Book News Vol. 7 No. 33

BOOK NEWS

2012 Festival
Tickets are now on sale for the 2012 Vancouver Writers Fest. The week-long festival features interviews, discussions, reading and performances with one hundred writers from around the world including Martin Amis, Margaret Atwood, Junot Díaz, Cory Doctorow, Tim Flannery, A.L. Kennedy, Chip Kidd, Dennis Lee, Annabel Lyon, Alistair MacLeod, Donna Morrissey, Anne Perry, David Suzuki, M.G. Vassanji and many more. Visit our website (http://www.writersfest.bc.ca) for full details on Festival programming and special events.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Michael Chabon
September 26, 2012 at 8:00pm
St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church
Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Yiddish Policemen's Union, talks about his latest book, Telegraph Avenue. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/michaelchabon

VIRTUAL FESTIVAL

Listen to the twentieth installment in our series of audio archives from past Festival events. This week you'll hear "Gold Diggers" featuring Charlotte Gray. Details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/multimedia/audio-archives.

AWARDS & LISTS

Big US hits line up against British poetry and Irish short stories for this year's £10,000 Guardian First Book Award. Katherine Boo's Behind The Beautiful Forevers and Chad Harbach's The Art of Fielding are among the 11 titles on the 2012 long list.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/30/guardian-first-book-award-2012-longlist

Festival authors Marjorie Celona, Billie Livingston, Annabel Lyon, Kim Thúy, and Russell Wangersky are among the thirteen authors on the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize long list. The finalists will be revealed October 1.
http://www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/news/details/?id=97

Festival author Mohammed Hanif is among the fifteen authors longlisted for the £25,000 Wellcome Trust Book Prize 2012. The fifteen works (fiction and non-fiction) reflect a varied range of fiction and non-fiction on the theme of health, illness and medicine. The shortlist will be announced October 11.
http://www.wellcomebookprize.org/News/Announcements/WTVM056219.html

2012 FESTIVAL AUTHORS FOR YOUNG READERS

Nicola Campbell's Shi-shi-etko offers a welcome addition to First Nations literature by delicately conveying the experience of life in a residential school through a child's eyes. Kim LaFave provides the illustrations. For ages 4 to 8. (event 31)
http://umanitoba.ca/cm/vol15/no7/shinchiscanoe.html

A visit to the fairground turns into a wild romp through realms of the imagination in Sheree Fitch's Night Sky. Mixing verse with concrete poetry that mirrors the action, this book revels in the impressionistic experiences of young children: a glorious book that celebrates both literal and imaginative flight. (events 4, 33)
http://www.quillandquire.com/books_young/review.cfm?review_id=7665

Mélanie Watt writes and illustrates books about Scaredy Squirrel, Chester, Leon the Chameleon, and a megalomaniac cat that tries to take over the story, among others. For ages 4 to 8. (Events 4, 21 in English; events 7, 32 in French)
http://cherylrainfield.com/blog/index.php/2007/12/17/review-of-picture-book-chester-by-melanie-watt/

2012 FESTIVAL AUTHORS

The stories in Junot Diaz' This Is How You Lose Her are, by turns, hilarious and devastating, and lay bare the infinite longing and inevitable weaknesses of our all-too-human hearts, the recklessness with which we betray what we most treasure, and the torture we go through. (events 9, 22)
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/ongoing/talking_volumes/

Sunday's NY Times includes a lengthy interview with Diaz, which includes this revelation: "I loved Encyclopedia Brown as a kid. What I loved about Boy Detective Leroy Brown was that (1) he was unabashedly smart (smart was not cool when and where I grew up) and (2) his best friend was a girl, tough Sally Kimball, who was both Leroy's bodyguard and his intellectual equal."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/books/review/junot-diaz-by-the-book.html?_r=1&nl=books&emc=edit_bk_20120831&pagewanted=all

Ekiwah, means "warrior" in the Purepecha language. Ekiwah Adler-Beléndez has battled cerebral palsy since he was bornand published his first collection of poetry at 12. Love on Wheels, his latest book of poetry, deals with the
richness and complexity of life in a wheelchair. (event 44)
http://loveonwheels-ekiwah.blogspot.ca/

Martin Amis is the most original sentence-writer in English, writes Charles Foran. Lionel Asbo: State of England is at once a précis of Amis's enduring concerns–the deepening "obscenification of everyday life," and, after a slightly muddled start, a ripper of a story, in the Dickens mode.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/martin-amiss-blighted-blighty/article4497284/

Cures for Hunger is a retelling of the relationship between father (André) and son (Deni) Béchard, a standard story of the struggle for some sort of meaningful communication between the two. As a teenager, Deni crisscrosses the country, splitting his time between his father and mother. (events 24, 36)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/cures-for-hunger-by-deni-y-bchard/article4324301/

In Heather Birrell's Mad Hope, a collection of eleven stories that beautifully illustrate the fragility of existence, death is a recurring character, as is birth, motherhood, grief and resilience, writes Rachel Harry. Birrell doesn't seek to answer questions, but to present points of view. (events 46, 71)
http://arts.nationalpost.com/2012/05/11/book-review-mad-hope-by-heather-birrell/

The 2011 Griffin Poetry Prize–winning Ossuaries, by Dionne Brand, is a novel-length narrative about the bones of fading cultures and ideas. The Griffin Trust Judges' summary states: "Brand's innovation on Ossuaries calls forth an entirely new sort of reading. The book is a triumph." (event 55)
http://www.griffinpoetryprize.com/awards-and-poets/shortlists/2011-shortlist/dionne-brand/

John Burnside brings his poet's eye for detail and his novelist's sense of the dramatic in Waking Up in Toytown, The result is a thoughtful look at the nature of truth and lies, and a search for a way to live one's life that has some kind of validity. (events 12, 19, 47, 53)
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/waking-up-in-toytown-by-john-burnside-1859863.html

NEWS & FEATURES

A 40-page cache of material shows that Ray Bradbury was put under surveillance by the FBI in the 1950s for 'spreading distrust and lack of confidence in America'.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/30/ray-bradbury-investigated-fbi

The September 3 issue of The New Yorker includes Amundsen, a new short story by Alice Munro.
http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2012/08/27/120827fi_fiction_munro

Thriller author Deon Meyer explains why he writes in Afrikaans, and discusses how crime fiction relates to society. He reiterates the point that his books are fiction, not a true reflection of South African society. His latest, 7 Days, stars his recurring character Detective Benny Griessel.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/sep/02/deon-meyer-meet-the-author

Next week or next year, Amazon will start giving away its e-readers. Farhad Manjoo explains why.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/08/free_kindle_next_week_or_next_year_amazon_will_start_giving_away_its_e_reader_here_s_why_.html

Writer and forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs balances two Temperance Brennans: Tempe of the TV series Bones, and Tempe of her book series. A recent trip to Yellowknife led to a storyline focusing on a missing mother in the Canadian North.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2012/08/29/kathy-reichs-video-stub.html

The search for the newest great Canadian short story has begun. Canada Writes' Short Story Prize is now accepting submissions! Beginning on September 1, Canadians are invited to submit an original, unpublished work of fiction that is between 1,200 and 1,500 words long. The deadline for submissions is November 1. For more information on how to submit and contest rules, go to http://www.cbc.ca/books/.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
(Please note New Location Starting September) Features Wayde Compton and Warren Dean Fulton + Open Mic. Thursday, September 6th at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. @Cafe Montmartre, 4362 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

KUCKI LOW
The local author and inspirational speaker reads from her memoir This Is Kucki Your Pilot Speaking, which recounts the the challenges of being a 20th century aviation pioneer. Thursday, September 6 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, Central Library, 350 We. Georgia St. More information at www.vpl.ca.

GRANT MCKENZIE
M.C. Grant is Grant McKenzie, an award-winning screenwriter, novelist and editor-in-chief of Monday Magazine and is launching his latest mystery novel, Angel With a Bullet. Saturday, September 8 at 2:00pm. Chapters Victoria, 1212 Douglas Street, Victoria. More information at 250-380-9009.

MEREDITH QUARTERMAIN
The VPL's eighth writer-in-residence reads from some of her award-winning works and talks about her writing process. Tuesday, September 11 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at www.vpl.ca.

PATRICK TAYLOR
Reading by the author of Irish Country. Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00pm. Welsh Hall, West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver.

MIXED VOICES RAISED
VPL chief librarian Sandra Singh leads a literary Q&A panel with essayist and sound poet Wayde Compton, filmmaker and Zen priest Ruth Ozecki, and illustrator and writer Julie Flett. Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at www.hapapalooza.com.

Upcoming

POSTAL CODE READING SERIES
Readings from V6A: Writing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside by contributors and coeditor Elee Kraljii Gardiner. Includes a conversation with host neighbourhoods about local issues. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. New Westmister Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster.

ANDREA LISTER
Writer and historian Andrea Lister follows the generations of determined women who raised funds, sewed, canned, and knitted to establish Chilliwack's first hospital. Tuesday, September 18 at 7:00pm. Chilliwack Library, 45860 First Avenue, Chilliwack.

LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Readings by George Bowering and Cecily Nicholson. Wednesday, September 19 at 12:00pm. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street.

JOHN VIGNA
Launch of the author's latest book, Bull Head. Wednesday, September 19 at 7:30pm. The Bourbon, 50 West Cordova Street, Vancouver. RSVP to bullheadlaunch@gmail.com.

JJ LEE
JJ Lee discusses his memoir The Measure of a Man. Thursday, September 20 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.

KOOTENAY BOOK WEEKEND
9th annual event featuring Katherine Govier with her book The Ghost Brush. September 21-23, 2012. Nelson, BC. For complete details, visit www.kootenaybookweekend.ca.

JAMES BARBER
An afternoon featuring a once-in-a-lifetime trunk sale of some of James Barber's treasured cookbook collection. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to Providence Farm on Vancouver Island. Sunday, September 23 from noon to 5:00pm. Barbara-Jo's Books to Cooks, 1740 2nd Ave. W. More information at 604-688-6755.

AND THEN THERE WERE THREE
Three local mystery authors team up for an evening of readings and discussion. Featuring Don Hauka, David Russell and Cathy Ace. Thursday, September 27 at 7:00pm, free. McGill Library, 4595 Albert Street. For more information and registration, visit http://bpl.bc.ca/events/and-then-there-were-three-local-mystery-authors-at-mcgill-library.

DOROTHY JANTZEN
Dorothy Jantzen Artist-in-Residence at Capilano University presents a free talk with Lynda Barry, Friday, Sept 28 @ 7:30pm. Admission is first come/first served. Acclaimed alt-comic artist of Ernie Pook's Comeek Fame will discuss the relationship between the hand, the brain and spontaneous images, both written and visual. NSCU Centre at Capilano U/2055 Purcell Way/ Info: 604.990.7810/capilanou.ca/nscucentre.

WORD ON THE STREET
Features author readings, writing and publishing exhibits, musical entertainment, roving performers, children's activities, workshops, panels, books, and magazines. September 28-30, 2012. More information at wotsvan@thewordonthestreet.ca.

A POETIC WALK THROUGH NATURE
Join Vancouver's 100,000 Poets for Change on an Earthwalk. Poets will read select poems calling for the preservation of our beautiful forests and shorelines. A guest speaker will also present a narrative tour of the cultural history and natural habitat of Stanley Park. September 29 at 10:00am, free. For more information and to register, visit http://earthwalks11poets.eventbrite.com/.

ROB STEWART
Pacific Arbour Speaker Series presents Award winning filmmaker of Sharkwater, Rob Stewart, Friday, October 5 @ 7:30pm. Stewart's new release Save the Humans turns his focus from animal activism to saving the planet. NSCU Centre at Capilano U/2055 Purcell Way/ Info: 604.990.7810/capilanou.ca/nscucentre.