Book News Vol. 8 No. 49

BOOK NEWS

INCITE

Join us on February 19 for an evening of new fiction and non-fiction with Catherine Bush, Adrianne Harun and Andrew Steinmetz. Details on this and other upcoming Incite events here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Olivia Chow
NDP MP Olivia Chow takes readers through a violent past, storied love and political career in her new memoir, My Journey. Join us for an evening with one of Canada's most compelling political forces. Ms. Chow will be interviewed by Kathryn Gretsinger. Click here for event details and to find out more about our special offer for bookclubs: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/oliviachow.

Miriam Toews and Steven Galloway
An evening with two acclaimed Canadian authors. Steven Galloway, the bestselling author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, is back with his brilliant new novel, The Confabulist. And Miriam Toews, the award-winning author of A Complicated Kindness, brings her irresistible voice and heart wrenching poignancy to her new novel All My Puny Sorrows. Click here for event details and to find out more about our special offer for bookclubs: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/gallowaytoews.

Roddy Doyle
CBC and the Vancouver Writers Fest are excited to present Roddy Doyle on Wednesday, February 12 at 6:30pm. The Booker Prize winner's latest novel revisits the characters from his contemporary classic The Commitments, with the same raunchy humour and provocative social commentary. Come join in the conversation with North by Northwest's Sheryl MacKay. Doors open at 5:30pm, taping starts promptly at 6:30, at the CBC Broadcast Centre, 700 Hamilton Street, Vancouver. No reserved seating-first come, first seated. Information at http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/roddydoyle.

AWARDS & LISTS

The shortlist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing was announced and includes Margaret MacMillan for The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/afghan-war-memoir-stephen-harper-portrait-vie-for-25k-prize-1.2523177

The longlist for the world's most valuable short story prize has been announced. The Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award is worth £30,000. Canadian author Marjorie Celona has been nominated for her story, Othello.
http://www.booktrust.org.uk/prizes/5

The American Library Association has approved a new award: the Lemony Snicket Prize for Noble Librarians Faced with Adversity. The $3,000 prize recognizes a librarian who "has faced adversity with integrity and dignity intact," and will be awarded annually. The deadline for candidates to be nominated for the first year is May 1st.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jan/31/lemony-snicket-prize-librarians-book-bans

Twenty books are in the running for the United Kingdom's oldest and most prestigious children's book award, the Carnegie medal. The shortlists will be announced on Tuesday, March 18.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/feb/04/carnegie-medal-2014-longlist

The 2014 Greenaway picture book prize long list is also out. Click here for the list (pictures included!).
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2014/feb/04/greenaway-prize-longlist-2014

YOUNG READERS

Eric Walters has written 92 books since 1994, and yet has never won any of the major literary awards for children's literature in Canada. "He must have missed the memo that says authors are supposed to take years slaving away in solitude in pursuit of the perfect sentence. Eric Walters deserves a reappraisal."
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/01/31/eric-walters-the-hardest-working-writer-in-canada/

NEWS & FEATURES

A new Jane Austen document has been found: a scrap of paper which contains a transcription of her brother's sermon on one side, and an imprint of other writing on its reverse.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/03/jane-austen-fragment-found-paper-brother

Harry Potter fans are in a state of uproar after a recent revelation by J.K. Rowling that she regrets how she ended her famous series. "Whether she'll take one fan's advice to 'rip up the last two books and start again' is unclear."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/03/harry-potter-fans-jk-rowling-plot-regrets

A Russian man has been stabbed to death in a dispute about poetry versus prose! "This is not the first time high-brow disputes have led to bloodshed in Russia. In September, a man was shot in a line for beer in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don after enraging a fellow beer drinker with his views about the work of Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant."
http://en.ria.ru/crime/20140129/187015221/Russian-Man-Stabbed-to-Death-in-Poetry-Over-Prose-Dispute.html

Since September, the Guardian has been counting down the 100 best novels written in English, a 100 week-project that began with John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. That very same book is featured in this week's selection: number 20, Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/03/100-best-novels-little-women-louisa-may-alcott

Who are James Joyce's modern heirs? Rivka Galchen and Pankaj Mishra discuss James Joyce's legacy today in this week's edition of the New York Times' 'Bookends'.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/books/review/who-are-james-joyces-modern-heirs.html

When New York Times obituary writer William McDonald found out that the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass was dying, it jolted him from his chair. He had interviewed him as a young man at the University of Syracuse, and was determined to interview the poet again before he died. Here is his account of their second encounter, and the lessons he learned about death, writing, and the preciousness of time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/31/booming/knocking-once-again-on-the-poets-door.html

Be careful at your next book club meeting...the author might be there! A new service called "Book the Writer" now connects authors and book clubs, "where they spend an hour or two discussing their works with eager readers in exchange for a fee."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/30/business/media/be-careful-at-the-book-club-the-author-might-be-there.html

The CBC has created a list of "the ten women you need to read," most of whom have previously appeared at the Writers Fest.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2014/01/10-canadian-women-you-need-to-read.html

One author on the aformentioned list, Ivan E. Coyote, has also made it onto a list of Queer Canadian books to be excited about in 2014. Her new book Gender Failure (written with Rae Spoon, based on their show of the same name) will be released on April 15th.
http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/2014-queer-canadian-books-to-be-excited-about/

It's easy to dismiss sexist and racist books as products of their time. According to Noah Berlatsky, however, "dismissing the classics' shortcomings as just a reflection of the era's norms mischaracterizes history and undermines the books' very relevance."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/01/the-product-of-its-time-defense-no-excuse-for-sexism-and-racism/283352/

BOOKS & WRITERS

This week in fiction, Zadie Smith discusses her story "Moonlit Landscape With Bridge". It takes place in an unnamed country devastated by a destructive storm. Unsurprisingly, she began writing the story right after the recent typhoon in the Philippines.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2014/02/this-week-in-fiction-zadie-smith-1.html

Philip Roth is claiming that he has no more desire to write fiction. "I did what I did and it's done." Apparently he's keener on swimming and watching baseball these days.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/04/philip-roth-no-desire-write-fiction-novelist

Claudia Renton's first book Those Wild Wyndhams is an intimate portrait of three sisters on the inside of political and cultural life in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. "This description, together with the unnecessarily florid gold writing on the cover, may imply an entertaining romp. In fact it's something far more profound."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/03/those-wild-wyndhams-claudia-renton-review

While many people argue that art is universal, every once in awhile a writer comes along who defines a place so specifically that we cannot help but embrace their regionalism. Orhan Pamuk is one such writer. He talks about "his Istanbul" in this week's New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/02/travel/orhan-pamuks-istanbul.html

Back in our own backyard, the Vancouver Sun's Book Club chatted this week with Ruth Ozeki, author of the widely acclaimed A Tale for the Time Being. Check out the discussion, here:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Book+Chat+Ruth+Ozeki+author+Tale+Time+Being/9463265/story.html

As more and more awareness of transgender rights and identity issues grow, it's the perfect time for the release of Kim Fu's For Today I Am a Boy. "It has become cliché to hail an exciting 'new voice' in fiction, and many are drowned out by their own hype. In so convincingly transporting her reader to a perspective still relatively new to contemporary fiction, Kim Fu should be an exception."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/for-today-i-am-a-boy-a-novel-through-the-story-of-a-transgender-chinese-canadian-child/article16638943/

In 2001, Elizabeth Spencer released a "greatest hits" roundup of her short stories and novels, called The Southern Woman. Now she's back with a new collection, Starting Over. She insists, however that she's not just a southern writer.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2014/02/elizabeth_spencer_s_collection_of_short_stories_starting_over_reviewed.html

The Atlantic Monthly's Twitter Book Club is discussing Diana Gabaldon's Outlander this month. Join the conversation, here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/02/1book140s-february-read-diana-gabaldons-em-outlander-em/283547/

What books should you be looking out for this February? Here's the New Yorker's list (and collection of miniature reviews):
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2014/02/books-to-watch-out-for-february-1.html

COMMUNITY EVENTS

CAVALCADE OF MERRIMENT
Spoken word and improvised music fundraiser. Featuring Marylee Stephenson, Sho Wiley, Dex Arizona and music by Lotus. Thursday, February 6 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. The Kozmik Zoo, 53 W. Broadway, Vancouver. More information at vancouverpoetryhouse.com.

GRAFFITI HACK BOOK LAUNCH PARTY
Launch of Elen Ghulam's new book, Graffiti Hack: A Novel. Saturday, February 8 at 7:00pm. The Landing, 375 Water Street, Vancouver. More information at ihath.com.

AN EVENING WITH SOME OF VANCOUVER'S FAVOURITE QUEER WRITERS
Featuring Amber Dawn, Brett Josef Grubisic, Leah Horlick, Lydia Kwa, Alex Leslie, Emilia Nielsen and Andrea Routley with MC Carellin Brooks. Friday, February 14 at 9:00pm. Cost: $10. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at vancouverobserver.com.

WORLD POETRY VANCOUVER
Celebration of Black History Month with Roger Blenman, Rosario Aria Naranjo, Diane Laloge and many more. Hosted by Ariadne Sawyer and Kagan Goh. Saturday, February 15 at 3:00pm, free. Britannia Community Centre, 1661 Napier St. More information at worldpoetry.ca.

LOVE HANGOVER
Storytelling series featuring stories of love and heartbreak, crushes and breakups, Tinder and long-distance lovers, missed connections and cheating jerks. Saturday, February 15 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $25 plus service charges. Rickshaw Theatre, 254 E. Hastings, Vancouver. More information at liveatrickshaw.com.

POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Dennis E. Bolen, Brad Cran, Candice James with host Sho Wiley. February 16 at 3:00pm. The Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia Street, New Westminster. More information at poeticjustice.ca.

PLAYING WITH FIRE
Storytelling featuring spoken word champion Bryant Ross and locals Philomena Jordan, Erin Graham and Rita Taylor. Sunday, February 16 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6. 1805 Larch, Vancouver. More information at vancouverstorytellers.ca.

AUTHORS UNBOUND
An evening of readings of both brand new and established local authors in a variety of genres from poetry to short stories to novels. Monday, February 17 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at vpl.ca.

SPOKEN INK
Poet Andrea McKenzie Raine reads from her debut novel, Turnstiles. Tuesday, February 18 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings at Boundary. More information at bwscafe@gmail.com.

LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Ray Hsu and Joanne Arnott featured at Feb 19 Lunch Poems at SFU. Presented by SFU Public Square, 12-1pm in SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery (515 W Hastings St.). Free admission, no registration required. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.

SAY WHA?
Funny people reading from bad books featuring Lauren McGibbon, Stacie Steadman, Megan Phillips and Jeff Gladstone. Wednesday, February 19 at 8:00pm. Cost: $5-10. Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at sarabynoe.com/shows/say-wha.

WORDSTHAW
Second annual symposium featuring 38 poets, novelists, short story writers and journalists. Landsdowne Lecture will feature Vancouver poet, novelist and librettist Daphne Marlatt. February 20-22, 2014. University of Victoria, Victoria, BC. More information at malahatreview.ca.

FROM TALKING STICK TO MICROPHONE
A selection of Canada's best independent musicians and slam poets. Hosted by Zaccheus Jackson. Friday, February 21 at 8:00pm, pay what you can. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at fullcircle.ca.

GALIANO ISLAND LITERARY FESTIVAL
5th annual festival featuring Dina Del Bucchia, Bev Sellars, George Bowering, and others. February 21-23, 2014 at the Galiano Oceanfront Inn & Spa, Galiano Island. More information at galianoliteraryfestival.com.

Upcoming

ALMOST CRIMINAL
Vancouver writer E.R. Brown reads from his first novel, Almost Criminal, a BC-based crime thriller. Wednesday, February 26 at 7:00pm. Welsh Hall West, West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. For more information, phone 604-925-7403.

REWILDING VANCOUVER
Author J.B. MacKinnon discusses his latest book The Once and Future World. Thursday, February 27 at 6:30pm. Cecil Green Park House, 6251 Cecil Green Park Road, UBC. More information at greencollege.ubc.ca.

RECONCILIATION THROUGH POETRY
Five diverse poets will unveil newly commissioned work exploring the concept of reconciliation in honour of Chief Robert Joseph. Featuring poets Jordan Abel, Joanne Arnott, Juliane Okot Bitek, Jordan Scott and Daniel Zomparelli. Thursday, February 27 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at vpl.ca.

RED GIRL RAT BOY
Vancouver author Cynthia Flood reads from her latest book. Thursday, February 27 at 7:00pm, free. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library, 4595 Albert Street, Burnaby. More information and registration at 604-299-8955 or bpl.bc.ca.

VEENA GOKHALE
Reading by Montreal-based author. Special guest poet and writer Rahat Kurd. Friday, February 28 at 12:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at vpl.ca.

NORTHERN LIGHTS
An evening celebrating Northern writers and artists featuring readings from Sanaaq, the first novel written in Inuktituk and recently translated into English; and a screening of the short film Amaqqut Nunaat: Country of Wolves. Friday, February 28 at 7:00pm, pay what you can. Djavad Mowafaghian World Arts Centre, 149 W. Hastings St. More information at fullcircle.ca.

PIERRE SAMSON
Meet with the writer Pierre Samson, author of "La maison des pluies". Friday, March 7 at 5:30pm. Alliance Francaise Auditorium, Alliance Francaise, 6161 Cambie Street, Vancouver. More information at alliancefrancaise.ca.

THEY WENT WHISTLING
In celebration of International Women's Day, authors Sylvia Taylor, Kate Braid, Jane Hall and Sue Doro read from their memoirs. Saturday, March 8 at 2:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at vpl.ca.

PLAY CHTHONICS: NEW CANADIAN READINGS
Readings by Natalie Simpson and Jonathan Ball. Wednesday, March 19 at 5:00pm. Piano Lounge, Green College, 6201 Cecil Green Park Road, UBC. More information at greencollege.ubc.ca.

SERENDIPITY: CHILDREN'S LITERATURE IN A DIGITAL AGE
From practical advice on using literature-based apps with children to learning how authors and illustrators are using social media and electronic publishing, Serendipity 2014 is for educators, librarians, researchers and literature lovers looking to the future of books for young people. Our presenters include Paul Zelinsky, Arthur Slade, John Schumacher, Travis Jonker, Tim Federle, and Hadley Dyer. Saturday, March 8, 2014. For registration and information, go to www.vclr.ca.

F.G. BRESSANI LITERARY PRIZE
IL CENTRO Italian Cultural Centre is thrilled to announce the publication of the Rules & Regulations for the 2014 Edition of the F.G. Bressani Literary Prize. The literary prize honours and promotes the work of Canadian writers of Italian origin or Italian descent. Deadline: April 2, 2014. Complete details can be found here: http://italianculturalcentre.ca/blog/bressani-literary-prize/.

ICELAND WRITERS RETREAT
The Iceland Writers Retreat invites published and aspiring book writers (fiction and non-fiction) to participate in a series of workshops and panels led by a team of international writers from April 9-13, 2014 including Joseph Boyden. Between intimate workshops and lectures tour the spectacular Golden Circle, sit in the cozy cafés of Reykjavik, soak in hot geothermal pools, listen to new Icelandic music, and learn about the country's rich literary tradition. More information at www.IcelandWritersRetreat.com.

SKAGIT RIVER POETRY FESTIVAL
A celebration of poetry featuring readings, workshops, and storytelling. Access to internationally famous poets through intimate venues and workshop sessions. May 15-18, 2014. Various venues throughout La Conner, WA. Tickets on sale in January. More information at www.skagitriverpoetry.org.