BOOK NEWS
A Dram Come True
Join us for our signature fundraising event, A Dram Come True
This celebration of whisky from around the world features a variety of rare and distinguished single malts curated by the President of the West Coast Whisky Society. We've just lined up six additional drams, including the GlenDronach Single Cask and Tullibardine Sovereign, bringing us to a grand total of 20-with more to come! Your ticket gets you access to all the bars-where you can taste as much as you please-plus meats, cheeses and more from Emelle's catering.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
An evening of dark humour with a hint of the supernatural: Russell Smith (Confidence), Adam Lewis Schroeder (All Day Breakfast), and Kristi Charish (Owl and the Japanese Circus). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, May 6
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
Festival
The 14th annual DOXA documentary film festival features the Canadian premiere of Even Though the Whole World is Burning, a portrait of leading American writer W. S. Merwin, and City Centre, Vancouver poet Evelyn Lau’s ode to an elderly lady and her little green house. Details at doxafestival.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
The B.C. Book Prizes for 2015 were awarded at a gala ceremony last Saturday evening in Vancouver. Each winner took home $2,000 while Betty Keller, winner of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award, received $5,000.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/27/2015-b-c-book-prizes-announced/
The finalists for the Arthur Ellis Awards, which recognize excellence in Canadian crime writing, have been announced. The awards include Best Novel, Best First Novel, Best Book in French and Best Juvenile/YA Book.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/24/arthur-ellis-awards-finalists-announced-for-best-canadian-crime-writing/
The Canadian Library Association has announced the winners of its 2015 awards, aimed at Children's and Young Adult books. This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki (who came to last year's Writers Fest) earned top honours in the Young Adult Book category.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11556160/Leave-Don-Quixote-author-Miguel-de-Cervantes-bones-alone-says-Spains-new-literary-laureate.html
It's a big week for children's and YA fiction! The shortlists for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards have also been revealed. "The two annual awards, in the categories of Children's Picture Book and Young Adult/Middle Reader, each comes with a $6,000 purse and are presented in recognition of excellence in Canadian English-language writing and illustration in books for children."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/22/2015-ruth-and-sylvia-schwartz-awards-shortlists-announced/
YOUNG READERS
Neil Gaiman has written a new children's book. Here's a review by one young reader, who rates it "five stars out of five because it had such a brilliant atmosphere and it was devised so cleverly. I would recommend it to children 10 + for a truly petrifying read. You have been warned."
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/apr/26/review-coraline-neil-gaiman
Random House has announced that it will increase the printing for What Pet Should I Get, a previously undiscovered Dr. Seuss title, to 1 million copies. In the first 24 hours following the news, "there were 122.5 million impressions on Twitter, and in the 24 hours following that, the number increased to over 200 million."
http://publishingperspectives.com/2015/04/random-house-raises-first-printing-of-new-dr-seuss-to-1-million/
NEWS & FEATURES
"We manage to ignore poetry in our daily routines, but when life seems bewildering, we're desperate to attack a poetry anthology or gripped by website frenzy. But which poem?" It's National Poetry Month! Here's a guide to finding some quintessentially Canadian poetry.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/words-that-capture-the-big-things-in-life-for-national-poetry-month/article24108431/
Speaking of all things Canadian, many readers were saddened this week to hear about the death of Jonathan Crombie, who played Gilbert Blythe in the landmark Anne of Green Gables miniseries. Was Gilbert Blythe the "perfect man?" Here's one devoted reader's ode to the literary heartthrob.
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-culture/2015/04/23/jonathan-crombie-gilbert-blythe-and-the-perfect-man-archetype/
The Magna Carta has just turned 800. To celebrate, Britain is donating a souvenir copy of the text to every primary school in the country. Here's a Q&A about the famous document.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/11383687/The-Magna-Carta-explained.html
The first bookstore dedicated to self-published authors has opened in Florida. "Frustrated by a lack of opportunity to display and sell their work, self-published children's author and illustrator Patti Brassard Jefferson and history author Timothy Jacobs decided to create a bookstore of their own, Gulf Coast Bookstore, and to only sell books by indie authors."
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/66254-first-bookstore-dedicated-to-self-published-authors-opens-in-florida.html
A few weeks ago we reported that Miguel de Cervantes' bones had been found. What should the world do with them? Leave them alone, says Spain's new literary laureate.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11556160/Leave-Don-Quixote-author-Miguel-de-Cervantes-bones-alone-says-Spains-new-literary-laureate.html
How does the internet help or hinder a writer's life? In this piece, three Vancouver authors discuss their lives online, with Zsuszi Gartner and Evelyn Lau falling into one camp (limiting access), and Andrew Gray (UBC creative writing program coordinator) into the other.
http://www.straight.com/life/435366/vancouver-authors-debate-merits-limiting-online-lives
"Novels about troubled unions are nothing new...But in an era when so many of us feel increasingly disconnected, novels of struggling marriages are having a happy (if dysfunctional) new golden era." Leah McLaren outlines our "new, dysfunctional relationship with literature," here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/leah-mclaren-our-new-dysfunctional-relationship-with-literature/article24106796/
BOOKS & WRITERS
Bren Simmer's short story collection, Hasting-Sunrise, is "is a long poem that spans a year of living in the East Vancouver residential neighbourhood. The book came out of a long effort "to find home and a sense of belonging in a city where so many people struggle with the cost of living." Simmer is interviewed by Quills & Quire here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/04/21/poetry-month-qa-bren-simmers-on-writing-from-and-to-her-neighbourhood/
Lori Lansens' new novel, The Mountain Story, is "a master class in fiction." Told from a male point of view, the book hooks the reader from the very beginning. Five days, four lost hikers, three survivors—that's all you need to know!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/lori-lansenss-new-novel-the-mountain-story-is-a-master-class-in-fiction/article24104069/
Two new collections by Guy Vanderhaeghe and Heather O'Neill "reside at opposite ends of the spectrum." Vanderhaeghe's Daddy Lenin and Other Stories is "a collection of stories in a naturalist vein," while O'Neill's Daydreams of Angels "operates most often in a fabulist mode."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/new-collections-by-guy-vanderhaeghe-and-heather-oneill-reside-at-opposite-ends-of-the-spectrum/article24106957/
This week's Guardian Books podcast is all about nature writing, featuring Sarah Hall and John Lewis-Stempel. The discussion explores the "current boom in nature writing," as well as the authors' two books, Meadowland and The Wolf Border.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2015/apr/24/nature-writing-sarah-hall-john-lewis-stempel-podcast
Toni Morrison's new book, God Help the Child, is all about "the danger of beauty." That's just one of many things that she discusses in this interview with The Guardian, along with her support for Hillary, and how she's earned the right to say "shut up!"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/25/toni-morrison-books-interview-god-help-the-child
More than 500 Canadian writers will volunteer as guest booksellers at 130 independent bookstores across the country for the first Authors for Indies on Saturday.
http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2015/04/10/authors-to-support-local-bookstores-may-2/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
DISRUPTIVE POWER
Launch of Taylor Owen's new book, Disruptive Power: The Crisis of the State in the Digital Age. Thursday, April 30 at 6:30pm, free. Make Studios, 257 7th Ave. E., Vancouver. More information here, journalism.ubc.ca.
BOOKFEST 2015
29th annual festival presented by Vancouver Island Children's Book Festival. Saturday, May 2, 2015 in downtown Nanaimo, BC. For complete details and ticket information, visit bookfest.ca.
AUTHORS FOR INDIES
Book Warehouse, Hager Books and Kidsbooks are among the nine independent bookstores participating in Saturday's Authors for Indies. You can plan your itinerary with help from Book Net Canada: http://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2015/4/27/an-authors-for-indies-itinerary-v
ancouver.html#.VUEnTU05C70.
E.D BLODGETT AND RAY NURSE
A concert of poetry and lute music in which poetry is read throught the filter of music. Saturday, May 2 at 2:00pm. Tickets: $15. Visualspace Gallery, 3352 Dunbar Street, Vancouver. For more information and tickets, email yukiko@yukikoonley.com.
JAN COATES
Readings for children and teens by the author of The Power of Harmony and Rocket Man. Part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week, bookweek.ca. Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. For times and locations, visit surreylibraries.ca.
JUDY YUNG AND EDDIE FUNG
Readings by the authors of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island and The Adventures of Eddie Fung. Tuesday, May 5 at 7:00pm, free. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with award-winning author, John Vaillant as he introduces his latest book, The Jaguar's Children. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts in partnership with Black Bond Books, May 5, 7:30 pm at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, 14601 20th Avenue, Surrey. $10. Pre-registration recommended: info@semiahmooarts.com or 604-536-8333.
CATHIE BORRIE
Author reads from her memoir, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother and Me. Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library.
TWS READING SERIES
Celebrate 15 years of The Writer's Studio! Special reading event with a line-up of TWS alumni authors, featuring Betsy Warland, founder and first director of TWS and author of Breathing the Page–Reading the Act of Writing. Thursday, May 7 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
An evening with Jacqueline Woodson, 2014 National Book Award Winner for her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. Friday, May 8 at 7:00pm. Cost: $25. Robson Square Auditorium. Registration and information at vclr.ca.
AUTHORS AMONG US
Meet authors who use historical events to create fictional worlds or share narrative experiences. Featuring Sumi Kinoshita, Robert W. Mackay, Roger R. Blenman, and Sabina Khan. Saturday, May 9 at 2:00pm. Readability Lounge, City Centre Library, Surrey. For information and registration, call 604-598-7426.
THIS PLACE A STRANGER
Caitlin Press and Room magazine celebrate women's literature with the launch of This Place A Stranger: Canadian Women Travelling Along. Take a trip around the world with readings from Karen J Lee, Nadine Pedersen and others. Saturday, May 9 at 7:00pm. Artspeak, 233 Carrall St. Vancouver.
MUSLIM WOMEN BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY
Author Monia Mazigh leads a presentation and discussion of her novel Mirrors and Mirages. Monday, May 11 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at vpl.ca.
IAN WEIR
Award-winning local author Ian Weir presents his critically acclaimed recent work, Will Starling. Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CUFFED!
Readings by William Deverell (Sing a Worried Song) and Owen Laukkanen (The Stolen Ones). Hosted by Sheryl McKay. Tuesday, May 12 at 7:30pm, by donation. Studio 1398, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island, Vancouver. More info at cuffedfestival.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Patrick Friesen, Kayla Czaga, and Jillian Christmas plus open mic. May 13 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
Upcoming
EE COOPER
Book signing and launch party for the author's latest YA book, Vanished. Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm. Chapters/Indigo, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
SPOKEN INK
Kayla Czaga reads from her first poetry collection For Your Safety Please Hold On. Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chelene Knight and Dina Del Bucchia. Wednesday, May 20 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Featuring Janie Chang, Carol M. Cram and Marie Sadro. Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm. 3rd floor program room, North Van City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Thursday, April 23, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 5
BOOK NEWS
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
We're pleased to announced that VonAlbrecht & Associates will be joining us at A Dram Come True this year, and presenting three exclusive bottlings for you to sample. One whisky they'll be pouring is the Coopers Choice Glen
Elgin 17 Year Old, an elusive malt at the best of times and very rare at this age. With only 360 bottles produced, this Scotch is strictly limited edition.
So far we've got 14 whiskies lined up, plus a full slate of Scotch Malt Whisky Society offerings, with plenty more to come. Click here (https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-tasting-menu) for a taste of what to expect at this year's event.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
An evening of dark humour with a hint of the supernatural: Russell Smith (Confidence), Adam Lewis Schroeder (All Day Breakfast), and Kristi Charish (Owl and the Japanese Circus). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, May 6
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
Anthony Doerr has won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for All the Light We Cannot See. Elizabeth Kolbert was awarded the Nonfiction price for The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-wins-2015-pulitzer-prize-for-fiction/102302
Pierre Pratt has been awarded the 2015 IBBY Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award for his art in Stop, Thief!, written by Heather Tekavec. "The $1,000 prize recognizes excellent artistic talent in a Canadian picture book published in English or French the previous year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/20/pierre-pratt-wins-2015-ibby-canada-elizabeth-mrazik-cleaver-picture-book-award/
The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design is Canada's only national competition for book design. This past year's award winners were just announced, with 31 winning titles from 201 entries, from 9 provinces and 79 publishers.
http://alcuinsociety.com/awards/
YOUNG READERS
Are you looking for a new Young Adult book to check out? Here's a list of this year's best (so far!)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/children_sbookreviews/11340200/The-best-young-adult-books-of-2015.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Haruki Murakami and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie have made it into Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. "It's the rare novelist who in the space of a year finds her words sampled by Beyoncé, optioned by Lupita Nyong'o and honored with the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction."
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/haruki-murakami-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-make-times-influential-people-list/102117
T.H. Tsien, a scholar of Chinese books and printing, has died at 105. Besides being one the world's most renowned scholars of Chinese paleography (the study of ancient writing) and bibliography, he was also responsible for rescuing 30,000 books during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/world/asia/th-tsien-scholar-of-chinese-written-word-dies-at-105.html
Which makes better fodder for fiction? Grand historical events or everyday life? Thomas Mallon and Francine Prose discuss.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/books/review/are-grand-historical-events-better-fodder-for-fiction-than-everyday-life.html
The U.S. Library of Congress has launched an Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature. So far you can listen to 50 different poetry selections, spanning 75 years in time.
http://www.openculture.com/2015/04/library-of-congress-launches-new-online-poetry-archive.html
"Is there a relationship between the quantity of books available to us, the ease with which they can be written and published, and our reading experience?" Here's one man's take on our "era of massive overproduction."
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/apr/16/too-many-books/
Are you a fan of literary apps? Here are ten that you might not have heard of.
http://bookriot.com/2015/04/20/10-bookish-iphone-apps-may-not-heard/
BOOKS & WRITERS
"Many Canadian novelists and poets (Jane Urquhart is both) have some deep connection to the visual arts as well...Urquhart's new novel The Night Stages reminds us, as though we needed reminding, that her own relationship to art is a rich and especially meaningful one." This article outlines that relationship, as well as her new book.
http://www.straight.com/life/430601/jane-urquhart-continues-upward-night-stages
Here are two new poetry collections worth checking out, both of which offer different ways of looking at identity: The Road In Is Not the Same Road Out, by Karen Solie and Their Biography: an organism of relationships by Kevin McPherson.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/observe-and-report-two-new-poetry-collections-offer-different-ways-of-looking-at-identity/article24008435/
"In this book, I was very interested in childhood trauma paralyzing us in the contemporary world" states Toni Morrison in relation to her latest novel, God Help the Child. Listen to her interview with the CBC, here:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.3040660/toni-morrison-on-her-new-novel-god-help-the-child-race-and-racism-1.3040693
Poetry Notebook: Reflections on the Intensity of Language, is a "valedictory" book of poetry citicism by Clive James that "wrestles with how art is long, but life is short." The book is a collection of short essays—"brief and fluent," yet also representing "the distillation of years of thought and study."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/04/clive_james_poetry_notebook_reviewed.html
"Poet Gary Snyder has hung with the Beats, studied Buddhism, worked as a logger and he's still going strong." In this interview with NPR, Snyder discusses his new collection, This Present Moment.
http://www.npr.org/2015/04/18/400573636/at-84-poet-gary-snyder-lives-in-this-present-moment
COMMUNITY EVENTS
ASHLEY LITTLE
Reading by the author of Anatomy of A Girl Gang. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Featuring YA writers Jacquie Pearce and Lois Peterson plus open mic for youth. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
BOOK LAUNCH
An evening of reading, laughs and conversation with poets Jeff Steudel (Foreign Park), Melissa Bull (Rue), and Kevin Spenst (Jabbering with Bing Bong). Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. More information at 604-876-8710.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts Council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., North Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BC BOOK PRIZES GALA
Winners in all seven categories will be announced and the recipient of the 2015 Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, Betty Keller, will be celebrated. Saturday, April 25 at 5:30pm. Pinnacle Vancouver Harbourfront Hotel, 1133 West Hastings St., Vancouver. Details and tickets at bcbookprizes.ca.
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
BOOKFEST 2015
29th annual festival presented by Vancouver Island Children's Book Festival. Saturday, May 2, 2015 in downtown Nanaimo, BC. For complete details and ticket information, visit bookfest.ca.
E.D BLODGETT AND RAY NURSE
A concert of poetry and lute music in which poetry is read throught the filter of music. Saturday, May 2 at 2:00pm. Tickets: $15. Visualspace Gallery, 3352 Dunbar Street, Vancouver. For more information and tickets, email yukiko@yukikoonley.com.
JAN COATES
Readings for children and teens by the author of The Power of Harmony and Rocket Man. Part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week, bookweek.ca. Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. For times and locations, visit surreylibraries.ca.
JUDY YUNG AND EDDIE FUNG
Readings by the authors of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island and The Adventures of Eddie Fung. Tuesday, May 5 at 7:00pm, free. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with award-winning author, John Vaillant as he introduces his latest book, The Jaguar's Children. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts in partnership with Black Bond Books, May 5, 7:30 pm at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, 14601 20th Avenue, Surrey. $10. Pre-registration recommended: info@semiahmooarts.com or 604-536-8333.
CATHIE BORRIE
Author reads from her memoir, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother and Me. Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library.
TWS READING SERIES
Celebrate 15 years of The Writer's Studio! Special reading event with a line-up of TWS alumni authors, featuring Betsy Warland, founder and first director of TWS and author of Breathing the Page–Reading the Act of Writing. Thursday, May 7 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
An evening with Jacqueline Woodson, 2014 National Book Award Winner for her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. Friday, May 8 at 7:00pm. Cost: $25. Robson Square Auditorium. Registration and information at vclr.ca.
AUTHORS AMONG US
Meet authors who use historical events to create fictional worlds or share narrative experiences. Featuring Sumi Kinoshita, Robert W. Mackay, Roger R. Blenman, and Sabina Khan. Saturday, May 9 at 2:00pm. Readability Lounge, City Centre Library, Surrey. For information and registration, call 604-598-7426.
THIS PLACE A STRANGER
Caitlin Press and Room magazine celebrate women's literature with the launch of This Place A Stranger: Canadian Women Travelling Along. Take a trip around the world with readings from Karen J Lee, Nadine Pedersen and others. Saturday, May 9 at 7:00pm. Artspeak, 233 Carrall St. Vancouver.
Upcoming
MUSLIM WOMEN BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY
Author Monia Mazigh leads a presentation and discussion of her novel Mirrors and Mirages. Monday, May 11 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at vpl.ca.
IAN WEIR
Award-winning local author Ian Weir presents his critically acclaimed recent work, Will Starling. Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Patrick Friesen, Kayla Czaga, and Jillian Christmas plus open mic. May 13 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
EE COOPER
Book signing and launch party for the author's latest YA book, Vanished. Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm. Chapters/Indigo, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
SPOKEN INK
Kayla Czaga reads from her first poetry collection For Your Safety Please Hold On. Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chelene Knight and Dina Del Bucchia. Wednesday, May 20 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Featuring Janie Chang, Carol M. Cram and Marie Sadro. Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm. 3rd floor program room, North Van City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
We're pleased to announced that VonAlbrecht & Associates will be joining us at A Dram Come True this year, and presenting three exclusive bottlings for you to sample. One whisky they'll be pouring is the Coopers Choice Glen
Elgin 17 Year Old, an elusive malt at the best of times and very rare at this age. With only 360 bottles produced, this Scotch is strictly limited edition.
So far we've got 14 whiskies lined up, plus a full slate of Scotch Malt Whisky Society offerings, with plenty more to come. Click here (https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-tasting-menu) for a taste of what to expect at this year's event.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
An evening of dark humour with a hint of the supernatural: Russell Smith (Confidence), Adam Lewis Schroeder (All Day Breakfast), and Kristi Charish (Owl and the Japanese Circus). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, May 6
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
Anthony Doerr has won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for All the Light We Cannot See. Elizabeth Kolbert was awarded the Nonfiction price for The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/all-the-light-we-cannot-see-wins-2015-pulitzer-prize-for-fiction/102302
Pierre Pratt has been awarded the 2015 IBBY Canada Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award for his art in Stop, Thief!, written by Heather Tekavec. "The $1,000 prize recognizes excellent artistic talent in a Canadian picture book published in English or French the previous year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/20/pierre-pratt-wins-2015-ibby-canada-elizabeth-mrazik-cleaver-picture-book-award/
The Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design is Canada's only national competition for book design. This past year's award winners were just announced, with 31 winning titles from 201 entries, from 9 provinces and 79 publishers.
http://alcuinsociety.com/awards/
YOUNG READERS
Are you looking for a new Young Adult book to check out? Here's a list of this year's best (so far!)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/children_sbookreviews/11340200/The-best-young-adult-books-of-2015.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Haruki Murakami and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie have made it into Time Magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people. "It's the rare novelist who in the space of a year finds her words sampled by Beyoncé, optioned by Lupita Nyong'o and honored with the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction."
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/haruki-murakami-chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-make-times-influential-people-list/102117
T.H. Tsien, a scholar of Chinese books and printing, has died at 105. Besides being one the world's most renowned scholars of Chinese paleography (the study of ancient writing) and bibliography, he was also responsible for rescuing 30,000 books during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/20/world/asia/th-tsien-scholar-of-chinese-written-word-dies-at-105.html
Which makes better fodder for fiction? Grand historical events or everyday life? Thomas Mallon and Francine Prose discuss.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/books/review/are-grand-historical-events-better-fodder-for-fiction-than-everyday-life.html
The U.S. Library of Congress has launched an Archive of Recorded Poetry and Literature. So far you can listen to 50 different poetry selections, spanning 75 years in time.
http://www.openculture.com/2015/04/library-of-congress-launches-new-online-poetry-archive.html
"Is there a relationship between the quantity of books available to us, the ease with which they can be written and published, and our reading experience?" Here's one man's take on our "era of massive overproduction."
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/apr/16/too-many-books/
Are you a fan of literary apps? Here are ten that you might not have heard of.
http://bookriot.com/2015/04/20/10-bookish-iphone-apps-may-not-heard/
BOOKS & WRITERS
"Many Canadian novelists and poets (Jane Urquhart is both) have some deep connection to the visual arts as well...Urquhart's new novel The Night Stages reminds us, as though we needed reminding, that her own relationship to art is a rich and especially meaningful one." This article outlines that relationship, as well as her new book.
http://www.straight.com/life/430601/jane-urquhart-continues-upward-night-stages
Here are two new poetry collections worth checking out, both of which offer different ways of looking at identity: The Road In Is Not the Same Road Out, by Karen Solie and Their Biography: an organism of relationships by Kevin McPherson.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/observe-and-report-two-new-poetry-collections-offer-different-ways-of-looking-at-identity/article24008435/
"In this book, I was very interested in childhood trauma paralyzing us in the contemporary world" states Toni Morrison in relation to her latest novel, God Help the Child. Listen to her interview with the CBC, here:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.3040660/toni-morrison-on-her-new-novel-god-help-the-child-race-and-racism-1.3040693
Poetry Notebook: Reflections on the Intensity of Language, is a "valedictory" book of poetry citicism by Clive James that "wrestles with how art is long, but life is short." The book is a collection of short essays—"brief and fluent," yet also representing "the distillation of years of thought and study."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/04/clive_james_poetry_notebook_reviewed.html
"Poet Gary Snyder has hung with the Beats, studied Buddhism, worked as a logger and he's still going strong." In this interview with NPR, Snyder discusses his new collection, This Present Moment.
http://www.npr.org/2015/04/18/400573636/at-84-poet-gary-snyder-lives-in-this-present-moment
COMMUNITY EVENTS
ASHLEY LITTLE
Reading by the author of Anatomy of A Girl Gang. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Featuring YA writers Jacquie Pearce and Lois Peterson plus open mic for youth. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
BOOK LAUNCH
An evening of reading, laughs and conversation with poets Jeff Steudel (Foreign Park), Melissa Bull (Rue), and Kevin Spenst (Jabbering with Bing Bong). Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. More information at 604-876-8710.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts Council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., North Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
BC BOOK PRIZES GALA
Winners in all seven categories will be announced and the recipient of the 2015 Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, Betty Keller, will be celebrated. Saturday, April 25 at 5:30pm. Pinnacle Vancouver Harbourfront Hotel, 1133 West Hastings St., Vancouver. Details and tickets at bcbookprizes.ca.
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
BOOKFEST 2015
29th annual festival presented by Vancouver Island Children's Book Festival. Saturday, May 2, 2015 in downtown Nanaimo, BC. For complete details and ticket information, visit bookfest.ca.
E.D BLODGETT AND RAY NURSE
A concert of poetry and lute music in which poetry is read throught the filter of music. Saturday, May 2 at 2:00pm. Tickets: $15. Visualspace Gallery, 3352 Dunbar Street, Vancouver. For more information and tickets, email yukiko@yukikoonley.com.
JAN COATES
Readings for children and teens by the author of The Power of Harmony and Rocket Man. Part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week, bookweek.ca. Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. For times and locations, visit surreylibraries.ca.
JUDY YUNG AND EDDIE FUNG
Readings by the authors of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island and The Adventures of Eddie Fung. Tuesday, May 5 at 7:00pm, free. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with award-winning author, John Vaillant as he introduces his latest book, The Jaguar's Children. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts in partnership with Black Bond Books, May 5, 7:30 pm at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, 14601 20th Avenue, Surrey. $10. Pre-registration recommended: info@semiahmooarts.com or 604-536-8333.
CATHIE BORRIE
Author reads from her memoir, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother and Me. Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library.
TWS READING SERIES
Celebrate 15 years of The Writer's Studio! Special reading event with a line-up of TWS alumni authors, featuring Betsy Warland, founder and first director of TWS and author of Breathing the Page–Reading the Act of Writing. Thursday, May 7 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
An evening with Jacqueline Woodson, 2014 National Book Award Winner for her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. Friday, May 8 at 7:00pm. Cost: $25. Robson Square Auditorium. Registration and information at vclr.ca.
AUTHORS AMONG US
Meet authors who use historical events to create fictional worlds or share narrative experiences. Featuring Sumi Kinoshita, Robert W. Mackay, Roger R. Blenman, and Sabina Khan. Saturday, May 9 at 2:00pm. Readability Lounge, City Centre Library, Surrey. For information and registration, call 604-598-7426.
THIS PLACE A STRANGER
Caitlin Press and Room magazine celebrate women's literature with the launch of This Place A Stranger: Canadian Women Travelling Along. Take a trip around the world with readings from Karen J Lee, Nadine Pedersen and others. Saturday, May 9 at 7:00pm. Artspeak, 233 Carrall St. Vancouver.
Upcoming
MUSLIM WOMEN BETWEEN FICTION AND REALITY
Author Monia Mazigh leads a presentation and discussion of her novel Mirrors and Mirages. Monday, May 11 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia Street. More information at vpl.ca.
IAN WEIR
Award-winning local author Ian Weir presents his critically acclaimed recent work, Will Starling. Tuesday, May 12 at 7:00pm, free. Alice MacKay room, Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Patrick Friesen, Kayla Czaga, and Jillian Christmas plus open mic. May 13 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
EE COOPER
Book signing and launch party for the author's latest YA book, Vanished. Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm. Chapters/Indigo, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
SPOKEN INK
Kayla Czaga reads from her first poetry collection For Your Safety Please Hold On. Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chelene Knight and Dina Del Bucchia. Wednesday, May 20 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Featuring Janie Chang, Carol M. Cram and Marie Sadro. Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm. 3rd floor program room, North Van City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 4
BOOK NEWS
Job Posting
We're looking for a new Executive Director, someone with a passion for the arts and the written word, and great communication and team management skills. Application deadline is April 17, 2015. Please visit our website for more information here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/employment.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
This year's Dram Come True features many single cask bottlings, a unique opportunity to sample some rare whiskies. With no two casks being exactly alike, tasting whisky from a single cask means that that once it's all be drunk, it's gone for good. We'll have all new offerings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, as well as four new whiskies, including the Dimensons collection Glen Moray bottling and Blackadder's latest offering, Black Snake Venom.
We've just released a sneak preview of our Dram tasting menu, click here (https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-tasting-menu) for a taste of what to expect at this year's event.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
A rare event featuring mother and daughter Jane Urquhart (The Night Stages) and Emily Urquhart (Beyond the Pale). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
Emily and Jane Urquhart share more than the same name. Besides being mother and daughter, they're also both authors, with books published only a week apart this year. The two Urquhart's are interviewed by The Globe and Mail, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/mother-and-daughter-authors-share-the-spotlight-with-book-releases/article23881439/
FREE!
7:30pm, April 22
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
Jean-Francois Blanchette has received the 2015 Non-fiction Prix Champlain for his book Du coq à l'âme: L'art populaire au Québec. The book looks at the Quebec folk art collections in the Canadian Museum of History.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/13/jean-francois-blanchette-wins-2015-prix-champlain/
D.W. Wilson has won this year's CBC Short Story Prize. His story, Mountain Under Sea, was declared "a marvel of compression and emotional restraint; its language is deft and its characters, warm with teasing affection, feel impulsive and alive."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/2015/04/2015-cbc-short-story-prize-winner-and-runners-up.html
The shortlist for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction has been announced. The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters (who appeared at last year's Writers Fest) made the cut.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/baileys-womens-prize-for-fiction-shortlists-debut-alongside-star-names
YOUNG READERS
Here are some great fiction book reviews for older children. "Outlandish plots, unlikely friendships and strange conspiracies mark out the best of the current bunch for middle-years youngsters."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/12/childrens-books-frank-cottrell-boyce
NEWS & FEATURES
Günter Grass, Nobel literature laureate and author of The Tin Drum, has died. "Günter Grass was to Germany what William Faulkner was to the old American South: The bard, scourge and pathfinder of a society ruined by moral disgrace and humiliated by military defeat."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/guenter-grass-dead_n_7053270.html
What books are most likely to be pulled from library shelves in the United States? Sherman Alexie's prize-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian tops the list.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1934973/10-books-most-likely-to-be-pulled-from-library-shelves-in-the-u-s/
Here's a new way to explore Toronto: the Toronto Poetry Map! "The metaphysical Toronto is what we actually see in this map," says poet George Elliott Clarke. "The Toronto that's conjured up by our imaginations as we ponder the reality of our existence here."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/the-toronto-poetry-map-see-and-read-a-new-way-of-exploring-the-city/article23900787/
A story written by 10-year-old Queen Victoria is set to published. "Far from the sober image that we are familiar with from her later years, Victoria shows a child's flair for the dramatic."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11523140/Childrens-book-written-by-the-young-Queen-Victoria-to-be-published.html
The Great Gatsby has just turned 90! To celebrate, here are five things you might not know about the classic novel.
http://flavorwire.com/513364/the-great-gatsby-turns-90-five-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-classic-novel
Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Top book designers have re-imagined some classic CanLit book covers, giving a new perspective to definitive works. Check them out here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-culture/2015/04/14/80-years-of-qq-designers-re-imagine-canlit-book-covers/
BOOKS & WRITERS
In Patrick Gale's A Place Called Winter, an Englishman becomes a settler in Canada, but brings his demons with him. "Nothing could seem more quixotic, at first sight, than that a married man living in England with a young child and a private income should decide to leave it all and sail to Canada for a life of hard physical work and uncertain chances."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/10/a-place-called-winter-patrick-gale-review
Disinformation, by Frances Leviston, is a "bracing and exciting" poetry collection with a "scope and seriousness" that invites comparisons to Elizabeth Bishop and Richard Wilbur. The book is particularly interesting when Leviston delves into the classical world, or what's left of it.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/11/disinformation-frances-leviston-review-sean-o-brien
Leah McLaren's A Better Man is "unexpectedly beautiful, a tale of what happens when lovers lose sight of one another during life's journey, only to turn a sudden corner and find their partner there, in sharper focus than ever before, unrecognizable and yet, somehow, the same as always." Change is central to the story, for better or for worse.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/a-better-man-is-an-surprisingly-beautiful-novel-on-a-lost-marriage/article23877208/
André Alexis has "gone to the dogs!" His new book, Fifteen Dogs, is based upon a single premise: do pups or humans live happier lives?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/fifteen-dogs-is-a-novel-on-whether-dogs-or-humans-live-happier/article23878203/
Larry Kramer's new book, The American People, is a novel (which the author prefers to call a history) of the United States. Begun as "a rambling history of homosexuality and AIDS in the United States," the novel "stretches back to the prehistoric swamps of the Everglades and concludes, in the second volume, in contemporary New York City."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/books/larry-kramers-novel-the-american-people-adds-a-gay-dimension-to-history.html
The Association of Book Publishers of BC presents Read Local BC, a project to celebrate the extraordinary depth of BC publishing. Running from April 1-22, the campaign features publishers, authors, bookstores and libraries from across the province.
http://books.bc.ca/read-local-bc/
Open call for submissions for the 2015 City of Vancouver Book Award. Deadline is Wednesday, May 20, 2015. Complete details can be found here:
http://vancouver.ca/people-programs/submit-a-book.aspx
COMMUNITY EVENTS
POETRY GABRIOLA SOCIETY READING SERIES
Featuring Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway with host Lisa Webster-Gibson. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm, by donation. Old Crow Café, 575 N. Road, Gabriola Island. More information at poetrygabriola.com.
MARGARET TRUDEAU
Meet Canada's former first lady as she signs her new memoir, The Time of Your Life. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm. Indigo Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
FEAST!
Jennica Harper and Kevin Spenst blend, spice and sauté measured words into poems that sizzle and satisfy. April 16 at 7:30 pm, free. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ
Children's author reads from her Sheila A. Egoff Prize winning book, The Old Brown Suitcase. Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm. Kensington branch, 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
This year's festival features a host of Canadian literary stars, including John Vaillant, Aislinn Hunter, Doretta Lau, Zsuzsi Gartner and Heather O'Neill. workshops, panel discussions and readings, there's something for everyone at this jam-packed literary weekend. April 17-18, 2015. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.
SPOKEN INK
Reading by Niki Koulouris, author of The sea with no one in it. Tuesday, April 21 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings. More information at bwscafe@gmail.com.
ASHLEY LITTLE
Reading by the author of Anatomy of A Girl Gang. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Featuring YA writers Jacquie Pearce and Loise Peterson plus open mic for youth. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
BOOK LAUNCH
An evening of reading, laughs and conversation with poets Jeff Steudel (Foreign Park), Melissa Bull (Rue), and Kevin Spenst (Jabbering with Bing Bong). Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. More information at 604-876-8710.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., West Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
Upcoming
BOOKFEST 2015
29th annual festival presented by Vancouver Island Children's Book Festival. Saturday, May 2, 2015 in downtown Nanaimo, BC. For complete details and ticket information, visit bookfest.ca.
JAN COATES
Readings for children and teens by the author of The Power of Harmony and Rocket Man. Part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week, bookweek.ca. Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. For times and locations, visit surreylibraries.ca.
JUDY YUNG AND EDDIE FUNG
Readings by the authors of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island and The Adventures of Eddie Fung. Tuesday, May 5 at 7:00pm, free. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with award-winning author, John Vaillant as he introduces his latest book, The Jaguar's Children. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts in partnership with Black Bond Books, May 5, 7:30 pm at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, 14601 20th Avenue, Surrey. $10. Pre-registration
recommended: info@semiahmooarts.com or 604-536-8333.
CATHIE BORRIE
Author reads from her memoir, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother and Me. Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
An evening with Jacqueline Woodson, 2014 National Book Award Winner for her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. Friday, May 8 at 7:00pm. Cost: $25. Robson Square Auditorium. Registration and information at vclr.ca.
AUTHORS AMONG US
Meet authors who use historical events to create fictional worlds or share narrative experiences. Featuring Sumi Kinoshita, Robert W. Mackay, Roger R. Blenman, and Sabina Khan. Saturday, May 9 at 2:00pm. Readability Lounge, City Centre Library, Surrey. For information and registration, call 604-598-7426.
Job Posting
We're looking for a new Executive Director, someone with a passion for the arts and the written word, and great communication and team management skills. Application deadline is April 17, 2015. Please visit our website for more information here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/employment.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
This year's Dram Come True features many single cask bottlings, a unique opportunity to sample some rare whiskies. With no two casks being exactly alike, tasting whisky from a single cask means that that once it's all be drunk, it's gone for good. We'll have all new offerings from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, as well as four new whiskies, including the Dimensons collection Glen Moray bottling and Blackadder's latest offering, Black Snake Venom.
We've just released a sneak preview of our Dram tasting menu, click here (https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-tasting-menu) for a taste of what to expect at this year's event.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
A rare event featuring mother and daughter Jane Urquhart (The Night Stages) and Emily Urquhart (Beyond the Pale). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
Emily and Jane Urquhart share more than the same name. Besides being mother and daughter, they're also both authors, with books published only a week apart this year. The two Urquhart's are interviewed by The Globe and Mail, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/mother-and-daughter-authors-share-the-spotlight-with-book-releases/article23881439/
FREE!
7:30pm, April 22
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
Jean-Francois Blanchette has received the 2015 Non-fiction Prix Champlain for his book Du coq à l'âme: L'art populaire au Québec. The book looks at the Quebec folk art collections in the Canadian Museum of History.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/13/jean-francois-blanchette-wins-2015-prix-champlain/
D.W. Wilson has won this year's CBC Short Story Prize. His story, Mountain Under Sea, was declared "a marvel of compression and emotional restraint; its language is deft and its characters, warm with teasing affection, feel impulsive and alive."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/canadawrites/2015/04/2015-cbc-short-story-prize-winner-and-runners-up.html
The shortlist for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction has been announced. The Paying Guests, by Sarah Waters (who appeared at last year's Writers Fest) made the cut.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/13/baileys-womens-prize-for-fiction-shortlists-debut-alongside-star-names
YOUNG READERS
Here are some great fiction book reviews for older children. "Outlandish plots, unlikely friendships and strange conspiracies mark out the best of the current bunch for middle-years youngsters."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/12/childrens-books-frank-cottrell-boyce
NEWS & FEATURES
Günter Grass, Nobel literature laureate and author of The Tin Drum, has died. "Günter Grass was to Germany what William Faulkner was to the old American South: The bard, scourge and pathfinder of a society ruined by moral disgrace and humiliated by military defeat."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/guenter-grass-dead_n_7053270.html
What books are most likely to be pulled from library shelves in the United States? Sherman Alexie's prize-winning The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian tops the list.
http://globalnews.ca/news/1934973/10-books-most-likely-to-be-pulled-from-library-shelves-in-the-u-s/
Here's a new way to explore Toronto: the Toronto Poetry Map! "The metaphysical Toronto is what we actually see in this map," says poet George Elliott Clarke. "The Toronto that's conjured up by our imaginations as we ponder the reality of our existence here."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/the-toronto-poetry-map-see-and-read-a-new-way-of-exploring-the-city/article23900787/
A story written by 10-year-old Queen Victoria is set to published. "Far from the sober image that we are familiar with from her later years, Victoria shows a child's flair for the dramatic."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11523140/Childrens-book-written-by-the-young-Queen-Victoria-to-be-published.html
The Great Gatsby has just turned 90! To celebrate, here are five things you might not know about the classic novel.
http://flavorwire.com/513364/the-great-gatsby-turns-90-five-things-you-might-not-know-about-the-classic-novel
Have you ever judged a book by its cover? Top book designers have re-imagined some classic CanLit book covers, giving a new perspective to definitive works. Check them out here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-culture/2015/04/14/80-years-of-qq-designers-re-imagine-canlit-book-covers/
BOOKS & WRITERS
In Patrick Gale's A Place Called Winter, an Englishman becomes a settler in Canada, but brings his demons with him. "Nothing could seem more quixotic, at first sight, than that a married man living in England with a young child and a private income should decide to leave it all and sail to Canada for a life of hard physical work and uncertain chances."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/10/a-place-called-winter-patrick-gale-review
Disinformation, by Frances Leviston, is a "bracing and exciting" poetry collection with a "scope and seriousness" that invites comparisons to Elizabeth Bishop and Richard Wilbur. The book is particularly interesting when Leviston delves into the classical world, or what's left of it.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/11/disinformation-frances-leviston-review-sean-o-brien
Leah McLaren's A Better Man is "unexpectedly beautiful, a tale of what happens when lovers lose sight of one another during life's journey, only to turn a sudden corner and find their partner there, in sharper focus than ever before, unrecognizable and yet, somehow, the same as always." Change is central to the story, for better or for worse.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/a-better-man-is-an-surprisingly-beautiful-novel-on-a-lost-marriage/article23877208/
André Alexis has "gone to the dogs!" His new book, Fifteen Dogs, is based upon a single premise: do pups or humans live happier lives?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/fifteen-dogs-is-a-novel-on-whether-dogs-or-humans-live-happier/article23878203/
Larry Kramer's new book, The American People, is a novel (which the author prefers to call a history) of the United States. Begun as "a rambling history of homosexuality and AIDS in the United States," the novel "stretches back to the prehistoric swamps of the Everglades and concludes, in the second volume, in contemporary New York City."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/08/books/larry-kramers-novel-the-american-people-adds-a-gay-dimension-to-history.html
The Association of Book Publishers of BC presents Read Local BC, a project to celebrate the extraordinary depth of BC publishing. Running from April 1-22, the campaign features publishers, authors, bookstores and libraries from across the province.
http://books.bc.ca/read-local-bc/
Open call for submissions for the 2015 City of Vancouver Book Award. Deadline is Wednesday, May 20, 2015. Complete details can be found here:
http://vancouver.ca/people-programs/submit-a-book.aspx
COMMUNITY EVENTS
POETRY GABRIOLA SOCIETY READING SERIES
Featuring Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway with host Lisa Webster-Gibson. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm, by donation. Old Crow Café, 575 N. Road, Gabriola Island. More information at poetrygabriola.com.
MARGARET TRUDEAU
Meet Canada's former first lady as she signs her new memoir, The Time of Your Life. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm. Indigo Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
FEAST!
Jennica Harper and Kevin Spenst blend, spice and sauté measured words into poems that sizzle and satisfy. April 16 at 7:30 pm, free. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ
Children's author reads from her Sheila A. Egoff Prize winning book, The Old Brown Suitcase. Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm. Kensington branch, 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
This year's festival features a host of Canadian literary stars, including John Vaillant, Aislinn Hunter, Doretta Lau, Zsuzsi Gartner and Heather O'Neill. workshops, panel discussions and readings, there's something for everyone at this jam-packed literary weekend. April 17-18, 2015. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.
SPOKEN INK
Reading by Niki Koulouris, author of The sea with no one in it. Tuesday, April 21 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings. More information at bwscafe@gmail.com.
ASHLEY LITTLE
Reading by the author of Anatomy of A Girl Gang. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Featuring YA writers Jacquie Pearce and Loise Peterson plus open mic for youth. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
BOOK LAUNCH
An evening of reading, laughs and conversation with poets Jeff Steudel (Foreign Park), Melissa Bull (Rue), and Kevin Spenst (Jabbering with Bing Bong). Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free. The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver. More information at 604-876-8710.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., West Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
Upcoming
BOOKFEST 2015
29th annual festival presented by Vancouver Island Children's Book Festival. Saturday, May 2, 2015 in downtown Nanaimo, BC. For complete details and ticket information, visit bookfest.ca.
JAN COATES
Readings for children and teens by the author of The Power of Harmony and Rocket Man. Part of TD Canadian Children's Book Week, bookweek.ca. Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5. For times and locations, visit surreylibraries.ca.
JUDY YUNG AND EDDIE FUNG
Readings by the authors of Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island and The Adventures of Eddie Fung. Tuesday, May 5 at 7:00pm, free. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with award-winning author, John Vaillant as he introduces his latest book, The Jaguar's Children. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts in partnership with Black Bond Books, May 5, 7:30 pm at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, 14601 20th Avenue, Surrey. $10. Pre-registration
recommended: info@semiahmooarts.com or 604-536-8333.
CATHIE BORRIE
Author reads from her memoir, The Long Hello: Memory, My Mother and Me. Thursday, May 7 at 7:00pm. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library.
JACQUELINE WOODSON
An evening with Jacqueline Woodson, 2014 National Book Award Winner for her memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming. Friday, May 8 at 7:00pm. Cost: $25. Robson Square Auditorium. Registration and information at vclr.ca.
AUTHORS AMONG US
Meet authors who use historical events to create fictional worlds or share narrative experiences. Featuring Sumi Kinoshita, Robert W. Mackay, Roger R. Blenman, and Sabina Khan. Saturday, May 9 at 2:00pm. Readability Lounge, City Centre Library, Surrey. For information and registration, call 604-598-7426.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 3
BOOK NEWS
Job Posting
We're looking for a new Executive Director, someone with a passion for the arts and the written word, and great communication and team management skills. Please visit our website for more information here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/employment.
An Intimate Evening with Sjón Podcast
A note from Artistic Director Hal Wake: I have become a recent addict to the New York Review of Books and it is becoming a place where I discover new writers. Such was the case when I began to read an article by the distinguished novelist and critic A.S. Byatt who wrote of the Icelandic writer Sjón: “Every now and then a writer changes the whole map of literature inside my head. The most recent has been the Icelander Sjón, whose work is unlike anything I had read, and very exciting.” Six months later we were delighted to present Sjón at the festival and you can hear him here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/audio-archives/intimate-evening-sj%C3%B3n.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
West Coast Whisky Society President Dave Mason is the curatorial force behind the Dram Come True tasting menu. His selection is always diverse, featuring both rare whiskies and a few tipples produced a bit closer to home:
"The whiskies bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, for example, are "single cask" and "cask-strength" offerings produced in limited amounts and usually only available to SMWS members—they also vary greatly year by year. The locally distilled offerings from Odd Society Spirits are a great representative for the budding "craft distillers" movement here in Vancouver."
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
A rare event featuring mother and daughter Jane Urquhart (The Night Stages) and Emily Urquhart (Beyond the Pale). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, April 22
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
This year's Leacock Medal for Humour's shortlist has been annouced. The medal "recognizes the best book of humour by a Canadian from the year prior."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/01/2015-leacock-medal-for-humour-shortlist-revealed/
Amazon.ca has also revealed its First Novel Award shortlist. The award recognizes "an exceptional English-language title by a Canadian first-time novelist."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/01/amazon-ca-first-novel-award-shortlist-announced-2/
The shortlists for the 2015 Manitoba Book Awards have also been announced. The awards celebrate the best titles by Manitoba authors.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/02/2015-manitoba-book-award-shortlists-annnounced/
The League of Canadian Poets has announced the shortlists for its three awards: the Raymond Souster Award for poetry by a league member, the Gerald Lampert Memoiral Awards for a first book of poetry by a Canadian, and the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for a book of poetry by a Canadian woman.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/01/league-of-canadian-poets-2015-awards-shortlists-revealed/
YOUNG READERS
I Will Always Write Back, a non-fiction booked aimed at YA readers, tells the true-life story of a six-year pen-pal exchange that changed two teens' lives. I Will Always Write Back is also about the power of writing and the impact small actions can make on the world.
http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/65983-childhood-pen-pals-share-their-remarkable-story-in-new-book.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Why do Young Adult novels make great box office hits? "Nearly a quarter of the 200 top-grossing films worldwide have been directly adapted from books:"
http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/03/25/insurgent-and-why-young-adult-novels-make-box-office-hits/
The Evergreen Review, an influential literary publication that debuted Jack Kerouac and Susan Sontag (among others), has returned after a lengthy hiatus. The Review's history is stuff of legend: its offices were bombed in 1968, and was once famously maligned on the floor of the U.S. Congress for "printing the likeness of Richard Nixon next to a nude photo."
http://flavorwire.com/511384/or-books-revives-the-publisher-that-launched-sontag-and-burroughs
A medieval manuscript in the British Library appears to contain a cure for MRSA (a form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria). The text was discovered by Anglo-Saxon expert Dr. Christina Lee and was then tested on living organisms. "Results showed that it was more effective than a conventional antibiotic; it killed 90% of the bacteria in biopsies from mice."
http://flavorwire.com/newswire/a-medieval-manuscript-in-the-british-library-seems-to-contain-a-cure-for-mrsa
When it comes to reading, is pleasure suspect? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Anna Holmes and Benjamin Moser debate "whether pleasure in reading is trivial or vital."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/when-it-comes-to-reading-is-pleasure-suspect.html
"An author's worst critic is usually themselves–unless Sir Salman Rushdie weighs in with a broadside, that is." Apparently Rushdie has acquired a Goodreads account, and has given some not-so-flattering ratings to literary classics.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/sir-salman-rushdie-claims-i-was-just-fooling-around-as-his-ratings-of-other-authors-work-go-viral-10156390.html
Do you use reading to cure insomnia? Charles Simic does. "I read only a passage or two, and at the most a page, because if I read more than that, I'm in danger of staying up half a night."
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/apr/01/insomnia-book-darkness/
Shakespeare's Sonnets (all 154 of them!) are being re-imagined through a New York lens. "The endeavor, called the Sonnet Project, grew from the work of the New York Shakespeare Exchange, a local theater group."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/nyregion/rise-restive-muse-154-times-all-shakespeares-sonnets-through-a-new-york-lens.html
Is historical context essential to understanding a book? Here's an argument for reading literature in chronological order.
http://bookriot.com/2015/03/30/an-argument-for-reading-literature-in-chronological-order/
BOOKS & WRITERS
"The variable nature of April weather has long made it fodder for poets. (Or for poets in temperate climates, at any rate.)" Here's the Paris Review's tribute to this month's literary inclinations: a discussion of Thomas Morley's My Mistress' Face.
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/02/my-mistress-face/
And on that note, it's National Poetry Month! To celebrate, The Rumpus is publishing daily selections of poetry. Here's a poem from this week, Innocence: a Memoir, by Kathleen Ossip.
http://therumpus.net/2015/04/national-poetry-month-day-5-innocence-a-memoir-by-kathleen-ossip/
Stevie Smith's Novel on Yellow Paper is being reissued at the end of the month. Here's an excerpt from the book's introduction, in which Rachel Cooke discusses the life and career of the singular English poet.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/06/stevie-smith-steel-soul-of-suburbs-novel-on-yellow-paper
Viet Thanh Nguyen's tragicomic debut novel, The Sympathizer, "compels us to look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath in a new light." And yet, despite its historical context, the novel's themes are also universal: "the eternal misconceptions and misunderstandings between East and West, and the moral dilemma faced by people forced to choose not between right and wrong, but right and right."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/the-sympathizer-by-viet-thanh-nguyen.html
Lydia Davis, the author of Can't and Won't, has been interviewed by the New York Times. She discusses her reading habits, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/05bkr-bythebook_davis.html
Night at the Fiestas, by Kirstin Valdez Quade, is a collection of short stories set largely in northern New Mexico. It "introduces us to people of belief: Catholics who trust in Christ's suffering; those whose lives hinge on the evil glance of the ojo and the healing power of the curanderas; and atheists still clutching totems from the past."
http://therumpus.net/2015/04/night-at-the-fiestas-by-kirstin-valdez-quade/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
BOOK SALE IN MAY AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY
SPRING CLEANING? WANTED: Used books, CDs, DVDs and LP donations for the Friends of the Vancouver Public Library book sale. Collection period ends April 15. For information and drop off locations please call 604 331-4049
or go to www.friendsofthevpl.ca. Book sale is in May at the Central Library.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series the second Thursday of the month. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. In recognition of National Poetry Month, April 9 is poetry only. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AN EVOLVING CITY
Event featuring George Bowering and Wayde Compton. Thursday, April 9 at 7:30pm, free. Pulp Fiction, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver.
UNHANGED AUTHOR
Free workshop for writers thinking of entering the 2015 Arthur Ellis Unhanged Author competition. Saturday, April 11 from 10am to 5pm. VPL Central branch, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. Complete details at crimewriterscanada.com.
POETRY READING
Featuring Arleen Pare, Cathy Ford, Chelene Knight, Stephen Collis, and Christopher Levenson. Sunday, April 12 at 7:00pm. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby. More information at 604-739-9565.
NEIL MCKINNON
Author reads from his new book The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00pm, free. VPL Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Catriona Strang and Michael Turner are the featured poets. Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 noon, free. SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery, 515 W Hastings St. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.
RHYTHM AND VERSE
Poetry writing workshop and poetry reading from Christopher Levenson's latest book, Night Vision. Wednesday, April 15 at 1:00pm. White Rock Library, 15342 Buena Vista Ave., White Rock. More information at fvrl.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
Vancouver author Roberta Rich in discussion of her novel The Harem Midwife. Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details, please call 604-879-7737.
MAGGIE DE VRIES
Author reads from her children's book, Fraser Bear. Thursday, April 16 at 1:30pm. Oakridge branch library, 191-650 41st Ave. W., Vancouver. Information at vpl.ca.
POETRY GABRIOLA SOCIETY READING SERIES
Featuring Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway with host Lisa Webster-Gibson. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm, by donation. Old Crow Café, 575 N. Road, Gabriola Island. More information at poetrygabriola.com.
FEAST!
Jennica Harper and Kevin Spenst blend, spice and sauté measured words into poems that sizzle and satisfy. April 16 at 7:30 pm, free. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ
Children's author reads from her Sheila A. Egoff Prize winning book, The Old Brown Suitcase. Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm. Kensington branch, 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
This year's festival features a host of Canadian literary stars, including John Vaillant, Aislinn Hunter, Doretta Lau, Zsuzsi Gartner and Heather O'Neill. workshops, panel discussions and readings, there's something for everyone at this jam-packed literary weekend. April 17-18, 2015. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Featuring YA writers Jacquie Pearce and Loise Peterson plus open mic for youth. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., West Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
Job Posting
We're looking for a new Executive Director, someone with a passion for the arts and the written word, and great communication and team management skills. Please visit our website for more information here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/employment.
An Intimate Evening with Sjón Podcast
A note from Artistic Director Hal Wake: I have become a recent addict to the New York Review of Books and it is becoming a place where I discover new writers. Such was the case when I began to read an article by the distinguished novelist and critic A.S. Byatt who wrote of the Icelandic writer Sjón: “Every now and then a writer changes the whole map of literature inside my head. The most recent has been the Icelander Sjón, whose work is unlike anything I had read, and very exciting.” Six months later we were delighted to present Sjón at the festival and you can hear him here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/audio-archives/intimate-evening-sj%C3%B3n.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
West Coast Whisky Society President Dave Mason is the curatorial force behind the Dram Come True tasting menu. His selection is always diverse, featuring both rare whiskies and a few tipples produced a bit closer to home:
"The whiskies bottled by the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, for example, are "single cask" and "cask-strength" offerings produced in limited amounts and usually only available to SMWS members—they also vary greatly year by year. The locally distilled offerings from Odd Society Spirits are a great representative for the budding "craft distillers" movement here in Vancouver."
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
A rare event featuring mother and daughter Jane Urquhart (The Night Stages) and Emily Urquhart (Beyond the Pale). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, April 22
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
This year's Leacock Medal for Humour's shortlist has been annouced. The medal "recognizes the best book of humour by a Canadian from the year prior."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/01/2015-leacock-medal-for-humour-shortlist-revealed/
Amazon.ca has also revealed its First Novel Award shortlist. The award recognizes "an exceptional English-language title by a Canadian first-time novelist."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/01/amazon-ca-first-novel-award-shortlist-announced-2/
The shortlists for the 2015 Manitoba Book Awards have also been announced. The awards celebrate the best titles by Manitoba authors.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/02/2015-manitoba-book-award-shortlists-annnounced/
The League of Canadian Poets has announced the shortlists for its three awards: the Raymond Souster Award for poetry by a league member, the Gerald Lampert Memoiral Awards for a first book of poetry by a Canadian, and the Pat Lowther Memorial Award for a book of poetry by a Canadian woman.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/04/01/league-of-canadian-poets-2015-awards-shortlists-revealed/
YOUNG READERS
I Will Always Write Back, a non-fiction booked aimed at YA readers, tells the true-life story of a six-year pen-pal exchange that changed two teens' lives. I Will Always Write Back is also about the power of writing and the impact small actions can make on the world.
http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/65983-childhood-pen-pals-share-their-remarkable-story-in-new-book.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Why do Young Adult novels make great box office hits? "Nearly a quarter of the 200 top-grossing films worldwide have been directly adapted from books:"
http://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2015/03/25/insurgent-and-why-young-adult-novels-make-box-office-hits/
The Evergreen Review, an influential literary publication that debuted Jack Kerouac and Susan Sontag (among others), has returned after a lengthy hiatus. The Review's history is stuff of legend: its offices were bombed in 1968, and was once famously maligned on the floor of the U.S. Congress for "printing the likeness of Richard Nixon next to a nude photo."
http://flavorwire.com/511384/or-books-revives-the-publisher-that-launched-sontag-and-burroughs
A medieval manuscript in the British Library appears to contain a cure for MRSA (a form of antibiotic-resistant bacteria). The text was discovered by Anglo-Saxon expert Dr. Christina Lee and was then tested on living organisms. "Results showed that it was more effective than a conventional antibiotic; it killed 90% of the bacteria in biopsies from mice."
http://flavorwire.com/newswire/a-medieval-manuscript-in-the-british-library-seems-to-contain-a-cure-for-mrsa
When it comes to reading, is pleasure suspect? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Anna Holmes and Benjamin Moser debate "whether pleasure in reading is trivial or vital."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/when-it-comes-to-reading-is-pleasure-suspect.html
"An author's worst critic is usually themselves–unless Sir Salman Rushdie weighs in with a broadside, that is." Apparently Rushdie has acquired a Goodreads account, and has given some not-so-flattering ratings to literary classics.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/sir-salman-rushdie-claims-i-was-just-fooling-around-as-his-ratings-of-other-authors-work-go-viral-10156390.html
Do you use reading to cure insomnia? Charles Simic does. "I read only a passage or two, and at the most a page, because if I read more than that, I'm in danger of staying up half a night."
http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2015/apr/01/insomnia-book-darkness/
Shakespeare's Sonnets (all 154 of them!) are being re-imagined through a New York lens. "The endeavor, called the Sonnet Project, grew from the work of the New York Shakespeare Exchange, a local theater group."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/nyregion/rise-restive-muse-154-times-all-shakespeares-sonnets-through-a-new-york-lens.html
Is historical context essential to understanding a book? Here's an argument for reading literature in chronological order.
http://bookriot.com/2015/03/30/an-argument-for-reading-literature-in-chronological-order/
BOOKS & WRITERS
"The variable nature of April weather has long made it fodder for poets. (Or for poets in temperate climates, at any rate.)" Here's the Paris Review's tribute to this month's literary inclinations: a discussion of Thomas Morley's My Mistress' Face.
http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/04/02/my-mistress-face/
And on that note, it's National Poetry Month! To celebrate, The Rumpus is publishing daily selections of poetry. Here's a poem from this week, Innocence: a Memoir, by Kathleen Ossip.
http://therumpus.net/2015/04/national-poetry-month-day-5-innocence-a-memoir-by-kathleen-ossip/
Stevie Smith's Novel on Yellow Paper is being reissued at the end of the month. Here's an excerpt from the book's introduction, in which Rachel Cooke discusses the life and career of the singular English poet.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/06/stevie-smith-steel-soul-of-suburbs-novel-on-yellow-paper
Viet Thanh Nguyen's tragicomic debut novel, The Sympathizer, "compels us to look at the Vietnam War and its aftermath in a new light." And yet, despite its historical context, the novel's themes are also universal: "the eternal misconceptions and misunderstandings between East and West, and the moral dilemma faced by people forced to choose not between right and wrong, but right and right."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/the-sympathizer-by-viet-thanh-nguyen.html
Lydia Davis, the author of Can't and Won't, has been interviewed by the New York Times. She discusses her reading habits, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/05/books/review/05bkr-bythebook_davis.html
Night at the Fiestas, by Kirstin Valdez Quade, is a collection of short stories set largely in northern New Mexico. It "introduces us to people of belief: Catholics who trust in Christ's suffering; those whose lives hinge on the evil glance of the ojo and the healing power of the curanderas; and atheists still clutching totems from the past."
http://therumpus.net/2015/04/night-at-the-fiestas-by-kirstin-valdez-quade/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
BOOK SALE IN MAY AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY
SPRING CLEANING? WANTED: Used books, CDs, DVDs and LP donations for the Friends of the Vancouver Public Library book sale. Collection period ends April 15. For information and drop off locations please call 604 331-4049
or go to www.friendsofthevpl.ca. Book sale is in May at the Central Library.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series the second Thursday of the month. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. In recognition of National Poetry Month, April 9 is poetry only. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AN EVOLVING CITY
Event featuring George Bowering and Wayde Compton. Thursday, April 9 at 7:30pm, free. Pulp Fiction, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver.
UNHANGED AUTHOR
Free workshop for writers thinking of entering the 2015 Arthur Ellis Unhanged Author competition. Saturday, April 11 from 10am to 5pm. VPL Central branch, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. Complete details at crimewriterscanada.com.
POETRY READING
Featuring Arleen Pare, Cathy Ford, Chelene Knight, Stephen Collis, and Christopher Levenson. Sunday, April 12 at 7:00pm. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby. More information at 604-739-9565.
NEIL MCKINNON
Author reads from his new book The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00pm, free. VPL Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Catriona Strang and Michael Turner are the featured poets. Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 noon, free. SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery, 515 W Hastings St. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.
RHYTHM AND VERSE
Poetry writing workshop and poetry reading from Christopher Levenson's latest book, Night Vision. Wednesday, April 15 at 1:00pm. White Rock Library, 15342 Buena Vista Ave., White Rock. More information at fvrl.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
Vancouver author Roberta Rich in discussion of her novel The Harem Midwife. Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details, please call 604-879-7737.
MAGGIE DE VRIES
Author reads from her children's book, Fraser Bear. Thursday, April 16 at 1:30pm. Oakridge branch library, 191-650 41st Ave. W., Vancouver. Information at vpl.ca.
POETRY GABRIOLA SOCIETY READING SERIES
Featuring Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway with host Lisa Webster-Gibson. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm, by donation. Old Crow Café, 575 N. Road, Gabriola Island. More information at poetrygabriola.com.
FEAST!
Jennica Harper and Kevin Spenst blend, spice and sauté measured words into poems that sizzle and satisfy. April 16 at 7:30 pm, free. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ
Children's author reads from her Sheila A. Egoff Prize winning book, The Old Brown Suitcase. Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm. Kensington branch, 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
This year's festival features a host of Canadian literary stars, including John Vaillant, Aislinn Hunter, Doretta Lau, Zsuzsi Gartner and Heather O'Neill. workshops, panel discussions and readings, there's something for everyone at this jam-packed literary weekend. April 17-18, 2015. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Featuring YA writers Jacquie Pearce and Loise Peterson plus open mic for youth. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm. Suggested donation: $5. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., West Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 2
BOOK NEWS
I’ve been on the road recently, on the hunt for writers to bring to the Festival in October. As a result I missed a significant milestone in Festival history. Although the exact date is lost in the mists of time, this is the tenth anniversary of the beginning of Book News. It has evolved in form and content over the years, but the main purpose—to connect our readers with the larger literary world as well as to promote local events of interest—has remained the same. Huge thanks to all the people at the Festival who have helped make Book News indispensable for many readers. And if you are one of those readers and feel like showing your appreciation and support for the VWF's programs, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. Click here to donate, http://writersfest.bc.ca/donate.
Karl Ove Knausgaard in Conversation with John Freeman Podcast
Norwegian literary sensation Karl Ove Knausgaard appeared in three sold out events at the 2014 Vancouver Writers Fest. Speaking of the toll the publication of his magnum opus My Struggle took, he commented, "I will never do anything like this again. I have given away my soul." Hear his fascinating conversation with John Freeman here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/audio-archives/karl-ove-knausgaard-conversation-john-freeman.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
We asked Dave Mason, President of the West Coast Whisky Society and curator of the whisky selection at A Dram Come True-is A Dram Come True for scotch aficionados only?
"I believe A Dram Come True is a brilliant introduction for the Whisky-rookie, or for those who enjoy whisky, but have rarely delved deep into the many different styles, ages, finishes and distillery characteristics available. With the added guidance of our "Whisky Experts" there's plenty to learn."
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
Through personal experience and story, Deni Béchard (The Last Bonobo), Lisa J. Shannon (Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunmen) and Michael Wuitchik (My Heart Is Not My Own) take us inside conflicts in Congo and Sierra Leone. Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, April 8
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
The shortlist for the 2015 Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction has been announced. Alexander McCall Smith, Irvine Welsh and Caitlin Moran are among the six selected.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/31/wodehouse-prize-comic-fiction-2015-shortlist
The longlist for the Miles Franklin Award, Australia's foremost literary prize, has been revealed. The list includes three debut novelists, eight women and a rapper.
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/31/miles-franklin-award-longlist-2015
YOUNG READERS
"No one does cranky with quite as much panache as the French. Two picture books about bad moods, both written by Francophone authors and offered in English translations for the first time, demonstrate what may be the secret." They're Prickly Jenny and Edgar Wants to Be Alone, and are reviewed in The New York Times, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/books/review/prickly-jenny-and-edgar-wants-to-be-alone.html
NEWS & FEATURES
What does judging a literary prize tell us about fiction? Here's Rachel Cooke's take on the matter.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/30/pleasure-pain-picking-folio-prize-winner
A book club in Boston has been debating Finnegan's Wake for 18 years. "There's no reading this book alone; it's too daunting, too dense, too lonely an enterprise. 'We've all tried it,' said Richard Cosma, an engineer and cofounder of the group. 'It doesn't work,' he said, of tackling the text solo."
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2015/03/23/one-book-group-one-book-finnegans-wake-years/6r8rU4y78oZIjXtKZOHuOP/story.html
What accounts for Jane Austen's amazing posthumous success? "Tolstoy, Dickens and Proust are all remembered, and still read, but they do not have countless fans throughout the world who reread their books each year, who eagerly await the latest television or movie adaptation, who attend conventions in period costume, and who no doubt dream about the heroes and heroines of their novels."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-secret-of-the-jane-austen-industry-1427473889
Buying an e-reader in Canada has just gotten harder, thanks to the shuttering of 66 Future Shop locations. "This is a blow to smaller companies that depended on Future Shop for distribution such as Aluratek and the Boogieboard writing tablet."
http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/buying-an-ereader-in-canada-just-got-harder
What are litotes? The most common rhetorical device you've never heard of, apparently! "It's the rhetorical equivalent of having your cake and eating it. No wonder politicians love it."
http://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2015/mar/26/litotes-the-most-common-rhetorical-device-youve-never-heard-of
What's more important to a writer: the initial rush of prose or the self-editing and revision that follow? Thomas Mallon and Cheryl Strayed tackle that question in this week's edition of The New York Times' Bookends.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/books/review/whats-more-important-to-you-the-initial-rush-of-prose-or-the-self-editing-and-revision-that-come-after-it.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Tom McCarthy is "one of the most inventive and unorthodox writers working today." His new book, Satin Island, features a "a talented and uneasy figure" who is "pimping his skills to an elite consultancy in contemporary London." McCarthy is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-tom-mccarthy-on-the-best-advice-hes-received-and-the-classic-novelist-he-cant-stand/article23669405/
Neil Gaiman's new novel, Trigger Warning, "reminds us why he's a phenomenon...It's likely trite to say, but unavoidable: Neil Gaiman is probably the closest the writing world gets to a rock star."
http://www.straight.com/life/416946/neil-gaiman-reminds-us-why-hes-phenomenon-trigger-warning
In Kim Echlin's Under the Visible Life, two women from wildly different backgrounds are brought together by a love of music, resulting in a powerful friendship. The novel is Echlin's first since The Disappeared, which was shortlisted for the Giller Prize.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/03/07/under-the-visible-life-by-kim-echlin-review.html
"Susan Howe and R.H. Quaytman are mother and daughter, a poet and a painter, both widely admired and fiercely cerebral and quietly a lot of fun." They recently collaborated on Tom Tit Tot, a book inspired by gruesome fairy tales, produced by the Museum of Modern Art.
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/susan-howe-rh-quaytman-mother-daughter-interview/
The Room, by Jonas Karlsson is a novel that takes an "'exhilarating' look at the strange relationship between conformity, power, chaos and alienation in the modern workplace." It adds "another meaningful and insightful contribution to this literary genre one might label 'office literature.'"
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/03/21/the-room-by-jonas-karlsson-review.html
The Strange Case of Rachel K, by Rachel Kushner, is a slim collection of short stories that will appeal to devoted fans "hungry for origin stories." Two of the stories are early versions of parts of Telex from Cuba, Kushner's 2008 novel which told the tale of United Fruit Company workers in the days leading up to the Cuban Revolution.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/03/20/the-strange-case-of-rachel-k-by-rachel-kushner-review.html
Poet Terrance Hays was recently profiled in The New York Times. "When college students read Hayes, they talk about the underlying seriousness of poems about lynchings, fistfights or rape. But when poets talk about Hayes, they tend to address his invented forms: poems based on anagrams, on the Japanese slide shows called pechakucha and on puzzles."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/magazine/galaxies-inside-his-head-poet-terrance-hayes.html
Sarah Hall's new novel, The Wolf Border, is the story of a nomadic zoologist who returns home to northern England in order to reintroduce the grey wolf to her native country. In this interview, Hall discusses the book, along with "how motherhood has affected her work and why avoiding politics in fiction is juvenile."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/28/sarah-hall-books-interview-the-wolf-border
It was April Fool's Day on Wednesday. How appropriate, then, that The Guardian's Poem of the week is April Fools' Day by Elaine Feinstein. Check it out here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/mar/30/poem-of-the-week-april-fools-day-by-elaine-feinstein
Carellin Brooks' One Hundred Days of Rain "is not a novel of character; it's a novel of mood, of internal workings, a novel noir, so to speak, in which rain represents 100 shades of negation." The title is a reference to Vancouver's annual rainfall and the depression that take place inside the narrator's head.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Novel+deluge+depression/10925803/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
BOOK SALE IN MAY AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY
SPRING CLEANING? WANTED: Used books, CDs, DVDs and LP donations for the Friends of the Vancouver Public Library book sale. Collection period ends April 15. For information and drop off locations please call 604 331-4049
or go to www.friendsofthevpl.ca. Book sale is in May at the Central Library.
BC BOOK PRIZES SOIREE 2015
Mix and mingle with the nominees, BC's vibrant literary community, and support the BC Book Prizes/On Tour/program. Thursday, April 2 at 6:00pm, free. Joe's Apartment, 919 Granville St., Vancouver. More information at bcbookprizes.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio of SFU presents Leah Horlick, 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow in Poetry and author of Riot Lung.
Thursday, April 2 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
Readings from Candice James, New Westminster's Poet Laureate and George Fetherling, author of many books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30pm. New Westminster Public Library, New Westminster. More information and registration at 604-527-4667.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Chelene Knight and Ursula Vaira plus open mic. April 8 at 7:00pm. 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.
POETRY
Canadian Authors Vancouver presents a poetry reading and workshop, hosted by Dennis E. Bolen, featuring Mariner Janes, Bernice Lever, Kevin Spenst, and Christopher Levenson. Wednesday, April 8 at 7:00pm, admission charged. Alliance for Arts and Culture, 938 Howe Street. More information at 604-739-9565.
HARRY POTTER TRIVIA NIGHT
Teams of up to six players will compete for the grand prize as well as bragging rights as Vancouver's ultimate Potterheads. There will also be prizes for the winners of each round as well as a door prize and a costume contest. Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $5. Sunset Grill, 2204 York Ave., Vancouver. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1381397.
POETRY WITHOUT BORDERS
Poets Patrick Friesen, Rhona McAdam, Inge Israel and Beth Kope present an evening of readings and conversation. Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30pm, free. Munro's Books, 1108 Government St., Victoria.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series the second Thursday of the month. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. In recognition of National Poetry Month, April 9 is poetry only. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AN EVOLVING CITY
Event featuring George Bowering and Wayde Compton. Thursday, April 9 at 7:30pm, free. Pulp Fiction, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver.
UNHANGED AUTHOR
Free workshop for writers thinking of entering the 2015 Arthur Ellis Unhanged Author competition. Saturday, April 11 from 10am to 5pm. VPL Central branch, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. Complete details at crimewriterscanada.com.
POETRY READING
Featuring Arleen Pare, Cathy Ford, Chelene Knight, Stephen Collis, and Christopher Levenson. Sunday, April 12 at 7:00pm. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby. More information at 604-739-9565.
NEIL MCKINNON
Author reads from his new book The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00pm, free. VPL Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Catriona Strang and Michael Turner are the featured poets. Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 noon, free. SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery, 515 W Hastings St. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.
NOVEL NIGHTS
Vancouver author Roberta Rich in discussion of her novel The Harem Midwife. Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details, please call 604-879-7737.
MAGGIE DE VRIES
Author reads from her children's book, Fraser Bear. Thursday, April 16 at 1:30pm. Oakridge branch library, 191-650 41st Ave. W., Vancouver. Information at vpl.ca.
POETRY GABRIOLA SOCIETY READING SERIES
Featuring Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway with host Lisa Webster-Gibson. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm, by donation. Old Crow Café, 575 N. Road, Gabriola Island. More information at poetrygabriola.com.
FEAST!
Jennica Harper and Kevin Spenst blend, spice and sauté measured words into poems that sizzle and satisfy. April 16 at 7:30 pm, free. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ
Children's author reads from her Sheila A. Egoff Prize winning book, The Old Brown Suitcase. Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm. Kensington branch, 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
This year's festival features a host of Canadian literary stars, including John Vaillant, Aislinn Hunter, Doretta Lau, Zsuzsi Gartner and Heather O'Neill. workshops, panel discussions and readings, there's something for everyone at this jam-packed literary weekend. April 17-18, 2015. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.
Upcoming
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., West Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
I’ve been on the road recently, on the hunt for writers to bring to the Festival in October. As a result I missed a significant milestone in Festival history. Although the exact date is lost in the mists of time, this is the tenth anniversary of the beginning of Book News. It has evolved in form and content over the years, but the main purpose—to connect our readers with the larger literary world as well as to promote local events of interest—has remained the same. Huge thanks to all the people at the Festival who have helped make Book News indispensable for many readers. And if you are one of those readers and feel like showing your appreciation and support for the VWF's programs, a donation of any amount would be greatly appreciated. Click here to donate, http://writersfest.bc.ca/donate.
Karl Ove Knausgaard in Conversation with John Freeman Podcast
Norwegian literary sensation Karl Ove Knausgaard appeared in three sold out events at the 2014 Vancouver Writers Fest. Speaking of the toll the publication of his magnum opus My Struggle took, he commented, "I will never do anything like this again. I have given away my soul." Hear his fascinating conversation with John Freeman here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/audio-archives/karl-ove-knausgaard-conversation-john-freeman.
A Dram Come True
A whisky tasting fundraiser in support of the Vancouver Writers Fest.
We asked Dave Mason, President of the West Coast Whisky Society and curator of the whisky selection at A Dram Come True-is A Dram Come True for scotch aficionados only?
"I believe A Dram Come True is a brilliant introduction for the Whisky-rookie, or for those who enjoy whisky, but have rarely delved deep into the many different styles, ages, finishes and distillery characteristics available. With the added guidance of our "Whisky Experts" there's plenty to learn."
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
Through personal experience and story, Deni Béchard (The Last Bonobo), Lisa J. Shannon (Mama Koko and the Hundred Gunmen) and Michael Wuitchik (My Heart Is Not My Own) take us inside conflicts in Congo and Sierra Leone. Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, April 8
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
The shortlist for the 2015 Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction has been announced. Alexander McCall Smith, Irvine Welsh and Caitlin Moran are among the six selected.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/31/wodehouse-prize-comic-fiction-2015-shortlist
The longlist for the Miles Franklin Award, Australia's foremost literary prize, has been revealed. The list includes three debut novelists, eight women and a rapper.
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/mar/31/miles-franklin-award-longlist-2015
YOUNG READERS
"No one does cranky with quite as much panache as the French. Two picture books about bad moods, both written by Francophone authors and offered in English translations for the first time, demonstrate what may be the secret." They're Prickly Jenny and Edgar Wants to Be Alone, and are reviewed in The New York Times, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/18/books/review/prickly-jenny-and-edgar-wants-to-be-alone.html
NEWS & FEATURES
What does judging a literary prize tell us about fiction? Here's Rachel Cooke's take on the matter.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/30/pleasure-pain-picking-folio-prize-winner
A book club in Boston has been debating Finnegan's Wake for 18 years. "There's no reading this book alone; it's too daunting, too dense, too lonely an enterprise. 'We've all tried it,' said Richard Cosma, an engineer and cofounder of the group. 'It doesn't work,' he said, of tackling the text solo."
http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2015/03/23/one-book-group-one-book-finnegans-wake-years/6r8rU4y78oZIjXtKZOHuOP/story.html
What accounts for Jane Austen's amazing posthumous success? "Tolstoy, Dickens and Proust are all remembered, and still read, but they do not have countless fans throughout the world who reread their books each year, who eagerly await the latest television or movie adaptation, who attend conventions in period costume, and who no doubt dream about the heroes and heroines of their novels."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-secret-of-the-jane-austen-industry-1427473889
Buying an e-reader in Canada has just gotten harder, thanks to the shuttering of 66 Future Shop locations. "This is a blow to smaller companies that depended on Future Shop for distribution such as Aluratek and the Boogieboard writing tablet."
http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/buying-an-ereader-in-canada-just-got-harder
What are litotes? The most common rhetorical device you've never heard of, apparently! "It's the rhetorical equivalent of having your cake and eating it. No wonder politicians love it."
http://www.theguardian.com/media/mind-your-language/2015/mar/26/litotes-the-most-common-rhetorical-device-youve-never-heard-of
What's more important to a writer: the initial rush of prose or the self-editing and revision that follow? Thomas Mallon and Cheryl Strayed tackle that question in this week's edition of The New York Times' Bookends.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/books/review/whats-more-important-to-you-the-initial-rush-of-prose-or-the-self-editing-and-revision-that-come-after-it.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Tom McCarthy is "one of the most inventive and unorthodox writers working today." His new book, Satin Island, features a "a talented and uneasy figure" who is "pimping his skills to an elite consultancy in contemporary London." McCarthy is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-tom-mccarthy-on-the-best-advice-hes-received-and-the-classic-novelist-he-cant-stand/article23669405/
Neil Gaiman's new novel, Trigger Warning, "reminds us why he's a phenomenon...It's likely trite to say, but unavoidable: Neil Gaiman is probably the closest the writing world gets to a rock star."
http://www.straight.com/life/416946/neil-gaiman-reminds-us-why-hes-phenomenon-trigger-warning
In Kim Echlin's Under the Visible Life, two women from wildly different backgrounds are brought together by a love of music, resulting in a powerful friendship. The novel is Echlin's first since The Disappeared, which was shortlisted for the Giller Prize.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/03/07/under-the-visible-life-by-kim-echlin-review.html
"Susan Howe and R.H. Quaytman are mother and daughter, a poet and a painter, both widely admired and fiercely cerebral and quietly a lot of fun." They recently collaborated on Tom Tit Tot, a book inspired by gruesome fairy tales, produced by the Museum of Modern Art.
http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/03/24/susan-howe-rh-quaytman-mother-daughter-interview/
The Room, by Jonas Karlsson is a novel that takes an "'exhilarating' look at the strange relationship between conformity, power, chaos and alienation in the modern workplace." It adds "another meaningful and insightful contribution to this literary genre one might label 'office literature.'"
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/03/21/the-room-by-jonas-karlsson-review.html
The Strange Case of Rachel K, by Rachel Kushner, is a slim collection of short stories that will appeal to devoted fans "hungry for origin stories." Two of the stories are early versions of parts of Telex from Cuba, Kushner's 2008 novel which told the tale of United Fruit Company workers in the days leading up to the Cuban Revolution.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/03/20/the-strange-case-of-rachel-k-by-rachel-kushner-review.html
Poet Terrance Hays was recently profiled in The New York Times. "When college students read Hayes, they talk about the underlying seriousness of poems about lynchings, fistfights or rape. But when poets talk about Hayes, they tend to address his invented forms: poems based on anagrams, on the Japanese slide shows called pechakucha and on puzzles."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/29/magazine/galaxies-inside-his-head-poet-terrance-hayes.html
Sarah Hall's new novel, The Wolf Border, is the story of a nomadic zoologist who returns home to northern England in order to reintroduce the grey wolf to her native country. In this interview, Hall discusses the book, along with "how motherhood has affected her work and why avoiding politics in fiction is juvenile."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/28/sarah-hall-books-interview-the-wolf-border
It was April Fool's Day on Wednesday. How appropriate, then, that The Guardian's Poem of the week is April Fools' Day by Elaine Feinstein. Check it out here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/mar/30/poem-of-the-week-april-fools-day-by-elaine-feinstein
Carellin Brooks' One Hundred Days of Rain "is not a novel of character; it's a novel of mood, of internal workings, a novel noir, so to speak, in which rain represents 100 shades of negation." The title is a reference to Vancouver's annual rainfall and the depression that take place inside the narrator's head.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/Novel+deluge+depression/10925803/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
BOOK SALE IN MAY AT THE CENTRAL LIBRARY
SPRING CLEANING? WANTED: Used books, CDs, DVDs and LP donations for the Friends of the Vancouver Public Library book sale. Collection period ends April 15. For information and drop off locations please call 604 331-4049
or go to www.friendsofthevpl.ca. Book sale is in May at the Central Library.
BC BOOK PRIZES SOIREE 2015
Mix and mingle with the nominees, BC's vibrant literary community, and support the BC Book Prizes/On Tour/program. Thursday, April 2 at 6:00pm, free. Joe's Apartment, 919 Granville St., Vancouver. More information at bcbookprizes.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio of SFU presents Leah Horlick, 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow in Poetry and author of Riot Lung.
Thursday, April 2 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
NATIONAL POETRY MONTH
Readings from Candice James, New Westminster's Poet Laureate and George Fetherling, author of many books of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30pm. New Westminster Public Library, New Westminster. More information and registration at 604-527-4667.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Chelene Knight and Ursula Vaira plus open mic. April 8 at 7:00pm. 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.
POETRY
Canadian Authors Vancouver presents a poetry reading and workshop, hosted by Dennis E. Bolen, featuring Mariner Janes, Bernice Lever, Kevin Spenst, and Christopher Levenson. Wednesday, April 8 at 7:00pm, admission charged. Alliance for Arts and Culture, 938 Howe Street. More information at 604-739-9565.
HARRY POTTER TRIVIA NIGHT
Teams of up to six players will compete for the grand prize as well as bragging rights as Vancouver's ultimate Potterheads. There will also be prizes for the winners of each round as well as a door prize and a costume contest. Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets: $5. Sunset Grill, 2204 York Ave., Vancouver. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1381397.
POETRY WITHOUT BORDERS
Poets Patrick Friesen, Rhona McAdam, Inge Israel and Beth Kope present an evening of readings and conversation. Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30pm, free. Munro's Books, 1108 Government St., Victoria.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series the second Thursday of the month. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. In recognition of National Poetry Month, April 9 is poetry only. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AN EVOLVING CITY
Event featuring George Bowering and Wayde Compton. Thursday, April 9 at 7:30pm, free. Pulp Fiction, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver.
UNHANGED AUTHOR
Free workshop for writers thinking of entering the 2015 Arthur Ellis Unhanged Author competition. Saturday, April 11 from 10am to 5pm. VPL Central branch, 350 W. Georgia Street, Vancouver. Complete details at crimewriterscanada.com.
POETRY READING
Featuring Arleen Pare, Cathy Ford, Chelene Knight, Stephen Collis, and Christopher Levenson. Sunday, April 12 at 7:00pm. Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby. More information at 604-739-9565.
NEIL MCKINNON
Author reads from his new book The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00pm, free. VPL Central Branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Catriona Strang and Michael Turner are the featured poets. Wednesday, April 15 at 12:00 noon, free. SFU Harbour Centre's Teck Gallery, 515 W Hastings St. For more information visit www.sfu.ca/publicsquare/lunchpoems.
NOVEL NIGHTS
Vancouver author Roberta Rich in discussion of her novel The Harem Midwife. Wednesday, April 15 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details, please call 604-879-7737.
MAGGIE DE VRIES
Author reads from her children's book, Fraser Bear. Thursday, April 16 at 1:30pm. Oakridge branch library, 191-650 41st Ave. W., Vancouver. Information at vpl.ca.
POETRY GABRIOLA SOCIETY READING SERIES
Featuring Susan McCaslin and Pam Galloway with host Lisa Webster-Gibson. Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm, by donation. Old Crow Café, 575 N. Road, Gabriola Island. More information at poetrygabriola.com.
FEAST!
Jennica Harper and Kevin Spenst blend, spice and sauté measured words into poems that sizzle and satisfy. April 16 at 7:30 pm, free. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
LILLIAN BORAKS-NEMETZ
Children's author reads from her Sheila A. Egoff Prize winning book, The Old Brown Suitcase. Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm. Kensington branch, 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
NORTH SHORE WRITERS FESTIVAL
This year's festival features a host of Canadian literary stars, including John Vaillant, Aislinn Hunter, Doretta Lau, Zsuzsi Gartner and Heather O'Neill. workshops, panel discussions and readings, there's something for everyone at this jam-packed literary weekend. April 17-18, 2015. West Vancouver Memorial Library, 1950 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Complete details at northshorewritersfestival.com.
Upcoming
ARTHUR ELLIS SHORTLIST EVENT
Cathy Ace will be grilling a panel of her fellow BC crime writers including Don Hauka, Owen Laukkanen, Kay Stewart and Sam Wiebe about their latest, and forthcoming, works, as well as their writing styles and habits. Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. Bob Prittie Metrotown branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-436-5410.
MEET THE AUTHOR: JOHN VAILLANT
John Vaillant discuses his novel, The Jaguar's Children. Thursday, April 23 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.
LITFEST NEW WEST
The Arts council of New Westminster, in partnership with Douglas College, New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society, presents the 5th Annual LitFest New West. April 24-25, 2015. Details at artscouncilnewwest.org/litfest.
A FEAST OF POETRY
Readings from five local poets, including Vancouver's Poet Laureate, Rachel Rose, Governor General's Award-winner David Zieroth, as well as Raoul Fernandes, Pam Galloway and Rob Taylor. Appetizers available; cash bar. Friday, April 24 at 7:00pm. North Vancouver City Library, 120 W. 14th St., West Vancouver. Details and registration at nvcl.ca.
JABBERING WITH BC
Canadian poets Kevin Spenst, Raoul Fernandes and Elena E. Johnson read from their recent works, discuss their writing processes, and take questions about poetry and writing. Saturday, April 25 at 3:00pm. Central branch, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
RACHEL HARTMAN
Author of Seraphina reads from her latest book, Shadow Scale. Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm, free but registration required. McGill branch, Burnaby Public Library. Information and registration at 604-299-8955.
TEEN POETRY SLAM
Teens in grades 8 through 12 perform an original poem in front of an audience, including a panel of judges. April 29 at 7:00pm. City Centre branch, Coquilam Public Library. For information and registration, phone 604-554-7339.
CASCADIA POETRY FESTIVAL
Features more than forty poets from across Cascadia, a bioregion that stretches from California to Alaska, including Sam Hamill, Brenda Hillman, Robert Bringhurst, Susan Musgrave, Sharon Thesen, Joanne Arnott, and Stephen Collis. April 30-May 3, 2015 in Nanaimo, BC. Complete details at cascadiapoetryfestival.org.
PAUL YEE
Meet the author of Dead Man's Gold and Ghost Train. April 30 at 10:00am. Newton Library meeting room, Newton Library, Surrey. More information at 604-598-7408.
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