre at UBC where I created and programmed a performance series called Beyond Words. That series explored the power of words in performance and highlighted progressive social justice themes. For example, I paired writers Carmen Aguirre, Aislinn Hunter and Nancy Lee with choreographers to create new work, and I booked performing artists who have published books such as Tanya Tagaq, Ivan Coyote, Cliff Cardinal and international artists like Laurie Anderson. I’m excited to bring my programming vision to my publishing ideas for Ronsdale Press.
BCBW: What is your connection to BC publishing?
WA: Many years ago, when I was just out of university and wondering what to do with an English degree, I started working at the Association of Book Publishers of BC. I was very lucky to be mentored by executive director Margaret Reynolds, who was recently honoured with the Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award. I later worked for Brian Lam at Arsenal Pulp Press, and I have always admired his strong focus and vision for the press. In my musical life, I played bass on East-side poet Bud Osborn’s CD, Hundred Block Rock.
BCBW: What opportunities do you see for Ronsdale Press?
WA: After acquiring the press in 1988, Ron and Veronica Hatch worked hard to build the press into its existing form. Ronsdale has ‘good bones’ with its solid distribution and sales representation; good relationships with authors, booksellers, suppliers and funders; and solid 30-year publishing history.
Recently, we have been revitalizing marketing efforts, especially through social media. This past fall we created video book trailers for all of the fall titles, which have been very popular and increased traffic to Ronsdale’s YouTube channel.
We have also been exploring promotional opportunities in non-book media. For example, Alexander Globe, author of Gold, Grit, Guns, appeared on BNN Bloomberg’s Commodities show, and Antony Di Nardo’s poetry book Forget- Sadness-Grass was excerpted in Canadian Gardener.
BCBW: What are your plans for Ronsdale moving forward?
WA: My first goal is to publish all of the books that Ron Hatch contracted before he passed away, and by this summer all of those books will be released. My next step is to bring my vision to future publishing decisions. I am prioritizing diverse authors and books that tackle contemporary themes as well as continuing with Ronsdale’s strengths, such as BC history. This spring we are publishing Hands Like Trees, a story cycle by Sabyasachi Nag that poetically depicts the entangled lives of the Sen family. George Elliott Clarke said “Hands Like Trees is Arundhati Roy as if written in the mode of Alice Munro.”
Next fall we are publishing two adult fiction titles: an epic story of a woman living through the Japanese invasion of China and a short story collection that takes a frank and evocative look at the power and vulnerabilities of “women of a certain age.” We are also publishing a YA novel that tackles climate change with the main character reeling from the repercussions of the Fort Mac fire in Alberta.
BCBW: What challenges do you see ahead?
WA: During Ron’s lengthy illness and after his passing there was a lot of uncertainty around the future of the press, which meant that many of Ronsdale’s activities were stalled. Assistant publisher Kevin Welsh was instrumental in keeping Ronsdale going during that difficult period. As we re-ignite the press, I’m passionate about collaborating with writers to bring their books into the world.
Ronsdale also faces the same challenges as other publishers regarding dramatic increases in paper, printing and shipping costs; the changing landscape for book review media; and how to connect with readers. Also, in this time of increasing consolidation and influence of US publishers, support of independent Canadian presses is more important than ever.
I look forward to connecting with colleagues through the ABPBC to talk about these issues. Book publishing has always been a challenging, vital and exciting business, and book publishers are resilient!
