Book News Vol. 8 No. 52

BOOK NEWS

INCITE

Join us on March 5 for an evening of local flavour, with three authors who call Vancouver home: Caroline Adderson, Cynthia Flood, and Zoey Peterson. Details on this and other upcoming Incite events here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.

SPECIAL EVENT

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

AWARDS & LISTS

Thomas King has won the $40,000 B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction for The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America. The jury called it a "wry, iconoclastic and important book that challenges us to think differently about both the past and the future."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/thomas-king-wins-bc-non-fiction-prize-for-the-inconvenient-indian/article17024209/

Elizabeth Gilbert, often lambasted for writing borderline self-help 'women's books', has been nominated for the £30,000 Wellcome book prize for her novel The Signature of All Things. The book has received high praise, telling the story a Victorian "botanical odyssey".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/25/eat-pray-love-wellcome-book-prize-elizabeth-gilbert

YOUNG READERS

Which bedtime stories are you happy to reread? If your child is prone to saying "again again" after hearing their favourite story, consider this list for more options.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/feb/25/kids-bedtime-books-reread-children

NEWS & FEATURES

As much as we love to read good writing, sometimes a little literary Schadenfreude can be entertaining too. Here's a collection of the worst poems written by great writers.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10651864/The-worst-poems-by-great-writers.html

Harper Lee has settled the federal lawsuit she filed against a museum in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. The museum had been using her name, as well as well as the title of her book, To Kill a Mocking Bird, without compensating her.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/harper-lee-settles-to-kill-a-mockingbird-lawsuit-against-museum-1.2543589

People love to complain about how books are often poorly adapted to film. But what happens when it's the other way around? Will Sloan discuss "the endangered art of movie novelization", here:
http://www.randomhouse.ca/hazlitt/feature/endangered-art-movie-novelization

Literary prizes bring great acclaim, but they also make books less popular, says a new study. Scientists who compared 38,817 reader reviews on GoodReads.com with literary prize results found that "winning a prestigious prize in the literary world seems to go hand-in-hand with a particularly sharp reduction in ratings of perceived quality".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/21/literary-prizes-make-books-less-popular-booker

Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina made headlines a few weeks ago for publicly coming out in the wake of high profile anti-gay reforms in Africa. Now's he's been interviewed by The Guardian, discussing sexuality, writing, and "how to write about Africa."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/16/binyavanga-wainaina-gay-rights-kenya-africa

Sports fans will be happy to hear that Scottish rugby has a new set of literary supporters: wizards. J.K. Rowling has revealed in a new story that "it is considered infra dig for wizards to support any rugby team other than Scotland."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/24/jk-rowling-story-wizards-support-scottish-rugby

There has been a lot of talk these last few months about the rise of women writers. But what about book reviewers? The gender disparity is still atrocious.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/24/business/media/book-review-byline-tally-shows-gender-disparity.html

And, on that note, what has become of the literary bad boy? The New York Times tries to answer that question, here. But really, "Who was badder than the housebound, life-abstemious Emily Dickinson, kicking open the doors of perception with every poem?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/23/books/review/whats-become-of-the-so-called-literary-bad-boy.html

BOOKS & WRITERS

The death of Mavis Gallant has brought on a lot of conversation about the place of nationalism in writing, both in terms of physical location and, also, language. Despite being "flawlessly bilingual, Gallant did not mingle English and French; she saw language as a bulwark against the enticing threat of assimilation: "One needs a strong, complete language, fully understood, to anchor one's understanding."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/remembering-mavis-gallant-why-her-urban-stories-have-never-felt-more-relevant/article17037124/

Unsurprisingly, Mavis Gallant is also being remembered for the personal effect she had on people. In this piece for The Rumpus, writer Peter Orner reflects on the Canadian author, and how her writing helped him better understand his dementia-stricken father.
http://therumpus.net/2014/02/lonely-voice-28-all-lives-are-interesting-my-father-and-mavis-gallant/

Peter Orner has also been interviewed about his newest work of fiction, entitled Last Car Over the Sagamore Bridge. The collection's pieces "are all brief, yet contain universes, and each story is a keyhole that invites the reader to place her eye up close and see an entire landscape beyond."
http://therumpus.net/2014/02/the-rumpus-interview-with-peter-orner/

"In a country renowned for its crime writers, Ian Rankin is a standout: His dark, nuanced Inspector Rebus novels about police procedurals have earned them the 'Tartan Noir' handle and brought Edinburgh to life for thousands of readers." He's interviewed in The Globe and Mail, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/what-ian-rankin-has-learned-about-writing-a-good-writer-never-stops-learning/article17036493/

Fellow Scot A.L. Kennedy's new book of short stories might have a simple sounding name (All the Rage), but "don't let these utilitarian titles fool you: Kennedy is one of the most consistently dazzling writers of prose going today, and All the Rage is so dynamic and alive that it might skitter right off your coffee table."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/all-the-rage-an-offbeat-joy-to-read-al-kennedys-propulsive-prose/article16899439/

Gordon Lish, Raymond Carver's "famously hands-on editor" has written a new story of his own, called For My Mother, Reg, Dead in America. You can read it online, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/interactive/2014/feb/24/gordon-lish-goings-for-my-mother-reg-dead-in-america

According to Chad Harbach, author of The Art of Fielding, there are two distinct literary cultures in America: "one condensed in New York, the other spread across the diffuse network of provincial college towns that spans from Irvine, Calif., to Austin, Tex., to Ann Arbor, Mich., to Tallahassee, Fla." His new book, MFA vs. NYC, tackles the 'can creative writing be taught' debate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/26/books/mfa-vs-nyc-the-two-cultures-of-american-fiction.html

COMMUNITY EVENTS

REWILDING VANCOUVER
Author J.B. MacKinnon discusses his latest book The Once and Future World. Thursday, February 27 at 5:00pm (corrected time). Cecil Green Park House, 6251 Cecil Green Park Road, UBC. More information at greencollege.ubc.ca.

TALKING STICK FESTIVAL: WHY INDIGENOUS LITERATURE MATTERS
Daniel Heath Justice will give a public lecture on the relevance of reading works by Aboriginal writers in an age of Idle No More. Thursday, February 27 at 7:00pm. Cost: pay what you can. SFU Harbour Centre room 1400. More information at fullcircle.ca.

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

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

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features poet/singer/artist David Campbell. Poetry and music: A celebration. Thursday, Feb 27, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.

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

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

MISSION WRITERS' AND READERS' FESTIVAL
Workshops, readings, performances, keynote and networking. March 1, 10am-4pm. @UFV Mission Campus, Heritage Park Centre 33700 Prentis Avenue, Mission BC V2V 7B1. For registration and more information go to:
http://www.lifetimelearningcentre.org/events/7th-annual-writers-and-readers-festival/.

TALKING STICK FESTIVAL: INTRODUCTION TO INDIGENOUS SCIENCE FICTION
Dr. Grace M. Dillon, Anishinaabe scholar, Associate Professor at Portland State University and Editor of the anthology, Walking The Clouds, will give an key-note lecture on the field of Indigenous Science Fiction. Saturday, March 1 at 1:15pm. Cost: pay what you can. Labatt Hall, SFU Harbour Centre. More information at fullcircle.ca.

TALKING STICK FESTIVAL: TURTLE ISLAND READS
A lively and enlightening debate on the many merits of three featured books: Nobody Cries at Bingo by Dawn Dumont, Ajjiit by Sean Tinsley and Rachel A. Qitsualik, and Flight by Sherman Alexie. Saturday, March 1 at 2:30pm, free. Labatt Hall, SFU Harbour Centre. More information at fullcircle.ca.

AUTHORS AMONG US
Discussion and reading to the theme of "love and loss" featuring David Slater, Tamara Veitch and Rene DeFazio, and Renee Aklikar. Wednesday, March 5 at 7:00pm. Guildford Library, 15105-105 Ave., Surrey. More information at surreylibraries.ca.

ART, MUSIC AND POETRY
A night of poetry inspired by Brush and Wire, an exhibit by Karen Brumelle and Joanne Waters. Featured poets: Daniela Elza, Chelsea Comeau, Bonnie Nish, Carl Leggo, Celeste Snowber, Ali Denno, and Dennis E. Bolen. Music by Jenn Bojm. March 6, 7pm-9 pm @ the Jewish Community Centre Gallery, 950 41st Ave W, Vancouver, free.

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

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

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

Upcoming

DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/readers/poetry-lovers/writers with extensive public reading experience read poems from one of their favourite dead poets' work. Sunday, March 9 at 3:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at vpl.ca.

FOREST & FJORD
A photographic tour of the pictographs (rock art) of Indian Arm will be conducted by author Ralph Drew who has studied these archaeological sites for his recently published book. Wednesday, March 12 at 7:00pm, free. Special collections reading room, level 7, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at vpl.ca.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features poets Judith Copithorne and Jordan Abel plus open mic. Wednesday, March 12, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More
information at www.pandorascollective.com.

AUTHORS NISH & NEALE
A reading of Pandora's Collective Outreach Society works pertaining to autobiographical material. Monday, March 17 at 7:00pm, free. Meeting room, level 3, Central Library, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at vpl.ca.

LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Peter Culley and Maxine Gadd featured at March 19 "Lunch Poems at SFU." Presented by SFU Public Square, 12-1pm in SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery (515 W Hastings St.). Free admission, no registration required. Lunch Poems hosts well-known and up-and-coming poets on the third Wednesday of every month except July and August. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.

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

POST-PHOTOGRAPHY
Join photographer Evan Lee and novelist Healther Jessup for a conversation about Evan's work and influences, as well as beauty, strangeness, and what it's like to manipulate the flames of a forest fire. Wednesday, March 19 at 4:00pm, free. Student Engagement Centre, C Building, Langara. More information at langara.bc.ca/english-forum.

WOMEN AND WAR IN AFGHANISTAN
Ann Jones, author of Kabul in Winter and They Were Soldiers, discusses the prospects for women in Afghanistan. March 20 at 5:00 pm. Allard Hall, 1822 East Mall, UBC. More information at www.greencollege.ubc.ca.

FIONA TINWEI LAM
An informal family-oriented reading for children and adults by author Fiona Tinwei Lam from her debut children's picture book, The Rainbow Rocket. Sunday, March 23 at 2:00pm, free. Renfrew Meeting room, Renfrew Branch, 2969 22nd Ave. E. More information at vpl.ca.