BOOK NEWS
Happy Holidays from everyone at the Vancouver Writers Fest! Thank you for helping us make 2015 a great year.
Coming up in the new year: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know
you'll be attending in advance, click here: http://vanwritersfest.formstack.com/forms/incite.
Please note that the VWF office will be closed from December 19-January 3rd.
AWARDS & LISTS
The long list for the RBC Taylor Prize has been released. The award is Canada's most prestigious non-fiction prize.
http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2015/longlist_15.asp
Poet Sarah Howe has been awarded the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser and Dunlop Young Writer of the Year award. She won for Loop of Jade, a "'luminous' first collection of poetry exploring her dual English and Chinese heritage."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/11/poet-sarah-howe-named-young-writer-of-the-year
YOUNG READERS
It's almost Christmas! Here are three holiday picture books sure to get the little kid in your life excited.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-holiday-picture-books-from-rubin-pingk-linda-ashman-and-john-hughes/article27713705/
NEWS & FEATURES
What were the Obama family's favourite books of 2015? The president selected Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies as his "pick of the year," while the first lady chose Elizabeth Alexander's The Light of the World.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/10/obama-favourite-book-of-2015-lauren-groff-fates-and-furies
Books are getting longer. According to a recent survey which "looked at 2,500 books from the New York Times best seller list and Google's annual surveys, the average book length has increased by 25 percent, from 320 pages in 1999 to 400 pages in 2014."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/10/survey-confirms-books-are-getting-longer
Publishing in Iceland is "a national sport!" According to a study conducted by Bifröst University in 2013, 50% of Icelanders read "at least 8 books per year, while an impressive 93% of them read at least one. What is more, according to BBC Magazine, one in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their life!"
http://2seasagency.com/publishing-iceland-reading-national-sport/
Audiobooks are gaining on print books, and in many cases, outselling them. "Audiobooks racked up $1.5 billion in sales last year and remain the fastest-growing segment of the book publishing industry, according to the Audio Publishers Association, but text is still king."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-some-audiobooks-sell-four-times-as-well-as-their-print-versions-2015-12-08
A saucy diary entry by William Shakespeare is set to go on display at the British Library. Never before seen in public, it details a tryst the playwright had with a fan (and how he became the talk of the town because of it.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12031757/William-Shakespeares-tryst-with-a-female-fan.html
"If you believe writing a really good book requires joining the insular literati cliques of Melbourne, Tokyo, Brooklyn and Hackney, think again." Apparently literati cities are "just the spot for networking, less so for writing a great novel."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2015/dec/14/literati-cities-just-the-spot-for-networking-less-so-for-writing-a-great-novel
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you looking for help with your holiday shopping? The Globe and Mail's Books editor, Mark Medley's "comprehensive (and handy!) gift guide will help you find the perfect present for every reader on your list."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/holiday-guide/gift-guides-shopping/globe-books-2015-giftguide/article27723500/
San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore has also released its list of favourite books. More information about each book can be found by clicking on its title.
http://lithub.com/favorite-books-of-the-year-city-lights/
There's at least one kind of narrative that Simon Winchester avoids. "Sensible people tell me I should like stories with zombies, but try as I might, I don't." Winchester is interviewed here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/simon-winchester-by-the-book.html
An "absorbing" new biography of John le Carré has been released. Called John le Carré: The Biography, the book "creates an insightful and highly readable portrait of a writer and a man who has often been as elusive and enigmatic as his fictional heroes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/books/review-adam-sismans-john-le-carre-the-biography.html?ref=books
In their "spry, friendly memoir" Mountain City Girls, Anna and Jane McGarrigle examine one of Canada's great musical families (their own!). "Mountain City Girls is unique in that we are 315 pages into a 321-page book before we even read about Warner Brothers signing Kate and Anna in 1975. It's all lead-up and context to what should be considered a national treasure of song."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-the-mcgarrigle-sisters-look-back-on-their-careers-in-mountain-city-girls/article27713592/
Anne-Marie Turza's poem, The Visitor, has been featured in the most recent edition of The Globe and Mail's "Globe Poetry." Her first book, The Quiet, was published last year.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/globe-poetry-the-visitor-by-anne-marie-turza/article27609008/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TALES FOR A WINTER NIGHT
Featuring Philomena Jordan, Mia Zhou, Rita Taylor, Chen Ha, and Ann Linton. Sunday, December 20 at 7:00pm. Cost: $7. St. Mark's Church, 1805 Larch, Vancouver.
YOUTH POETRY SLAM
Featuring Seattle's Maya Hersh. Monday, December 28 at 8:00pm. Cost: $4-$10. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial, Vancouver.
WORLD POETRY READING SERIES
Featuring multicultural and multilingual poets, writers, and musicians. Saturday, January 2 at 1:00pm, free. Britannia branch, VPL, 1661 Napier St. More information at 604-665-2222.
TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Charlotte Lawson, Cullene Bryant, Carmy Stubbs, Andrew Battershill, Katherine Wagner, Kendall Anne Dixon, and Wayde Compton. Thursday, January 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Saturday, January 10 at 3:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at 604-331-3603.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 37
BOOK NEWS
2015 was a great year for the Writers Fest, but we believe 2016 can be even better. Help us make that happen by donating today. We have several ways to give:
Join us at our 2016 A Dram Come True Fundraiser! Tickets for the event are available on our website (writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true) and make a great gift. If you'd like to receive a gift voucher for the tickets, purchase before December 17 and send an email to aspence@writersfest.bc.ca with your mailing address and number of gift tickets.
Make a one-time donation through our website. Donors receive special benefits such as two-for-one deals on VWF special event tickets, an invitation to our Opening Reception and more. For more details and to donate, click here http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate.
We also offer a convenient monthly giving option! Choose the amount you want to give per month and let us handle the rest. To become a monthly donor, click here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_donation.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
Michael Crummey has been named the first of three recipients of the Writers' Trust of Canada's new writing fellowship. The $50,000 prize was launched in order to celebrate the nation's 150th anniversary.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/11/26/michael-crummy-awarded-inaugural-writers-trust-fellowship/
What were the best children's and YA books of the year? Here's a list, selected by the children's books editor of The New York Times Book Review.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2015.html
The shortlist has been announced for B.C.'s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. Two biographies and two memoirs were shortlisted. "The biographies recount the lives of Stephen Harper and the daughter of Josef Stalin, while the two memoirs deal with albinism, and climate change and Inuit culture."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/shortlist-announced-for-bcs-national-award-for-canadian-non-fiction/article27655228/
YOUNG READERS
The holiday season has officially begun! Hanukkah's already underway, and Christmas is just around the corner. Here are some holiday tales for the youngster in your life.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/04/books/review/04bookshelf-holiday.html
NEWS & FEATURES
It's official...English isn't normal! "No, English isn't uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language."
https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-english-so-weirdly-different-from-other-languages
The Swedish Women's Lobby, along with publisher Albert Bonniers, has announced that they will be distributing Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists to every 16-year-old in the country. "Our hope is that the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie text will open up a conversation about gender and gender roles, starting from young people's own experiences."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/04/every-16-year-old-in-sweden-to-receive-copy-of-we-should-all-be-feminists
Do you enjoy "the unmistakable essence of old paperbacks?" Then you might enjoy this perfume that's "sweet and lovely, with just a touch of the mustiness of aged paper."
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2015/nov/25/old-spines-why-love-smell-of-secondhand-books-perfume
What are the best books, new or old, that you read this year? In a special year-end edition of the New York Times' Bookends, sixteen columnists share their favorite reading experience of 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/whats-the-best-book-new-or-old-you-read-this-year.html
The Globe and Mail has produced a similar piece, with a slightly Canadian bent, of course. Stacey May Fowles, Pasha Malla and John Semley look back on their favourite reading of 2015, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/my-year-in-reading-stacey-may-fowles-pasha-malla-and-john-semley-look-back-on-2015/article27601508/
Penguin is slashing jobs, blaming the losses on the rise of ebooks. "Ebooks now make up 25% of the market, just eight years after the launch of the Kindle in 2007."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/rise-ebooks-blamed-200-job-losses-penguin
Speaking of ebooks, Kobo has revealed that its ten bestselling authors of 2015 have all been women. It's an interesting development "in a year where female writers have struggled to find review space and where the publishing industry has been slammed for its 'gender bias.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/kobos-top-10-authors-of-2015-are-all-women
What do authors really think of publishers? At the beginning of March, Jane Friedman and Harry Bingham launched "the English-speaking world's most comprehensive survey of what authors think of the firms that publish them." Here are the results.
http://agenthunter.co.uk/blog/363/
BOOKS & WRITERS
This week, The Vancouver Sun's Book Club looks at Wab Kinew's new book, The Reason You Walk. The book follows the story of Kinew and his father, "a residential school survivor who died from cancer a few years ago." http://www.vancouversun.com/news/book+club+many+indigenous+voices+ringing/11566425/story.html#ixzz3tnE9WwYC
Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize last year, and now a slew of his works have finally been released in English. "A sense of vaguely threatening mystery attaches to every one of the characters in Modiano's writings," with many of his books relating to the German occupation and life in post-war France.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-occupation-trilogy-and-more-by-patrick-modiano.html
In The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, James Shapiro sorts through "the information that has emerged from old libraries and dusty archives in the last 50 years, and then he consolidates it and brings it alive in a smooth, lively and conversational style." It's an "irresistible" story, a "banquet of wisdom about the small and dramatic world that a 42-year-old playwright is living in."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-year-of-lear-shakespeare-in-1606-by-james-shapiro.html
According to a recent Statistics Canada survey, "only 16 per cent of Canadians can successfully name the beaver as our country's national animal." Frances Backhouse's Once They Were Hats might help spread beaver knowledge. It's a "fascinating and smartly written" book that "adopts the narrative strategy of previous single-subject books on salt, sugar, coffee, cod and so on."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-frances-backhouse-sinks-her-teeth-into-canadas-national-animal-in-the-fascinating-and-smartly-written-once-they-were-hats/article27507847/
Gordon Lish is a "legendary" editor who has worked closely with "many of the most daring writers of the past 50 years, including Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Barry Hannah and Joy Williams." In this interview, which will appear in full in the Winter 2015 edition of the Paris Review, he discusses his relationship with Carver, being an editor, not being a writer, and more.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/05/gordon-lish-books-interview-editing-raymond-carver
What are some gift ideas for "literary locavores?" Here's the Georgia Straight's take on the matter, including several mini reviews. "Your holiday food and drink menus are likely full of local ingredients—so why not your holiday reading list too?"
http://www.straight.com/life/590056/gift-ideas-literary-locavores-your-list
The Vancouver Sun has compiled a similar list, with less of a focus on all things "local". The reviews are still there, though!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/stick+good+read+under+tree/11566385/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poets Bren Simmers and Raoul Fernandes. Thursday, December 10 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
2015 was a great year for the Writers Fest, but we believe 2016 can be even better. Help us make that happen by donating today. We have several ways to give:
Join us at our 2016 A Dram Come True Fundraiser! Tickets for the event are available on our website (writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true) and make a great gift. If you'd like to receive a gift voucher for the tickets, purchase before December 17 and send an email to aspence@writersfest.bc.ca with your mailing address and number of gift tickets.
Make a one-time donation through our website. Donors receive special benefits such as two-for-one deals on VWF special event tickets, an invitation to our Opening Reception and more. For more details and to donate, click here http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate.
We also offer a convenient monthly giving option! Choose the amount you want to give per month and let us handle the rest. To become a monthly donor, click here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_donation.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
Michael Crummey has been named the first of three recipients of the Writers' Trust of Canada's new writing fellowship. The $50,000 prize was launched in order to celebrate the nation's 150th anniversary.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/11/26/michael-crummy-awarded-inaugural-writers-trust-fellowship/
What were the best children's and YA books of the year? Here's a list, selected by the children's books editor of The New York Times Book Review.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2015.html
The shortlist has been announced for B.C.'s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. Two biographies and two memoirs were shortlisted. "The biographies recount the lives of Stephen Harper and the daughter of Josef Stalin, while the two memoirs deal with albinism, and climate change and Inuit culture."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/shortlist-announced-for-bcs-national-award-for-canadian-non-fiction/article27655228/
YOUNG READERS
The holiday season has officially begun! Hanukkah's already underway, and Christmas is just around the corner. Here are some holiday tales for the youngster in your life.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/04/books/review/04bookshelf-holiday.html
NEWS & FEATURES
It's official...English isn't normal! "No, English isn't uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language."
https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-english-so-weirdly-different-from-other-languages
The Swedish Women's Lobby, along with publisher Albert Bonniers, has announced that they will be distributing Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists to every 16-year-old in the country. "Our hope is that the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie text will open up a conversation about gender and gender roles, starting from young people's own experiences."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/04/every-16-year-old-in-sweden-to-receive-copy-of-we-should-all-be-feminists
Do you enjoy "the unmistakable essence of old paperbacks?" Then you might enjoy this perfume that's "sweet and lovely, with just a touch of the mustiness of aged paper."
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2015/nov/25/old-spines-why-love-smell-of-secondhand-books-perfume
What are the best books, new or old, that you read this year? In a special year-end edition of the New York Times' Bookends, sixteen columnists share their favorite reading experience of 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/whats-the-best-book-new-or-old-you-read-this-year.html
The Globe and Mail has produced a similar piece, with a slightly Canadian bent, of course. Stacey May Fowles, Pasha Malla and John Semley look back on their favourite reading of 2015, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/my-year-in-reading-stacey-may-fowles-pasha-malla-and-john-semley-look-back-on-2015/article27601508/
Penguin is slashing jobs, blaming the losses on the rise of ebooks. "Ebooks now make up 25% of the market, just eight years after the launch of the Kindle in 2007."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/rise-ebooks-blamed-200-job-losses-penguin
Speaking of ebooks, Kobo has revealed that its ten bestselling authors of 2015 have all been women. It's an interesting development "in a year where female writers have struggled to find review space and where the publishing industry has been slammed for its 'gender bias.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/kobos-top-10-authors-of-2015-are-all-women
What do authors really think of publishers? At the beginning of March, Jane Friedman and Harry Bingham launched "the English-speaking world's most comprehensive survey of what authors think of the firms that publish them." Here are the results.
http://agenthunter.co.uk/blog/363/
BOOKS & WRITERS
This week, The Vancouver Sun's Book Club looks at Wab Kinew's new book, The Reason You Walk. The book follows the story of Kinew and his father, "a residential school survivor who died from cancer a few years ago." http://www.vancouversun.com/news/book+club+many+indigenous+voices+ringing/11566425/story.html#ixzz3tnE9WwYC
Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize last year, and now a slew of his works have finally been released in English. "A sense of vaguely threatening mystery attaches to every one of the characters in Modiano's writings," with many of his books relating to the German occupation and life in post-war France.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-occupation-trilogy-and-more-by-patrick-modiano.html
In The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, James Shapiro sorts through "the information that has emerged from old libraries and dusty archives in the last 50 years, and then he consolidates it and brings it alive in a smooth, lively and conversational style." It's an "irresistible" story, a "banquet of wisdom about the small and dramatic world that a 42-year-old playwright is living in."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-year-of-lear-shakespeare-in-1606-by-james-shapiro.html
According to a recent Statistics Canada survey, "only 16 per cent of Canadians can successfully name the beaver as our country's national animal." Frances Backhouse's Once They Were Hats might help spread beaver knowledge. It's a "fascinating and smartly written" book that "adopts the narrative strategy of previous single-subject books on salt, sugar, coffee, cod and so on."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-frances-backhouse-sinks-her-teeth-into-canadas-national-animal-in-the-fascinating-and-smartly-written-once-they-were-hats/article27507847/
Gordon Lish is a "legendary" editor who has worked closely with "many of the most daring writers of the past 50 years, including Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Barry Hannah and Joy Williams." In this interview, which will appear in full in the Winter 2015 edition of the Paris Review, he discusses his relationship with Carver, being an editor, not being a writer, and more.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/05/gordon-lish-books-interview-editing-raymond-carver
What are some gift ideas for "literary locavores?" Here's the Georgia Straight's take on the matter, including several mini reviews. "Your holiday food and drink menus are likely full of local ingredients—so why not your holiday reading list too?"
http://www.straight.com/life/590056/gift-ideas-literary-locavores-your-list
The Vancouver Sun has compiled a similar list, with less of a focus on all things "local". The reviews are still there, though!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/stick+good+read+under+tree/11566385/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poets Bren Simmers and Raoul Fernandes. Thursday, December 10 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 36
BOOK NEWS
Avoid the crowds at the mall by doing your holiday shopping at writersfest.bc.ca! We've got gifts for everyone on your list.
Got a scotch lover in the family? A ticket to the 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Introduce a friend to the Festival or treat a long-time festival goer by purchasing them a VWF gift certificate! Certificates can be used towards the purchase of tickets for the 2016 Festival. To purchase, please call 604-681-6330 ext. 0.
Finally, honour the altruist in the family by making a donation to the VWF, http://writersfest.bc.ca/donate in their name! Your donation will help us present the world's best authors in year-round events.
AWARDS & LISTS
What were the best books of 2015? Here's part one of The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2015/nov/28/best-books-of-2015-part-one
How about the most overlooked books of the year? In this piece, Slate Book Review critics recommend "27 books you'd probably love if only you knew about them."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/underrated_books_of_2015_overlooked_novels_collections_and_nonfiction_of.html
The New York Times has an end-of-year list too! Here's their take on the "100 Notable Books of 2015."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html
YOUNG READERS
The King and The Sea is a "more elliptical version" of The Little Prince. It's comprised of a series of very short tales about a king "who has much to learn", and is "the kind of unexpectedly profound picture book that often prompts people to say, ‘That's more for adults than for kids.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/books/review/its-sort-of-good-to-be-the-king.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Here's book curation gone to the extreme. "If making choices isn't your forte, you'll find that the perfect bookstore for you is located in Ginza, Tokyo. Morioka Shoten & Co. Ginza Branch is a store that stocks multiple copies of just one book per week."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/this-japanese-bookstore-stocks-just-one-book-per-week.html
Greek New Testament papyrus has been discovered on eBay. The fragment is believed to contain lines from the Gospel of John, dating from A.D. 250 to A.D. 350.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/books/greek-new-testament-papyrus-is-discovered-on-ebay.html
In order to encourage reading, Brazil's biggest pocket book publisher is selling a line of classic literature that also doubles as subway tickets. Unlike other similar projects, which have been short lived, São Paulo's Ticket Books project has been so successful it is becoming permanent and has even expanded to other major Brazilian cities.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazil-subway-reading-means-ticket-ride-180957393/#DiIRBEEsdLL4OIgE.99
What's it like running a bookstore in Islamabad? Here's an incredible story of the family that built "one of the biggest bookstores in the world, mostly selling books in English, in a country where that is a second language for most people."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/world/asia/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad.html
Is it still possible to be a public intellectual? In this week's edition of the New York Times' Bookends, Pankaj Mishra and Alice Gregory discuss "the fate of the public intellectual in an age of specialization."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/is-it-still-possible-to-be-a-public-intellectual.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Which three writers would Margaret Atwood invite to dinner? She answers that question, and more, in this interview with The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/margaret-atwood-by-the-book.html
In his "moving" memoir, Men of Action, Toronto writer Howard Akler explores his father's death. Even more specifically, the book is about "patrimony and the connection between fathers and sons" as well as "never being able to truly know a person you love."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-howard-akler-explores-his-fathers-death-in-his-moving-memoir-men-of-action/article27390621/
Straight Up, by Owen Gallagher, is "a playful and euphemistic poem about masculinity and the festering, phallic fear of sexual inadequacy." It's also the Guardian's poem of the week! Read it here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/nov/30/poem-of-the-week-straight-up-by-owen-gallagher
Both Jess Taylor's Pauls and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno are both linked short story collections. They "fall into a fairly established tradition, especially in Canada, where they trace their lineage back through Alice Munro's Who Do You Think You Are?"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-anthony-marras-the-tsar-of-love-and-techno-and-jess-taylors-pauls-continue-the-tradition-of-linked-short-story-collections/article27390699/
Jeannette Winterson and Marlon James grew up worlds apart, and yet they're mutual admirers. In Winterson's words: "It's so nice to meet someone you know you can talk to." They interview each other here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/28/conversation-jeanette-winterson-marlon-james-interview
Here's an unlikely bestseller: a book about felling, chopping and burning trees. Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way "captures the romance of the great outdoors, the nobility of the honest graft of wood chopping, and our close relationship with trees"...as well as being a "step-by-step guide to preparing your wood store."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/how-a-book-about-norwegian-wood-has-become-a-global-hit-a6747431.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SFU WRITER'S STUDIO READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents Rachel Rose, Poet Laureate of the City of Vancouver. Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.
STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
Upcoming
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Avoid the crowds at the mall by doing your holiday shopping at writersfest.bc.ca! We've got gifts for everyone on your list.
Got a scotch lover in the family? A ticket to the 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Introduce a friend to the Festival or treat a long-time festival goer by purchasing them a VWF gift certificate! Certificates can be used towards the purchase of tickets for the 2016 Festival. To purchase, please call 604-681-6330 ext. 0.
Finally, honour the altruist in the family by making a donation to the VWF, http://writersfest.bc.ca/donate in their name! Your donation will help us present the world's best authors in year-round events.
AWARDS & LISTS
What were the best books of 2015? Here's part one of The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2015/nov/28/best-books-of-2015-part-one
How about the most overlooked books of the year? In this piece, Slate Book Review critics recommend "27 books you'd probably love if only you knew about them."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/underrated_books_of_2015_overlooked_novels_collections_and_nonfiction_of.html
The New York Times has an end-of-year list too! Here's their take on the "100 Notable Books of 2015."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html
YOUNG READERS
The King and The Sea is a "more elliptical version" of The Little Prince. It's comprised of a series of very short tales about a king "who has much to learn", and is "the kind of unexpectedly profound picture book that often prompts people to say, ‘That's more for adults than for kids.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/books/review/its-sort-of-good-to-be-the-king.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Here's book curation gone to the extreme. "If making choices isn't your forte, you'll find that the perfect bookstore for you is located in Ginza, Tokyo. Morioka Shoten & Co. Ginza Branch is a store that stocks multiple copies of just one book per week."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/this-japanese-bookstore-stocks-just-one-book-per-week.html
Greek New Testament papyrus has been discovered on eBay. The fragment is believed to contain lines from the Gospel of John, dating from A.D. 250 to A.D. 350.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/books/greek-new-testament-papyrus-is-discovered-on-ebay.html
In order to encourage reading, Brazil's biggest pocket book publisher is selling a line of classic literature that also doubles as subway tickets. Unlike other similar projects, which have been short lived, São Paulo's Ticket Books project has been so successful it is becoming permanent and has even expanded to other major Brazilian cities.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazil-subway-reading-means-ticket-ride-180957393/#DiIRBEEsdLL4OIgE.99
What's it like running a bookstore in Islamabad? Here's an incredible story of the family that built "one of the biggest bookstores in the world, mostly selling books in English, in a country where that is a second language for most people."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/world/asia/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad.html
Is it still possible to be a public intellectual? In this week's edition of the New York Times' Bookends, Pankaj Mishra and Alice Gregory discuss "the fate of the public intellectual in an age of specialization."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/is-it-still-possible-to-be-a-public-intellectual.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Which three writers would Margaret Atwood invite to dinner? She answers that question, and more, in this interview with The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/margaret-atwood-by-the-book.html
In his "moving" memoir, Men of Action, Toronto writer Howard Akler explores his father's death. Even more specifically, the book is about "patrimony and the connection between fathers and sons" as well as "never being able to truly know a person you love."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-howard-akler-explores-his-fathers-death-in-his-moving-memoir-men-of-action/article27390621/
Straight Up, by Owen Gallagher, is "a playful and euphemistic poem about masculinity and the festering, phallic fear of sexual inadequacy." It's also the Guardian's poem of the week! Read it here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/nov/30/poem-of-the-week-straight-up-by-owen-gallagher
Both Jess Taylor's Pauls and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno are both linked short story collections. They "fall into a fairly established tradition, especially in Canada, where they trace their lineage back through Alice Munro's Who Do You Think You Are?"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-anthony-marras-the-tsar-of-love-and-techno-and-jess-taylors-pauls-continue-the-tradition-of-linked-short-story-collections/article27390699/
Jeannette Winterson and Marlon James grew up worlds apart, and yet they're mutual admirers. In Winterson's words: "It's so nice to meet someone you know you can talk to." They interview each other here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/28/conversation-jeanette-winterson-marlon-james-interview
Here's an unlikely bestseller: a book about felling, chopping and burning trees. Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way "captures the romance of the great outdoors, the nobility of the honest graft of wood chopping, and our close relationship with trees"...as well as being a "step-by-step guide to preparing your wood store."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/how-a-book-about-norwegian-wood-has-become-a-global-hit-a6747431.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SFU WRITER'S STUDIO READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents Rachel Rose, Poet Laureate of the City of Vancouver. Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.
STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
Upcoming
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 35
BOOK NEWS
With the holiday season nearly upon us, the Vancouver Writers Fest offers a variety of ways to give the gift of reading and writing:
Got a scotch drinker in the family? A ticket to our 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale through our website, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true and proceeds from
the event support the VWF.
Also, from December 1-4, tweet us @VanWritersFest with the name of the best book you read in 2015. Then, look out for all these books on a special 'virtual' bookshelf on our website and don't forget to donate by clicking here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate! Your gift makes it possible for the VWF to present the world's best writers in year-round events.
AWARDS & LISTS
Wayde Compton has won the 2015 City of Vancouver Book Award. The Outer Harbour, Compton's first work of short fiction, is an interconnected collection about "Vancouver's recent past and its dystopian very-near future."
http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/wayde-compton-wins-2015-book-award-for-the-outer-harbour.aspx
The Quebec Writers' Federation had named the winners of its annual literary awards recognizing "the previous year's best English-language work from Quebec authors." The awards offer $10,000 in prize money across five categories: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, first book and translation.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/19/quebec-writers-federation-names-literary-award-winners/
Ta-Nehisi Coates has won the National Book Award for non-fiction for Between the World and Me, a "visceral, blunt exploration of his experience of being a black man in America." Coates is a correspondent for The Atlantic, as well as a 2015 MacArthur Fellow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/ta-nehisi-coates-wins-national-book-award.html
Mark Wagenaar has won the 2015 CBC Poetry Prize. According to Fred Wah, who judged the award, Wagenaar's poem, String Theory, "lifts the poetic sentence into a three-dimensional collage of nostalgia and reflection, a composition of intriguing images full of surprise and acuity."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/24/mark-wagenaar-wins-2015-cbc-poetry-prize/
The Canadian Children's Book Centre handed out its annual awards on November 18th. Two of the evening's honours went to Jonathan Auxier for his middle-grade novel The Night Gardener, which won the evening's top prize, the $30,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, along with the $5,000 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/18/jonathan-auxier-wins-big-at-ccbc-book-awards/
YOUNG READERS
Winter is coming. What are the best children's books about the coming chilly season? Here's The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/23/best-childrens-books-on-winter
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. In this interview, Pullman discusses "loneliness, Romanticism, the meaning of the 'young adult' label, and why we all want daemons."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/philip_pullman_interview_the_golden_compass_author_on_young_adult_literature.html
NEWS & FEATURES
In the wake of recent terror attacks, Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast has returned to the French bestseller list. "Copies of A Moveable Feast have currently sold out on Amazon's French website, and has reportedly sold more copies in the last few days than a typical year."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/20/ernest-hemingway-moveable-feast-paris-attacks
Last week, Margaret Atwood turned 76. "Let's face it: she is smarter than all of us. Here are 10 of the funniest, wittiest, most incisive and most all-around boss things Margaret Atwood said in her 75th year."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/margaret-atwood-says-the-darnedest-things-the-2015-edition.html
Stuart McLean has cancelled his annual Vinyl Cafe Christmas Tour. Last Saturday, he revealed that he's beginning treatment for melanoma. In McLean's words, "we wondered about the option of doing both–the tour and the therapy–but there is the possibility of side effects from the treatment and I don't want to be doing shows if I can't be my best self."
http://www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe/home.php
Bookstores have launched "Civilised Saturday" as an antidote to Black Friday. "With promotions including butlers serving prosecco and free hand massages, booksellers [are planning] to draw shoppers away from the scramble for bargains."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/20/bookshops-launch-civilised-saturday-as-antidote-to-black-friday
In honour of Canada's 150th anniversary, The Writers' Trust of Canada has announced a new fellowship that awards $150,000 to three authors over three years. "Each writer will receive $50,000 to enable them the financial stability and freedom to focus on their work, as well as a one-week, self-directed residency at the Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony."
http://www.quillandquire.com/industry-news/2015/11/17/writers-trust-launches-writing-fellowship-for-canadas-sesquicentennial/
Indie booksellers have created an online "anti-Amazon book club," featuring hand-written book recommendations, including one for Joseph Boyden's The Orenda. To participate. readers pick one of the four recommended books.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/indie-bookseller-book-club_5644a686e4b045bf3dede618
BOOKS & WRITERS
The New Yorker has launched a new digital novella program. The first featured novella, In Hindsight, comes from writer Callan Wink. Read an excerpt here:
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/new-yorker-launches-a-new-digital-novella-program/112860
Proust: The Search, by Benjamin Taylor, is an "outstanding study" of Marcel Proust that "conjures up the man and his times in vivid detail."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/22/proust-the-search-review-benjamin-taylor
The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine, Alexander McCall Smith's 16th installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, was published last month. In this interview, McCall Smith discusses the book, the best advice he's ever received and more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/alexander-mccall-smith-writers-who-have-learned-a-lot-of-latin-tend-to-know-all-about-the-construction-of-beautiful-sentences/article27390857/
"How would you draw a map of the place where Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot? Or the planets of A Wrinkle in Time? All (and more) can be found in Andrew DeGraff's "remarkable" literary atlas, Plotted.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/andrew_degraff_s_plotted_reviewed.html
Sarah Maguire's Almost the Equinox is "a bouquet gathered over time. These beautiful poems belong together–in a way that is rarely the case with selected poems." This review includes the poem The Florist's at Midnight.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/22/sarah-maguire-poetry-review-almost-the-equinox
Under the Udala Trees, God in Pink and Dirty River are three books that "offer different ways of being queer in the face of a single story." Each are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-under-the-udala-trees-god-in-pink-and-dirty-river-offer-different-ways-of-being-queer-in-the-face-of-a-single-story/article27391701/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Theresa Kishkan, John Pass and Alisa Gordaneer plus open mic. Thursday, November 26th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
MEET THE AUTHOR: SUZANNE FOURNIER
Suzanne Fournier discuses her book, Shore to Shore: Shore to Shore: The Art of Ts'uts'umutl Luke Marston, with special guest Luke Marston. Thursday, November 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
VOICING THE CITY IN/VERSE
Two-day symposium exploring the inversion of the city-suburb through poets, fiction writers, spoken word artists, and storytellers, featuring keynote speaker M. G. Vassanji. November 28-29, 2015, free. For complete details, visit surrey.ca/culture-recreation.
ASHLEY LITTLE
VPL Writer in Residence offers a sneak preview of some of her current writing projects, and showcasing some of the exciting new talent she has worked with over her residency. Sunday, November 29 at 2:00pm, free. Lower level, Alice MacKay room, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BOOK LAUNCH
This joint book launch brings together authors Peter Busby and Trevor Carolan of local Saltspring Island publisher Mother Tongue. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm, free. Peter Kaye room, lower level, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VAN SLAM
Featuring Paradigm. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. More information a vancouverpoetryhouse.com.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.
STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
Upcoming
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
With the holiday season nearly upon us, the Vancouver Writers Fest offers a variety of ways to give the gift of reading and writing:
Got a scotch drinker in the family? A ticket to our 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale through our website, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true and proceeds from
the event support the VWF.
Also, from December 1-4, tweet us @VanWritersFest with the name of the best book you read in 2015. Then, look out for all these books on a special 'virtual' bookshelf on our website and don't forget to donate by clicking here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate! Your gift makes it possible for the VWF to present the world's best writers in year-round events.
AWARDS & LISTS
Wayde Compton has won the 2015 City of Vancouver Book Award. The Outer Harbour, Compton's first work of short fiction, is an interconnected collection about "Vancouver's recent past and its dystopian very-near future."
http://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/wayde-compton-wins-2015-book-award-for-the-outer-harbour.aspx
The Quebec Writers' Federation had named the winners of its annual literary awards recognizing "the previous year's best English-language work from Quebec authors." The awards offer $10,000 in prize money across five categories: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, first book and translation.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/19/quebec-writers-federation-names-literary-award-winners/
Ta-Nehisi Coates has won the National Book Award for non-fiction for Between the World and Me, a "visceral, blunt exploration of his experience of being a black man in America." Coates is a correspondent for The Atlantic, as well as a 2015 MacArthur Fellow.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/ta-nehisi-coates-wins-national-book-award.html
Mark Wagenaar has won the 2015 CBC Poetry Prize. According to Fred Wah, who judged the award, Wagenaar's poem, String Theory, "lifts the poetic sentence into a three-dimensional collage of nostalgia and reflection, a composition of intriguing images full of surprise and acuity."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/24/mark-wagenaar-wins-2015-cbc-poetry-prize/
The Canadian Children's Book Centre handed out its annual awards on November 18th. Two of the evening's honours went to Jonathan Auxier for his middle-grade novel The Night Gardener, which won the evening's top prize, the $30,000 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, along with the $5,000 Monica Hughes Award for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/18/jonathan-auxier-wins-big-at-ccbc-book-awards/
YOUNG READERS
Winter is coming. What are the best children's books about the coming chilly season? Here's The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/23/best-childrens-books-on-winter
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass. In this interview, Pullman discusses "loneliness, Romanticism, the meaning of the 'young adult' label, and why we all want daemons."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/philip_pullman_interview_the_golden_compass_author_on_young_adult_literature.html
NEWS & FEATURES
In the wake of recent terror attacks, Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast has returned to the French bestseller list. "Copies of A Moveable Feast have currently sold out on Amazon's French website, and has reportedly sold more copies in the last few days than a typical year."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/20/ernest-hemingway-moveable-feast-paris-attacks
Last week, Margaret Atwood turned 76. "Let's face it: she is smarter than all of us. Here are 10 of the funniest, wittiest, most incisive and most all-around boss things Margaret Atwood said in her 75th year."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/margaret-atwood-says-the-darnedest-things-the-2015-edition.html
Stuart McLean has cancelled his annual Vinyl Cafe Christmas Tour. Last Saturday, he revealed that he's beginning treatment for melanoma. In McLean's words, "we wondered about the option of doing both–the tour and the therapy–but there is the possibility of side effects from the treatment and I don't want to be doing shows if I can't be my best self."
http://www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe/home.php
Bookstores have launched "Civilised Saturday" as an antidote to Black Friday. "With promotions including butlers serving prosecco and free hand massages, booksellers [are planning] to draw shoppers away from the scramble for bargains."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/20/bookshops-launch-civilised-saturday-as-antidote-to-black-friday
In honour of Canada's 150th anniversary, The Writers' Trust of Canada has announced a new fellowship that awards $150,000 to three authors over three years. "Each writer will receive $50,000 to enable them the financial stability and freedom to focus on their work, as well as a one-week, self-directed residency at the Banff Centre's Leighton Artists' Colony."
http://www.quillandquire.com/industry-news/2015/11/17/writers-trust-launches-writing-fellowship-for-canadas-sesquicentennial/
Indie booksellers have created an online "anti-Amazon book club," featuring hand-written book recommendations, including one for Joseph Boyden's The Orenda. To participate. readers pick one of the four recommended books.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/indie-bookseller-book-club_5644a686e4b045bf3dede618
BOOKS & WRITERS
The New Yorker has launched a new digital novella program. The first featured novella, In Hindsight, comes from writer Callan Wink. Read an excerpt here:
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/new-yorker-launches-a-new-digital-novella-program/112860
Proust: The Search, by Benjamin Taylor, is an "outstanding study" of Marcel Proust that "conjures up the man and his times in vivid detail."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/22/proust-the-search-review-benjamin-taylor
The Woman Who Walked in Sunshine, Alexander McCall Smith's 16th installment in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, was published last month. In this interview, McCall Smith discusses the book, the best advice he's ever received and more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/alexander-mccall-smith-writers-who-have-learned-a-lot-of-latin-tend-to-know-all-about-the-construction-of-beautiful-sentences/article27390857/
"How would you draw a map of the place where Vladimir and Estragon wait for Godot? Or the planets of A Wrinkle in Time? All (and more) can be found in Andrew DeGraff's "remarkable" literary atlas, Plotted.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/andrew_degraff_s_plotted_reviewed.html
Sarah Maguire's Almost the Equinox is "a bouquet gathered over time. These beautiful poems belong together–in a way that is rarely the case with selected poems." This review includes the poem The Florist's at Midnight.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/22/sarah-maguire-poetry-review-almost-the-equinox
Under the Udala Trees, God in Pink and Dirty River are three books that "offer different ways of being queer in the face of a single story." Each are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-under-the-udala-trees-god-in-pink-and-dirty-river-offer-different-ways-of-being-queer-in-the-face-of-a-single-story/article27391701/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Theresa Kishkan, John Pass and Alisa Gordaneer plus open mic. Thursday, November 26th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
MEET THE AUTHOR: SUZANNE FOURNIER
Suzanne Fournier discuses her book, Shore to Shore: Shore to Shore: The Art of Ts'uts'umutl Luke Marston, with special guest Luke Marston. Thursday, November 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
VOICING THE CITY IN/VERSE
Two-day symposium exploring the inversion of the city-suburb through poets, fiction writers, spoken word artists, and storytellers, featuring keynote speaker M. G. Vassanji. November 28-29, 2015, free. For complete details, visit surrey.ca/culture-recreation.
ASHLEY LITTLE
VPL Writer in Residence offers a sneak preview of some of her current writing projects, and showcasing some of the exciting new talent she has worked with over her residency. Sunday, November 29 at 2:00pm, free. Lower level, Alice MacKay room, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BOOK LAUNCH
This joint book launch brings together authors Peter Busby and Trevor Carolan of local Saltspring Island publisher Mother Tongue. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm, free. Peter Kaye room, lower level, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VAN SLAM
Featuring Paradigm. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. More information a vancouverpoetryhouse.com.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.
STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
Upcoming
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 34
BOOK NEWS
Have you already picked up your copy of Avenue of Mysteries? After being on shelves for just two weeks, John Irving's latest is number 5 on the New York Times Best Seller list! Don't worry if you haven't purchased your copy before our event with John Irving, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving, though-books will be for sale at the venue. Visit our website for more event info and to purchase tickets.
And while you're on the website, why not do some holiday shopping? A ticket to A Dram Come True, our annual scotch tasting fundraiser, makes a great gift for the scotch connoisseur (or avid reader) in your life. Save money by purchasing your early bird tickets now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
FESTIVAL
The Jewish Book Festival presents The New Face of Fiction: 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Sean Michaels in conversation with Hal Wake on Saturday November 21. Details and more information here, https://www.jccgv.com/content/jewish-book-festival-events-14-open#sha.
AWARDS & LISTS
Ten Canadian novels have made the Dublin Literary Award longlist. Two Canadians have won the prize in the past: Alistair MacLeod for No Great Mischief in 2002 and Rawi Hage for De Niro's Game in 2008.
http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/news/10-canadian-novels-on-the-2016-longlist/
Vancouver poet Lissa Wolsak has been named the winner of this year's bpNichol Chapbook Award for her poetry chapbook Of Beings Alone: The Eigenface. The book was chosen by judges Alice Burdick and Karl Jirgens from a six-book shortlist, culled from 68 national submissions.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/16/lissa-wolsak-wins-2015-bpnichol-chapbook-award/
Jennifer Kingsley has won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for her debut title, Paddlenorth: Adventure, Resilience, and Renewal in the Arctic Wild, published by Vancouver's Greystone Books. The book chronicles the author's two-month paddle with five friends in Northern Canada.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/16/ottawa-author-jennifer-kingsley-receives-2015-national-outdoor-book-award/
The CBC Poetry Prize shortlist has been released and the winner will be announced on November 24. In the meantime, you can read the shortlisted poems and find out more about the poets here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015-poetry-prize.html
YOUNG READERS
Why do we need fantasy? Because "it frees us from our own existence," say Rainbow Rowell in this interview with The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/17/rainbow-rowell-interview-fantasy-carry-on
NEWS & FEATURES
To mark Academic Book week, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species has been voted the most influential academic book in history. Other contenders included The Wealth of Nations and 1984, though Darwin's eventually won out for its "supreme demonstration of why academic books matter".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/10/on-the-origin-of-species-voted-most-influential-academic-book-charles-darwin
The Diary of Anne Frank has gained a co-author. Her father has been made its legal co-author in order to extend the book's copyright. Some are crying foul. Ann Frank Foundation officials "should think very carefully about the consequences," said Agnès Tricoire. "If you follow their arguments, it means that they have lied for years about the fact that it was only written by Anne Frank."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/books/anne-frank-has-a-co-as-diary-gains-co-author-in-legal-move.html
Paris' Shakespeare & Co. is famous for its "tumbleweeds," the volunteers who work and sleep in the bookstore. It became home to a different sort of overnight guest this past weekend when bombs rang out across the city. It became a safe haven, taking in twenty customers for the night.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/shakespeare-co-acts-is-safe-haven-in-paris-tonight/112568
An unpublished short story by Edith Wharton has been discovered at Yale University. Called The Field of Honour, it was recently found in Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
http://electricliterature.com/unpublished-short-story-by-edith-wharton-discovered-at-yale-university/
A Donald Trump rally was recently interrupted by the most simple of literary protests: a woman reading a book! "Not just any book, either, but it seems to be Claudia Rankine's searing poetry collection Citizen, which delves into America's history of ongoing racial injustice."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-rally-woman-reading_56436212e4b060377347248d
Virginia Woolf's famous lighthouse is set to be obscured by a new apartment complex. The view from Talland House, where her family spent summers when she was a child, "was the focus of Woolf's novel and visitors from around the world come to St. Ives specifically to view a key part of the town's history, heritage and beauty."
http://www.mhpbooks.com/virginia-woolfs-lighthouse-to-be-obscured-by-new-apartment-complex/
BOOKS & WRITERS
What is Andre Alexis planning on doing now that he's won the Giller? Getting back to work, apparently!
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2015/11/11/andre-alexis-says-he-ll-get-right-back-to-work-after-giller-win.html
When he began The Year of the Runaways, Sunjeev Sahota "wanted to write a big, immersive novel, the kind that first made me fall in love with reading." Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the book follows the lives of three Indian men and a British-Indian woman, who become an unlikely family. Sahota is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/sunjeev-sahota-i-also-wanted-to-write-a-big-immersive-novel/article27250444/
Amitav Ghosh's Flood of Fire is a novel that "unleashes epic hypocrisy and greed." A historical novel set during the Opium Wars, it "subtly [insinuates] that the same forces of greed, pious hypocrisy, and opportunism that shaped the 19th century are still at play today."
http://www.straight.com/life/576521/amitav-ghoshs-flood-fire-unleashes-epic-hypocrisy-and-greed
Speaking of historical fiction, Carol M. Cram's latest novel, A Woman of Note, tells the story of a 19th-century female pianist who "dreams of being a composer." The inspiration for the book came from the author's own love of classical piano.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/historical+fiction+author+carol+cram+turns+love/11515170/story.html
Margaret Atwood recently spoke at Book Rio Live, where she "discussed the lack of diversity in fictions and the challenges of writing about ‘now.'" Some of her speech has been transcribed here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/09/margaret-atwood-diversity-fiction-book-riot-live
What is Emily St. John Mandel's inspiration? In this interview, she discusses her writing process and what motivates her to write.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/emily-st-john-mandel-reveals-inspiration-in-reddit-ama/112272
COMMUNITY EVENTS
FRANCES BACKHOUSE
Part of Douglas Day celebrations, author reads from her book Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver. Thursday, November 19 at 7:00pm. Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada, 23433 Mavis Ave., Fort Langley. For tickets and more information, visit parkscanada.gc.ca/fortlangley.
ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
NASREEN PEJVACK
Author launches her new book Amity. Friday, November 20 at 7pm, free. Brighouse branch, Richmond Public Library. More information at yourlibrary.ca.
RICHARD VAN CAMP
Storyteller, author, and proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Richard Van Camp joins CBC host and journalist Duncan McCue in conversation. Friday, November 20 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BOOKED FOR CRIME
Dietrich Kalteis, Linda L Richards and Sam Wiebe will be discussing their latest work as well the various aspects of what it takes to write compelling mystery and crime fiction. Saturday, November 21 at 2:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JULIAN LAWRENCE
Launch of The Adventures of Drippy the Newsboy Volume II: The Red Drip of Courage. Saturday, November 21 at 7:00pm. Pulp Fiction Books, 2422 Main St., Vancouver. More information at julian@julianlawrence.net.
VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.
QMUNITY
Event celebrating the achievements of the Stories of Older Queers project. Tuesday, November 24 at 12:00 noon, free. Room 7100, Special Collection, WAC Bennet Library, SFU, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby. More information at 778-782-9721.
ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean, author of The Swallows Uncaged, introduces her narratives on the lives of girls and women of Vietnam. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN READING SERIES
Featuring George Bowering, Claire Battershill, Carmen Papalia, and Allie Abella. Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Theresa Kishkan, John Pass and Alisa Gordaneer plus open mic. Thursday, November 26th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
MEET THE AUTHOR: SUZANNE FOURNIER
Suzanne Fournier discuses her book, Shore to Shore: Shore to Shore: The Art of Ts'uts'umutl Luke Marston, with special guest Luke Marston. Thursday, November 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
ASHLEY LITTLE
VPL Writer in Residence offers a sneak preview of some of her current writing projects, and showcasing some of the exciting new talent she has worked with over her residency. Sunday, November 29 at 2:00pm, free. Lower level, Alice MacKay room, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BOOK LAUNCH
This joint book launch brings together authors Peter Busby and Trevor Carolan of local Saltspring Island publisher Mother Tongue. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm, free. Peter Kaye room, lower level, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VAN SLAM
Featuring Paradigm. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. More information a vancouverpoetryhouse.com.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Our Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need will feature music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street. Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Have you already picked up your copy of Avenue of Mysteries? After being on shelves for just two weeks, John Irving's latest is number 5 on the New York Times Best Seller list! Don't worry if you haven't purchased your copy before our event with John Irving, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving, though-books will be for sale at the venue. Visit our website for more event info and to purchase tickets.
And while you're on the website, why not do some holiday shopping? A ticket to A Dram Come True, our annual scotch tasting fundraiser, makes a great gift for the scotch connoisseur (or avid reader) in your life. Save money by purchasing your early bird tickets now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
FESTIVAL
The Jewish Book Festival presents The New Face of Fiction: 2014 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Sean Michaels in conversation with Hal Wake on Saturday November 21. Details and more information here, https://www.jccgv.com/content/jewish-book-festival-events-14-open#sha.
AWARDS & LISTS
Ten Canadian novels have made the Dublin Literary Award longlist. Two Canadians have won the prize in the past: Alistair MacLeod for No Great Mischief in 2002 and Rawi Hage for De Niro's Game in 2008.
http://www.dublinliteraryaward.ie/news/10-canadian-novels-on-the-2016-longlist/
Vancouver poet Lissa Wolsak has been named the winner of this year's bpNichol Chapbook Award for her poetry chapbook Of Beings Alone: The Eigenface. The book was chosen by judges Alice Burdick and Karl Jirgens from a six-book shortlist, culled from 68 national submissions.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/16/lissa-wolsak-wins-2015-bpnichol-chapbook-award/
Jennifer Kingsley has won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award for her debut title, Paddlenorth: Adventure, Resilience, and Renewal in the Arctic Wild, published by Vancouver's Greystone Books. The book chronicles the author's two-month paddle with five friends in Northern Canada.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/16/ottawa-author-jennifer-kingsley-receives-2015-national-outdoor-book-award/
The CBC Poetry Prize shortlist has been released and the winner will be announced on November 24. In the meantime, you can read the shortlisted poems and find out more about the poets here:
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015-poetry-prize.html
YOUNG READERS
Why do we need fantasy? Because "it frees us from our own existence," say Rainbow Rowell in this interview with The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/17/rainbow-rowell-interview-fantasy-carry-on
NEWS & FEATURES
To mark Academic Book week, Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species has been voted the most influential academic book in history. Other contenders included The Wealth of Nations and 1984, though Darwin's eventually won out for its "supreme demonstration of why academic books matter".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/10/on-the-origin-of-species-voted-most-influential-academic-book-charles-darwin
The Diary of Anne Frank has gained a co-author. Her father has been made its legal co-author in order to extend the book's copyright. Some are crying foul. Ann Frank Foundation officials "should think very carefully about the consequences," said Agnès Tricoire. "If you follow their arguments, it means that they have lied for years about the fact that it was only written by Anne Frank."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/14/books/anne-frank-has-a-co-as-diary-gains-co-author-in-legal-move.html
Paris' Shakespeare & Co. is famous for its "tumbleweeds," the volunteers who work and sleep in the bookstore. It became home to a different sort of overnight guest this past weekend when bombs rang out across the city. It became a safe haven, taking in twenty customers for the night.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/shakespeare-co-acts-is-safe-haven-in-paris-tonight/112568
An unpublished short story by Edith Wharton has been discovered at Yale University. Called The Field of Honour, it was recently found in Yale's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
http://electricliterature.com/unpublished-short-story-by-edith-wharton-discovered-at-yale-university/
A Donald Trump rally was recently interrupted by the most simple of literary protests: a woman reading a book! "Not just any book, either, but it seems to be Claudia Rankine's searing poetry collection Citizen, which delves into America's history of ongoing racial injustice."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-rally-woman-reading_56436212e4b060377347248d
Virginia Woolf's famous lighthouse is set to be obscured by a new apartment complex. The view from Talland House, where her family spent summers when she was a child, "was the focus of Woolf's novel and visitors from around the world come to St. Ives specifically to view a key part of the town's history, heritage and beauty."
http://www.mhpbooks.com/virginia-woolfs-lighthouse-to-be-obscured-by-new-apartment-complex/
BOOKS & WRITERS
What is Andre Alexis planning on doing now that he's won the Giller? Getting back to work, apparently!
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2015/11/11/andre-alexis-says-he-ll-get-right-back-to-work-after-giller-win.html
When he began The Year of the Runaways, Sunjeev Sahota "wanted to write a big, immersive novel, the kind that first made me fall in love with reading." Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, the book follows the lives of three Indian men and a British-Indian woman, who become an unlikely family. Sahota is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/sunjeev-sahota-i-also-wanted-to-write-a-big-immersive-novel/article27250444/
Amitav Ghosh's Flood of Fire is a novel that "unleashes epic hypocrisy and greed." A historical novel set during the Opium Wars, it "subtly [insinuates] that the same forces of greed, pious hypocrisy, and opportunism that shaped the 19th century are still at play today."
http://www.straight.com/life/576521/amitav-ghoshs-flood-fire-unleashes-epic-hypocrisy-and-greed
Speaking of historical fiction, Carol M. Cram's latest novel, A Woman of Note, tells the story of a 19th-century female pianist who "dreams of being a composer." The inspiration for the book came from the author's own love of classical piano.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/historical+fiction+author+carol+cram+turns+love/11515170/story.html
Margaret Atwood recently spoke at Book Rio Live, where she "discussed the lack of diversity in fictions and the challenges of writing about ‘now.'" Some of her speech has been transcribed here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/09/margaret-atwood-diversity-fiction-book-riot-live
What is Emily St. John Mandel's inspiration? In this interview, she discusses her writing process and what motivates her to write.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/emily-st-john-mandel-reveals-inspiration-in-reddit-ama/112272
COMMUNITY EVENTS
FRANCES BACKHOUSE
Part of Douglas Day celebrations, author reads from her book Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver. Thursday, November 19 at 7:00pm. Fort Langley National Historic Site of Canada, 23433 Mavis Ave., Fort Langley. For tickets and more information, visit parkscanada.gc.ca/fortlangley.
ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
NASREEN PEJVACK
Author launches her new book Amity. Friday, November 20 at 7pm, free. Brighouse branch, Richmond Public Library. More information at yourlibrary.ca.
RICHARD VAN CAMP
Storyteller, author, and proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Richard Van Camp joins CBC host and journalist Duncan McCue in conversation. Friday, November 20 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BOOKED FOR CRIME
Dietrich Kalteis, Linda L Richards and Sam Wiebe will be discussing their latest work as well the various aspects of what it takes to write compelling mystery and crime fiction. Saturday, November 21 at 2:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JULIAN LAWRENCE
Launch of The Adventures of Drippy the Newsboy Volume II: The Red Drip of Courage. Saturday, November 21 at 7:00pm. Pulp Fiction Books, 2422 Main St., Vancouver. More information at julian@julianlawrence.net.
VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.
QMUNITY
Event celebrating the achievements of the Stories of Older Queers project. Tuesday, November 24 at 12:00 noon, free. Room 7100, Special Collection, WAC Bennet Library, SFU, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby. More information at 778-782-9721.
ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean, author of The Swallows Uncaged, introduces her narratives on the lives of girls and women of Vietnam. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.
STRANGERS ON A TRAIN READING SERIES
Featuring George Bowering, Claire Battershill, Carmen Papalia, and Allie Abella. Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Theresa Kishkan, John Pass and Alisa Gordaneer plus open mic. Thursday, November 26th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
MEET THE AUTHOR: SUZANNE FOURNIER
Suzanne Fournier discuses her book, Shore to Shore: Shore to Shore: The Art of Ts'uts'umutl Luke Marston, with special guest Luke Marston. Thursday, November 26 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
ASHLEY LITTLE
VPL Writer in Residence offers a sneak preview of some of her current writing projects, and showcasing some of the exciting new talent she has worked with over her residency. Sunday, November 29 at 2:00pm, free. Lower level, Alice MacKay room, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BOOK LAUNCH
This joint book launch brings together authors Peter Busby and Trevor Carolan of local Saltspring Island publisher Mother Tongue. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm, free. Peter Kaye room, lower level, Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VAN SLAM
Featuring Paradigm. Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. More information a vancouverpoetryhouse.com.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Our Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need will feature music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street. Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 33
BOOK NEWS
There are still a few tickets left for our December 1 event with John Irving in conversation with Hal Wake.
"Sex, drugs, and mariachi: Irving's latest ventures south of the border and then back again, tracing the long road and unforeseeable turns that we travel in this world." - Kirkus Review
Tuesday December 1 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
Details and to purchase tickets, www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
AWARDS & LISTS
André Alexis's novel Fifteen Dogs wins 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/andre-alexiss-novel-fifteen-dogs-wins-scotiabank-giller-prize/article27202787/
Roxane Gay has won the PEN Center USA Freedom to Write Award. Gay is "the author of Bad Feminist and An Untamed State, a prolific essayist, an editor, a Twitter goddess, and...perhaps above all else, an advocate—for women, people of colour, the LGBT community, victims of sexual assault, and 'anyone else who's disenfranchised, who's made to feel weak or small.'"
http://electricliterature.com/roxane-gay-wins-pen-center-usa-freedom-to-write-award/
The Prix Femina for translated fiction has been awarded to Kerry Hudson. The Scottish author's second novel, Thirst, secured the prestigious French award by beating Martin Amis by one vote. Judges called Thirst "a very moving history, which hangs on the fates of two marginalised people."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/06/kerry-hudson-wins-prix-femina-for-translated-fiction
YOUNG READERS
A new picture book for children that depicts slavery has "ignited controversy, with some critics charging that it unwittingly perpetuates a rosy vision of that institution." The book, A Fine Dessert, shows four children at different points in history making a blackberry dessert with a parent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/07/books/a-fine-dessert-judging-a-book-by-the-smile-of-a-slave.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Chile has admitted that the poet Pablo Neruda might have been murdered by the Pinochet regime. "The government has acknowledged that the Nobel-prize winning poet may not have died from cancer but said experts were still examining the claims."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/06/chile-admits-pablo-neruda-might-have-been-murdered-by-pinochet-regime
Move over Kim Kardashian! "The illuminated Klaidungsbüchlein, or 'book of clothes,' compiled by the Augsburg accountant Matthäus Schwarz between 1520 and 1560 is a proto-Kardashian book of selfies," a series of hand-drawn portraits that meticulously catalogues of the author's "extensive and flamboyant wardrobe."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/first-book-fashion-selfie-king/413047/
"Binge-watching" has been declared the word of 2015. "The mushrooming popularity of watching TV serials in concentrated bouts has seen the new verb's usage explode, according to Collins's annual survey."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/05/binge-watch-2015-word-of-the-year-collins
How do you translate an "untranslatable book?" Lisa Hayden explains her "intuitive journey to Eugene Vodolazkin's medieval Russia."
http://lithub.com/on-translating-an-untranslatable-book/
Who is the "mysterious" Stetson in TS Eliot's Waste Land? One scholar believes he might have the answer.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/08/ts-eliot-waste-land-stetson-anagram-riddle
Do audiobooks help or harm literature? The scholar Harold Bloom has claimed that text is necessary, while this piece's author thinks otherwise. Among other things, it was only upon hearing Tóibín's novel, Nora Webster, that she fully understood it.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/07/reading-with-your-ears-do-audiobooks-harm-or-help-literature
Poetry is going viral, thanks to the Web Poets' Society. "Three of the 10 current top-selling poetry books in the country are collections by young writers who have built followings on Tumblr and Instagram."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/business/media/web-poets-society-new-breed-succeeds-in-taking-verse-viral.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
In his new book, The Road to Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson "returns to his beloved 'small island.'" Bryson visits the far corners of Britain, from Lyme Regis to Wales, looking for two things: "curious historical footnotes and droll observations about the idiosyncrasies of modern British life."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-in-the-road-to-little-dribbling-bill-bryson-returns-to-his-beloved-small-island/article27146332/
Kevin Barry wants to go "as wild as I can within my stories." In this interview, the City of Bohane author discusses "Ireland's radicals, escaping the internet, and why he chose to write about John Lennon."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/08/kevin-barry-interview-beatlebone-john-lennon-city-of-bohane
The Globe and Mail's Mark Medley and Kate Taylor have read the entire Giller shortlist. "Now it's time to argue!" Read their feedback here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-great-debate-over-the-merits-of-the-scotiabank-giller-prize-finalists/article27145264/
Speaking of the Giller, nominee Anakana Schofield's "incredible rise" is profiled in this piece about the writing of Martin John. It also tackles Schofield's upbringing, and her happiness to finally hear herself described as "Canadian."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/disturbed-protagonist-in-giller-prize-finalist-took-a-toll-on-author/article27148119/
In the 1920s, Vladimir Nabokov was "the only Russian émigré in Berlin who [wrote] to his wife every day." His letters have been published in a book called Letters to Véra, reviewed alongside Nabokov in America: On the Road to Lolita, here:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/nov/19/nabokov-his-joy-his-life/
Karen Solie's poem, Man Is a Rational Animal, is featured in this week's Globe and Mail. Karen Solie is this year's winner of the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize, a $25,000 award "presented to a mid-career poet in recognition of a remarkable body of work and in anticipation of future contributions to Canadian poetry."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/globe-poetry-man-is-a-rational-animal/article27152382/
The English poet Stephen Spender wanted his son, Matthew, to be a "part of his bohemian circle." In this interview, Matthew Spender discusses "the sexual complexities of his family life." Spender's A House in St John's Wood: In Search of My Parents is the "first brutally honest biography of Stephen," but also a family memoir.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/08/matthew-spender-son-of-stephen-spender-on-sexuality
What led to Ian Rankin's success as a fiction crime writer? According to him, it only took five good habits!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/five-habits-that-led-to-ian-rankins-success-as-a-fiction-crime-writer/article27154658/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poet Bonnie Nish and her daughter Ali Denno on Thursday Nov. 12th at 8:00 p.m. at a new location, Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
MIJI CAMPBELL
Miji Campbell author of Separation Anxiety A Coming Of Middle Age Story. Book signing Saturday November 14th 2.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main St. More Info. 604 879-7737.
IAN RANKIN
Cuffed, the Vancouver International Crime Fiction Festival, presents a special event with Ian Rankin. Monday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $24 plus service charges. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Burrard and Nelson, Vancouver. Tickets and more information at ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3021.
JUNE HUTTON
June Hutton in conversation in discussion of her new novel Two-Gun and Sun Wednesday November 18th 7.00 pm. Book Warehouse Main Street Novel Nights Series. Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info: 604 879-7737.
ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL
A week of literary events including meet-the-author opportunities, readings and panel discussions and more. November 21-26, 2015. For complete details, visit jewishbookfestival.ca.
VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.
ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean author of The Swallows Uncaged. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.
Upcoming
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
There are still a few tickets left for our December 1 event with John Irving in conversation with Hal Wake.
"Sex, drugs, and mariachi: Irving's latest ventures south of the border and then back again, tracing the long road and unforeseeable turns that we travel in this world." - Kirkus Review
Tuesday December 1 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
Details and to purchase tickets, www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
AWARDS & LISTS
André Alexis's novel Fifteen Dogs wins 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/andre-alexiss-novel-fifteen-dogs-wins-scotiabank-giller-prize/article27202787/
Roxane Gay has won the PEN Center USA Freedom to Write Award. Gay is "the author of Bad Feminist and An Untamed State, a prolific essayist, an editor, a Twitter goddess, and...perhaps above all else, an advocate—for women, people of colour, the LGBT community, victims of sexual assault, and 'anyone else who's disenfranchised, who's made to feel weak or small.'"
http://electricliterature.com/roxane-gay-wins-pen-center-usa-freedom-to-write-award/
The Prix Femina for translated fiction has been awarded to Kerry Hudson. The Scottish author's second novel, Thirst, secured the prestigious French award by beating Martin Amis by one vote. Judges called Thirst "a very moving history, which hangs on the fates of two marginalised people."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/06/kerry-hudson-wins-prix-femina-for-translated-fiction
YOUNG READERS
A new picture book for children that depicts slavery has "ignited controversy, with some critics charging that it unwittingly perpetuates a rosy vision of that institution." The book, A Fine Dessert, shows four children at different points in history making a blackberry dessert with a parent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/07/books/a-fine-dessert-judging-a-book-by-the-smile-of-a-slave.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Chile has admitted that the poet Pablo Neruda might have been murdered by the Pinochet regime. "The government has acknowledged that the Nobel-prize winning poet may not have died from cancer but said experts were still examining the claims."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/06/chile-admits-pablo-neruda-might-have-been-murdered-by-pinochet-regime
Move over Kim Kardashian! "The illuminated Klaidungsbüchlein, or 'book of clothes,' compiled by the Augsburg accountant Matthäus Schwarz between 1520 and 1560 is a proto-Kardashian book of selfies," a series of hand-drawn portraits that meticulously catalogues of the author's "extensive and flamboyant wardrobe."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/first-book-fashion-selfie-king/413047/
"Binge-watching" has been declared the word of 2015. "The mushrooming popularity of watching TV serials in concentrated bouts has seen the new verb's usage explode, according to Collins's annual survey."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/05/binge-watch-2015-word-of-the-year-collins
How do you translate an "untranslatable book?" Lisa Hayden explains her "intuitive journey to Eugene Vodolazkin's medieval Russia."
http://lithub.com/on-translating-an-untranslatable-book/
Who is the "mysterious" Stetson in TS Eliot's Waste Land? One scholar believes he might have the answer.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/08/ts-eliot-waste-land-stetson-anagram-riddle
Do audiobooks help or harm literature? The scholar Harold Bloom has claimed that text is necessary, while this piece's author thinks otherwise. Among other things, it was only upon hearing Tóibín's novel, Nora Webster, that she fully understood it.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/07/reading-with-your-ears-do-audiobooks-harm-or-help-literature
Poetry is going viral, thanks to the Web Poets' Society. "Three of the 10 current top-selling poetry books in the country are collections by young writers who have built followings on Tumblr and Instagram."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/business/media/web-poets-society-new-breed-succeeds-in-taking-verse-viral.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
In his new book, The Road to Little Dribbling, Bill Bryson "returns to his beloved 'small island.'" Bryson visits the far corners of Britain, from Lyme Regis to Wales, looking for two things: "curious historical footnotes and droll observations about the idiosyncrasies of modern British life."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-in-the-road-to-little-dribbling-bill-bryson-returns-to-his-beloved-small-island/article27146332/
Kevin Barry wants to go "as wild as I can within my stories." In this interview, the City of Bohane author discusses "Ireland's radicals, escaping the internet, and why he chose to write about John Lennon."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/08/kevin-barry-interview-beatlebone-john-lennon-city-of-bohane
The Globe and Mail's Mark Medley and Kate Taylor have read the entire Giller shortlist. "Now it's time to argue!" Read their feedback here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-great-debate-over-the-merits-of-the-scotiabank-giller-prize-finalists/article27145264/
Speaking of the Giller, nominee Anakana Schofield's "incredible rise" is profiled in this piece about the writing of Martin John. It also tackles Schofield's upbringing, and her happiness to finally hear herself described as "Canadian."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/disturbed-protagonist-in-giller-prize-finalist-took-a-toll-on-author/article27148119/
In the 1920s, Vladimir Nabokov was "the only Russian émigré in Berlin who [wrote] to his wife every day." His letters have been published in a book called Letters to Véra, reviewed alongside Nabokov in America: On the Road to Lolita, here:
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2015/nov/19/nabokov-his-joy-his-life/
Karen Solie's poem, Man Is a Rational Animal, is featured in this week's Globe and Mail. Karen Solie is this year's winner of the Latner Writers' Trust Poetry Prize, a $25,000 award "presented to a mid-career poet in recognition of a remarkable body of work and in anticipation of future contributions to Canadian poetry."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/globe-poetry-man-is-a-rational-animal/article27152382/
The English poet Stephen Spender wanted his son, Matthew, to be a "part of his bohemian circle." In this interview, Matthew Spender discusses "the sexual complexities of his family life." Spender's A House in St John's Wood: In Search of My Parents is the "first brutally honest biography of Stephen," but also a family memoir.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/08/matthew-spender-son-of-stephen-spender-on-sexuality
What led to Ian Rankin's success as a fiction crime writer? According to him, it only took five good habits!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/five-habits-that-led-to-ian-rankins-success-as-a-fiction-crime-writer/article27154658/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poet Bonnie Nish and her daughter Ali Denno on Thursday Nov. 12th at 8:00 p.m. at a new location, Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
MIJI CAMPBELL
Miji Campbell author of Separation Anxiety A Coming Of Middle Age Story. Book signing Saturday November 14th 2.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main St. More Info. 604 879-7737.
IAN RANKIN
Cuffed, the Vancouver International Crime Fiction Festival, presents a special event with Ian Rankin. Monday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $24 plus service charges. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Burrard and Nelson, Vancouver. Tickets and more information at ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3021.
JUNE HUTTON
June Hutton in conversation in discussion of her new novel Two-Gun and Sun Wednesday November 18th 7.00 pm. Book Warehouse Main Street Novel Nights Series. Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info: 604 879-7737.
ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL
A week of literary events including meet-the-author opportunities, readings and panel discussions and more. November 21-26, 2015. For complete details, visit jewishbookfestival.ca.
VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.
ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean author of The Swallows Uncaged. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.
Upcoming
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 32
BOOK NEWS
As the weather grows colder and the rain sets in, we know you're looking for a great read to keep you occupied while you're stuck indoors. May we suggest Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving? The author’s highly-anticipated fourteenth novel was published on Tuesday and it’s already garnering attention. This, from the Washington Post, “Juan Diego’s memories of adolescence around 1970 in Oaxaca compose some of the most charming scenes that Irving has ever written. [Irving’s] still an unparalleled choreographer of outrageous calamities that exist somewhere between coincidence and fate.”
Meet John Irving in person next montha at a VWF special event. Purchase your ticket early to avoid missing out.
Tuesday December 1 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
Details and to purchase tickets, www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
AWARDS & LISTS
At the annual Rogers Writers' Trust Prize ceremony on November 4, Vancouver's Annabel Lyon was awarded the $25,000 Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award, which is given to an author in mid-career. For the full list of winners, click here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/rogers-writers-trust-fiction-prize-goes-to-author-andre-alexis/article27079751/
The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the winners of its 2015 Governor General's Literary Awards. Guy Vanderhaeghe took home the Fiction prize for Daddy Lenin and Other Stories.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/28/guy-vanderhaeghe-robyn-sarah-sydney-smith-among-2015-governor-generals-awards-winners/
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been named by the Baileys Prize as its "best of the best" of the last decade. The award, now known as the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, chose to mark its 20th anniversary by asking the chairs of judges of the past ten years to name their favourite.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/02/baileys-prize-crowns-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-as-its-best-of-the-best
The finalists for the BpNichol Chapbook Award have been announced. The $4,000 award is given to the best poetry chapbook published in Canada in the past year.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/02/bpnichol-chapbook-award-shortlist-announced-2/
The New York Times has released its list of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015. Here they are, in alphabetical order.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/28/books/review/28-new-york-times-best-illustrated-childrens-books-of-2015.html
Susan Pederson has won this year's Cundill Prize in Historical Literature for her book The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire. The $75,000 prize is one of the world's most lucrative non-fiction prizes. The book is a re-examination of the League of Nations in the aftermath of the First World War.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/susan-pedersen-wins-cundill-prize-in-historical-literature/article27077586/
YOUNG READERS
In this interview, Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves and a new book called What We Left Behind, talks about "writing LGBT and genderqueer characters, 'issues books' and the joys of the infuriating cliffhanger ending." For her, "it's important for fiction to show the breadth of the world we live in."
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/02/robin-talley-interview-lies-we-tell-ourselves
NEWS & FEATURES
Paris' renowned bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, has opened is own literary themed restaurant. According to the store's manager, its founder had been knocking on the next door neighbour's door once a month since the 60s, asking if he could use the space to open a literary café." Dishes include "the Flapjack Kerouac" and "The Bun Also Rises."
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/oct/28/paris-bookshop-shakespeare-and-company-opens-cafe
What is good bookstore reading etiquette? Here's an illustrated guide, starring a cartoon character Jonathan Franzen!
http://mashable.com/2015/10/28/book-reading-etiquette-guide/#X.JMZvhMSGqB
How did the ellipsis arrive in English literature? "A Cambridge academic claims to have found the first use of a 'brilliant innovation' that has endured as a mark of incomplete speech."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/20/unfinished-story-how-the-ellipsis-arrived-in-english-literature
An unseen TS Eliot cat poem has been recovered. "In Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, TS Eliot gave us a Mystery Cat...Now it turns out that he also dreamed up a Gourmet Cat, in Cumberleylaude, the feline star of a previously unpublished cat poem who has a taste for ‘salmon, duck, or expensive French wines.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/02/pet-rescue-unseen-ts-eliot-cat-poem-recovered
BOOKS & WRITERS
Slade House by David Mitchell, is like "The Bone Clocks's naughty little sister in a fright wig-all the usual Mitchell motifs are here, plus a wicked dose of hilarity." The "ingenious" new novel germinated from a Twitter short story!
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/29/slade-house-david-mitchell-review
For the first time in 20 years, Gloria Steinem has a new book out. In this video interview conducted from her New York City apartment, she discusses her "rich, colorful life"—including travels, the influence of her parents, and key moments in her career as a journalist and activist.
https://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/gloria-steinem-weighs-in-on-clinton-fiorina-and-000414854.html
In Mary Gaitskill's new novel, The Mare, "the author — known for depicting violent sex and lonely people-delves into the most frightening subject of all: real connection." It's a novel about how love can be "inflected by race and class and privilege."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/magazine/mary-gaitskill-and-the-life-unseen.html
"I've arrived at the age of nostalgia," says Guy Vanderhaeghe in this interview with Quill & Quire. He discusses masculinity, aging and his GG–winning story collection here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/10/30/ive-arrived-at-the-age-of-nostalgia-guy-vanderhaeghe-on-aging-masculinity-and-his-gg-winning-story-collection/
Last week's Guardian featured an article on Vancouver's best books. This week it features Montreal's best, as chosen by Heather O'Neill.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/29/reading-cities-books-about-montreal
John Irving's 14th novel, Avenue of Mysteries, is a "vintage Irving: endearing characters, plenty of havoc." Its protagonist is a Mexican-American writer, who grew up as one of two "dump kids," scavenging glass and metal amid the trash in Oaxaca.
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/avenue-of-mysteries-is-vintage-irving-endearing-characters-plenty-of-havoc/
In The Gold Eaters, Salt Spring Island author Ronald Wright examines the "clash of empires." Set during the Spanish conquest of Peru, it's a historical novel of exploration, invasion, conquest, resistance and enduring love. Wright is interviewed here:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/author+salt+spring+island+ronald+wright+talks+gold+eaters/11481089/story.html#ixzz3qOzOoaLZ
COMMUNITY EVENTS
LIVE SOULS
Author Serge Alternês as he presents the B&W photographs taken by Alec Wainman a medical volunteer in the Spanish Civil War (1936—1939). Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm, free. St. Anselm's Church, 5210 University Blvd., Vancouver. More information at 604-738-4688.
MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Author reads from his latest book If I Fall, If I Die. Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Smilin' Buddha Restaurant, 109 East Hastings, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
OPEN CITY
SFU Library announces a special event at SFU Vancouver as part of SFU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Open City: One Book, One SFU featuring author Teju Cole in conversation with CBC Radio's Eleanor Wachtel. This free event will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Vancouver. For more details about this event and to book your ticket, visit: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/onebookonesfu.
BETH KOPE
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents Beth Kope, author of Average Height of Flight (Caitlin Press). Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8:00 p.m. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
WORLD POETRY VANCOUVER
Writing Through Loss with co-hosts Elaine Woo and Anita Aguirres-Nieveras. Featured poets Chelene Knight, Deborah Kelly, Jennifer Zilm, Lara Veresi, Mariner Janes, Rene Saklikar and Bong Ja Ahn. Open mic, raffle, and refreshments. Saturday, November 7 at 1pm. Britannia Branch, VPL, 1661 Napier Street. For more information, phone 604-526-4729.
CRIME TIME TRIO
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors-Cathy Ace, Allan J Emerson, Don Hauka. Come and join them for banter and booktalk, signing and mingling. Saturday, November 7 at 1-3pm, North Vancouver Chapters, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver. Free. For more information, phone 604-988-6881.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
SUSAN MUSGRAVE
Susan Musgrave presents her new book Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting At The Edge Of The World Sunday November 8th 7:00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Harold Rhenisch and Joe Denham plus open mic. Wednesday, November 11th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More
information at www.pandorascollective.com.
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poet Bonnie Nish and her daughter Ali Denno on Thursday Nov. 12th at 8:00 p.m. at a new location, Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
MIJI CAMPBELL
Miji Campbell author of Separation Anxiety A Coming Of Middle Age Story. Book signing Saturday November 14th 2.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main St. More Info. 604 879-7737.
Upcoming
IAN RANKIN
Cuffed, the Vancouver International Crime Fiction Festival, presents a special event with Ian Rankin. Monday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $24 plus service charges. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Burrard and Nelson, Vancouver. Tickets and more information at ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3021.
JUNE HUTTON
June Hutton in conversation in discussion of her new novel Two-Gun and Sun Wednesday November 18th 7.00 pm. Book Warehouse Main Street Novel Nights Series. Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info: 604 879-7737.
ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL
A week of literary events including meet-the-author opportunities, readings and panel discussions and more. November 21-26, 2015. For complete details, visit jewishbookfestival.ca.
VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.
ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean author of The Swallows Uncaged. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
As the weather grows colder and the rain sets in, we know you're looking for a great read to keep you occupied while you're stuck indoors. May we suggest Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving? The author’s highly-anticipated fourteenth novel was published on Tuesday and it’s already garnering attention. This, from the Washington Post, “Juan Diego’s memories of adolescence around 1970 in Oaxaca compose some of the most charming scenes that Irving has ever written. [Irving’s] still an unparalleled choreographer of outrageous calamities that exist somewhere between coincidence and fate.”
Meet John Irving in person next montha at a VWF special event. Purchase your ticket early to avoid missing out.
Tuesday December 1 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
Details and to purchase tickets, www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
AWARDS & LISTS
At the annual Rogers Writers' Trust Prize ceremony on November 4, Vancouver's Annabel Lyon was awarded the $25,000 Writers' Trust Engel/Findley Award, which is given to an author in mid-career. For the full list of winners, click here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/rogers-writers-trust-fiction-prize-goes-to-author-andre-alexis/article27079751/
The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the winners of its 2015 Governor General's Literary Awards. Guy Vanderhaeghe took home the Fiction prize for Daddy Lenin and Other Stories.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/28/guy-vanderhaeghe-robyn-sarah-sydney-smith-among-2015-governor-generals-awards-winners/
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been named by the Baileys Prize as its "best of the best" of the last decade. The award, now known as the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction, chose to mark its 20th anniversary by asking the chairs of judges of the past ten years to name their favourite.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/02/baileys-prize-crowns-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-as-its-best-of-the-best
The finalists for the BpNichol Chapbook Award have been announced. The $4,000 award is given to the best poetry chapbook published in Canada in the past year.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/11/02/bpnichol-chapbook-award-shortlist-announced-2/
The New York Times has released its list of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2015. Here they are, in alphabetical order.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/10/28/books/review/28-new-york-times-best-illustrated-childrens-books-of-2015.html
Susan Pederson has won this year's Cundill Prize in Historical Literature for her book The Guardians: The League of Nations and the Crisis of Empire. The $75,000 prize is one of the world's most lucrative non-fiction prizes. The book is a re-examination of the League of Nations in the aftermath of the First World War.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/susan-pedersen-wins-cundill-prize-in-historical-literature/article27077586/
YOUNG READERS
In this interview, Robin Talley, author of Lies We Tell Ourselves and a new book called What We Left Behind, talks about "writing LGBT and genderqueer characters, 'issues books' and the joys of the infuriating cliffhanger ending." For her, "it's important for fiction to show the breadth of the world we live in."
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/nov/02/robin-talley-interview-lies-we-tell-ourselves
NEWS & FEATURES
Paris' renowned bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, has opened is own literary themed restaurant. According to the store's manager, its founder had been knocking on the next door neighbour's door once a month since the 60s, asking if he could use the space to open a literary café." Dishes include "the Flapjack Kerouac" and "The Bun Also Rises."
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/oct/28/paris-bookshop-shakespeare-and-company-opens-cafe
What is good bookstore reading etiquette? Here's an illustrated guide, starring a cartoon character Jonathan Franzen!
http://mashable.com/2015/10/28/book-reading-etiquette-guide/#X.JMZvhMSGqB
How did the ellipsis arrive in English literature? "A Cambridge academic claims to have found the first use of a 'brilliant innovation' that has endured as a mark of incomplete speech."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/20/unfinished-story-how-the-ellipsis-arrived-in-english-literature
An unseen TS Eliot cat poem has been recovered. "In Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, TS Eliot gave us a Mystery Cat...Now it turns out that he also dreamed up a Gourmet Cat, in Cumberleylaude, the feline star of a previously unpublished cat poem who has a taste for ‘salmon, duck, or expensive French wines.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/02/pet-rescue-unseen-ts-eliot-cat-poem-recovered
BOOKS & WRITERS
Slade House by David Mitchell, is like "The Bone Clocks's naughty little sister in a fright wig-all the usual Mitchell motifs are here, plus a wicked dose of hilarity." The "ingenious" new novel germinated from a Twitter short story!
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/29/slade-house-david-mitchell-review
For the first time in 20 years, Gloria Steinem has a new book out. In this video interview conducted from her New York City apartment, she discusses her "rich, colorful life"—including travels, the influence of her parents, and key moments in her career as a journalist and activist.
https://www.yahoo.com/katiecouric/gloria-steinem-weighs-in-on-clinton-fiorina-and-000414854.html
In Mary Gaitskill's new novel, The Mare, "the author — known for depicting violent sex and lonely people-delves into the most frightening subject of all: real connection." It's a novel about how love can be "inflected by race and class and privilege."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/magazine/mary-gaitskill-and-the-life-unseen.html
"I've arrived at the age of nostalgia," says Guy Vanderhaeghe in this interview with Quill & Quire. He discusses masculinity, aging and his GG–winning story collection here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/10/30/ive-arrived-at-the-age-of-nostalgia-guy-vanderhaeghe-on-aging-masculinity-and-his-gg-winning-story-collection/
Last week's Guardian featured an article on Vancouver's best books. This week it features Montreal's best, as chosen by Heather O'Neill.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/29/reading-cities-books-about-montreal
John Irving's 14th novel, Avenue of Mysteries, is a "vintage Irving: endearing characters, plenty of havoc." Its protagonist is a Mexican-American writer, who grew up as one of two "dump kids," scavenging glass and metal amid the trash in Oaxaca.
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/books/avenue-of-mysteries-is-vintage-irving-endearing-characters-plenty-of-havoc/
In The Gold Eaters, Salt Spring Island author Ronald Wright examines the "clash of empires." Set during the Spanish conquest of Peru, it's a historical novel of exploration, invasion, conquest, resistance and enduring love. Wright is interviewed here:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/author+salt+spring+island+ronald+wright+talks+gold+eaters/11481089/story.html#ixzz3qOzOoaLZ
COMMUNITY EVENTS
LIVE SOULS
Author Serge Alternês as he presents the B&W photographs taken by Alec Wainman a medical volunteer in the Spanish Civil War (1936—1939). Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm, free. St. Anselm's Church, 5210 University Blvd., Vancouver. More information at 604-738-4688.
MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Author reads from his latest book If I Fall, If I Die. Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Smilin' Buddha Restaurant, 109 East Hastings, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
OPEN CITY
SFU Library announces a special event at SFU Vancouver as part of SFU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Open City: One Book, One SFU featuring author Teju Cole in conversation with CBC Radio's Eleanor Wachtel. This free event will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Vancouver. For more details about this event and to book your ticket, visit: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/onebookonesfu.
BETH KOPE
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents Beth Kope, author of Average Height of Flight (Caitlin Press). Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8:00 p.m. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
WORLD POETRY VANCOUVER
Writing Through Loss with co-hosts Elaine Woo and Anita Aguirres-Nieveras. Featured poets Chelene Knight, Deborah Kelly, Jennifer Zilm, Lara Veresi, Mariner Janes, Rene Saklikar and Bong Ja Ahn. Open mic, raffle, and refreshments. Saturday, November 7 at 1pm. Britannia Branch, VPL, 1661 Napier Street. For more information, phone 604-526-4729.
CRIME TIME TRIO
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors-Cathy Ace, Allan J Emerson, Don Hauka. Come and join them for banter and booktalk, signing and mingling. Saturday, November 7 at 1-3pm, North Vancouver Chapters, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver. Free. For more information, phone 604-988-6881.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
SUSAN MUSGRAVE
Susan Musgrave presents her new book Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting At The Edge Of The World Sunday November 8th 7:00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Harold Rhenisch and Joe Denham plus open mic. Wednesday, November 11th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More
information at www.pandorascollective.com.
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poet Bonnie Nish and her daughter Ali Denno on Thursday Nov. 12th at 8:00 p.m. at a new location, Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
MIJI CAMPBELL
Miji Campbell author of Separation Anxiety A Coming Of Middle Age Story. Book signing Saturday November 14th 2.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main St. More Info. 604 879-7737.
Upcoming
IAN RANKIN
Cuffed, the Vancouver International Crime Fiction Festival, presents a special event with Ian Rankin. Monday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $24 plus service charges. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Burrard and Nelson, Vancouver. Tickets and more information at ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3021.
JUNE HUTTON
June Hutton in conversation in discussion of her new novel Two-Gun and Sun Wednesday November 18th 7.00 pm. Book Warehouse Main Street Novel Nights Series. Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info: 604 879-7737.
ANN WALMSLEY
Ann Walmsley author of The Prison Book Club. Reading and Book Signing. Thursday November 19th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604 879-7737.
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL
A week of literary events including meet-the-author opportunities, readings and panel discussions and more. November 21-26, 2015. For complete details, visit jewishbookfestival.ca.
VANCOUVER VANISHES
Book Launch of Vancouver Vanishes Narratives of Demolition and Revival featuring Caroline Adderson, Eve Lazarus, Kerry Gold, John Atkin and Michael Kluckner Monday November 23rd 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info. 604-879-7737.
ELIZABETH MCLEAN
Elizabeth McLean author of The Swallows Uncaged. Discussion and Book Signing. Tuesday November 24th 7.00 pm Book Warehouse 4118 Main Street More Info 604 879-7737.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 31
BOOK NEWS
Thank you to all our Book News readers who attended the Vancouver Writers Fest last week and helped make it so great! Your support and enthusiasm for the Festival is so important.
If you're already in Festival withdrawal like us, make sure you've got your ticket for to see John Irving at the Vancouver Playhouse on December 1. Irving will be talking to Hal Wake about his new book, Avenue of Mysteries, which Booklist called, “An empathically imagined, masterfully told, and utterly transporting tale of transcendent sacrifice and perseverance, unlikely love, and profound mysteries." You can find more details here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
AWARDS & LISTS
Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley have won the 2015 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Literature. "The husband-and-wife duo was recognized for their novel Skraelings: Arctic Moon Magick, Book 1 (Inhabit Media), the story of a young Inuit man prejudiced against an elusive Arctic tribe for which he gains respect in the process of helping save."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/26/rachel-and-sean-qitsualik-tinsley-win-2015-burt-award/
YOUNG READERS
Frank Viva is the featured artist on the cover of this month's Quill & Quire Magazine. He's also an accomplished children's author and illustrator whose upcoming book is called Sea Change.
http://www.quillandquire.com/childrens-publishing/2015/10/22/kidlit-spotlight-qq-cover-artist-frank-viva/
The Globe and Mail has a whole new crop of Young Adult fiction reviews. Check them out here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-ya-fiction-from-kelley-armstrong-mikaela-everett-vicki-grant-cammie-mcgovern-steve-sheinkin-and-emil-sher/article26845569/
NEWS & FEATURES
Google's book-scanning project has been deemed legal. "Google has scanned more than 20 million books since 2004 without the permission of the authors. The company allows users to search for specific terms and provides excerpts and links to where people can buy or borrow a book."
http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/google-book-scanning-project-ruled-legal-by-an-appeals-court
Man Booker Prize-winner (and Writers Fest author) Marlon James was rejected 78 times before getting published. Sadly, "his long search for recognition is not unique." Here's a quiz about great books that were initially rejected by publishers.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/15/great-books-that-publishers-rejected-quiz-marlon-james-man-booker
"In the computer age, we're all typesetters, whether composing an email or a novel. Time to get good at it." Here's an infographic primer to help you decode "the secret lives of typefaces."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/22/decoding-the-secret-lives-of-typefaces.html
How do professional readers read for pleasure? In this piece, editors, reviewers and publicists talk about the difficulties of disconnecting completely from professional habits.
http://lithub.com/how-professional-readers-read-for-pleasure/
"Old-timey" words are creeping back into the lexicon. How did "bespoke, peruse, smitten and dapper" become popular again? You'll never guess the answer...hipsters.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/four-graphs-that-show-how-hipsters-are-bringing-back-vintage-language-a6702576.html
The French city of Grenoble is installing free short story dispensers around the city. The project intends to battle cell phone addiction. "We said to ourselves that we could do the same thing with good quality popular literature to occupy these little unproductive moments," stated the project's founder.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/10/french-city-installing-free-short-story-dispensers.html
An American professor believes that he has found the earliest known draft of the King James Bible. "Experts who have reviewed Professor Miller's research called it perhaps the most significant archival find relating to the King James Bible in decades."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/books/earliest-known-draft-of-king-james-bible-is-found-scholar-says.html
The University of Texas has opened up its Gabriel García Márquez archive. "Sixty years' worth of the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author's manuscripts, photographs, letters and other material are now available for researchers."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/21/gabriel-garcia-marquez-archives-open-for-research-at-texas-university
JRR Tolkien's annotated map of Middle-earth has been discovered inside a copy of The Lord of the Rings. The map reveals that "Hobbiton is on the same latitude as Oxford, and implies that the Italian city of Ravenna could be the inspiration behind the fictional city of Minas Tirith."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/jrr-tolkien-middle-earth-annotated-map-blackwells-lord-of-the-rings
BOOKS & WRITERS
This interview, featuring none other than Canadian icon Margaret Atwood, is a "walking conversation," partially inspired by the "outdoorsy spirit of the Future Library," a project to which Atwood is contributing a book (not to be opened for 100 years!) Among other things, the interview features Atwood's favourite Toronto landmarks, discusses the important of science in her life, along with her writing.
http://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-vampires-gene-splicing-and-talking-turnips/
Nick Thran's Mayor Snow is "a cool and mature collection" of poetry. Another book of poetry, by the duo of Daniel Zomparelli and Dina Del Bucchia, tackles romantic comedy: "it's an in-depth exploration of a skin-deep genre that's whip-smart and extremely fun to read." Both are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-nick-thrans-mayor-snow-a-cool-and-mature-collection/article26949878/
Robertson Davies kept diaries all his life. Now, a selection of them, covering the years before he wrote his most famous novels, have been turned into a "delightful" book called A Celtic Temperament: Robertson Davies as Diarist.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-robertson-daviess-delightful-diaries-published-in-a-celtic-temperament/article26950171/
Has the internet given readers a "false sense of entitlement?" Author Joanne Harris thinks so, stating that the digital age has "blurred the line between readers and writers almost to invisibility." She's interviewed here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/media/11941486/Internet-gives-readers-false-sense-of-entitlement-Joanne-Harris-says.html
Bill Richardson's new book of poetry, The First Little Bastard to Call Me Gramps: Poems of the Late Middle Ages, began as a way to "absolve the guilt of all those wasted social-media hours." Instead, he began writing "lighthearted narrative rhymes that dealt with a topic he was beginning to know intimately: life in the golden years."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/bill-richardson-turns-social-media-guilt-into-lighthearted-poetry/article26869791/
From time to time, The Guardian newspaper publishes articles on "reading cities," giving suggestions about what books to read in order to understand a particular city. This week's city is Vancouver! If you haven't read them already, here are many books for better understanding Vancouver.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/22/reading-cities-books-about-vancouver
COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Active Fiction Project on Granville Island – on until November 1
Ever wondered what it would be like to take a walk through your favourite novel? The Active Fiction Project creates short, fictional 'choose your own adventure'-style stories that take place in a Vancouver neighbourhood. This week, explore Granville Island using a short, funny story by local authors Dina Del Bucchia and Daniel Zomparelli as your guide. It's free and open to everyone. To begin, find the first chapter near Off the Tracks café and see where the story takes you. To learn more about the Active Fiction Project, please visit www.activefictionproject.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Ray Hsu and Wilhelmina Salmi plus open mic. Thursday, October 29th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
FRED WAH
Launch of authors latest book. Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems, 1962-1991. Thursday, October 29 at 8:00pm. Western Front, 303 8th Ave. E. More information at talonbooks.com.
WAYZGOOSE
Alcuin Society event features the work of local book artists, printers, bookbinders, and paper artists. Saturday, October 31 from 10am to 4pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at alcuinsociety.com.
TRIPLE THREAT
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors: Cathy Ace, Allan J. Emerson, Debra Purdy Kong. Saturday, October 31 at 1:00pm, free. Chapters Strawberry Hill Centre, 100-12107 72 Ave., Surrey. More information at 604-501-2877.
NIGHTWOOD EDITIONS FALL BOOK LAUNCH
This fall, Nightwood Editions is releasing new collections by talented poets: Joe Denham, Nick Thran, Sheryda Warrener and Rita Wong (with illustrator Cindy Mochizuki). Join the authors as they celebrate with a book launch in Vancouver on Sunday, November 1st at 7pm at the Lost + Found Cafe (33 W Hastings St). Admission is free and all are welcome.
BOOK CLUB
Inaugural event featuring The Corpse with the Platinum Hair by Cathy Ace. Presented by Vancouver Public Library and Crime Writers of Canada. Monday, November 2 at 6:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at cathyace.com/events.
CAROL M. CRAM
Author launches her latest book A Woman of Note. Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
LIVE SOULS
Author Serge Alternês as he presents the b&w photographs that Alec Wainman took as a medical volunteer in the Spanish Civil War (1936—1939). Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm, free. St. Anselm's Church, 5210 University Blvd., Vancouver. More information at 604-738-4688.
MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Author reads from his latest book If I Fall, If I Die. Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Smilin' Buddha Restaurant, 109 East Hastings, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
OPEN CITY
SFU Library is pleased to announce a special event at SFU Vancouver as part of SFU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Open City: One Book, One SFU will feature author Teju Cole in conversation with CBC Radio's Eleanor Wachtel. This free event will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Vancouver. For more details about this event and to book your ticket, visit: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/onebookonesfu.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Harold Rhenisch and Joe Denham plus open mic. Wednesday, November 11th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More
information at www.pandorascollective.com.
Upcoming
IAN RANKIN
Cuffed, the Vancouver International Crime Fiction Festival, presents a special event with Ian Rankin. Monday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $24 plus service charges. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Burrard and Nelson, Vancouver. Tickets and more information at https://ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3021.
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL
A week of literary events including meet-the-author opportunities, readings and panel discussions and more. November 21-26, 2015. For complete details, visit jccgv.com/content/jewish-book-fest.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers’ conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
Thank you to all our Book News readers who attended the Vancouver Writers Fest last week and helped make it so great! Your support and enthusiasm for the Festival is so important.
If you're already in Festival withdrawal like us, make sure you've got your ticket for to see John Irving at the Vancouver Playhouse on December 1. Irving will be talking to Hal Wake about his new book, Avenue of Mysteries, which Booklist called, “An empathically imagined, masterfully told, and utterly transporting tale of transcendent sacrifice and perseverance, unlikely love, and profound mysteries." You can find more details here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
AWARDS & LISTS
Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley have won the 2015 Burt Award for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Literature. "The husband-and-wife duo was recognized for their novel Skraelings: Arctic Moon Magick, Book 1 (Inhabit Media), the story of a young Inuit man prejudiced against an elusive Arctic tribe for which he gains respect in the process of helping save."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/26/rachel-and-sean-qitsualik-tinsley-win-2015-burt-award/
YOUNG READERS
Frank Viva is the featured artist on the cover of this month's Quill & Quire Magazine. He's also an accomplished children's author and illustrator whose upcoming book is called Sea Change.
http://www.quillandquire.com/childrens-publishing/2015/10/22/kidlit-spotlight-qq-cover-artist-frank-viva/
The Globe and Mail has a whole new crop of Young Adult fiction reviews. Check them out here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-ya-fiction-from-kelley-armstrong-mikaela-everett-vicki-grant-cammie-mcgovern-steve-sheinkin-and-emil-sher/article26845569/
NEWS & FEATURES
Google's book-scanning project has been deemed legal. "Google has scanned more than 20 million books since 2004 without the permission of the authors. The company allows users to search for specific terms and provides excerpts and links to where people can buy or borrow a book."
http://goodereader.com/blog/e-book-news/google-book-scanning-project-ruled-legal-by-an-appeals-court
Man Booker Prize-winner (and Writers Fest author) Marlon James was rejected 78 times before getting published. Sadly, "his long search for recognition is not unique." Here's a quiz about great books that were initially rejected by publishers.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/15/great-books-that-publishers-rejected-quiz-marlon-james-man-booker
"In the computer age, we're all typesetters, whether composing an email or a novel. Time to get good at it." Here's an infographic primer to help you decode "the secret lives of typefaces."
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/22/decoding-the-secret-lives-of-typefaces.html
How do professional readers read for pleasure? In this piece, editors, reviewers and publicists talk about the difficulties of disconnecting completely from professional habits.
http://lithub.com/how-professional-readers-read-for-pleasure/
"Old-timey" words are creeping back into the lexicon. How did "bespoke, peruse, smitten and dapper" become popular again? You'll never guess the answer...hipsters.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/four-graphs-that-show-how-hipsters-are-bringing-back-vintage-language-a6702576.html
The French city of Grenoble is installing free short story dispensers around the city. The project intends to battle cell phone addiction. "We said to ourselves that we could do the same thing with good quality popular literature to occupy these little unproductive moments," stated the project's founder.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/10/french-city-installing-free-short-story-dispensers.html
An American professor believes that he has found the earliest known draft of the King James Bible. "Experts who have reviewed Professor Miller's research called it perhaps the most significant archival find relating to the King James Bible in decades."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/15/books/earliest-known-draft-of-king-james-bible-is-found-scholar-says.html
The University of Texas has opened up its Gabriel García Márquez archive. "Sixty years' worth of the Nobel prize-winning Colombian author's manuscripts, photographs, letters and other material are now available for researchers."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/21/gabriel-garcia-marquez-archives-open-for-research-at-texas-university
JRR Tolkien's annotated map of Middle-earth has been discovered inside a copy of The Lord of the Rings. The map reveals that "Hobbiton is on the same latitude as Oxford, and implies that the Italian city of Ravenna could be the inspiration behind the fictional city of Minas Tirith."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/23/jrr-tolkien-middle-earth-annotated-map-blackwells-lord-of-the-rings
BOOKS & WRITERS
This interview, featuring none other than Canadian icon Margaret Atwood, is a "walking conversation," partially inspired by the "outdoorsy spirit of the Future Library," a project to which Atwood is contributing a book (not to be opened for 100 years!) Among other things, the interview features Atwood's favourite Toronto landmarks, discusses the important of science in her life, along with her writing.
http://lithub.com/margaret-atwood-on-vampires-gene-splicing-and-talking-turnips/
Nick Thran's Mayor Snow is "a cool and mature collection" of poetry. Another book of poetry, by the duo of Daniel Zomparelli and Dina Del Bucchia, tackles romantic comedy: "it's an in-depth exploration of a skin-deep genre that's whip-smart and extremely fun to read." Both are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-nick-thrans-mayor-snow-a-cool-and-mature-collection/article26949878/
Robertson Davies kept diaries all his life. Now, a selection of them, covering the years before he wrote his most famous novels, have been turned into a "delightful" book called A Celtic Temperament: Robertson Davies as Diarist.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-robertson-daviess-delightful-diaries-published-in-a-celtic-temperament/article26950171/
Has the internet given readers a "false sense of entitlement?" Author Joanne Harris thinks so, stating that the digital age has "blurred the line between readers and writers almost to invisibility." She's interviewed here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/media/11941486/Internet-gives-readers-false-sense-of-entitlement-Joanne-Harris-says.html
Bill Richardson's new book of poetry, The First Little Bastard to Call Me Gramps: Poems of the Late Middle Ages, began as a way to "absolve the guilt of all those wasted social-media hours." Instead, he began writing "lighthearted narrative rhymes that dealt with a topic he was beginning to know intimately: life in the golden years."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/bill-richardson-turns-social-media-guilt-into-lighthearted-poetry/article26869791/
From time to time, The Guardian newspaper publishes articles on "reading cities," giving suggestions about what books to read in order to understand a particular city. This week's city is Vancouver! If you haven't read them already, here are many books for better understanding Vancouver.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/oct/22/reading-cities-books-about-vancouver
COMMUNITY EVENTS
The Active Fiction Project on Granville Island – on until November 1
Ever wondered what it would be like to take a walk through your favourite novel? The Active Fiction Project creates short, fictional 'choose your own adventure'-style stories that take place in a Vancouver neighbourhood. This week, explore Granville Island using a short, funny story by local authors Dina Del Bucchia and Daniel Zomparelli as your guide. It's free and open to everyone. To begin, find the first chapter near Off the Tracks café and see where the story takes you. To learn more about the Active Fiction Project, please visit www.activefictionproject.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Ray Hsu and Wilhelmina Salmi plus open mic. Thursday, October 29th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
FRED WAH
Launch of authors latest book. Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems, 1962-1991. Thursday, October 29 at 8:00pm. Western Front, 303 8th Ave. E. More information at talonbooks.com.
WAYZGOOSE
Alcuin Society event features the work of local book artists, printers, bookbinders, and paper artists. Saturday, October 31 from 10am to 4pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at alcuinsociety.com.
TRIPLE THREAT
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors: Cathy Ace, Allan J. Emerson, Debra Purdy Kong. Saturday, October 31 at 1:00pm, free. Chapters Strawberry Hill Centre, 100-12107 72 Ave., Surrey. More information at 604-501-2877.
NIGHTWOOD EDITIONS FALL BOOK LAUNCH
This fall, Nightwood Editions is releasing new collections by talented poets: Joe Denham, Nick Thran, Sheryda Warrener and Rita Wong (with illustrator Cindy Mochizuki). Join the authors as they celebrate with a book launch in Vancouver on Sunday, November 1st at 7pm at the Lost + Found Cafe (33 W Hastings St). Admission is free and all are welcome.
BOOK CLUB
Inaugural event featuring The Corpse with the Platinum Hair by Cathy Ace. Presented by Vancouver Public Library and Crime Writers of Canada. Monday, November 2 at 6:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at cathyace.com/events.
CAROL M. CRAM
Author launches her latest book A Woman of Note. Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
LIVE SOULS
Author Serge Alternês as he presents the b&w photographs that Alec Wainman took as a medical volunteer in the Spanish Civil War (1936—1939). Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm, free. St. Anselm's Church, 5210 University Blvd., Vancouver. More information at 604-738-4688.
MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Author reads from his latest book If I Fall, If I Die. Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Smilin' Buddha Restaurant, 109 East Hastings, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
OPEN CITY
SFU Library is pleased to announce a special event at SFU Vancouver as part of SFU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Open City: One Book, One SFU will feature author Teju Cole in conversation with CBC Radio's Eleanor Wachtel. This free event will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Vancouver. For more details about this event and to book your ticket, visit: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/onebookonesfu.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Harold Rhenisch and Joe Denham plus open mic. Wednesday, November 11th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More
information at www.pandorascollective.com.
Upcoming
IAN RANKIN
Cuffed, the Vancouver International Crime Fiction Festival, presents a special event with Ian Rankin. Monday, November 16 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $24 plus service charges. St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Burrard and Nelson, Vancouver. Tickets and more information at https://ticketstonight.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=3021.
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL
A week of literary events including meet-the-author opportunities, readings and panel discussions and more. November 21-26, 2015. For complete details, visit jccgv.com/content/jewish-book-fest.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers’ conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 30
BOOK NEWS
Festival week is fast approaching. There are still tickets available for events with acclaimed writers from Canada and around the world: Weird Fiction stars Kelly Link and Jeff VanderMeer (US), crime fiction writer Denise Mina (Scotland), bestselling authors Sarah Dunant and Paula Hawkins (UK) and Simon Winchester (US), and Canadians Patrick deWitt, Camilla Gibb, Elizabeth Hay, Lawrence Hill and Nino Ricci, among others. See writersfest.bc.ca for full details.
Tickets are also available for Between the Pages: An Evening with the Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalists, hosted by Bill Richardson.
Joseph Boyden & Friends
Join us for a very special evening with Joseph Boyden and friends. Expect the unexpected at this intimate evening celebrating great Canadian writing! Enjoy cocktails, hearty appetizers and fireside chats with the authors.
Saturday, October 24th, 2015
7:00-10:00 pm
Bridges Restaurant, Upper Dining Room, Granville Island
Tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/boyden. A fundraiser for the Vancouver Writers Fest
John Irving in Conversation with Hal Wake
International bestselling author John Irving reads from his highly-anticipated new novel, Avenue of Mysteries on December 1 at the Vancouver Playhouse. Tickets are on sale. You can find more details here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
Volunteers Needed!
Ever wanted to know about ticket sales from the Festival side of the desk? We have open Box Office shifts, and welcome your applications! Apply here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteers.
Poetry and Short Story Contest
The 17th Vancouver Writers Fest Poetry and Short Story Contest is now open! Entries will be accepted until October 25th, so get writing or start polishing up your best work. The contest is open to all writers, so this could be the perfect opportunity for you to get published for the first time, kick start your writing career or add to your already impressive resume. First place winners will receive $500 and be published in subTERRAIN Magazine. Details and to enter: http://writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest
Know a young writer? Tell them about our writing contest for BC grades 8-12 students, http://writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest.
FESTIVALS
The Vancouver Art/Book Fair features nearly 100 local, national and international publishers, programs, performances and installations. Featured artists from Canada and around the globe present books, magazines, zines and printed ephemera as well as digital and other experimental forms of publication. More information at vancouverartbookfair.com.
The Cinematheque and curator Ray Hsu presents the Visible Verse 2015 Festival, an annual celebration of video poetry, that hybrid form that marries verse with media-arts. Twenty-five exceptional works from local, national, and international artists have been selected to screen. More information at http://thecinematheque.ca/visible-verse-2015-festival.
2015 FESTIVAL AUTHORS
Greg Hollingshead's new collection of short stories, Act Normal, is a "fiendishly good Schrödinger's-cat-of-a-book." What makes it interesting? Among other things, "catharsis and resolution are consistently, almost sadistically, denied!"
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/08/29/fiendishly-good-greg-hollingsheads-new-collection-of-short-stories.html
In Elisabeth de Mariaffi's The Devil You Know, terror runs through the veins of young girls in Toronto. As a psychological thriller, it's a "compelling study of the landscape of fear that de Mariaffi describes as a persistent backdrop in women's lives."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/01/15/the-devil-you-know-by-elisabeth-de-mariaffi-review.html
His Whole Life, by Elizabeth Hay, "looks at the division of loyalties shaping the existence of a 10-year-old boy." Told on the eve of the 1995 Quebec referendum, many stories are at play: "a country and a marriage that may not survive" and "sins that may or may not be forgiven."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/08/15/his-whole-life-by-elizabeth-hay-review.html
Two Writers Fest authors have been featured in The Globe and Mail's small press roundup this week. Farzana Doctor's All Inclusive and Lori Shenher's That Lonely Section of Hell: The Botched Investigation of a Serial Killer Who Almost Got Away, are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-new-small-press-books-by-lori-shenher-farzana-doctor-jim-bartley/article26743874/
In Gene Luen Yang's, Secret Coders, a young girl makes friends and discovers secrets about her "creepy new school" through binary numbers and computer programming software. The material is close to Yang's heart: he used to work as a computer science teacher. He's interviewed here:
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-10-12-robot-birds-comics-and-binary-numbers-gene-luen-yang-teaches-us-computer-science
Sigal Samuel's The Mystics of Mile End "tells the story of a dysfunctional family's dangerous obsession with Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. Set in Jewish Montreal, the culture and place of the story are specific, yet also "universal." As Samuel says in this interview, "I realized that the best or maybe only way to get to the universal is through the particular."
http://forward.com/culture/books/322226/talking-montreal-hasids-and-bagels-with-mystics-of-mile-end-author-sigal-sa/
AWARDS & LISTS
Festival Author Marlon James has won the Booker Prize. He's the first Jamaican writer to win the prestigious prize. His book, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is "like a Tarantino remake of the The Harder They Come, but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner...sweeping, mythic, over-the-top, colossal and dizzyingly complex."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/13/marlon-james-wins-the-man-booker-prize-2015
The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the finalists for this year's Governor General's Literary Awards. Several Writers Fest authors are among the finalists, including Susan Nielsen and Darren Groth, both nominated in the Children's literature category.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/07/helen-humphreys-susin-nielsen-among-governor-generals-literary-awards-shortlist/
Rosemary Sullivan has won the Hilary Weston Prize for Non-fiction for Stalin's Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva. The book was deemed an "insightful yet empathetic portrait" of the famous dictator's only daughter.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/06/rosemary-sullivan-wins-weston-prize-for-stalins-daughter/
YOUNG READERS
Author and illustrator Sandra Boynton is profiled in this week's New Yorker. "These books are written so simply, for children so young—'A cow says moo. A sheep says baa'—that it's hard to imagine that they could have hidden depths. But I have begun to realize, perhaps belatedly, that they do."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-hidden-depths-of-sandra-boyntons-board-books
NEWS & FEATURES
The Kitchener Public Library has embraced the digital age by starting a Wi-Fi hotspot loan program. "There's still a large population that don't have access, in any form, to the internet... The library is the greatest equalizer in our society."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-library-lends-portable-wifi-1.3258791
Now here's something to look forward to, come December: an advent calendar that brings literary gifts from authors like Heather O'Neill and Pasha Malla! "The 2015 Short Story Advent Calendar, also known as the perfect early Christmas present for the bibliophile in your life, comes with 24 sealed short stories - one for every day from December 1 until Christmas Eve."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/10/new-advent-calendar-offers-a-story-a-day-instead-of-chocolate.html
Feminists in the UK are sneaking into bookstores in order to leave "gender busting" bookmarks in children's stories. As one of them says, "As a parent, I do not want my children's reading choices to be restricted by their gender. Reading is an amazing way for children and adults to explore other worlds and possibilities."
http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Feminists-sneak-Cheltenham-bookshops-leave-gender/story-27923383-detail/story.html#ixzz3oPP0d177
Should art be timeless, or should it speak to something more current? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Adam Kirsch and James Parker tackle the question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/books/review/should-art-be-timeless-or-should-it-speak-to-something-more-current.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
A new "vastly expanded edition" of Martin Garden's The Annotated Alice has been released. Amplified and amended by Carroll scholar Mark Burstein, it contains riches that "are too many to itemize."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/who-can-be-finished-with-alice
Colum McCann's latest collection, Thirteen Ways of Looking, is filled with stories "linked by unease." Their uneasiness comes from the fact that they're informed by an incident McCann experienced last year: he was attacked and knocked unconscious in New Haven, Connecticut.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/books/review-colum-mccanns-thirteen-ways-of-looking-stories-linked-by-unease.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
ALCUIN AWARDS FOR CANADIAN BOOK DESIGN
The ceremonies for this year's presentation of the 33rd Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada will precede an informal Panel on Children's Book Publishing. Featuring Sara Gillingham, Julie Flett, Julie Morstad and Cynthia Nugent. Thursday, October 15 at 6:30pm, free. Emily Carr University, 1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Room SB301. More information at http://alcuinsociety.com/book-design-awards-ceremony-in-vancouver/.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Governor General's Award winner Maria Tippett discuses her book, Made in British Columbia: Eight Ways of Making Culture. Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
CATHY ACE
Book launch for The Corpse with the Diamond Hand. Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm, free. Black Bond Books, Coquitlam Centre Mall, 1306-2929 Barnet Hwy., Coquitlam. More information at 604-474-3477.
AGITATE!
Montreal anarchist author, violinist, and cabaret artist Norman Nawrocki launches a new poetry book, Agitate! Anarchist Rants, Raps, Poems. Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $5. Spartacus Books, 3378 Findlay, Vancouver.
ROM COM
Dina Del Bucchia and Daniel Zomparelli launch their co-authored collection of poetry. Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm. Hot Art Wet City, 2206 Main St., Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.
WHISTLER READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL
Annual event brings together Canadian and international authors for a weekend packed with readings, workshops, speaker panels, spoken word events, and music. October 16-18, 2015. Fairmont Chateau Whistler. More information at whistlerwritersfest.com.
A GOLDEN AFTERNOON
Hosted by UBC's Language and Literacy Education Department (LLED) Alumni and sponsored by the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable (VCLR), this Alice-in-Wonderland-themed celebration will benefit a local school library in Vancouver. Saturday, October 17 at 12:00 noon. Sage Bistro, UBC. Tickets and information at http://blogs.ubc.ca/alice150/.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
As part of World Food Day, Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer present their book. Saturday, October 17 at 1:00pm. Brighouse branch, Richmond Public Library. More information at yourlibrary.ca.
BREAKING TRADITIONS: FIGHTING FOR JOB EQUALITY THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
Authors Kate Braid and Bonnie Reilly Schmidt will join tradeswomen Mariegold Rondeau and Louisa Robinson where they will read from their latest work and discuss their experiences entering male-dominated work worlds. Monday, October 19 at 7:00 pm. Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, 350 West Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MONIQUE POLAK
Quebec English-language writer will read from her acclaimed teen fiction books, including her latest teen novel, Learning the Ropes. Tuesday, October 20 at 9:30am. Greater Victoria Public Library. Register and information at 250-940-4875.
PATRICK TAYLOR
Local Irish-Canadian author will read from the recently released An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea: An Irish Country Novel. Wednesday, October 21 at 5:00pm, free. Library Program Room, Salt Spring Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
SURREY INTERNATIONAL WRITERS' CONFERENCE
Annual event offers professional development for writers. October 22-25, 2015. Sheraton Guildford Hotel, Surrey. Details at siwc.ca.
AUTHOR READING
Featuring B.C. authors Eileen Kernaghan and Mix Hart. Thursday, October 22 at 7:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CAITLIN PRESS POETRY LAUNCH
Join Sarah de Leeuw, Arleen Paré, Kate Braid and Beth Kope as they read from their newest work. Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm. Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main St. More information andrea@caitlin-press.com.
HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL IN A MONTH
Helpful hints and tips from award-winning BC mystery author Cathy Ace to help you succeed with your NaNoWriMo Challenge. Friday, October 23. Free. Maple Ridge Public Library, 130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Rd., Maple Ridge. More information at 604-467-7417.
ROBERT WIERSEMA
Author reads from his latest thriller, Black Feathers. Saturday, October 24 at 2:00pm, free. Agassiz Library, 7140 Cheam Ave., Aggasiz. More information at 604-796-9510.
TRIPLE THREAT
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors: Cathy Ace, Allan J. Emerson, Debra Purdy Kong. Saturday, October 24 at 3:00pm, free. Langley Chapters, 20015 Langley Bypass, Langley. More information at 604-514-8663.
POETS WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
Special Halloween event from Poetic Justice with extended open mic and costume contest. Sunday, October 25 at 3:00pm, suggested donation: $5. Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster. More information at 604-767-6908.
Upcoming
BEN MIKAELSEN
Touching Spirit Bear author talks about the inspiration for his popular novel. Individuals or small groups can enquire about seating by contacting Chris at 604-554-7339. Tuesday, October 27 at 11:00am. City Centre branch, Coquitlam Public Library.
RON MACLEAN
National bestselling co-author, co-host of Coach's Corner and host of Rogers Hometown Hockey shares brand new hockey tales from his newest book Hockey Towns: Untold Stories from the Heart of Canada. Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00pm. Chapters Metrotown, Burnaby. More information at chapters-indigo.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Lucas Crawford, Amber Dawn, Shannon Rayne plus open mic. Thursday, October 29th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
FRED WAH
Launch of authors latest book. Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems, 1962-1991. Thursday, October 29 at 8:00pm. Western Front, 303 8th Ave. E. More information at talonbooks.com.
TRIPLE THREAT
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors: Cathy Ace, Allan J. Emerson, Debra Purdy Kong. Saturday, October 31 at 1:00pm, free. Chapters Strawberry Hill Centre, 100-12107 72 Ave., Surrey. More information at 604-501-2877.
BOOK CLUB
Inaugural event featuring The Corpse with the Platinum Hair by Cathy Ace. Presented by Vancouver Public Library and Crime Writers of Canada. Tuesday, November 3 at 6:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at cathyace.com/events.
CAROL M. CRAM
Author launches her latest book A Woman of Note. Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Author reads from his latest book If I Fall, If I Die. Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Smilin' Buddha Restaurant, 109 East Hastings, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
OPEN CITY
SFU Library is pleased to announce a special event at SFU Vancouver as part of SFU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Open City: One Book, One SFU will feature author Teju Cole in conversation with CBC Radio's Eleanor Wachtel. This free event will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Vancouver. For more details about this event and to book your ticket, visit: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/onebookonesfu.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
Festival week is fast approaching. There are still tickets available for events with acclaimed writers from Canada and around the world: Weird Fiction stars Kelly Link and Jeff VanderMeer (US), crime fiction writer Denise Mina (Scotland), bestselling authors Sarah Dunant and Paula Hawkins (UK) and Simon Winchester (US), and Canadians Patrick deWitt, Camilla Gibb, Elizabeth Hay, Lawrence Hill and Nino Ricci, among others. See writersfest.bc.ca for full details.
Tickets are also available for Between the Pages: An Evening with the Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalists, hosted by Bill Richardson.
Joseph Boyden & Friends
Join us for a very special evening with Joseph Boyden and friends. Expect the unexpected at this intimate evening celebrating great Canadian writing! Enjoy cocktails, hearty appetizers and fireside chats with the authors.
Saturday, October 24th, 2015
7:00-10:00 pm
Bridges Restaurant, Upper Dining Room, Granville Island
Tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/boyden. A fundraiser for the Vancouver Writers Fest
John Irving in Conversation with Hal Wake
International bestselling author John Irving reads from his highly-anticipated new novel, Avenue of Mysteries on December 1 at the Vancouver Playhouse. Tickets are on sale. You can find more details here, http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/john-irving.
Volunteers Needed!
Ever wanted to know about ticket sales from the Festival side of the desk? We have open Box Office shifts, and welcome your applications! Apply here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteers.
Poetry and Short Story Contest
The 17th Vancouver Writers Fest Poetry and Short Story Contest is now open! Entries will be accepted until October 25th, so get writing or start polishing up your best work. The contest is open to all writers, so this could be the perfect opportunity for you to get published for the first time, kick start your writing career or add to your already impressive resume. First place winners will receive $500 and be published in subTERRAIN Magazine. Details and to enter: http://writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest
Know a young writer? Tell them about our writing contest for BC grades 8-12 students, http://writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest.
FESTIVALS
The Vancouver Art/Book Fair features nearly 100 local, national and international publishers, programs, performances and installations. Featured artists from Canada and around the globe present books, magazines, zines and printed ephemera as well as digital and other experimental forms of publication. More information at vancouverartbookfair.com.
The Cinematheque and curator Ray Hsu presents the Visible Verse 2015 Festival, an annual celebration of video poetry, that hybrid form that marries verse with media-arts. Twenty-five exceptional works from local, national, and international artists have been selected to screen. More information at http://thecinematheque.ca/visible-verse-2015-festival.
2015 FESTIVAL AUTHORS
Greg Hollingshead's new collection of short stories, Act Normal, is a "fiendishly good Schrödinger's-cat-of-a-book." What makes it interesting? Among other things, "catharsis and resolution are consistently, almost sadistically, denied!"
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/08/29/fiendishly-good-greg-hollingsheads-new-collection-of-short-stories.html
In Elisabeth de Mariaffi's The Devil You Know, terror runs through the veins of young girls in Toronto. As a psychological thriller, it's a "compelling study of the landscape of fear that de Mariaffi describes as a persistent backdrop in women's lives."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/01/15/the-devil-you-know-by-elisabeth-de-mariaffi-review.html
His Whole Life, by Elizabeth Hay, "looks at the division of loyalties shaping the existence of a 10-year-old boy." Told on the eve of the 1995 Quebec referendum, many stories are at play: "a country and a marriage that may not survive" and "sins that may or may not be forgiven."
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/08/15/his-whole-life-by-elizabeth-hay-review.html
Two Writers Fest authors have been featured in The Globe and Mail's small press roundup this week. Farzana Doctor's All Inclusive and Lori Shenher's That Lonely Section of Hell: The Botched Investigation of a Serial Killer Who Almost Got Away, are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/review-new-small-press-books-by-lori-shenher-farzana-doctor-jim-bartley/article26743874/
In Gene Luen Yang's, Secret Coders, a young girl makes friends and discovers secrets about her "creepy new school" through binary numbers and computer programming software. The material is close to Yang's heart: he used to work as a computer science teacher. He's interviewed here:
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-10-12-robot-birds-comics-and-binary-numbers-gene-luen-yang-teaches-us-computer-science
Sigal Samuel's The Mystics of Mile End "tells the story of a dysfunctional family's dangerous obsession with Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. Set in Jewish Montreal, the culture and place of the story are specific, yet also "universal." As Samuel says in this interview, "I realized that the best or maybe only way to get to the universal is through the particular."
http://forward.com/culture/books/322226/talking-montreal-hasids-and-bagels-with-mystics-of-mile-end-author-sigal-sa/
AWARDS & LISTS
Festival Author Marlon James has won the Booker Prize. He's the first Jamaican writer to win the prestigious prize. His book, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is "like a Tarantino remake of the The Harder They Come, but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner...sweeping, mythic, over-the-top, colossal and dizzyingly complex."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/13/marlon-james-wins-the-man-booker-prize-2015
The Canada Council for the Arts has announced the finalists for this year's Governor General's Literary Awards. Several Writers Fest authors are among the finalists, including Susan Nielsen and Darren Groth, both nominated in the Children's literature category.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/07/helen-humphreys-susin-nielsen-among-governor-generals-literary-awards-shortlist/
Rosemary Sullivan has won the Hilary Weston Prize for Non-fiction for Stalin's Daughter: The Extraordinary and Tumultuous Life of Svetlana Alliluyeva. The book was deemed an "insightful yet empathetic portrait" of the famous dictator's only daughter.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/10/06/rosemary-sullivan-wins-weston-prize-for-stalins-daughter/
YOUNG READERS
Author and illustrator Sandra Boynton is profiled in this week's New Yorker. "These books are written so simply, for children so young—'A cow says moo. A sheep says baa'—that it's hard to imagine that they could have hidden depths. But I have begun to realize, perhaps belatedly, that they do."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-hidden-depths-of-sandra-boyntons-board-books
NEWS & FEATURES
The Kitchener Public Library has embraced the digital age by starting a Wi-Fi hotspot loan program. "There's still a large population that don't have access, in any form, to the internet... The library is the greatest equalizer in our society."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/kitchener-library-lends-portable-wifi-1.3258791
Now here's something to look forward to, come December: an advent calendar that brings literary gifts from authors like Heather O'Neill and Pasha Malla! "The 2015 Short Story Advent Calendar, also known as the perfect early Christmas present for the bibliophile in your life, comes with 24 sealed short stories - one for every day from December 1 until Christmas Eve."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/10/new-advent-calendar-offers-a-story-a-day-instead-of-chocolate.html
Feminists in the UK are sneaking into bookstores in order to leave "gender busting" bookmarks in children's stories. As one of them says, "As a parent, I do not want my children's reading choices to be restricted by their gender. Reading is an amazing way for children and adults to explore other worlds and possibilities."
http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Feminists-sneak-Cheltenham-bookshops-leave-gender/story-27923383-detail/story.html#ixzz3oPP0d177
Should art be timeless, or should it speak to something more current? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Adam Kirsch and James Parker tackle the question.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/books/review/should-art-be-timeless-or-should-it-speak-to-something-more-current.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
A new "vastly expanded edition" of Martin Garden's The Annotated Alice has been released. Amplified and amended by Carroll scholar Mark Burstein, it contains riches that "are too many to itemize."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/who-can-be-finished-with-alice
Colum McCann's latest collection, Thirteen Ways of Looking, is filled with stories "linked by unease." Their uneasiness comes from the fact that they're informed by an incident McCann experienced last year: he was attacked and knocked unconscious in New Haven, Connecticut.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/books/review-colum-mccanns-thirteen-ways-of-looking-stories-linked-by-unease.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
ALCUIN AWARDS FOR CANADIAN BOOK DESIGN
The ceremonies for this year's presentation of the 33rd Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada will precede an informal Panel on Children's Book Publishing. Featuring Sara Gillingham, Julie Flett, Julie Morstad and Cynthia Nugent. Thursday, October 15 at 6:30pm, free. Emily Carr University, 1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island, Room SB301. More information at http://alcuinsociety.com/book-design-awards-ceremony-in-vancouver/.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Governor General's Award winner Maria Tippett discuses her book, Made in British Columbia: Eight Ways of Making Culture. Thursday, October 15 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
CATHY ACE
Book launch for The Corpse with the Diamond Hand. Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm, free. Black Bond Books, Coquitlam Centre Mall, 1306-2929 Barnet Hwy., Coquitlam. More information at 604-474-3477.
AGITATE!
Montreal anarchist author, violinist, and cabaret artist Norman Nawrocki launches a new poetry book, Agitate! Anarchist Rants, Raps, Poems. Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $5. Spartacus Books, 3378 Findlay, Vancouver.
ROM COM
Dina Del Bucchia and Daniel Zomparelli launch their co-authored collection of poetry. Thursday, October 15 at 7:30pm. Hot Art Wet City, 2206 Main St., Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.
WHISTLER READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL
Annual event brings together Canadian and international authors for a weekend packed with readings, workshops, speaker panels, spoken word events, and music. October 16-18, 2015. Fairmont Chateau Whistler. More information at whistlerwritersfest.com.
A GOLDEN AFTERNOON
Hosted by UBC's Language and Literacy Education Department (LLED) Alumni and sponsored by the Vancouver Children's Literature Roundtable (VCLR), this Alice-in-Wonderland-themed celebration will benefit a local school library in Vancouver. Saturday, October 17 at 12:00 noon. Sage Bistro, UBC. Tickets and information at http://blogs.ubc.ca/alice150/.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
As part of World Food Day, Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer present their book. Saturday, October 17 at 1:00pm. Brighouse branch, Richmond Public Library. More information at yourlibrary.ca.
BREAKING TRADITIONS: FIGHTING FOR JOB EQUALITY THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
Authors Kate Braid and Bonnie Reilly Schmidt will join tradeswomen Mariegold Rondeau and Louisa Robinson where they will read from their latest work and discuss their experiences entering male-dominated work worlds. Monday, October 19 at 7:00 pm. Vancouver Public Library Central Branch, 350 West Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MONIQUE POLAK
Quebec English-language writer will read from her acclaimed teen fiction books, including her latest teen novel, Learning the Ropes. Tuesday, October 20 at 9:30am. Greater Victoria Public Library. Register and information at 250-940-4875.
PATRICK TAYLOR
Local Irish-Canadian author will read from the recently released An Irish Doctor in Love and at Sea: An Irish Country Novel. Wednesday, October 21 at 5:00pm, free. Library Program Room, Salt Spring Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
SURREY INTERNATIONAL WRITERS' CONFERENCE
Annual event offers professional development for writers. October 22-25, 2015. Sheraton Guildford Hotel, Surrey. Details at siwc.ca.
AUTHOR READING
Featuring B.C. authors Eileen Kernaghan and Mix Hart. Thursday, October 22 at 7:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CAITLIN PRESS POETRY LAUNCH
Join Sarah de Leeuw, Arleen Paré, Kate Braid and Beth Kope as they read from their newest work. Thursday, October 22 at 7:30pm. Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main St. More information andrea@caitlin-press.com.
HOW TO WRITE A NOVEL IN A MONTH
Helpful hints and tips from award-winning BC mystery author Cathy Ace to help you succeed with your NaNoWriMo Challenge. Friday, October 23. Free. Maple Ridge Public Library, 130-22470 Dewdney Trunk Rd., Maple Ridge. More information at 604-467-7417.
ROBERT WIERSEMA
Author reads from his latest thriller, Black Feathers. Saturday, October 24 at 2:00pm, free. Agassiz Library, 7140 Cheam Ave., Aggasiz. More information at 604-796-9510.
TRIPLE THREAT
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors: Cathy Ace, Allan J. Emerson, Debra Purdy Kong. Saturday, October 24 at 3:00pm, free. Langley Chapters, 20015 Langley Bypass, Langley. More information at 604-514-8663.
POETS WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE
Special Halloween event from Poetic Justice with extended open mic and costume contest. Sunday, October 25 at 3:00pm, suggested donation: $5. Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster. More information at 604-767-6908.
Upcoming
BEN MIKAELSEN
Touching Spirit Bear author talks about the inspiration for his popular novel. Individuals or small groups can enquire about seating by contacting Chris at 604-554-7339. Tuesday, October 27 at 11:00am. City Centre branch, Coquitlam Public Library.
RON MACLEAN
National bestselling co-author, co-host of Coach's Corner and host of Rogers Hometown Hockey shares brand new hockey tales from his newest book Hockey Towns: Untold Stories from the Heart of Canada. Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00pm. Chapters Metrotown, Burnaby. More information at chapters-indigo.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Lucas Crawford, Amber Dawn, Shannon Rayne plus open mic. Thursday, October 29th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
FRED WAH
Launch of authors latest book. Scree: The Collected Earlier Poems, 1962-1991. Thursday, October 29 at 8:00pm. Western Front, 303 8th Ave. E. More information at talonbooks.com.
TRIPLE THREAT
Crime Writers of Canada presents three BC mystery authors: Cathy Ace, Allan J. Emerson, Debra Purdy Kong. Saturday, October 31 at 1:00pm, free. Chapters Strawberry Hill Centre, 100-12107 72 Ave., Surrey. More information at 604-501-2877.
BOOK CLUB
Inaugural event featuring The Corpse with the Platinum Hair by Cathy Ace. Presented by Vancouver Public Library and Crime Writers of Canada. Tuesday, November 3 at 6:30pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at cathyace.com/events.
CAROL M. CRAM
Author launches her latest book A Woman of Note. Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MICHAEL CHRISTIE
Author reads from his latest book If I Fall, If I Die. Thursday, November 5 at 7:30pm. Smilin' Buddha Restaurant, 109 East Hastings, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
OPEN CITY
SFU Library is pleased to announce a special event at SFU Vancouver as part of SFU's 50th anniversary celebrations. Open City: One Book, One SFU will feature author Teju Cole in conversation with CBC Radio's Eleanor Wachtel. This free event will be held on Thursday, November 5th at 7PM in the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at SFU Vancouver. For more details about this event and to book your ticket, visit: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/onebookonesfu.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Sunday, November 8 at 3:00pm. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
