writing, speaking, web-making, and best of all, I get to dance later
I'm the author of YA novels, Rhythm & Blues and Break On Through.More about me »
Hi Internet! I’m just back from Ethiopia, and I know I owe you a big ol’ blog post about that, but first, I’d just like to point out that my good bud, Cecil Castellucci has TWO new books out this month– her first picture book, Grandma’s Gloves, and her latest YA novel, Rose Sees Red. [...]
Jane: I had a Jill Murray Moment the other day! Me: Really? You burst into tears in the middle of the sidewalk, in broad daylight, for no obvious reason? Jane [backing away]: No. I just saw someone who looked a bit like you. Me: Oh.
Some days, I want to be so much better at so many things, I freak myself right out, and barely make it out of bed at all. I consider curling into a tight ball and keeping the covers over my head for the whole week. Then the dog starts to click around the hardwood impatiently, [...]
Photo: Jim Linwood Multitask more efficiently Become a bestseller Lose weight and love it Achieve social media dominance Live longer Avoid common traps Be more viral than swine flu CLICK HERE
That I forget how DIFFERENT it is from home. And then things get ugly. For instance, today, a Chicagoan informed me, in the most blazé tone, that shootings in Chicago had spiked due to a spell of warm weather. Then she reacted like I was a moron when I looked bewildered. “Well, more people are [...]
Toronto felt so foreign when I lived here, but when I visit it feels pleasantly routine and familiar. Montreal, once a relief to come home to, feels strange and surprising every day that I live there. Lots of places are like home, but no place really is.
With SweatFest behind me, and Rhythm and Blues on the loose in book stores, I feel like I have some time to invest in this business of writing in other ways, namely: research and education. I never went to school for writing (I graduated from Ryerson with a degree in Theatre Production) but I have [...]
I’ve been seeing comments on Twitter and Facebook on Figure Skating costumes at the Olympics, and how insane they are, and whether they might um… detract from the sport. You don’t have to feel so alone or confused about this issue. My seminal post on Cheese In Figure Skating is here to help you. “On [...]
People ask me all the time “how’s the book going?” And I tend to sputter and flinch at the question. My gut reaction is to ask “which ONE?!” For most writers, there’s never just “the book.” For me right now, there’s the book I released in 2008, for which royalty statements exist; the book that [...]
As I mentioned the other day, I finished looking over the copyedit of Rhythm & Blues. How does a writer celebrate such a milestone? She starts working on something else, of course. For me, this time, it’s not quite that tidy. I’ve had enough lag time between editorial phases on R&B that I’ve already completed [...]
In which two parties who should know better attempt to debate the difference between satire and parody from memory. masterofpigeons: Satire is special to my heart. codejill: And parody, and the squishy part where satire and parody blend… masterofpigeons: Can satire exist without parody? codejill: I was just wondering that. ‘Cause they’re not the same [...]
One of the things I loved best about LA (aside from the tendency of Los Angelenos to say charming things like “oh, all the best artists come from Canada!” and the beautiful way they have of valuing creative labour in general) is that despite the bigness of LA, the city still believes in and uses [...]
On my very last day in LA, Cecil & I drove to Pasadena for the launch of Lisa Yee’s Absolutely Maybe. I was excited because I’d been hearing pretty consistently all over the internet how awesome Lisa is, and also because I’d actually read the book, which is a more rare experience than you might [...]
I’ve been a fan of Robert LePage‘s theatrical work since I was fifteen and saw Les Aiguilles et L’Opium with my French class. So I felt like an idiot for not buying tickets soon enough to the Montreal premiere of Le Dragon Bleu, his most recent work with Marie Michaud. I dithered over when to [...]
Just got home from seeing Brigitte Dajczer play at Cafe Sarajevo with my fabulous friend and vocal coach, the unpretentious* Amanda Mabro. Brigitte plays a mean gypsy fiddle, and her band was terrific, blending many subtle world, pop and funk influences into what still shone through as authentic, firey Gitan sound. I’ve seen her play [...]
My history considered, it’s more than a little strange that I don’t go to see live dance or theatre very often– a problem I’m trying very consciously to redress, starting rightnow. This Tuesday, I had a chance to see Montreal-based break-fusion company, RubberBanDance’s Punto Ciego. The comany’s director, Victor Quijada has described their work as [...]
This video of a guy painting by breaking is kind of mesmerizing to watch. Not only that but he has really nice footwork, and it’s to a track by Bonobo. Via Celebreak
Jill & Cecil at the Museum of Jurrassic Technology. I’m on vacation this week, galavanting about LA with my bud and fellow YA writer, Cecil Castellucci. She’s been running a series of punk lists in celebration of the paperback release of her novel, Beige. Mine is a list with a twist and it’s up RIGHT [...]
Someone pointed me towards this video at a party a couple of weeks ago (Yeah, I had my iPhone out at a party. So what?) and I just got around to watching it, and I have to confess to occasionally feeling just like this during book interviews. Just, you know, like, maybe if I keep [...]
No seriously. Its a real book, its exactly what it sounds like, and its available for pre-order. I think we could use a whole series of these. A Tale of Two Zombies would have totally helped me get through Dickens in high school.
So, that "25 Random Things About Me" meme finally caught up with me, and I don’t want to be a spoilsport… but its kinda in my nature, so here are my answers: I’ve been reading a lot of fun math books for a project I’m researching (not the same one that made me look up [...]
Fun contests: Cecil Castellucci & Holly Black are having an icon/avatar design contest for their upcoming anthology, Geektastic, which comes out in August. There are a couple of categories, and if your design gets picked, you win an ARC. I’ve read Geektastic, and trust me, you want it. Harmony Book Reviews has a comment-and-link contest [...]
I’m so sad I didn’t take the posters for this seriously! I saw them around, but the image was so hyperbolic, I dismissed it as marketing fantasy and ignored them altogether. And now I find out its real and its happening tonight, and I can’t even go to Quebec City to see it. Wouldn’t that [...]
By the helpful folks at Macmillan. Hat tip to Editorial Anonymous for spotting it first.
I have an important event recommendation for anyone reading this in or near Toronto: My dear friends JoDee Allen and Helen Simard of Solid State Break Dance are at the Factory Theatre for the Next Stage Festival, today through Sunday at various times. The show blends two of my favourite dance forms, breakdance and lindy [...]
I found out about these videos after E. Lockhart (if you haven’t read her Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks yet, what’s keeping you? Do you not like awesomeness or something?) posted this one on her lovely blog. I guess they’ve been around since summer/fall, but I hadn’t seen them before, so maybe you haven’t [...]
Can a headline become a cliché? Who will join me in retiring this one? “The Stars Come Out To Play” I noticed it this morning in the Globe & Mail, and my first thought was “It’s not even Toronto International Film Festival season.” Unless you’re going to link to an article with a photo of [...]
Do, friends and family often call you with questions? Do you frequently appear to know all the answers because you look them up on The Internets as you talk to them? If only you could be a little more smug about it. If only you could teach them to fish. Now you can! LetMeGoogleThatForYou.com (thanks [...]
I’d like to say thanks to the students and teachers at Sandalwood Heights Secondary school in Brampton, ON who gave b-girl Skribbs & I such a warm welcome yesterday, and asked so many great questions. And then this morning we had a marvelous time at the Sanderson branch of the Toronto Public Library. Thanks to [...]
You know how on a lot of blogs, you need to login or give your email address or translate a little graphic-anti-spam thingy before you’re allowed to leave a comment? I think someone should make an application that makes you jump through some hoops before you’re allowed to read comments. The application should ask you [...]
I was talking to some friends recently about some of the quirks, advantages, limitations and particularities of b-girling, b-boying, breakdancing– whatever you might like to call it. Something that came up was the use of the term b-girl or b-boy, and how one can be a great breaker but not a b-girl, or a lifelong [...]
Hello, b-girls and b-boys and people like me who just like to watch and dream and maybe try on a few moves from time to time! Are you all aware of Battle Of the Year, Canada, which is just 10 short days away, in Toronto? BOTY Canada is a face-off between Canada’s best b-boys and [...]
Overheard at choice writing locations: Hipster Guy #1 to Hipster Guy #2: “This is why I’ve been watching The L Word so much! I’m like, this is my life!” T-shirt Man to Ladyfriend: “I never know where to go to be seen, and when I do go to a place like that, usually I haven’t [...]
B-girl Ms. Mighty (who has a great new blog I’m totally going to be referencing as often as possible from now on) forwarded me this: Dancer Risks Everything .onion_embed {background: rgb(256, 256, 256) !important;border: 4px solid rgb(65, 160, 65);border-width: 4px 0 1px 0;margin: 10px 30px !important;padding: 5px;overflow: hidden !important;zoom: 1;}.onion_embed img {border: 0 !important;}.onion_embed a [...]
I’ve received a few email/myspace/facebook messages about Earth Hour– the hour on March 29th when everyone, on Earth, is supposed to turn out the lights, for an hour, for, again, Earth. People want to know: “Jill, what are you doing for Earth Hour?” or sometimes: “Jill, what are you doing for Earth Hour?” There’s been [...]
.hentry p,.hentry dl {margin-bottom: 1em;} .hentry td {border-top: 1px solid #ccc;border-left: 1px solid #999;} .hentry th {border: none; text-align:center; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;} .hentry th, .hentry td { vertical-align: top; padding: 0.5em;} .hentry dt {float: left; margin-right: 1em;} .hentry dd {margin-bottom: 1em;} .hentry td.french_term {font-weight: bold; border:none; text-align: right;font-family: verdana, sans-serif;color: #D0099D;} The Rapper and I [...]
Photo: James Calder Loathe though I am to announce any regular blog feature (as I am prone to announce BIG REGULAR THINGS and then never follow through), my recent interview with Torontoist’s Ms. Karen Whaley has me thinking about all the great YA blogs out there and what I can do to make them known [...]
Toronto, Ferry Docks underground streetcar stop
This limited edition Break On Through-inspired tee-shirt, designed by Kagan Mcleod for Mas Tees, will be on sale for the first time at the Break On Through free, all-ages release party, on February 16th, 2008 at SDA. And if you pick up a copy of Break On Through you get a special deal: just $20 [...]
There’s no way I can out do last year’s new year post. It was the best New Year’s ever. I think from now on, I may just link to it every year for the rest of my life: Usher your New Year with ginger and chocolate A tale in 4 miracles
Winter Solstice Pros: Days immediately begin to get longer, although this would probably happen even without a holiday. Many different associated holidays to choose from, worldwide. Cons: What could be bad about that? Festivus Pros: Airing of grievances, feats of strength, the aluminum pole is both re-usable and recyclable. Cons: Possible wrestling injuries, commercialization of [...]
We were in Paris last week on a rare vacation (our first together, the Rapper and I, in the six years we’ve been together), and while I took lots of pictures of all kinds of nonsense, I deeply regretted not capturing any video of this one particular window display at Galleries LaFayatte. The tune is [...]
Finally, an RWA Student Bulletin worth culling for highlights again! The energy! The spirit! The punctuation! It’s been too long. For new readers who might not be familiar with this feature, let me just explain quickly that I like to occasionally read the daily bulletin from my high school and then report back on my [...]
I just listened to the first section of Mozart’s Requiem in D-minor for an hour before getting tired of it and then realizing it was stuck on repeat. Talk about staying power. Or my own inattention. Whatever. On with the rest of it!
“He doesn’t look like that guy, he is that guy.” “No!” “Yes.“
I love it when people send me presents, even air gifts, virtual gifts, and little digital gifts like this one from eagle-eyed reader, John O’Brien: Let award-winning comedy troupe Kasper Hauser transport you into the sublime universe that is SkyMaul, where Banana-ganizers and Reality-Canceling Headphones coexist with Crack Pipe Chess Sets and Llamacycles. More than [...]
(Disgusted) Uhm… Eeyore is a dude not a chick. He’s a guy.
Over on One.Blank.Cog, Ehren wonders: Not too long ago HarperCollins Canada announced that they would be repackaging certain young adult novels for adults. Why??? Ehren thinks adults should own up to loving YA, and embrace the original covers in all their exuberant, cartoony, lime-and-pink-and-foil, teen glory. As a nearly-published YA author, I can’t help but [...]
He exists! Someone who loves nightclubs as much (more?) as (than) I do! Clubs are such insufferable dungeons of misery, the inmates have to take mood-altering substances to make their ordeal seem halfway tolerable. This leads them to believe they “enjoy” clubbing. They don’t. No one does. They just enjoy drugs. His name is Charlie [...]
Um… so I was going to post the next part of my NYC chronicles today, but then I stumbled (with the help of a little tip from Banana Theory) across this nest of clips of Phillipino-prisoners-re-enacting-pop-video-choreography on YouTube. Thriller, of course: This one’s for my friends back at the Canon Theatre in Toronto: The women [...]
And to think, most of us are cautious about using Facebook at work:
I can’t believe so many file-sharing sites were shut down so quickly by the music industry, but the publishing industry has collaborated with Amazon.com on its “Search Inside” option, which allows you to essentially read a whole book online without buying it. I’m not complaining. I’m just amazed. Grateful. Because “Search Inside” just saved me [...]
More and more frequently, I find myself in a position where, despite my better judgement, I feel obligated to defend or explain some aspect of hip hop. With breaking in particular, I am powerfully motivated from within to clear up confusion and see credit assigned where it is due. This makes sense, since it’s something [...]
Electric Powered Bumper Cars, for home use. <pause> Yes, let me just give you a moment to think about this one, or perhaps, to recompose yourself if you’re a parent (one who’s not high all the time, or overcompensating) or if you’ve ever babysat for even ten minutes in your life. </pause> Whoo. OK, now, [...]
“Basho”: it means “tournament” in Japanese, or “if you can’t see why these are offensive, we don’t need to be friends” in Jill.
‘Nuff said: If they really expect these gold-plated Bon Jovi records to fly out of the catalogue like hotcakes, Jon Bon isn’t the only one living on a prayer. At $199 each, 5,000 units is going to be a tall order for the Bon Jovi fan. And that kid is lonely. She doesn’t need to [...]
In my junk-food-consuming youth, I used to lie awake nights wondering how I was going to cook my next hot dog. Of the five methods immediately available to my family– boiling, broiling, microwave, toaster oven or barbeque– none of them would cook the dogs vertically, or with the proper degree of sporting flair. It hardly [...]
As I’m sure you can already guess, I deliberated for quite some time over whether to post this winner right off the top, or hold back and use it to revive the flagging series in midseason. Luckily for both of us, eagerness prevailed, and I can share with you, right now, the technological wonderment of [...]
YA author Mary Rose Wood asks, There is something very strange happening on my dining room table. See for yourself. It’s a poinsetta. Yes, I know. The mysterious plant that turns up every holiday season, causing people to wonder and wonder yet again: are the red parts leaves, or flowers?” I’m beyond that now. I’m [...]
I love flying. I know it’s not very greenhouse-gas-reducing of me, but it’s true. I don’t fly terribly often, but when I do, I like to make an event of it. I make it my personal mission not to get frustrated in line at customs, or bored waiting at the gate. To commemorate each flight, [...]
I haven’t read Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ YA books yet, but I already feel a deep spiritual kinship with her hair. She’s only 23, and she’s already written 4 books slated for publication. Methinks her hair is not the only prodigious thing about her. Either that or she’s like, the spokesface for some writing conglomerate committee [...]
Under the train bridge over Brock street, in Parkdale, Toronto.
As a longtime user of the Swiss Army Cybertool, which contains all the usual tools plus pliers and a complete geeked out screwdriver set, all in a reasonably svelte Swiss Army frame, this has been cracking me up: The new Swiss Army knife contains 85 devices, weighs 2lb and costs nearly £500. But can you [...]
So I guess it’s that time of year. I called home to my mom in Montreal the other day and she was all, “Hey how’s it going” “OK, I guess. You?” “Um. Are you sitting or standing?” “Walking around, actually.” “Maybe you’d better sit,” she said, her voice grave. I nervously obeyed, wondering whether my [...]
The launch on Sunday was a lot of fun, and the book (now available for purchase from Coach House Books) looks great. I tried to check out the panels, but I was still sick and the room was very crowded and hot, so that didn’t last long. I came back for the early evening music [...]
For those of you who collect cover songs, (iMo, I know I’m talking to you), the indefatigable Marc Lostracco has compiled the post of your dreams over at Torontoist. There’s even an iTunes playlist that might help you fill in the holes in your collection.
The ever-industrious Jennrock had an article in The Star yesterday about “life lists” on sites like 43 Things, inspired, of course, by daytime talk TV. She made the observation that many celebrities list learning to cook as a goal, and suggests that a celebrity cooking show shoould be the obvious outcome. I have no TV [...]
It’s not that often that I just grab a video off YouTube and call it a post. Mainly this seems to happen with material my brother sends me. I guess it’s just my way of showing him I care. Especially since I won’t be sending him a Christmas present this year. What you need to [...]
I’m just going to keep doing this once a month until one of us gets bored, or something by the Magnetic Fields finally comes up, ‘k? (Single girl, I know you are reading and I know this is not the kind of post you’ were hoping for, but since I also know you have a [...]
“You think you can triumph in this world with nothing more than a keen mind, a pile of books, and the occasional gourmet meal.” – Count Olaf, to the Beaudelaire Orphans, at the end of The End of A Series of Unfortunate Events Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) never, ever, ever lets me down, and [...]
What I imagine is going through Ron Sexmith’s toussled head every time I see these posters: “Mehrrr… I hate having a music career that pays me to be in ads. I don’t like having my pitcure taken… why do I have to do this? Stop looking at me! It’s not ABOUT this. It’s about the [...]
The Onion AV Club has this fun feature where celebrities set their iPods or store brand digital music playback devices on random and talk about the first few songs that come up. I have way dumber music than the average celebrity, and you, my friends and readers, are more famous to me than any star, [...]
Weird Al is releasing videos about my family again. My brother alerted me to this yesterday, and since then, I think Les has already forwarded it to half his friends: It’s a parody of this “original” song. “White & Nerdy” is almost too easy, but the details are just so accurate. I did take calculus [...]
I love, love, love, love, love, love, love hip hop because some of the most fundamental aspects of emceeing, deejaying, breaking and graff have historically been achieved totally by accident, using the most inauspicious tools imaginable. I’m not even talking about ghettoes and the racism and brutal political conditions and gangs and police violence, and [...]
I was working my way through a revision of my b-girl novel and kind of sweating over its ever-expanding length when the following question came into my inbox from Chrisa, regarding her thesis. “I need to cut approximately 5,000 words. Do you have any hints?” DO I? Why yes. In no particular order, I suggest [...]
The digital ink is just setting on my latest subjectively biased movie review over on Torontoist.com. Bon Cop Bad Cop is a movie I never really believed would see a widespread release outside of Quebec. In July, when it was already out in theatres there, someone asked me whether the film was being marketed differently [...]
Because The Delightful Rapper, More Or Les and I are getting married next April, I’ve been looking through lists upon lists of First Dance songs. Actually, it’s just one list because the same top-twenty celebration-of-schmaltz has been republished online a billion times. It’s unclear how this list was compiled– whether there is at this moment, [...]
This one is for all the happy Mac users out there who nevertheless remain perplexed by one little ever-present software eccentricity: “Almost every Mac user can admit to having iCal in their dock but most of the time it is not open and simply shows the default date. Tomorrow marks a day that should be [...]
My birthday is next week, and I wasn’t going to do anything special, but already people are surprising me with gifts, so I have to say, things are looking more exciting than I had expected. Yesterday, Lyndee Of the Calgary Lyndees was in town and surprised me with this magnificent bit of cancelled cartoon history: [...]
So they killed Marissa on the OC. I know this even though I’ve never watched a single episode of the show. It was on TV. People reported it. Mischa Barton, who played Marissa had this to say about it: “My character has been through so, so much and there’s really nothing more left for her [...]
Found this on the BlogTo photo blog.
RWA Student Bulletin highlights, June 2, 2006, DAY 1 END OF YEAR FESTIVITIES All students are asked to respect private property during the end of year activities to take place today after school. The only acceptable area to carry out these activities is the front field. All activities will end at 4:15 p.m. at which [...]
That “music” be shortened to “sic.” Of all the short words I know, that one is just too long. You feel me? Try it out. “Yo, that show was hype! Their sic is just sick.” Trust me on this one.
I love this movie. I reviewed it already on Torontoist.com, so if you like dance movies, sports movies, teen movies, or movies that get hip hop and suburban punk culture right, go check it out.
It’s still CO2 to me. Have you seen these hilarious “It’s called life” commercials from the Competitive Enterprise Institute? Apparently, carbon dioxide is a good thing now, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Join the fight to save carbon dioxide.
Happy Arbour Day!
“General Bounce”
Have you seen this clip with Katie Couric interviewing this chipper, chipper cheerleader who fell on her head, and then kept cheering while being wheeled out of the building, strapped to a stretcher? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11699607 I hate to force anyone watch/read anything in IE, but this clip is WORTH IT.
From the London (Ontario) Free Press “‘Ughhhhhhh!’ read one posting on the Los Angeles section of Craiglist, an online community Web site featuring classified ads and discussion boards.” “Over at www.Myspace.com, someone named David wrote: ‘Last night???s choice for best picture of the year was…’” Awesome sourcing, guys. Totally credible. I almost hope those references [...]
This is something I’ve ranted and raved about a lot, and usually people just listen to me quietly and stare at me with horror in their eyes, like I’m suggesting making babies the 5th food group. For a long time I wondered if things were only amiss on the hip hop side of things, due [...]
OK, first of all, no. The new milk song is horrible. Just like the old milk song was horrible. Second, your url, milkhiphop.ca– this alleged “milk song,” as you call it, is not hip hop. It is a style of girl pop that stopped being popular five years ago. Third, thank you for your needless [...]
I don’t think I could ever re-marry someone who rapped so often and so publicly and so to the financial gain of himself and his friends about killing me. Yes, I’m quite certain that would be beyond my sphere of forgiveness (and thankfully both halves of that are well outside my sphere of experience), regardless [...]
http://mchammer.blogspot.co It’s like, really rambly, and has a self indulgent quantity of photos of uninteresting things, yet is targeted to all of us, AND… He lists himself in the same sentence as Public Enemy. A must-read.
On December 30, 2005, I declared “Mash-up” the most overused term of 2006. So far 2006 is backing me up on that. I can still appreaciate a proper-use/funny instance of the term, however. In the spirit of mashing, this one is dedicated to Lauralyn, mash-up proponent: Jesus Walked Back and He’s Black – Kanye West [...]
As far as I can tell, this saga implies that if Rogers ever had any ideas, they have now officially run out. It all started when Bell started running rather endearing pixel art animation ads that people actually liked. Then Bell released the ad affectionately known as Cheetah, which only aired a few times before [...]
Of figure skating, Herbivore asked me: Q: but jill……why is it just so cheeeeeeeeeezy? A: Herbivore, this is a tough question. There doesn’t seem to be any one single answer. The hard part is dissecting the different threads of cheesiness, because the cheesiness that exists in men’s skating springs from different sources than the cheesiness [...]
I know it’s pretty and dramatic and everything but it’s the music of ill portent, people. Surya Bonaly proved that to great effect years ago. Stop trying. Also, note to the World: Enough with the Riverdance and Lord Of The Dance music already. And if Nancy Kerrigan could commission a $13,000 dress from Vera Wang, [...]
