Book News Vol. 7 No. 13

BOOK NEWS

Mother's Day
Give the gift of great writing and ideas! Purchase an annual membership for your mom for just $35 and she'll receive discounts on books and Festival events, and a personal invitation to attend our Members' Reception. We'll also package her new membership in an attractive gift envelope! To purchase, call the office at 604-681-6330 x109.

Membership
If being a member of the VIWF didn't already have enough benefits, we've added an extra incentive! Every two weeks new and renewing members will have a chance to win a book by a Festival or Incite author, or tickets to our special event with Richard Ford on May 28. At the end of August we'll have a grand prize draw for a deluxe pack of Festival tickets - two tickets to any event of your choice for each day of the Festival! This week's winner Dave Reid, received a signed copy of Timothy Taylor's The Blue Light Project. On May 2 we will draw the winner of Linden MacIntyre's latest novel, Why Men Lie. Sign up now here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_membership.php.

UPCOMING VIWF EVENTS

Incite

At the next Incite on May 9, CBC personality Linden MacIntyre takes to the stage with Vincent Lam, the award-winning author of Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. Both Scotiabank Giller Prize-winners will be reading from their latest books, Why Men Lie and The Headmaster's Wager. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incitemay9. Also appearing at Incite in the next few weeks are Richard Stursberg, Marsha Lederman, Noah Richler, and Trevor and Debbie Green.

Richard Ford
Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Richard Ford comes to Vancouver on May 28 with his latest novel, Canada. A visionary novel of vast landscapes, complex identities and fragile humanity. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/richardford.

AWARDS & LISTS

Winnipeg author David Bergen's The Matter with Morris is one of ten books shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Bergen's novel is the only Canadian title in the running for this year's honour.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/david-bergen-makes-short-list-for-impac-prize/article2400101/

Canadian author Esi Edugyan is among six finalists for Britain's Orange Prize for fiction by women.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/canadian-author-esi-edugyan-shortlisted-for-prestigious-orange-prize/article2404765/

Gabriola Island children's author Iain Lawrence has been awarded the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children's Literature for 2011, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/beast+struggle+together+story+published/6459857/story.html

Andrew Nikiforuk's Empire of the Beetle: How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug Are Killing North America's Great Forests is a finalist for the 2012 Alberta Literary Awards' Wilfred Eggleston Award for Nonfiction.
http://www.cbabook.org/files/Empire%20of%20the%20Beetle%20shortlisted%20for%20the%202012%20Alberta%20Literary%20Awards.pdf

A biography of Malcolm X by Manning Marable has won the Pulitzer Prize for history. For the first time in 35 years, no fiction award has been granted. Other prizes are listed here:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/16/pulitzer-prizes.html

Jurors, who read 300 books, and publishers, are furious.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/17/pulitzer-board-awards-no-fiction-prize-angering-jurors.html

Téa Obreht's The Tiger's Wife is among the finalists for the National Book Award.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/10/12/national-book-award-nominees.html

Retired city librarian and current member of the Writers Festival board, Paul Whitney will be the recipient of this year's Gray Campbell Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. He will receive the award on April 19.
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Former+city+librarian+honoured+contribution+publishing/6459883/story.html

YOUNG READERS

Any book with a heroine called Earwig has got to be good!, writes Emily about Dianne Wynne Jones's Earwig and the Witch. "I was a bit scared but really wanted to know what was going to happen next!" writes Maisie, aged 5. Up to age 6.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/apr/14/review-earwig-witch-wynne-jones

Mary Kay Carson's What Sank the World's Biggest Ship? focuses on the more than 100 children on board, one of whom had two dogs in the ship's kennel, how the children entertained themselves—and their experience after the Titanic crashed into an iceberg. All ages.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/kids-were-onboard-the-titanic-too/2012/04/12/gIQANwAhFT_story.html

Did you know you can smell an iceberg before you see it? Here are some interesting Titanic facts.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/interesting-titanic-facts/2012/04/12/gIQAHT1fFT_story.html

New Mexico folk artist Nicholas Herrera is known for his amazing sculptures and paintings. But readers of his memoir High Riders, Saints and Death Cars: A Life Saved by Art will learn that his path to success was a difficult one. Age 10 and up.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Saved/6417423/story.html

Iain Lawrence's The Winter Pony is about a horse named Pigg, James Pigg, that is. It's an exciting, thrilling, sometimes sad, historical novel, writes Tracy Grant, about a real-life race to be the first person to reach the South Pole. Age 9 and older.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/book-review-for-kids-the-winter-pony/2012/02/20/gIQAz6ROnR_story.html

NEWS & FEATURES

A poet from each nation competing in the 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics has been invited to Poetry Parnassus for a week of readings and workshops at the end of June. Karen Solie, winner of the 2010 Griffin Poetry Prize, will represent Canada.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/17/london-poetry-parnassus.html

Oxford's Bodleian Libraries and the Vatican's Biblioteca Apostolica plan to digitise 1.5 million ancient texts to make them available online to ensure researchers and the public have free access to historic and rare texts, thanks to an award from the Polonsky Foundation.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-17687947

In 2008, Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk published 'The Museum of Innocence'. Now he has built it.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/d373494a-7cde-11e1-a676-00144feab49a.html#axzz1sFPOQs7m

HarperCollins has authorized the British novelist William Boyd to be the next to tackle the task of bringing James Bond to life. Boyd said he plans to set the new Bond story in 1969 and create a "classic Bond."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/12/william-boyd-bond.html

"All authors are welcome to the London Book Fair... as long as they don't upset the Chinese", writes Nick Cohen, adding: "To my untutored mind, the collaboration seems to breach the (British) Council's charter."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/apr/15/nick-cohen-china-censorship-writers

Author and notorious bank robber Roger Caron has died at age 73. Caron overcame illiteracy to become a published author, winning a Governor General's Award for non-fiction for his prison memoir Go Boy!. He wrote three more books after Go Boy!
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/12/arts-roger-caron-dies.html

Lynda Barry's excitable, bittersweet cartoons and collages are practically a cultural fixture, like little black dresses or "The Simpsons". writes Douglas Wolk. BLABBER BLABBER BLABBER, the first volume of a projected complete-works series called Everything, compiles Barry's early comic strips, drawn circa 1980.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/books/review/lynda-barrys-blabber-blabber-blabber-and-more.html?_r=1&nl=books&emc=edit_bk_20120413

After a lifetime of scribbling anecdotes, notes and lines of poetry, Gordon Pinsent has collaborated with Blue Rodeo's Greg Keelor and Sadies guitarist Travis Good to create an album that sets his poetry to music. Down and Out in Upalong was released this week.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/12/video-audio-pinsent-keelor-good.html

Nobel prize-winning author Toni Morrison talks to Emma Brockes about being a single mother, the death of her son and why love doesn't last. Her latest novel Home is to be released in early May.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/13/toni-morrison-home-son-love

In an interview with fellow South African novelist Nadine Gordimer, Justin Cartwright suggests No Time Like the Present is closely entwined with current issues in South Africa. Nobel laureate Gordimer dismisses the notion that her novels are closely concerned with politics.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/9163672/Nobel-laureate-Nadine-Gordimer-I-have-failed-at-many-things-but-I-have-never-been-afraid.html

Children's literature is renowned for its simple morals and admirable heroes and heroines, but British publishers have expressed outrage at the widespread "looting" from their stands by adults attending the world's leading children's book exhibition in Bologna.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/no-moral-to-the-story-as-looters-target-childrenspublishing-fair-7604129.html

The City of Vancouver is seeking submissions of books that help people to appreciate and understand Vancouver's history and the achievements of its residents. The winning book can be of any genre, must be published in 2011 or 2012, and will demonstrate excellence in content, illustration, design, and/or format. Deadline for entries is May 23. More information at vancouver.ca/bookaward.

April is National Poetry Month and CBC Reads is having a contest. Inform them of your favourite collection of poetry and why, and you could win one of four prizes. Deadline for entry is Sunday, April 29, at midnight ET. Complete rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/cbc-books-poetry-month-contest----rules-and-regulations.html

The Canada Writes Poetry Prize competition is open. Deadline for entries of original poetry is May 1 at 11:59 pm ET. More information at:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/literaryprizes/poetry/

Geist has announced the Second Annual Geist Erasure Poetry Contest. Writers are asked to create their own poetic masterpiece from an excerpt of How Should a Person Be? a creative non-fiction novel by celebrated author Sheila Heti. Visit geist.com/erasure for more details and to read the excerpt.

The Aspiring Poets Contest is for unpublished Canadian poets, and begins in April, national poetry month. Vancouver's Poet Laureate Evelyn Lau is the honorary patron. Submissions will be accepted, beginning April 1. More information at: www.aspiringpoetscontest.org.

BOOKS & WRITERS

Binyavanga Wainaina's One Day I Will Write About This Place is a raw, honest piece of memoir, of and about Africa, that doesn't stoop to reshape itself into a form that might be more accessible to the West, writes Stephanie Nolen.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/one-day-i-will-write-about-this-place-by-binyavanga-wainaina/article2405037/

Hilary Mantel's Fludd is a dark fable of lost faith, mysterious omens and awakening love set among the priests and nuns of a surreal English town. Fludd is a brilliant gem of a book, and one of Hilary Mantel's most original works, writes R042.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/fiction/9780007172894/fludd?commentpage=1#comment-15570795

Marilynne Robinson describes her collection, When I Was a Child I Read Books, as "an archeology of [her] own thinking." Lauren Groff describes it as "A privileged tour of an author's wondrous brain".
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/when-i-was-a-child-i-read-books-by-marilynne-robinson/article2401282/

Blaine Harden‘s Escape From Camp 14 is an account of one man's escape from the North Korean gulag, the only person born in the gulag to have escaped, writes Andrew Anthony, a testament to the plight of a terrorised people.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/13/escape-camp-14-korea-harden-review

We open our email and there is an "offer of a lifetime" from someone in Nigeria, pleading for help. Collectively the scams are known as 419 (a former section of the Nigerian Criminal Code). It's also the title of Will Ferguson's intricate, scary thriller, writes Jennifer Hunter.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1159907--419-by-will-ferguson-review

John Barber interviews Ferguson on this latest book.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/will-fergusons-departures-and-now-his-arrival/article2401187/

Pharmageddon is the latest book by psychiatrist David Healy, one of pharma's most articulate critics. Healy believes modern health care is on a slow boat to hell and he doesn't know how to stop it, much less turn it around, writes Dr. Brian Goldman.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/pharmageddon-by-david-healy/article2401262/

In her interview with M.A.C. Farrant, Tracy Sherlock describes Farrant's The Strange Truth About Us as "a non-linear novel about a dystopian world, which may or may not take place at some point in the future".
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Strange+Truth+About+your+traditional+novel/6455447/story.html

Timothy Mo's Pure is a delightful confection of fundamentalism, espionage and academia, writes Leo Robson, mutating the novel into a spy thriller, with all the necessary code-names, passwords and double-crosses–and a novel of ideas.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/15/pure-timothy-mo-review

D'Arcy Island, the setting for the title story of Yasuko Thanh's Floating Like the Dead, is based on a documented visit by Victoria's medical officer and a journalist in 1894. It also introduces a theme woven through the collection's remaining eight stories.
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/04/13/book-review-floating-like-the-dead-by-yasuko-thanh/

Imagine sharing your dreams, desires and memories with an identical twin brother you don't know you have, and is a psychopath. That's the premise behind Blue Monday by the husband-and-wife writing team of Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, known collectively as Nicci French.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1160443--blue-monday-by-nicci-french-review

After Faulks-does-Fleming, Horowitz-does-Holmes, and PD James-whodunnits-Jane Austen, Andrew Motion does Robert Louis Stevenson, writes Ian Sansom. Treasure Island was all about the pursuit of riches: Motion's Silver: Return to Treasure Island discovers treasure still lies buried on the island.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/30/silver-return-treasure-island-andrew-motion-review

In 1877, Harriet Staunton's husband and three others were accused of starving her to death. The Penge Mystery, a bestselling novel about the affair–written in 1934, now republished–proves as gripping today, says Rachel Cooke.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/15/harriet-staunton-penge-murder-jenkins

Billeh Nickerson's IMPACT: The Titanic Poems maintains a focus on fleeting poignant moments and individual perspective, writes Brett Josef Grubisic. Once associating the Titanic with Americans and Brits, it seems appropriate that Nickerson's poems link back to his native Halifax.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Impact+poems+titanic+effort/6455439/story.html

COMMUNITY EVENTS

VOICE OF THE STREET
Launch of Megaphone's second-annual literary issue features readings of poetry and prose from marginalized writers and artists from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and inner city. Thursday, April 19, doors at 6pm. Tickets: $10 suggested donation. Waldorf Hotel, 1489 E. Hastings.

CHRIS HUTCHINSON
The Canadian-born author presents the launch of his latest book of poetry A Brief History of the Short-Lived. Thursday, April 19 at 7:00pm, free. Montmartre, Cafe, 4362 Main Street. More information at www.harbourpublishing.com.

CANADIAN CRIME WRITING
BC members of Crime Writers of Canada will present a lively panel discussion about Canadian crime writing, followed by announcement of nominees for this years Arthur Ellis Awards. Thursday, April 19 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at 604-331-3691.

CHRIS MCMAHEN
Two appearances by the author of Box of Shocks. Friday, April 20 at 10:00am at Semiahmoo Library, 1815 152 Street, Surrey. More information at 604-592-6900. Also Friday, April 20 at 1:00pm at Fleetwood Library, 15996 84 Ave. Surrey. To register, call 604-598-7340. More information at www.spl.surrey.bc.ca.

WILLIAM B. DAVIS
The Canadian actor, director, educator, and author reads from his new book Up In Smoke Memoirs of a Cigarette Smoking Man. Includes a Q&A session. Friday, April 20 at 7:00pm, free. Nightwatch Video, 4428 Dunbar. More information at rachel@gal-fridaypublicity.com.

LIT! QUEER WRITERS DRINKING
Queer writers read their best works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Friday, April 20 at 8:00pm. $5-$10 sliding scale. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.

FIVE LITTLE BITCHES BOOK LAUNCH
Book launch for Teresa McWhirter's new novel Five Little Bitches includes music, reading, and burlesque. Friday, April 20 at 8:30pm, free. Pat's Pub, 403 E. Hastings. More information at info@anvilpress.com.

NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
13th annual festival of writers and readers, this year featuring Marina Endicott, Anita Rau Badami and Daniel Kalla. Saturday, April 21, free. From 11:30am to 8:30pm. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.

the weight of dew
Launch of Daniele Elza's new book. Saturday, April 21 at 4:00pm. Mother Tongue Publishing Letterpress Studio and The Porch Gallery, 290 Fulford-Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island.

LLOYD KAHN
Reading by the author of Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter Scaling Back in the 21st Century. Sunday, April 22 at 7:00pm, free. Community Hall, Hornby Island.

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL
Second annual festival and poetry slam championship. April 23-28, 2012. Registration deadlines and complete details here: http://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/vipf-2012-is-coming/.

BC BOOK PRIZES SOIREE 2012
The West Coast Book Prize Society hosts the 9th annual celebration of all the nominated authors for the 2012 BC Book Prizes as well as the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence. Tuesday, April 24 at 6:00pm. By donation. SFU Woodwards, World Art Studio, 149 W. Hastings Street. More information at www.bcbookprizes.ca.

MARTY CHAN
Meet the author of the children's books The Mystery of the Frozen Brains and Barnabas Bigfoot. Two appearances on Wednesday, April 25: 10:00am at Guilford Library, Surrey; and 1:15pm at Port Kells Library. Details and registration at www.surreylibraries.ca.

TIMOTHY TAYLOR
Reading by the author of Stanley Park and The Blue Light Project. Wednesday, April 25 at 7:00pm, free. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue Chilliwack. More information at www.fvrl.bc.ca.

HIROMI GOTO
Book launch of the author's latest novel, Darkest Light. Thursday, April 26 at 7:00pm, free. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.

JOHN GOULD
John Gold discusses his novel Seven Good Reasons Not To Be Good. Thursday, April 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $20 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.

SOW SIMPLE
Food and lifestyle writer Christina Symons and professional horticulturalist and landscaper John Gillespie for a demonstration and book signing, featuring a project from their new book. Saturday, April 28 at 3:00pm, free. Cedar Rim Nursery, 7024 Glover Road, Langley. For information, visit www.cedarrim.com.

PEOPLE WHO DISAPPEAR
Launch of Alex Leslie's new collection of stories, with story-inspired menu by Michael Speier. Special guests Daniel Zomparelli and Dina Del Bucchia. Saturday, April 28 at 8:00pm, free. Project Space, 222 E. Georgia Street, Vancouver.

Upcoming

TWO WOMEN POETS
Showcase of work by Diana Hayes (This is the Moon's Work) and Daniela Elza (The Weight of Dew). Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at 604-331-3716.

ROBSON READING SERIES
Readings by Stephanie Bolster (A Page from the Wonders of Life on Earth) and Theresa Kishkan (Mnemonic: A Book of Trees). Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm, free. UBC Bookstore/Library at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street. More information at www.robsonreadingseries.ubc.ca.

RICK RIORDAN
Author presents his latest book, The Serpent's Shadow. Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $25 (includes book). Hellenic Centre, 4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver. For complete details and to purchase tickets, visit www.kidsbooks.ca.

BOOKTOPIA
Annual festival of children's literature intended to promote literacy, celebrate language arts and cultivate creative thought in West Vancouver. May 4-31, 2012. Complete details at www.booktopia.ca.

VANCOUVER ISLAND CHILDREN'S BOOK FESTIVAL
Meet Canadian children's authors and illustrators for a fun-filled and entertaining day with writers such as Michael Kusugak, Julie Flett and Paul Yee. Saturday, May 5, 2012 in Nanaimo, BC. Cost: $10 per child or $25 per family; ticket sales start March 26. Details here: www.bookfest.ca.

TRENTON LEE STEWART
Author of the popular Mysterious Benedict Society series presents his newest book in the series, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict. Saturday, May 5 at 2:00pm. Tickets: $21 (includes book). West Point Grey United Church Sanctuary, 4595 8th Ave. W. Details and ticket purchase here, www.kidsbooks.ca.

FRANCES WELWOOD
Reading by the author of Passing Through Missing Pages, a chronicle of the life of Annie Foster Hanley. Monday, May 7 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. White Rock library, 15342 Buena Vista, White Rock. More information at 604-541-2201.

A ROOM IN THE CITY
Reading by the documentary photographer and writer Gabor Gasztonyi from his new book. Wednesday, May 9 at 7:00pm, free but please register by phoning 604-937-4155. Board room, Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library, 575 Poirier Street.

C.E. GATCHALIAN
Reading by the author of Falling in Time. Thursday, May 10 at 2:00pm, free. Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Point Grey Campus, 1961 East Mall. More information at www.robsonreadingseries.ubc.ca.

DANIEL KALLA
Meet bestselling medical thriller author with his novel, The Far Side of the Sky: a novel of love and death in Shanghai. Thursday, May 10 at 7:00pm, free but register at 604-598-7426. Meeting room 120, City Centre Library, 10350 University Drive. More information at www.surreylibraries.ca.

SKAGIT RIVER POETRY FESTIVAL
Three days of poetry, song and storytelling featuring Carolyn Forche', Tony Hoagland and many others. May 17-20, 2012. La Conner, WA. Complete information at www.skagitriverpoetry.org.

JOHN IRVING
The author will talk about his new novel In One Person on Friday, May 18th, 2012 at 7:30 pm at the North Shore Credit Union Centre for the Performing Arts. Capilano University, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver. Ticket price of $30 includes a copy of the new novel available for pick up at the event. More information at 604.990.7810 or http://www2.capilanou.ca/news-events/nscucentre.html.

Book News Vol. 7 No. 12

BOOK NEWS

Mother's Day
Give the gift of great writing and ideas! If your mom is a reader, we bet she’d love a membership to the Vancouver International Writers Festival! Just $35 – and we’ll put it in an attractive gift envelope too! To purchase, call the office at 604-681.6330 x109.

UPCOMING VIWF EVENTS

Incite

At the next Incite on April 18, Irish novelist John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, reads from The Absolutist, Buffy Cram reads from her debut collection of short stories, Radio Belly, and Owen Laukkanen shares his debut thriller, The Professionals. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/inciteapril18. Also appearing at Incite in the next few weeks are Linden MacIntyre, Vincent Lam, Richard Stursberg and Trevor Green.

Richard Ford
Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Richard Ford appears with his latest novel, Canada. A visionary novel of vast landscapes, complex identities and fragile humanity. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/richardford.

AWARDS & LISTS

Leonard Cohen has been awarded the 2011 Glenn Gould Prize. Dubbed by some as the "Nobel Prize of the Arts," it is presented biennially to "an individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/04/01/glenn-gould-prize-leonard-cohen.html

Ken Babstock, Jan Zwicky and Phil Hall are shortlisted for the $65,000 Griffin Poetry Prize, along with four international nominees.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/10/griffin-poetry-prize.html

The City of Edmonton has named Judy Schultz's Freddy's War winner of the 2012 Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2012/04/05/judy-schultz-wins-robert-kroetsch-book-prize/

Don McKay's The Shell of the Tortoise has won the $10,000 BMO Winterset Award, the first ever essay collection to win. The award celebrates writing by authors from Newfoundland and Labrador.
http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2012/03/29/don-mckay-wins-bmo-winterset-award/

Four authors' books are on the shortlist for The Donner Prize.
http://www.donnerbookprize.com/s/the-shortlist/index.html

YOUNG READERS

SuperCellaBella writes: I like the book Matilda because it is by one of my favourite authors, Roald Dahl. It is funny like all Roald Dahl books. It's about a girl called Matilda who has a very horrible family and goes to a horrible school—and survives! Ages 8-12
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/apr/08/review-matilda-roald-dahl

Award-winning author Nicola Morgan recommends two books by Laurie Halse Anderson: Speak and Catalyst. Both books are raw portrayals of the anguish that some teenagers suffer on their way from the protection of childhood to the independence of adulthood. Ages 12 and up
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/apr/05/top-10-nicola-morgan-present-tense

New Mexico folk artist Nicholas Herrera is known for his amazing sculptures and paintings. But readers of his memoir High Riders, Saints and Death Cars will learn that his path to success was a difficult one. Art has become the centre of his life. The book is lavishly illustrated. Ages 10 and up
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Saved/6417423/story.html

"Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse," Auggie says of his face as the book begins. By the time Wonder, a rich first novel by R.J. Palacio is over, it's not just Auggie but everyone around him who has changed, says Maria Russo. Ages 8 to 12
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/08/books/review/wonder-by-r-j-palacio.html?nl=books&emc=edit_bk_20120406

NEWS & FEATURES

Saskatoon has arrived in the Big Apple. The Prairie city is making a cheeky cameo appearance on the April 16 cover of the New Yorker magazine, thanks to Canadian artist Bruce McCall, who now lives in New York.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/saskatoon-makes-the-cover-of-the-new-yorker/article2398398/

The Hunger Games, a young adult book set in dystopian future, was No. 3 on the American Library Association's list of most challenged books—those that face complaints by parents and library patrons because of "unsuitable" content—for 2011.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/09/challenged-books-list.html

While much has been made of Katniss Everdeen as a new generation of girl hero, Jen Doll reminds us that such great girl characters as Meg Murry, Laura Ingalls, Claudia Kincaid, Nancy Drew, Anne Shirley and Pippi Longstocking set the stage.
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/04/greatest-girl-characters-young-adult-literature/50746/

Many of us know of The Cellist of Sarajevo through Steven Galloway’s book. This week, the cellist, Vedran Smajlovic, returned to Sarajevo from Northern Ireland, where he now lives, to play his cello at one of the ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the start of the siege of Sarajevo.
http://news.yahoo.com/cellist-sarajevo-plays-city-again-184346177.html

The controversy surrounding Günter Grass's poem What Must Be Said escalated with the declaration that Grass was now banned from Israel, writes Robert Sharp. English PEN suggests the Israeli literary community respond with poetry of their own, parodying and picking apart Grass's offering.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2012/apr/10/gunter-grass-poem-israel-travel-ban

The Walrus Foundation is launching a book imprint. The Walrus Books will publish Margaret Atwood's short story I Dream of Zenia with the Bright Red Teeth in a limited-edition run of 2,000 copies, the first 100 of which will be signed and numbered by Atwood.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/move-guide/Walrus+launches+book+imprint/6420026/story.html

Each issue of the Safety Pin Review is a very short story written on a piece of fabric in bold lettering, pinned on someone's back, who walks around wearing it. The person who stands behind them—that's the readership.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2012/04/have-you-seen-this-short-story.html

George Fetherling describes the range of literary presses—including the mighty University of California Press—that publish poetry. When you enjoy a collection from Publisher X, you’re likely to be interested in their other poetry titles, as well.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Poetry+tiny+market+served+many+publishers/6417065/story.html

Yes, you CAN buy e-books and support your local indie bookstore, writes Laura Miller.
http://www.salon.com/2012/01/11/resolved_kick_the_amazon_habit_in_2012/singleton/

The Boston Globe lists 10.5 ways local bookstores beat Amazon.
http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-08/magazine/31298998_1_book-shop-rare-cookbooks-story-time

Americans who have recently read an e-book read 60% more books than those who read only print books, reported the Pew Research Center. The study was based on three surveys of at least 2,000 people, each over age 16.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/05/technology-ebook-pew.html

Admirers of Charles Dickens can brush shoulders with chimney sweeps at a Dickens World theme park in England.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/and-now-a-word-from-charles-dickenss-sponsor/?ref=booksupdate&nl=books&emc=edit_bk_20120406

Elif Shafak is Turkey's most widely read woman writer, with her work translated into 30 languages. In an interview with William Skidelsky, she talks about why she writes her novels twice.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/08/elif-shafak-honour-meet-the-author

Fifty years after the publication of Doris Lessing's Golden Notebook, four generations of writers reflect on what it means to them.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/06/the-golden-notebook-50-years-on

Britain’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy has been commissioned to write a poem based on the story of eight women and two men who were hanged for witchcraft in Lancashire 400 years ago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/apr/10/witches-execution-lancashire-bnp-poet-laureate-carol-ann-duffy

April is National Poetry Month and CBC Reads is having a contest. Tell them what your favourite collection of poetry is and why, and you could win one of four prizes. Deadline for entry is Sunday, April 29, at midnight ET. Complete rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/cbc-books-poetry-month-contest----rules-and-regulations.html

The Canada Writes Poetry Prize competition is open. Deadline for entries of original poetry is May 1 at 11:59 pm ET. More information at:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/literaryprizes/poetry/

Geist has announced the Second Annual Geist Erasure Poetry Contest. Writers are asked to create their own poetic masterpiece from an excerpt of How Should a Person Be? a creative non-fiction novel by celebrated author Sheila Heti . Visit geist.com/erasure for more details and to read the excerpt.

The Aspiring Poets Contest is for unpublished Canadian poets, and begins in April, national poetry month. Vancouver's Poet Laureate Evelyn Lau is the honorary patron. Submissions will be accepted, beginning April 1. More information at:
www.aspiringpoetscontest.org

BOOKS & WRITERS

Read my mind, writes Diana Fitzgerald Bryden, Heidi Julavits' The Vanishers is terrific: wild, funny and macabre, with the propulsive energy of a good mystery but without the sense of foregone conclusions.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/the-vanishers-by-heidi-julavits/article2391874/

When Gerbrand Bakker's first book, The Twin, won the Impac Award, it was clear that an assured and mature new voice had emerged in European fiction. Its successor The Detour is even more powerful, writes John Burnside.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/15/the-detour-gerbrand-bakker-review

Anne Tyler's latest novel, The Beginner's Goodbye, is a classic mix of the author's themes, most especially oddball characters and the turbulent nature of families and marriages, writes Mary McNamara. As always, it's set in Baltimore.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-book-anne-tyler-20120402,0,7319422.story

There are many new Titanic books, writes John Kalbleisch. including two biographies of John Law Hume, a violinist in the ship's eight-man ensemble. The bravery displayed by Jock Hume and the ensemble contrasts with Hume's musician father, a truly unpleasant man.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/fleet+Titanic+books/6417408/story.html

To read Nadine Gordimer's No Time Like the Present is to plunge into the cauldron that is South Africa today, a chaotic now which cannot avoid the dark shadow of a heavy past, writes Martin Rubin.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-nadine-gordimer-20120408,0,7450509.story

Hugh Brewster's RMS Titanic: Gilded Lives on a Fatal Voyage skillfully weaves the sinking with the backstories of the first-class celebrities aboard the doomed ship. Behind those formal black-and-white photos of the Titanic elite lurked colourful scandal and gossip galore, writes Doug Grant.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/rms-titanic-gilded-lives-on-a-fatal-voyage-by-hugh-brewster/article2394199/

In the preface to his Titanic text, the late Walter Lord writes of the then-unabated interest in the ship and how she has proved unsinkable. Lord's words could just as easily describe the Titanic fever now gripping the media, writes Billeh Nickerson.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/the-unsinkable-metaphor-our-obsession-with-the-titanic/article2394176/

In his review of David Scheffer's All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals, Michael Ignatieff reminds us that "Affirming belief that America is an exceptional nation has become a test of patriotism in American politics." Still, in some cases, justice was done.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2012/apr/05/were-so-exceptional/

John Grisham's legal thrillers are dense and hefty, full of twists, turns and tension. Calico Joe, however, is a fable with a moral: good can come out of evil. And, says Steven V. Roberts, Grisham knows baseball as well as he knows crime.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/john-grishams-calico-joe/2012/04/06/gIQAafbe0S_story.html

Nancy Richler‘s accomplished new work, The Imposter Bride, is rooted firmly in Montreal and elaborates Richler's essential themes: Jewish history, maternal absence, female experience and the significance of the word. This novel serves as a gut-wrenching education, writes Donna Bailey Nurse.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/the-imposter-bride-by-nancy-richler/article2394150/

Dee Hobsbawn-Smith's Foodshed is a rich encyclopedia of facts, farm-gate lore and original recipes. And a politically engaging narrative in which Hobsbawn-Smith articulates the challenges and joys faced by small-scale producers. This is not Charlotte's Web, warns Patriicia Dawn Robertson.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/foodshed-by-dee-hobsbawn-smith/article2394299/

Donna Britt's Brothers (& Me) tells of her brother's killing by police. Reading the memoir amid the outcry over the shooting death of Trayvon Martin shows the timelessness of this narrative—that black male life is treated as disposable, writes Danielle Evans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/brothers-andme-a-memoir-of-loving-and-giving-by-donna-britt/2012/03/30/gIQAO9X1lS_story.html

Gregor von Rezzori was born into a vanishing world, writes Michael LaPointe. In An Ermine in Czernopol, von Rezzori sent his nameless narrator in search of lost time, to recover what vanished of Europe, and himself, between world wars.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/an-ermine-in-czernopol-by-gregor-von-rezzori/article2396115/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

ON EDGE READING SERIES
Presents readings by Kaie Kellough and Cornelia Hoogland. Thursday, April 12 at 7:00pm, free. SB301, Emily Carr University, 1399 Johnston Street. More information at http://www.ecuad.ca/about/events/198108.

V6A
Launch of the new anthology V6A: Writing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Featuring readings by Cathleen With, Henry Doyle, Phoenix Winter and My Name is Scot. Thursday, April 12 at 7:00pm. The Waldorf, 1489 East Hastings.

VILLANELLES
US poets Sharmagne Leland-St. John and Ellaraine Lockie, and BC poets Sandy Shreve and Kate Braid read from the newly published poetry anthology Villanelles (an Everymans Library Pocket Poets book). Friday, April 13 at 7:00pm. People's Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive.

THE WRITER'S STUDIO READING SERIES
An evening of storytelling poetry, lyric prose, and personal essays related to the theme of travel. Guest author is writer and photographer Tayu Hayward who will show a collection of his photographs and share his stories. Friday, April 13 at 7:00pm, free. Take 5 Cafe, 429 Granville Street.

LIT FEST NEW WEST
All day event featuring speakers, authors, workshops, readings and more. Saturday, April 14 at 9:00am. Douglas College, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster. More information at artscouncilnewwest.org.

POETIC JUSTICE READING SERIES
Readings by Rob Taylor, Daniela Elza, Jeff Park, and Timothy Shay. Sunday, April 15 at 3:00p. The Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia Street, New Westminster.

GRANT LAWRENCE
Author reads and presents a slideshow from his new book Adventures in Solitude. Monday, April 16 at 7:00pm. Admission free for members; $5 for non-members. Capilano Public Library, 3045 Highland Blvd., North Vancouver. For more information or to register, visit www.nswriters.bc.ca.

PEN-IN-HAND POETRY/PROSE READING SERIES
Readings by Chris Hutchinson, Teresa McWhirter and Billeh Nickerson. Monday, April 16 at 7:00pm. Cost: $3. Serious Coffee, 230 Cook Street, Victoria. More information at ainbinder.collins@gmail.com.

KEVIN CHONG
Author reads from his most recent book My Year of the Racehorse: Falling in Love With The Sport of Kings. Books will be available for purchase. Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00pm, free. Tommy Douglas branch, Burnaby Public Library, 7311 Kingsway, Burnaby. More information at 604-522-3971.

RAZORBILL
Launch of the new publisher of many young adult books. Meet authors Jay Asher, Hiromi Goto and Carrie Mac. Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00pm, free. Chapters Metrotown, Burnaby.

SPOKEN INK
Reading by Daryl Stennett, author of Behind the Steam, the essential history of Gastown's Steam Clock. Tuesday, April 17 at 8:00pm. La Fantana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings, Burnaby.

JACK WHYTE
Meet the author of the A Dream of Eagles series and the Templar Trilogy. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm. Register at 604-598-7426. City Centre Library, Surrey Public Library, 10350 University Drive, Surrey.

AT THE WORLD'S EDGE
Author Claudia Cornwall discusses her new book At the World's Edge-Curt Lang's Vancouver: 1937-1998. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Parkgate Branch library, 3675 Banff Court, North Vancouver. More information at 604-929-3727.

NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Readings by Gerhard Winkler and the Rogue Writers. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm, free. Dr. G. Paul Singh Study Hall, North Vancouver City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver. More information at 604-998-3450.

SALISH SEA PRESENTS
Readings by poets Daniela Elza and E.D. Blodgett from Salish Sea Presents: A Balancing Act in Two Voices. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:30pm. Ocean Park Library, 512854 17th Avenue, Surrey.

VOICES OF LOCAL POETS
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Mission poets Heidi Greco and Marion Quednau. Thursday, April 19 at 4:00pm. Clearbrook Library, 32320 George Ferguson Way, Abbotsford. More information at 604-859-7814.

CANADIAN CRIME WRITING
BC members of Crime Writers of Canada will present a lively panel discussion about Canadian crime writing, followed by announcement of nominees for this years Arthur Ellis Awards. Thursday, April 19 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at 604-331-3691.

CHRIS MCMAHEN
Two appearances by the author of Box of Shocks. Friday, April 20 at 10:00am at Semiahmoo Library, 1815 152 Street, Surrey. More information at 604-592-6900. Also Friday, April 20 at 1:00pm at Fleetwood Library, 15996 84 Ave. Surrey. To register, call 604-598-7340. More information at www.spl.surrey.bc.ca.

LIT! QUEER WRITERS DRINKING
Queer writers read their best works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Friday, April 20 at 8:00pm. $5-$10 sliding scale. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.

NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
13th annual festival of writers and readers, this year featuring Marina Endicott, Anita Rau Badami and Daniel Kalla. Saturday, April 21, free. From 11:30am to 8:30pm. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.

the weight of dew
Launch of Daniele Elza's new book. Saturday, April 21 at 4:00pm. Mother Tongue Publishing Letterpress Studio and The Porch Gallery, 290 Fulford-Ganges Road, Salt Spring Island.

Upcoming

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL
Second annual festival and poetry slam championship. April 23-28, 2012. Registration deadlines and complete details here: http://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/vipf-2012-is-coming/.

TIMOTHY TAYLOR
Reading by the author of Stanley Park and The Blue Light Project. Wednesday, April 25 at 7:00pm, free. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue Chilliwack. More information at www.fvrl.bc.ca.

HIROMI GOTO
Book launch of the author's latest novel, Darkest Light. Thursday, April 26 at 7:00pm, free. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.

JOHN GOULD
John Gold discusses his novel Seven Good Reasons Not To Be Good. Thursday, April 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $20 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.

TWO WOMEN POETS
Showcase of work by Diana Hayes (This is the Moon's Work) and Daniela Elza (The Weight of Dew). Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at 604-331-3716.

ROBSON READING SERIES
Readings by Stephanie Bolster (A Page from the Wonders of Life on Earth) and Theresa Kishkan (Mnemonic: A Book of Trees). Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm, free. UBC Bookstore/Library at Robson Square, 800 Robson Street. More information at www.robsonreadingseries.ubc.ca.

RICK RIORDAN
Author presents his latest book, The Serpent's Shadow. Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $25 (includes book). Hellenic Centre, 4500 Arbutus Street, Vancouver. For complete details and to purchase tickets, visit www.kidsbooks.ca.

Book News Vol. 7 No. 11

BOOK NEWS

UPCOMING VIWF EVENTS

Incite

At the next Incite on April 18, Irish novelist John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, reads from The Absolutist, Buffy Cram reads from her debut collection of short stories, Radio Belly and Owen Laukkanen shares his debut thriller, The Professionals. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/inciteapril18. Also appearing at Incite in the next few weeks are Linden MacIntyre, Vincent Lam, Richard Stursberg and Trevor Green.

Richard Ford
Pulitzer Prize and PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author Richard Ford appears with his latest novel, Canada. A visionary novel of vast landscapes, complex identities and fragile humanity. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/richardford.

AWARDS & LISTS

The late Christopher Hitchens is one of 18 authors selected for the Orwell Prize for political writing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/9169607/Christopher-Hitchens-leads-Orwell-Prize-longlist.html

Lebanese writer Rabee Jaber has won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, which has become known as the "Arabic Booker".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/28/rabee-jaber-international-prize-arabic-fiction

Don McKay's The Shell of the Tortoise (Gaspereau Press) has won the $10,000 BMO Winterset Award, the first ever essay collection to win the award.
http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index.php/2012/03/29/don-mckay-wins-bmo-winterset-award/

Lavinia Greenlaw's "outstanding" sound work Audio Obscura, has won the Ted Hughes award for new work in poetry.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/30/lavinia-greenlaw-wins-ted-hughes-award

Five authors are shortlisted for a new Canadian literary award for feel-good mysteries. The award is nicknamed the Bony Blithe, for "a book that makes us smile".
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/03/28/new-award-announced-for-feel-good-mysteries/

Theresha Kishkan's Mnemonic: A Book of Trees is on the shortlist for the Hubert Evans Nonfiction Prize.
https://www.gooselane.com//books.php?ean=9780864926517

The 5-person shortlist for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour Writing consists of four women and one man.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/women-authors-dominate-short-list-for-leacock-humour-prize/article2389537/

The shortlist for the Donner Prize, which recognizes the best book on public policy by a Canadian, was announced this week.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/books-about-obesity-museums-in-the-running-for-donner-prize/article2390415/

Esi Edugyan and Patrick DeWitt are two of the six authors shortlisted for the 2012 Walter Scott prize for historical fiction in the U.K.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17610307

Three finalists, two of them from Vancouver, have been named for the Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/03/bronwen-wallace-prize.html

Songwriter poet Kris Demeanor has been named Calgary's new poet laureate.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/meet-kris-demeanour-calgary-poet-laureate-and-art-slut/article2387030/

Jonny Duddle's The Pirates Next Door is the first picture book to win the Waterstones children's prize voted for by booksellers.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/mar/28/pirate-waterstones-prize-winner

Andy Mulligan's Trash, a thriller about children who live on a dump in a developing country, has been shortlisted for the UK's Carnegie medal for children's literature.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/dec/20/andy-mulligan-trash-blue-peter

The Alcuin Society has announced the winners of its 30th annual Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada. The winning books will be exhibited in Germany, Japan and in eight Canadian provinces.
http://www.alcuinsociety.com/

YOUNG READERS

Jonny Duddle's The Pirates Next Door features the Jolley-Rogers, a family of swashbuckling pirates who move to the quiet seaside town of Dull-on-Sea. There's buried treasure the pirates leave behind. Up to 4 years old.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/mar/28/pirate-waterstones-prize-winner

Vincent van Gogh and the Colors of the Wind, by Chiara Lossani is one of many biographical picture books about artists, with text inspired by Vincent's letters to his brother, Theo. Stylized illustrations by Octavia Monaco set this book apart writes Bernie Goedhart. Age 9 and up.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/Kids+Picture+books+about+real+people/6343643/story.html

Andy Milligan's thriller Trash reflects a real school that Milligan knows. Raphael is a dumpsite boy. One day, Raphael's world turns upside down. A small leather bag falls into his hands: a bag of clues and hope, a bag that will change everything. Age 8 to 12.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/data/book/unclassified/9780385619011/trash

In a review of Suzanne Collins's Catching Fire, pinkbookworms writes: "The first book was captivating, action packed and a page-turner. I started the second book with high hopes and expectations. But I was very disappointed indeed." Age 12 and up.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/childrens-books-site/2012/mar/24/review-catching-fire-suzanne-collins

NEWS & FEATURES

Adrienne Rich, award-winning poet and essayist, has died, age 82. Among her many awards was a MacArthur "genius"Fellowship in 1994.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-adrienne-rich-20120329,0,4556618,full.story

April is National Poetry Month and CBC Reads is having a contest. Tell them what your favourite collection of poetry is and why, and you could win one of four prizes. Deadline for entry is Sunday, April 29, at midnight ET. Complete rules and regulations are here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/cbc-books-poetry-month-contest----rules-and-regulations.html

The Canada Writes Poetry Prize competition is now open. Deadline for entries is May 1 at 11:59 pm ET. More information at:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/literaryprizes/poetry/

Geist has announced the Second Annual Geist Erasure Poetry Contest. Writers are asked to create their own poetic masterpiece from an excerpt of How Should a Person Be? a creative non-fiction novel by celebrated author Sheila Heti. Visit geist.com/erasure for more details and to read the excerpt.

The Aspiring Poets Contest, a new contest in Canada, is for unpublished Canadian poets, and begins in April, national poetry month. Vancouver's Poet Laureate Evelyn Lau is the honorary patron. Submissions will be accepted, beginning April 1. More information at: www.aspiringpoetscontest.org.

Novelist Ann Patchett's fight to save independent bookshops, having opened her own shop in Tennessee and championed the importance of bookselling on American television, has led to her nomination as one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/02/ann-patchett-time-most-influential

Libraries on Nova Scotia's South Shore are boycotting Random House, one of the world's largest book publishers, over unfair e-book pricing. The company began charging public libraries up to three times the retail price for downloadable books last month.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/04/02/ns-south-shore-libraries-boycot-random-house.html

Amazon.com‘s efforts to get deeper discounts from publishers prompted this comment from novelist Richard Russo. "When you sell books at a loss to corner the market, you're not interested in competing. You're interested in burying your competitors and then burying the shovel."
shttp://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017889877_amazonpublisher02.html

TV columnist John Doyle wrote that Mad Men represents the triumph of TV over novels. Russell Smith responds that reports of the novel's death have been exaggerated. And Twitter gives us access to how people read novels, writes Smith.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/russell-smith/reports-of-the-novels-death-have-been-exaggerated/article2384385/

The history of bookmaking hasn't been without its challenges, but never was its craft as painstaking as during the era of illuminated manuscripts. Here is a collection of complaints monks scribbled in the pages of illuminated manuscripts.
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/03/21/monk-complaints-manuscripts/

A search made at the request of her biographer has uncovered three poems and two pieces of prose published in the school magazine when the late Angela Carter was a teenager in the 1950s, offering an insight into Carter's development.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/31/angela-carter-teenage-poetry-found-school

In the most recent issue of the New Yorker, David Sedaris writes about socialized medicine in the heart of old Europe, especially Dentists Without Borders.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/02/120402fa_fact_sedaris

In 1969, Monica Searle was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer. After each chemotherapy treatment, Ronald made Monica a Mrs. Mole drawing "to evoke the blissful future ahead." Combined, they formed Les Très Riches Heures de Mrs Mole.http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/10/les-tres-riches-heures-de-mrs-mole-ronald-searle/

Anna Holmes writes about the outrage some Hunger Games fans experienced when the movie version of The Hunger Games made it clear that two key characters were black. Bad reading comprehension? Fans who could not believe—or accept—that Rue and Thresh, were black? http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/03/hunger-games-and-trayvon-martin.html#ixzz1qg0ISr00

No one can predict the fate of a book, whether it's British author EL James' Fifty Shades of Grey or Edgar Allen Poe, ignored in his lifetime but feted ever since for his detective fiction and pioneering horror, writes Robert McCrum.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/01/edgar-allan-poe-literary-life

Michael Crummey identifies his top ten literary feuds.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/04/michael-crummey-top-10-literary-feuds

BOOKS & WRITERS

Linden Macintyre's Why Men Lie is told from the point of view of a smart, intuitive female protagonist, a psychological drama about the limitations of love. It's a compelling yarn riddled with dark secrets and complex relationships, writes Greg Quill.
http://www.thestar.com/news/books/article/1152562--linden-macintyre-knows-why-men-lie

As dark as We Need to Talk About Kevin and So Much for That, Lionel Shriver's The New Republic is written with a lighter touch, writes Zsuzsi Gartner. But those with faith in elected governments and the fourth estate, might try hard not to shudder, says Gartner.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/the-new-republic-by-lionel-shriver/article2387188/

Ron Rash's The Cove is situated in the Appalachian mountains of Carolina. Appalachia is, in American terms, old: long populated, with dialects and folkways that go back centuries, very beautiful; not too far from Wales on the literary map, writes Ursula K Le Guin.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/mar/16/the-cove-ron-rash-review

A storm about to make landfall, a dysfunctional father-son relationship and a double homicide anchor Montrealer Robert Pobi's chilling debut thriller, Bloodman, writes François Lauzon. Though the clues are there, this sparkling first novel has an ending few readers will see coming.
http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/books/reads+Estranged+plate/6387411/story.html

How do honour killings differ from crimes of passion? Not much, Stieg Larsson says in an excerpt from The Expo Files: Articles By Crusading Journalist Stieg Larsson, a new compilation of non-fiction.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/books/how-do-honour-killings-differ-from-crimes-of-passion/article2387722/

CBC radio and television reports by Annamaria Tremonti and Carol Off, along with American print journalist Barbara Demick's Besieged: Life Under Fire on a Sarajevo Street catch us up on people's lives since the Serbian siege of Sarajevo twenty years ago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/apr/03/life-and-death-in-sarajevo

COMMUNITY EVENTS

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Performance by Kate Braid and Daniela Elza with bass player Clyde Reed. Thursday, April 5 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Prophouse, 1636 Venables Avenue, Vancouver. More information at blnish@pandorascollective.com.

VANCOUVER HOWLS
Celebration of Allen Ginsberg, featuring a performance of Howl. With CR Avery, Jamie Reid, Sasha Wiley, Trevor Carolan and others. Friday, April 6 at 7:00pm. $8 suggested donation. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.

CARMEN AGUIRRE
Vancouver-based actress and writer reads from her book Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter. Monday, April 9 at 7:30pm. Admission by donation and RSVP to http://www.thecultch.com/content/view/348/508/. Vancity Culture Lab (the Cultch, 1895 Venables). More information at 604-251-1363.

CAA VANCOUVER BRANCH MEETING
Vancouver poet laureate Evelyn Lau speaks at the monthly meeting of the local branch of the Canadian Authors Association. Wednesday, April 11 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $10/$5/free for members. Alliance for Arts and Culture, 100-938 Howe Street. More information at www.canauthorsvancouver.org.

ON EDGE READING SERIES
Presents readings by Kaie Kellough and Cornelia Hoogland. Thursday, April 12 at 7:00pm, free. SB301, Emily Carr University, 1399 Johnston Street. More information at http://www.ecuad.ca/about/events/198108.

V6A
Launch of the new anthology V6A: Writing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Featuring readings by Cathleen With, Henry Doyle, Phoenix Winter and My Name is Scot. Thursday, April 12 at 7:00pm. The Waldorf, 1489 East Hastings.

VILLANELLES
US poets Sharmagne Leland-St. John and Ellaraine Lockie, and BC poets Sandy Shreve and Kate Braid read from the newly published poetry anthology Villanelles (an Everymans Library Pocket Poets book). Friday, April 13 at 7:00pm. People's Co-op Bookstore, 1391 Commercial Drive.

THE WRITER'S STUDIO READING SERIES
An evening of storytelling poetry, lyric prose, and personal essays related to the theme of travel. Guest author is writer and photographer Tayu Hayward who will show a collection of his photographs and share his stories. Friday, April 13 at 7:00pm, free. Take 5 Cafe, 429 Granville Street.

LIT FEST NEW WEST
All day event featuring speakers, authors, workshops, readings and more. Saturday, April 14 at 9:00am. Douglas College, 700 Royal Avenue, New Westminster. More information at artscouncilnewwest.org.

GRANT LAWRENCE
Author reads and presents a slideshow from his new book Adventures in Solitude. Monday, April 16 at 7:00pm. Admission free for members; $5 for non-members. Capilano Public Library, 3045 Highland Blvd., North Vancouver. For more information or to register, visit www.nswriters.bc.ca.

PEN-IN-HAND POETRY/PROSE READING SERIES
Readings by Chris Hutchinson, Teresa McWhirter and Billeh Nickerson. Monday, April 16 at 7:00pm. Cost: $3. Serious Coffee, 230 Cook Street, Victoria. More information at ainbinder.collins@gmail.com.

KEVIN CHONG
Author reads from his most recent book My Year of the Racehorse: Falling in Love With The Sport of Kings. Books will be available for purchase. Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00pm, free. Tommy Douglas branch, Burnaby Public Library, 7311 Kingsway, Burnaby. More information at 604-522-3971.

RAZORBILL
Launch of the new publisher of many young adult books. Meet authors Jay Asher, Hiromi Goto and Carrie Mac. Tuesday, April 17 at 7:00pm, free. Chapters Metrotown, Burnaby.

Upcoming

JACK WHYTE
Meet the author of the A Dream of Eagles series and the Templar Trilogy. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm. Register at 604-598-7426. City Centre Library, Surrey Public Library, 10350 University Drive, Surrey.

AT THE WORLD'S EDGE
Author Claudia Cornwall discusses her new book At the World's Edge-Curt Lang's Vancouver: 1937-1998. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Parkgate Branch library, 3675 Banff Court, North Vancouver. More information at 604-929-3727.

NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Readings by Gerhard Winkler and the Rogue Writers. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:00pm, free. Dr. G. Paul Singh Study Hall, North Vancouver City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver. More information at 604-998-3450.

VOICES OF LOCAL POETS
Celebrate National Poetry Month with Mission poets Heidi Greco and Marion Quednau. Thursday, April 19 at 4:00pm. Clearbrook Library, 32320 George Ferguson Way, Abbotsford. More information at 604-859-7814.

CANADIAN CRIME WRITING
BC members of Crime Writers of Canada will present a lively panel discussion about Canadian crime writing, followed by announcement of nominees for this years Arthur Ellis Awards. Thursday, April 19 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at 604-331-3691.

CHRIS MCMAHEN
Two appearances by the author of Box of Shocks. Friday, April 20 at 10:00am at Semiahmoo Library, 1815 152 Street, Surrey. More information at 604-592-6900. Also Friday, April 20 at 1:00pm at Fleetwood Library, 15996 84 Ave. Surrey. To register, call 604-598-7340. More information at www.spl.surrey.bc.ca.

LIT! QUEER WRITERS DRINKING
Queer writers read their best works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Friday, April 20 at 8:00pm. $5-$10 sliding scale. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.

NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
13th annual festival of writers and readers, this year featuring Marina Endicott, Anita Rau Badami and Daniel Kalla. Saturday, April 21, free. From 11:30am to 8:30pm. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.

VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL POETRY FESTIVAL
Second annual festival and poetry slam championship. April 23-28, 2012. Registration deadlines and complete details here: http://www.vancouverpoetryhouse.com/vipf-2012-is-coming/.

TIMOTHY TAYLOR
Reading by the author of Stanley Park and The Blue Light Project. Wednesday, April 25 at 7:00pm, free. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue Chilliwack. More information at www.fvrl.bc.ca.

HIROMI GOTO
Book launch of the author's latest novel, Darkest Light. Thursday, April 26 at 7:00pm, free. Rhizome Cafe, 317 East Broadway.