Book News Vol. 8 No. 36

BOOK NEWS

2013 Festival - October 22-27

The 26th Vancouver Writers Fest launches on October 22. There will be 104 extraordinary writers from around the world coming to Granville Island for six days, in 81 events for readers of all ages. We invite you to join the conversation.

We are thrilled that Festival author Eleanor Catton is the winner of the 2013 Man Booker prize. Catton appears in two sold out events at the Festival and we have added a third solo event, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2013festival/event/75-eleanor-catton

Event 75: An Hour with Eleanor Catton
10:30am, Studio 1398, Sun Oct 27
Tickets $17

Follow us on Twitter @VanWritersFest for up to the minute Festival information, https://twitter.com/VanWritersFest. Festival hashtag: #VWF.

Check out our Non-fiction @ UBC series for topical, prime time discussions with leading US writers George Packer, Eric Schlosser and Alan Weisman.

The Unwinding: Award-winning author and staff writer for the New Yorker George Packer talks to author Wayne Grady about his new book, The Unwinding. a riveting examination of a nation in crisis.
8:00pm, Thursday, October 24
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2013festival/event/42-unwinding

Our Last Best Hope: Alan Weisman, author of the international bestseller The World Without Us, offer a radical but persuasive solution for returning the earth to its optimal balance. In conversation with The Georgia Straight's Charlie Smith.
8:00pm, Friday, October 25
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2013festival/event/56-our-last-best-hope

Command and Control: Investigative journalist and author of the bestsellers Fast Food Nation and Reefer Madness, Eric Schlosser turns his attention to America's nuclear arsenal with Command and Control. In conversation with CBC's Stephen Quinn.
8:00pm, Saturday, October 26
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/2013festival/event/73-command-and-control

The Festival wraps up on Sunday October 27 with the fabulous Colin Mochrie in conversation with Vicki Gabereau. Don't miss this opportunity to see one of Canada's favourite funny guys.

This week's edition of VWF's Artistic Director Hal Wake's Festival picks highlights the challenges and politics of translating literary works, to new publishing technology, to emerging authors.
http://youtu.be/to0XCsN5QVU

VWF Writing Contests for Adults and Youth
Submit your finest prose and poetry to the 15th annual Vancouver Writers Fest Poetry & Short Story Contest, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest. The top entries in poetry and fiction will be published in subTerrain magazine and receive cash prizes. New this year is our writing contest for BC students in grades 8-12 which also awards cash prizes, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The Literati Gala Cabaret
The VWF's fundraising gala on October 21 is hosted by CBC's Gloria Macarenko and features a Literary Cabaret performance with Sal Ferreras and Poetic License with writers Michael Crummey and Genni Gunn, celebrating the Lit Cab's 25th year. Tickets are $175 and are available at http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/literatigala. Corporate tables are also available-call 604 681 6330 ext 104. Literati supports the VWF's Spreading the Word education program. Presenting sponsor: Scotia Private Client Group; Reception sponsor: Vancouver Film School.

Jung Chang
The best-selling author of the books Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China and Mao: The Unknown Story talks about her groundbreaking new biography, Empress Dowager Cixi. Sponsored by SFU Library Services. Event details: http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/jungchang

SPECIAL FOR BOOK CLUBS! $16 per person, minimum of 5 people, book by phone only at 604-629-8849.

Thursday, November 21 at 7:30pm
Waterfront Theatre
1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island

FESTIVALS

The 29th annual JCC Jewish Book Festival: November 23-28

Special Pre-Festival Events Oct. 27/28
The JCC Jewish Book Festival takes Vancouver by storm with an exciting roster of writers from across Canada, the US, and Israel. The Festival week is jam-packed with innovative literary events including unique meet-the-author opportunities, literary readings and panel discussions, a foodie event, the annual bookclub gathering, writing and self-publishing workshops, children's authors, film-screenings, and two onsite bookstores.

Special pre-Festival events include novelist/poet Anne Michaels in our intimate Writer's Salon (Oct. 27) and the Israeli debut novelist Shani Boianjiu (Oct. 28).

Featured 2013 Festival authors include: Sheila Heti, Abe Morgentaler and Daniel Bergner (Libido Unleashed). Ilana Edelstein, Roberta Rich (book club headliner), Marion Grodin (daughter of funnyman Charles Grodin), and a host of others writers, events and genres.

Complete details at jewishbookfestival.ca.

FESTIVAL AUTHORS

Only a week after Alice Munro's exciting Nobel Prize win, we're thrilled to announce another literary boon for Canada and for the Vancouver Writers Fest. Canadian-born Eleanor Catton has just won the Man Booker Prize for her book The Luminaries. At 28 years old, she's the youngest recipient ever.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/booker-prize-eleanor-catton-luminaries

Eleanor Catton isn't the only young literary star appearing at the Festival this year. Marisha Pessl will also be coming to talk about her new book, Night Film, the centerpiece to a whole media platform that also contains several short films and an app.
http://www.metro.us/newyork/entertainment/books/2013/10/14/marisha-pessls-career-manifesto/

Alan Weisman, most famous for his book The World Without Us, wants a world with us and his new book Countdown: Our Last Best Hope explains how we can do that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/books/review/countdown-by-alan-weisman.html

On October 11th, Eric Schlosser sat down with PBS' Tavis Smiley to discuss the continuing threat of nuclear weapons, as written about in his new book, Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident and the Illusion of Safety. You see a clip from the discussion here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tavis-smiley/eric-schlosser_b_4081050.html

Is there a place for journalism in literary writing, and vice-versa? If you're New Yorker contributor George Packer, then the answer is "of course", of course. His new book, The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America creates "an often heart-rending panorama of the nation's internal struggles and ideological twists from the 1960s to the present."
http://www.straight.com/life/501176/qa-george-packers-unwinding-journalism-literary-genes

Are you miffed by historical fiction? According to Joseph Boyden, his new novel, The Orenda, speaks about more than just the past. "I didn't want the reader to jump into this novel thinking, 'Oh, this is historical and it's removed from me,' because I think that good historical novels do the opposite," he saays. "They speak about the contemporary world, and I certainly hope that this one does, in its own way."
http://www.straight.com/life/499641/joseph-boyden-mirrors-modern-conflict-orendas-16th-century-tale

If the key to great writing is reading a lot, then Scott Turow must be far ahead of the game. In this interview with the New York Times, he discusses the literary works that have inspired him. His new book, Identical, has just been published.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/books/review/scott-turow-by-the-book.html

How do you fight writer's block? For Douglas Coupland, it "is dealt with by a long drive on the main highway into the Interior, a favourite playlist cranked, a night at a motel (it must be a motel, nothing fancy), then a more remote route for the return trip home. "You park the car, and problem solved." Douglas Coupland is in the Globe and Mail, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/douglas-coupland-an-omnipresent-superstar-for-an-easily-distracted-era/article14832775/

What do writers read? According to Giller-nominated author Mary Swan, it's not usually fiction. "I don't tend to read fiction," she says, "except for crime novels. That's not a deliberate choice, but maybe an instinctive one."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/giller-nominated-author-mary-swan-i-dont-tend-to-read-fiction/article14828791/

What's the difference between being a "good writer" and a "prize-winning writer"? Margaret Atwood explains her take on the matter, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-giller-prize-margaret-atwood-on-what-it-feels-like-to-come-in-second-place/article14741907/

Have you ever associated the words "empowering" and "realistic" with the erotica/romance genre? In this interview with the Vancouver Sun, Lisa Gabriele a.k.a. L. Marie Adeline explains why her new book, S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared, does just that.
http://www.vancouversun.com/Vancouver+Writers+Fest+Lisa+Gabriele+Marie+Adeline/9034579/story.html

Julie Flett's new book, Wild Berries, has been reviewed in Publisher's Weekly. As the author and illustrator of this beautiful children's book, she draws audiences into the world of Cree life, with the story of a child accompanying his grandmother into the forest to pick wild blueberries.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-897476-89-5

"Though Jonathan Franzen's run-in with Oprah is common knowledge, I'm betting not many people know that Jeffrey Eugenides decided to become a writer after reading a love poem by Catullus. Or that Haruki Murakami once owned a jazz club, that Richard Ford plays squash in New York, that the late David Foster Wallace was a nationally ranked tennis player." John Freeman's new book on the lives of writers is reviewed in the Boston Globe, here:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2013/10/11/book-review-how-read-novelist-john-freeman/0feri7UdyClAnOwssy5i0N/story.html

What's the importance of music when it comes to writing? According to Maggie Stiefvater, it's essential. In fact, she creates a playlist for every book she writes. To learn more, and to see her playlist for The Dream Thieves, click here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/08/maggie-stiefvater-music-teen-fiction-mood

One day, Shaena Lambert was trying to finish a story, but in frustration turned to working on her journal instead. She had just finished radiation treatment for cancer and was chronicling the different ways she had worked to heal herself. "This voice came out of my pen and said, 'But wouldn't it be terrible, Shaena, if you ended up like one of the characters and weren't able to see the end of the story?'"
http://www.straight.com/life/499646/shaena-lambert-shows-perfect-pitch-oh-my-darling

We all have different expectations when it comes to Writers Fest events, but it's rare to hear about what the authors are expecting, themselves. Thanks to a new series in the Vancouver Sun, we're now getting that chance. Here's Mary Swan's response:
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Vancouver+Writers+Fest+Mary+Swan/9037821/story.html

Nancy Jo Cullen was asked many of the same questions in her interview with the Vancouver Sun. She has just written a new collection of short stories, called Canary.
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2013/10/10/vancouver-writers-fest-qa-nancy-jo-cullen/

And, of course, it's always good to keep a sense of humour in these situations. When asked what his expectations of the Writers Fest were, Michael Winter replied: "That I will profoundly move them, illuminating and articulating the very kernels of truth that make their lives worth living. Of course, if that doesn't happen, I doubt they can get their money back."
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Vancouver+Writers+Fest+Michael+Winter/9017930/story.html

AWARDS & LISTS

"Who threatened to throw himself off a balcony? Who was chatted up by Saul Bellow? From the very first award in 1969 up to last year's prize, a judge from each year of the Booker gave us the inside story on how they reached their decision." Eleanor Catton has won this year's Booker, but there's still plenty to find out about prizes past.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/interactive/2013/oct/15/booker-prize-judge-decision

YOUNG READERS

Is there such thing as a bad book for children? If you ask Neil Gaiman, the answer is no. "Well-meaning adults can easily destroy a child's love of reading. Stop them reading what they enjoy or give them worthy-but-dull books that you like–the 21st-century equivalents of Victorian 'improving' literature – you'll wind up with a generation convinced that reading is uncool and, worse, unpleasant."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/14/neil-gaiman-children-books-reading-lecture

NEWS & FEATURES

We all love to catch an author in an anachronism. But sometimes, that which seems out of place in isn't so far fetched at all. From Agatha Christie's use of "hanging out" in 1929, to the appearance of bling in The Other Boleyn Girl, here's a list of "Anachronisms that aren't–modernity avant la lettre in period literature".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/oct/15/anachronism-modernity-period-literature

Whether we like these types of boxes or not, Alice Munro's Nobel Prize win last week was, undeniably, another point scored against David Gilmour for women. Munro was only the 13th woman to win the prize. Here's a list of those who came before, as well as a selection of their books most worth reading.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/10370838/Books.html

On a similar note, in this week's edition of "Bookends" in the New York Times, Jennifer Szalai and Mohsin Hamid ask: Where Is the Great American Novel by a Woman?
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/20/books/review/where-is-the-great-american-novel-by-a-woman.html?ref=books

With the literary awards season in full swing, Charlotte Gray reflects on the trials and tribulation of being a Giller judge. Here is her story of how, several years ago, she and her fellow judges chose Alice Munro's Runaway:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/how-impeccable-prose-seduced-a-giller-judge/article14832001/

What happens when you translate Pride and Prejudice into "academiotics"? It might come out like this: "My dear Mr. Bennet," said his partner to him during one diurnal juncture, "have you heard that a hierarchical contractualized negotiation has been consensitized on Netherfield Park?"
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/shouts/2013/10/pride-and-prejudice-translated-into-academiotics.html

Since writers tend to be solitary creatures, it's no surprise that they often keep pets for company. From Flannery O'Connor's peacocks to Lord Byron's bear, here's a great list (and set of illustrations) of the pets of literary greats.
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/10/15/authors-best-friend-the-pets-of-literary-greats/

How do you make Tolstoy accessible in the modern era? Why, you crowdsource him, of course! Thanks to the efforts of 3000 volunteers from across Russia, nearly all the great writer's works (including his novels, diaries, letters, religious tracts, philosophical treatises, travelogues, and childhood memories) will soon be available online.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/10/crowdsourcing-tolstoy.html

What makes a word unusable? Even worse, what happens when a word is its own opposite (the elusive auto antonym)? Author and teacher Brad Leithauser discusses our changing vocabulary, here: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2013/10/unusable-words.html

Do you know any naughty librarians? From pirating books online to hiding from patrons in the stacks, librarians spill their dirty little secrets here:
http://librarian-shaming.tumblr.com

Halloween season is fast approaching, so it's the perfect time to take a literary road trip through the horror-filled landscape of the Northeast. From Sleepy Hollow in upstate New York to Nathaniel Hawthorne's New England, the sites are plenty for any reader who likes a few chills up and down their spine.
http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2013/10/a-guide-to-horror-author-tourism-in-the-northeast-morbid-memorials-macabre-museums

BOOKS & WRITERS

In case you're looking for another bloody read this Halloween season, Canadian author Lawrence Hill has just written a book called Blood: The Stuff of Life. "Hill dives full bore into the subject, following the blood trail through social and scientific history, exploring it as a powder keg of contradiction... As Hill writes, blood can save us, and keep our secrets"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/lawrence-hill-dives-full-bore-into-the-subject-of-blood/article14705480/

Alice Munro has been dominating the headlines this week, and for good reason. But it's not just her femininity or Canadian-ness that makes her Nobel Prize win oh-so-special. It's also the genre she writes in, the short story. Here, Russell Smith explains why Alice Munro's Nobel Prize gives an unloved genre its long-awaited due:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/alice-munros-nobel-prize-gives-an-unloved-genre-its-long-awaited-due/article14834516/

And, finally, Alice Munro responds. Here she is, in her own words:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/arts-video/in-exclusive-interview-alice-munro-talks-about-nobel-win/article14842411/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

THE CRISIS IN DEMOCRACY
Author of seven books on politics and the environment, Green Party leader Elizabeth May will discuss what can be done to prevent a slide into "elected dictatorships" in the face of mounting cynicism toward democracy. Thursday
October 17 at 5:00pm, free. Cecil Green Park House, UBC. More information http://www.greencollege.ubc.ca/index/spotlight503.php.

EMERGE 2013 LAUNCH GALA EVENT
Thirty-six distinct voices experiment with the written word in emerge 2013, the Writer's Studio Anthology. Guest edited by JJ Lee, author of The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit, the student produced anthology blurs the boundaries between genres as contributors push past limits with their writing process in the year-long program at SFU. Launching with a gala event on October 17th at Simon Fraser University's downtown campus at Harbour Centre, contributors will read from their work. 515 West Hastings. 6 to 9pm. More information at www.facebook.com/EmergeTWS2013 or contact lindsay.glauser@gmail.com.

PAMELA SACKETT
Author reads from her third book of rhythmic prose, Booing Death (with Shpilkes & Rhyme). Thursday, October 17 at 6:30pm, free. Banyen Books & Sound, 3608 4th Ave. W., Vancouver. More information at banyen.com/events/sackett.

STARS IN OUR MIDST
BC has more than its share of brilliant writers and illustrators and this month three of them will be the toast of the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable's Annual Illustrators Breakfast October 19 at the University Golf Club. Join the lively, talented storyteller and writer, Richard Van Camp in conversation with two amazing illustrators, Julie Flett and Julie Morstad (a GG finalist for illustration), who will show us how they create their wonderful pictures. Early bird rates end October 15. For registration and information, go to www.vclr.ca.

INSPIRED BY PACIFIC LANDS
Hawaiian author Tom Peek (Daughters of Fire) will be joined by Trevor Carolan (Cascadia: The Life and Breath of the World) and Daniela Elza (milk tooth bane bone) in a multi-genre evening of Writings from Cascadia and Hawaii. October 20, 7pm, at People's Co-Op Books, 1391 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More nformation at www.peoplescoopbookstore.com.

WHY GRIZZLY BEARS SHOULD WEAR UNDERPANTS
Meet Matthew Inman, the bestselling author of How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You, as he signs his latest book. Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00pm. Chapters Metrotown, Burnaby. More information at chapters.indigo.ca.

CBC MASSEY LECTURES
Renowned author Lawrence Hill twww.cbcing journey through the story of blood in his new book, Blood: The Stuff of Life. Wednesday, October 23 at 8:00pm. The Chan Centre for Performing Arts, 6265 Crescent Road, UBC. Information at cbc.ca/ideas/masseys.

DEBORAH ELLIS
Meet the author of Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids, a collection of interviews with Aboriginal and Native American youth aged nine to eighteen. Thursday, October 24 at 10:15am at Newton Library; 1:15pm at Strawberry Hill Library. Complete information at surreylibraries.ca.

DEAD NORTH
Launch of a Canadian-themed zombie anthology with authors Linda Demeulemeester and Rhea Rose. Thursday, October 24 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern, 1305 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features poets Bonnie Nish & Carol Shillibeer plus open mic. Thursday, October 24 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. All are welcome. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

Upcoming

SUSANNA KEARSLEY
Meet the author of The Firebird. Sunday, October 27 at 3:00pm. Guildford Library, Surrey Public Library, 15105-105 Ave., Surrey. For more information and to register, phone 604-598-7366.

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
Authors Jane Silcott, Kate Braid, Cathy Stonehouse and Fiona Tinwei Lam for a boundary-pushing evening of discussion and readings about the dynamic essay form. Monday, October 28 at 7:00pm, free. Alma VanDusen room, lower level, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at 604-331-3603.

CREATING PAULINE
City Opera Vancouver offers an informal presentation about the creation of the new opera Pauline (by Margaret Atwood and Tobin Stokes) to premiere in May 2014, and an introduction to the life of Canadian poet and performer Pauline Johnson (1861-1913). Guests include composer Tobin Stokes, director Norman Armour, singer Rose-Ellen Nichols, pianist David Boothroyd, and conductor and artistic director Charles Barber. Discussion welcome. Chinese Cultural Centre Museum, 555 Columbia. Tues Oct 29, 8pm. Free.

SO WHERE DO YOU GO AT NIGHT?
Author, sailor and adventurer Patrick Hill will share adventure stories from his 14 month family sailing trip through the exotic islands of the South Seas, Hawaii and Glacier Bay. Wednesday, October 30 at 7:30pm. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. More information at 604-925-7403.

ANNE RICE
Pacific Arbour Speaker Series presents Anne Rice, the grand dame of gothic horror, will talk about her latest series on Werewolf legend on Thursday, Nov 7, 2013 @ 7:30pm. Tickets $35 (includes a copy of her new release: The Wolves of Midwinter), Kay Meek Centre, 1700 Mathers Ave, West Vancouver, Tix & Info: 604.981.6335 / kaymeekcentre.com.