BOOK NEWS
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Warm hospitality. World class spa. Exceptional service. Be yourself. Be pampered. We'll take care of the rest." - The Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa
There are only 6 days left to enter our Romantic Weekend Getaway raffle! This is a fabulous weekend vacation package and we are so excited to be able to give it away. The package includes a roundtrip flight on Pacific Coastal Airlines and a two night stay in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, so it will be the perfect opportunity to relax and take in the beauty of the BC coast.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
Louise Penny in conversation with Hal Wake
Join us on August 24, 2015 as Louise Penny and our very own Hal Wake discuss the 11th book in Penny's wildly popular Inspector Gamache Series, The Nature of the Beast.
"Three Pines again proves no refuge in Penny's stellar [The Nature of the Beast]...fans will delight in [her] continued complex fleshing out of characters they have come to love."—Publisher's Weekly, starred review.
Copies of The Nature of the Beast as well as previous Inspector Gamache novels will be available for purchase at the event. Bookstores won't have The Nature of the Beast on their shelves until August 25, so this is your chance to get your copy early and to have it signed by the author herself!
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.
FESTIVALS
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival continues with more great music including Pink Martini, Chris Botti, The Roots and The Waifs, free shows at David Lam Park/Roundhouse this weekend and on Granville Island (plus Canada Day, July 1), and much more. More information at http://www.coastaljazz.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
Nick Cutter, Thomas King and Emily St. John Mandel are just a few of the authors who have been shortlisted for the Sunburst Awards, which recognize "excellent works of Canadian fantasy and speculative fiction published the previous year." The winners will be revealed in the fall.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/22/nick-cutter-thomas-king-emily-st-john-mandel-among-authors-shortlisted-for-sunburst-awards/
Tanya Landman and William Grill have won the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals, the oldest awards for children's fiction. Both of their stories were inspired by historical events.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookprizes/11691240/Real-life-stories-win-Carnegie-and-Kate-Greenaway-medals.html
YOUNG READERS
Here's Quill and Quire's "Books for Young People" fall preview. Among the anticipated titles is a book on Canadian musical legend Oscar Peterson, who gets the picture-book treatment in Oscar Lives Next Door.
http://www.quillandquire.com/childrens-publishing/2015/06/22/fall-books-for-young-people-preview-titles-for-exploring/
"Show-stopping butterflies and fireflies" are the stars of these picture books set in "the loveliest corners of the insect world." Four different children's titles are reviewed, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/23/books/review/23childrens.html
NEWS & FEATURES
"Cult" author James Salter has died. "The novelist Richard Ford, one of many fellow writers who appreciated Salter's work long before it won general public acclaim, once declared that he 'writes American sentences better than anyone.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/22/james-salter
Where are English bookstores thriving? You might not guess it: China!
http://goodereader.com/blog/bea/english-bookstores-are-thriving-in-china
As it turns out, the love for English literature in China extends far beyond our language's most accessible authors. Here's a piece on James Joyce's growing popularity in China.
http://www.mhpbooks.com/james-joyces-growing-popularity-in-china/
Penguin Random House is now selling books on Twitter. "When you click on book related branding by Penguin Random House, such as a Tweet about a latest bestseller it will take you to a dedicated product page."
http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/penguin-random-house-now-selling-books-on-twitter
Does a true artist care what his audience thinks? That's the question being asked on this week's edition of The New York Times' Bookends. Adam Kirsch and Ayana Mathis discuss "the relationship between writers and readership," here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/books/review/does-a-true-artist-care-what-his-audience-thinks.html
Have you ever wondered what it's like to have dyslexia? This font can show you.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/dyslexia-font-daniel-britton_n_7615156.html
Simon Armitage has been voted Oxford's new Professor of Poetry, and not everyone is happy about it. The post was established in the early 18th century, and previous holders include Robert Graves, Cecil Day-Lewis and WH Auden.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11687586/simon-armitage-oxford-professor-of-poetry.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
In Amy Bloom's new novel, Lucky Us, "the sexual secrets of the 1930s film industry mix with untold stories of her own ancestors." She explains the novel, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/23/amy-bloom-novelist-bringing-hollywood-and-family-out-of-closet
Graham Swift's England and Other Stories, is a collection of tales that "tend to be short, dense narratives that unfold, origami-style, into complex meditations on characters' lives, tales with vistas as panoramic as those in the stories of Alice Munro." Mortality is a main theme, looming large.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/books/review-graham-swifts-england-and-other-stories-a-darkness-across-time-and-fates.html
Vendela Vida's fourth book, The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty, is about "a shifty American whose terrible decisions keep the narrative moving at a taut and suspenseful clip." It's Vida's finest book yet, "a taut, suspenseful story that ticks along with marvelous efficiency, like a little bomb."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/books/review-vendela-vidas-the-divers-clothes-lie-empty-offers-freedom-to-escape.html
Saint Mazie, by Jami Attenberg details a fascinating period of New York history that "transcends its mid-20th-century Manhattan setting." The novel is a fictionalised account of the life of the Big Apple's "Queen of the Bowery."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/21/saint-mazie-review-jami-attenberg
Melody: Story of a Nude Dancer has cemented Sylvie Rancourt's legacy as "one of Canada's first, and most important, graphic memoirists... Read Melody, and see what love and life look like, freed from all spite."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-melody-cements-sylvie-rancourts-legacy-as-one-of-canadas-first-and-most-important-graphic-memoirists/article25038651/
The Vancouver Sun's book club is currently discussing Boo, a new novel by Neil Smith. Feedback and mini reviews can be found here. On June 26th, Neil Smith will also be chatting online with readers.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/book+club+year+protagonist+quest+meaning/11151629/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
KATHERINE FAWCETT
Author reads from her new book of dark comedy, satire and twisted fables, The Little Washer of Sorrows. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. Pulpfiction Books, Main Street, Vancouver.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A GATHERING OF POETS
An evening of poetry by B.C.'s finest wordsmiths featuring Jane Munro, Cecily Nicholson, Rob Budde, Kayla Czaga, Patrick Lane and Russell Thornton. Moderated by Vancouver's Poet Laureate Rachel Rose. Friday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEBRA KOMAR
Author discusses her new book Murder at Fort Stikine: Solving a Centuries Old Crime in the Hudson's Bay Company. Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CARELLIN BROOKS AND MICHAEL V. SMITH
Authors read from their latest works: One Hundred Days of Rain (Brooks) and My Body Is Yours (Smith). Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
Upcoming
MICHAEL KUSUGAK
Storytelling sessions with Inuit storyteller and children's author Michael Kusugak. Wednesday, July 1 at 11am and 1pm, free. Vancouver Maritime Museum, 1905 Ogden Ave., Vancouver. More information at vancouvermaritimemuseum.com.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents celebrated crime writer E.R. Brown, author of the Edgar nominated novel Almost Criminal. Also on the playbill, a diverse line-up of talented writers in all genres. Thursday, July 2 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Kevin Spenst and Jennifer Zlim plus open mic. Wednesday, July 8 at 7pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
CHEVY STEVENS
Author presents her latest work, Those Girls. Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
On Sunday July 12th from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Alice MacKay room of the VPL Central Branch, the Dead Poets Reading Series will present the following program: ee cumming read by DN Simmers, Lauris Edmond, read by Christine Hayvice, John Keats, read by Matthew Henley, Robert Lowell, read by Christopher Levenson and P.K. Page read by Ruth Daniell.
Admission is free and readings start on time. For further information visit www.deadpoetslive.com.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 13
BOOK NEWS
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Our Romantic Oceanside Getaway Raffle is off to a great start! We've already sold 70 tickets, so make sure to purchase yours before it's too late. The getaway consists of a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox and a two night stay for two in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, which features an oceanfront balcony, whirlpool tub and cozy fireplace.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
An Evening with Louise Penny
Eagerly awaiting the latest installment in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series? Tickets are now on sale for our special event with Louise Penny on Monday, August 24. Louise will be discussing the 11th book in the series, The Nature of the Beast, which has Inspector Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache investigating the disappearance of a nine year old boy in Three Pines, a small village with a dark, even monstrous, past.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.
FESTIVALS
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 18-July 1) features 14 days of great music including headliners Buddy Guy, Erykah Badu, Pink Martini, and The Roots, the North Shore jazz series featuring The Campbell Brothers and The Waifs, free concerts at the Vancouver Art Gallery/Robson Square (June 18-21), David Lam Park/Roundhouse(June 27-28) and Granville Island (Canada Day, July 1), and much more. Details at http://www.coastaljazz.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Canadian Authors Association has announced the shortlists for its annual literary awards, which recognize "excellent titles published by the country's writers in the previous year." Ann-Marie MacDonald, Miriam Toews and Eliza Robertson all made the list.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/miriam-toews-sean-michaels-among-2015-canadian-authors-association-literary-awards-finalists/
Darrell Dennis has won the PMC Aboriginal Literature Award. "Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians (Douglas & McIntyre), in which Dennis tackles misconceptions about First Nations people in Canada with personal anecdotes, history, and humour, will also serve as the official selected title of FNCR 2015–2016."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/darrell-dennis-wins-pmc-aboriginal-literature-award/
John Spurling has been awarded the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Ten Thousand Things, a book that was rejected by publishers 44 times. According to Spurling, "I always thought that I would like success to be in my seventies, and I'm seventy-nine this year, so have just made it!"
http://www.teleread.com/award/keep-those-rejection-slips-coming-authors-scottish-prize-goes-to-book-rejected-44-times/
Jack Livings has won the PEN Prize for Debut Fiction. His short story collection, The Dog, is set in China, where Livings lived for a time during the 1990s.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/jack-livings-wins-pen-prize-for-debut-fiction/
YOUNG READERS
June 11 was Robert Munsch's 70th birthday. Here are 70 facts "you might not know about the iconic storyteller to celebrate."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/70-amazing-facts-about-robert-munsch.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Vancouver has topped Amazon.ca's "Canadian Cities that Love to Read" list. "The West Coast city not only ranked number one overall, but Vancouver residents are proving to be a worldly bunch - buying more cookbooks, travel guides, business books, health guides and self-help titles than anyone else in the country."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/vancouver-is-1-on-amazoncas-canadian-cities-that-love-to-read-list.html
Juan Felipe Herrera has been named U.S. Poet Laureate. A son of migrant farmworkers, his writing "fuses wide-ranging experimentalism with reflections on Mexican-American identity." He is the first Latino to occupy the position.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/books/juan-felipe-herrera-of-california-to-be-next-poet-laureate.html
It was Bloomsday this week, celebrated every June 16th (the day in which the events of James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, take place.) How would Ulysses be received today?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/how-would-ulysses-be-received-today.html
Missouri's Ferguson Municipal Public Library has been chosen as Library Journal's library of the year. The tiny library's only full-time employee, Scott Bonner, "gained international attention after he and a handful of volunteers kept the doors open for patrons despite the breakout of riots last November."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/ferguson-library-named-library-of-the-year.html
A U.K. publisher has vowed to publish only women for a year in response to author Kamila Shamsie's call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishing. Called And Other Stories, they release 10 to 12 new titles a year.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/11/no-men-allowed-publisher-accepts-novelists-year-of-women-challenge
Why is English the only language that capitalizes the letter "I"? "Could ‘I' actually affect English speakers' sense of self?" Find out the answer, here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/english-first-person-pronouns_n_7485402.html
Are big publishers taking over fan-fiction? It has become a boon for licensors and publishers, who have used online forums to search out new authors who might be interested in contributing to the creative process.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/licensing/article/66650-embracing-the-fans.html
Can Instagram be used as a platform for memoir writing? An art history student at Cambridge University is "in the process of writing a fragmented memoir entirely on Instagram. Along the way, she's collected 339,000 readers—and a literary agent who's now turning her adventures into a book."
http://mic.com/articles/120102/caroline-calloway-instragram-memoir-book
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you ready for some summertime reading? Here's the Georgia Straight's guide.
http://www.straight.com/life/469081/bright-books-warm-weather
Backlands, by Victoria Shorr, is "the fictionalized account of a real-life one-eyed bandit called Lampião and his lover, Maria Bonita — famous Brazilian outlaws who took from the rich and gave to the poor." Backlands is "less a tale of adventure than an exploration of love and loyalty, of the relationship between a people and their land."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/backlands-by-victoria-shorr.html
Tracey Lindberg's debut novel, Birdie, has introduced "an important new voice in Canadian fiction." It's an idiosyncratic and relatable tale about a Cree-Métis woman who moves from northern Alberta to B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, thanks to a girlhood obsession with the long-running CBC TV series The Beachcombers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-tracey-lindbergs-debut-novel-birdie-introduces-an-important-new-voice-in-canadian-fiction/article24940197/
Jami Attenberg's new novel, inspired by a 1940 New Yorker profile, "centers on a bawdy, bighearted woman in Depression-era New York." Called Saint Mazie, it makes "sainthood seem not only attainable, but seductive!"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/saint-mazie-by-jami-attenberg.html
Tua Forsström poem, Houdini in Karis), has been named Poem of the week by the Guardian Newspaper. "In this piece from the Finnish-Swedish poet's new collection, Houdini is an escape artist who longs for human connection." You can read the poem (and a discussion of it), here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/15/poem-of-the-week-houdini-in-karis-by-tua-forsstrom
Irina Kovalyova's debut short story collection, Specimen. is "a humanist collision of art and science." The science comes naturally to Kovalvoa, who has a PhD in microbiology and immunology.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/06/13/specimen-by-irina-kovalyova-review.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
W. RUTH KOZAK
Author reads from her new novel Shadow of the Lion. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Kitsilano branch, 2425 MacDonald St., Vancouver. More information at 604-665-3976.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
DON MCLELLAN
Author reads from his first collection of stories, In the Quiet After Slaughter. Tuesday, June 23 at 7:00pm. Collingwood branch, 2985 Kingsway. More information at 604-665-3953.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A GATHERING OF POETS
An evening of poetry by B.C.'s finest wordsmiths featuring Jane Munro, Cecily Nicholson, Rob Budde, Kayla Czaga, Patrick Lane and Russell Thornton. Moderated by Vancouver's Poet Laureate Rachel Rose. Friday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEBRA KOMAR
Author discusses her new book Murder at Fort Stikine: Solving a Centuries Old Crime in the Hudson's Bay Company. Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CARELLIN BROOKS AND MICHAEL V. SMITH
Authors read from their latest works: One Hundred Days of Rain (Brooks) and My Body Is Yours (Smith). Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
Upcomings
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Kevin Spenst and Jennifer Zlim plus open mic. Wednesday, July 8 at 7pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
CHEVY STEVENS
Author presents her latest work, Those Girls. Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Each reader will give a brief presentation on the life and work of their chosen poet, followed by a poetry reading. Sunday, July 12 at 3:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Our Romantic Oceanside Getaway Raffle is off to a great start! We've already sold 70 tickets, so make sure to purchase yours before it's too late. The getaway consists of a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox and a two night stay for two in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, which features an oceanfront balcony, whirlpool tub and cozy fireplace.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
An Evening with Louise Penny
Eagerly awaiting the latest installment in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series? Tickets are now on sale for our special event with Louise Penny on Monday, August 24. Louise will be discussing the 11th book in the series, The Nature of the Beast, which has Inspector Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache investigating the disappearance of a nine year old boy in Three Pines, a small village with a dark, even monstrous, past.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.
FESTIVALS
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 18-July 1) features 14 days of great music including headliners Buddy Guy, Erykah Badu, Pink Martini, and The Roots, the North Shore jazz series featuring The Campbell Brothers and The Waifs, free concerts at the Vancouver Art Gallery/Robson Square (June 18-21), David Lam Park/Roundhouse(June 27-28) and Granville Island (Canada Day, July 1), and much more. Details at http://www.coastaljazz.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Canadian Authors Association has announced the shortlists for its annual literary awards, which recognize "excellent titles published by the country's writers in the previous year." Ann-Marie MacDonald, Miriam Toews and Eliza Robertson all made the list.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/miriam-toews-sean-michaels-among-2015-canadian-authors-association-literary-awards-finalists/
Darrell Dennis has won the PMC Aboriginal Literature Award. "Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians (Douglas & McIntyre), in which Dennis tackles misconceptions about First Nations people in Canada with personal anecdotes, history, and humour, will also serve as the official selected title of FNCR 2015–2016."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/darrell-dennis-wins-pmc-aboriginal-literature-award/
John Spurling has been awarded the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Ten Thousand Things, a book that was rejected by publishers 44 times. According to Spurling, "I always thought that I would like success to be in my seventies, and I'm seventy-nine this year, so have just made it!"
http://www.teleread.com/award/keep-those-rejection-slips-coming-authors-scottish-prize-goes-to-book-rejected-44-times/
Jack Livings has won the PEN Prize for Debut Fiction. His short story collection, The Dog, is set in China, where Livings lived for a time during the 1990s.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/jack-livings-wins-pen-prize-for-debut-fiction/
YOUNG READERS
June 11 was Robert Munsch's 70th birthday. Here are 70 facts "you might not know about the iconic storyteller to celebrate."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/70-amazing-facts-about-robert-munsch.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Vancouver has topped Amazon.ca's "Canadian Cities that Love to Read" list. "The West Coast city not only ranked number one overall, but Vancouver residents are proving to be a worldly bunch - buying more cookbooks, travel guides, business books, health guides and self-help titles than anyone else in the country."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/vancouver-is-1-on-amazoncas-canadian-cities-that-love-to-read-list.html
Juan Felipe Herrera has been named U.S. Poet Laureate. A son of migrant farmworkers, his writing "fuses wide-ranging experimentalism with reflections on Mexican-American identity." He is the first Latino to occupy the position.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/books/juan-felipe-herrera-of-california-to-be-next-poet-laureate.html
It was Bloomsday this week, celebrated every June 16th (the day in which the events of James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, take place.) How would Ulysses be received today?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/how-would-ulysses-be-received-today.html
Missouri's Ferguson Municipal Public Library has been chosen as Library Journal's library of the year. The tiny library's only full-time employee, Scott Bonner, "gained international attention after he and a handful of volunteers kept the doors open for patrons despite the breakout of riots last November."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/ferguson-library-named-library-of-the-year.html
A U.K. publisher has vowed to publish only women for a year in response to author Kamila Shamsie's call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishing. Called And Other Stories, they release 10 to 12 new titles a year.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/11/no-men-allowed-publisher-accepts-novelists-year-of-women-challenge
Why is English the only language that capitalizes the letter "I"? "Could ‘I' actually affect English speakers' sense of self?" Find out the answer, here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/english-first-person-pronouns_n_7485402.html
Are big publishers taking over fan-fiction? It has become a boon for licensors and publishers, who have used online forums to search out new authors who might be interested in contributing to the creative process.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/licensing/article/66650-embracing-the-fans.html
Can Instagram be used as a platform for memoir writing? An art history student at Cambridge University is "in the process of writing a fragmented memoir entirely on Instagram. Along the way, she's collected 339,000 readers—and a literary agent who's now turning her adventures into a book."
http://mic.com/articles/120102/caroline-calloway-instragram-memoir-book
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you ready for some summertime reading? Here's the Georgia Straight's guide.
http://www.straight.com/life/469081/bright-books-warm-weather
Backlands, by Victoria Shorr, is "the fictionalized account of a real-life one-eyed bandit called Lampião and his lover, Maria Bonita — famous Brazilian outlaws who took from the rich and gave to the poor." Backlands is "less a tale of adventure than an exploration of love and loyalty, of the relationship between a people and their land."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/backlands-by-victoria-shorr.html
Tracey Lindberg's debut novel, Birdie, has introduced "an important new voice in Canadian fiction." It's an idiosyncratic and relatable tale about a Cree-Métis woman who moves from northern Alberta to B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, thanks to a girlhood obsession with the long-running CBC TV series The Beachcombers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-tracey-lindbergs-debut-novel-birdie-introduces-an-important-new-voice-in-canadian-fiction/article24940197/
Jami Attenberg's new novel, inspired by a 1940 New Yorker profile, "centers on a bawdy, bighearted woman in Depression-era New York." Called Saint Mazie, it makes "sainthood seem not only attainable, but seductive!"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/saint-mazie-by-jami-attenberg.html
Tua Forsström poem, Houdini in Karis), has been named Poem of the week by the Guardian Newspaper. "In this piece from the Finnish-Swedish poet's new collection, Houdini is an escape artist who longs for human connection." You can read the poem (and a discussion of it), here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/15/poem-of-the-week-houdini-in-karis-by-tua-forsstrom
Irina Kovalyova's debut short story collection, Specimen. is "a humanist collision of art and science." The science comes naturally to Kovalvoa, who has a PhD in microbiology and immunology.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/06/13/specimen-by-irina-kovalyova-review.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
W. RUTH KOZAK
Author reads from her new novel Shadow of the Lion. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Kitsilano branch, 2425 MacDonald St., Vancouver. More information at 604-665-3976.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
DON MCLELLAN
Author reads from his first collection of stories, In the Quiet After Slaughter. Tuesday, June 23 at 7:00pm. Collingwood branch, 2985 Kingsway. More information at 604-665-3953.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A GATHERING OF POETS
An evening of poetry by B.C.'s finest wordsmiths featuring Jane Munro, Cecily Nicholson, Rob Budde, Kayla Czaga, Patrick Lane and Russell Thornton. Moderated by Vancouver's Poet Laureate Rachel Rose. Friday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEBRA KOMAR
Author discusses her new book Murder at Fort Stikine: Solving a Centuries Old Crime in the Hudson's Bay Company. Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CARELLIN BROOKS AND MICHAEL V. SMITH
Authors read from their latest works: One Hundred Days of Rain (Brooks) and My Body Is Yours (Smith). Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
Upcomings
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Kevin Spenst and Jennifer Zlim plus open mic. Wednesday, July 8 at 7pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
CHEVY STEVENS
Author presents her latest work, Those Girls. Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Each reader will give a brief presentation on the life and work of their chosen poet, followed by a poetry reading. Sunday, July 12 at 3:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 12
BOOK NEWS
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Pamper yourself and rekindle the flame between you and your partner with a stay in the Romance Suite which features a cozy fireplace, a whirlpool bathtub, and an oceanfront balcony with a spectacular view of the Pacific.
The Vancouver Writers Fest Romantic Weekend Raffle features a two night stay in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, including a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox on Pacific Coastal Airlines.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
Announcing - An Evening with Louise Penny
New York Times bestselling author, Louise Penny is back with the 11th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series, The Nature of the Beast. Set in Three Pines, Quebec, The Nature of the Beast begins with Laurent Lepage, a nine year old boy whose stories of alien invasions, walking trees and dinosaurs outside the village have many villagers, including newcomers Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, doubting the truth of his words. That is, until Laurent disappears and the people of Three Pines are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Information about tickets will be available soon. Keep checking our website for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny
AWARDS & LISTS
Jane Munro has been awarded the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize for her most recent collection, Blue Sonoma. Blue Sonoma focuses on the struggle Munro's long-time partner has faced with Alzheimer's.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/jane-munros-blue-sonoma-wins-griffin-poetry-prize/article24817466/
Judith Saltman and Jacques Payette have won the 2014 Claude Aubry Awards for distinguished service in the field of Canadian children's literature. Judith Saltman, author of Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing received the English-language award, while Jacques Payette was honoured for his work in French.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/judith-saltman-jacques-payette-win-ibby-canadas-aubry-award/
Winnipeg author Casey Plett has been named winner of the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for transgender fiction. "The awards aim to recognize the best English-language LGBT titles published the previous year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/casey-plett-wins-lambda-literary-award-for-transgender-fiction/
Vancouver writer Alex Leslie has won the $4,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers. Leslie's works include the short-story collection People Who Disappear and the poetry collection The things I heard about you, both nominated for several awards.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/alex-leslie-wins-2015-dayne-ogilvie-prize-for-lgbt-emerging-writers/
Wayson Choy, also of Vancouver, has been named winner of this year's George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding long-time contributions to B.C. literature. "His stories connect us, help us understand our city's past, and let us see life through a different perspective. He has helped tear down barriers between cultures and generations."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/wayson-choy-receives-2015-george-woodcock-lifetime-achievement-award/
Ann-Marie MacDonald has been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, nicknamed America's Nobel Prize. "MacDonald is the sole Canadian among nine authors shortlisted for their ongoing literary achievements."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/ann-marie-macdonald-shortlisted-for-2016-neustadt-prize/
YOUNG READERS
Illustrator Chris Riddell has been named as the UK's new children's laureate. "The 53-year-old illustrator, who lives in Brighton, is dedicating his laureateship to championing creativity and, in particular, to visual literacy."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/09/illustrator-chris-riddell-named-uk-childrens-laureate
Here are some new young adult fiction titles worth checking out! Among the books reviewed is The Truth Commission, by B.C.'s own Susan Juby, "her finest novel yet."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-young-adult-fiction-from-susin-nielsen-sarah-henstra-susan-juby-and-others/article24821718/
NEWS & FEATURES
Anne of Green Gables, one of Canada's favourite books and film adaptations, is set to be adapted for the screen once more. Filming is currently under way, with Martin Sheen playing Matthew Cuthbert.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/story/1.3104952
Is Quebec literature isolated from the rest of North America? Here's Pasha Malla's take on the matter: "Too Different and Too Familiar: The Challenge of French-Canadian Literature."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/too-different-and-too-familiar-the-challenge-of-french-canadian-literature
Carmine Starnino, editor at Montreal's Véhicule Press, also has an opinion on the matter. Why does the prospect of publishing a new collection by Pierre Nepveu plunge him "into despair? Because I already know what to expect when the book is finally released: what UK poet and translator Michael Hofmann has called "a deluge—a deluge of nothing."
http://www.partisanmagazine.com/blog/2015/6/8/why-the-book-im-about-to-publish-will-be-ignored
An attempt to break the book dominos world record has been condemned as "disrespectful to books!" Japan's Gifu City Library had planned the event in order to commemorate its spectacular new building, and promote Gifu as a "book city."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11653656/Book-dominos-world-record-attempt-causes-outcry-as-disrespectful-to-books.html
Are you a good online reader? Here's a guide to being better!
http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/being-a-better-online-reader
Paulo Coelho is offering two of his works for free, asking readers to pay only if they enjoyed reading them. ‘This idea does not harm the business,' he stated.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/09/paulo-coelho-buy-my-book-after-youve-read-it-only-if-you-liked-it
BOOKS & WRITERS
Ali Smith's recently won the Bailey's Fiction Prize. The "triumph in the women's fiction prize confirmed her as one of our pre-eminent writers. And, she says, the award shares her own preoccupation–how to assert a complex female identity in a world that tells women to be simple." Her new book, How to be Both, challenges the male cannon.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/05/baileys-prize-winner-ali-smith-interview
Joshua Cohen's new novel, Book of Numbers, features a struggling writer and a tech billionaire who share the same name. It "hums with the static of the cosmos," and "in its fractured way, is more impressive than all but a few novels published so far this decade.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/books/review-book-of-numbers-by-joshua-cohen-is-narrative-as-rich-as-the-web.html
"Today's fiction rarely has kind things to say about the middle-aged male psyche. Whether through hyper-masculine compensation, nostalgic tales of misspent youth or creepy accounts of abuse, most literary depictions of this maligned demographic might as well be accompanied by the warning sign: ‘Here be dragons!'" James Grainger's Harmless, on the other hand, is a "book made for today."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/mean-thriller-harmless-is-a-book-made-for-today/article24818969/
Colm Tóibín is featured in this week's Guardian books podcast. He discusses the women in his fiction, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2015/jun/05/colm-toibin-women-fiction-podcast
Aleksandar Hemon's The Making of Zombie Wars is "a violent, sexually astute, culturally exacting, zany and weirdly observant feat of writing." It's also one of the "funniest books of the year."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-aleksandar-hemons-the-making-of-zombie-wars-is-one-of-the-funniest-books-of-the-year/article24821619/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
Upcoming
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Pamper yourself and rekindle the flame between you and your partner with a stay in the Romance Suite which features a cozy fireplace, a whirlpool bathtub, and an oceanfront balcony with a spectacular view of the Pacific.
The Vancouver Writers Fest Romantic Weekend Raffle features a two night stay in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, including a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox on Pacific Coastal Airlines.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
Announcing - An Evening with Louise Penny
New York Times bestselling author, Louise Penny is back with the 11th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series, The Nature of the Beast. Set in Three Pines, Quebec, The Nature of the Beast begins with Laurent Lepage, a nine year old boy whose stories of alien invasions, walking trees and dinosaurs outside the village have many villagers, including newcomers Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, doubting the truth of his words. That is, until Laurent disappears and the people of Three Pines are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Information about tickets will be available soon. Keep checking our website for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny
AWARDS & LISTS
Jane Munro has been awarded the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize for her most recent collection, Blue Sonoma. Blue Sonoma focuses on the struggle Munro's long-time partner has faced with Alzheimer's.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/jane-munros-blue-sonoma-wins-griffin-poetry-prize/article24817466/
Judith Saltman and Jacques Payette have won the 2014 Claude Aubry Awards for distinguished service in the field of Canadian children's literature. Judith Saltman, author of Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing received the English-language award, while Jacques Payette was honoured for his work in French.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/judith-saltman-jacques-payette-win-ibby-canadas-aubry-award/
Winnipeg author Casey Plett has been named winner of the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for transgender fiction. "The awards aim to recognize the best English-language LGBT titles published the previous year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/casey-plett-wins-lambda-literary-award-for-transgender-fiction/
Vancouver writer Alex Leslie has won the $4,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers. Leslie's works include the short-story collection People Who Disappear and the poetry collection The things I heard about you, both nominated for several awards.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/alex-leslie-wins-2015-dayne-ogilvie-prize-for-lgbt-emerging-writers/
Wayson Choy, also of Vancouver, has been named winner of this year's George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding long-time contributions to B.C. literature. "His stories connect us, help us understand our city's past, and let us see life through a different perspective. He has helped tear down barriers between cultures and generations."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/wayson-choy-receives-2015-george-woodcock-lifetime-achievement-award/
Ann-Marie MacDonald has been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, nicknamed America's Nobel Prize. "MacDonald is the sole Canadian among nine authors shortlisted for their ongoing literary achievements."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/ann-marie-macdonald-shortlisted-for-2016-neustadt-prize/
YOUNG READERS
Illustrator Chris Riddell has been named as the UK's new children's laureate. "The 53-year-old illustrator, who lives in Brighton, is dedicating his laureateship to championing creativity and, in particular, to visual literacy."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/09/illustrator-chris-riddell-named-uk-childrens-laureate
Here are some new young adult fiction titles worth checking out! Among the books reviewed is The Truth Commission, by B.C.'s own Susan Juby, "her finest novel yet."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-young-adult-fiction-from-susin-nielsen-sarah-henstra-susan-juby-and-others/article24821718/
NEWS & FEATURES
Anne of Green Gables, one of Canada's favourite books and film adaptations, is set to be adapted for the screen once more. Filming is currently under way, with Martin Sheen playing Matthew Cuthbert.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/story/1.3104952
Is Quebec literature isolated from the rest of North America? Here's Pasha Malla's take on the matter: "Too Different and Too Familiar: The Challenge of French-Canadian Literature."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/too-different-and-too-familiar-the-challenge-of-french-canadian-literature
Carmine Starnino, editor at Montreal's Véhicule Press, also has an opinion on the matter. Why does the prospect of publishing a new collection by Pierre Nepveu plunge him "into despair? Because I already know what to expect when the book is finally released: what UK poet and translator Michael Hofmann has called "a deluge—a deluge of nothing."
http://www.partisanmagazine.com/blog/2015/6/8/why-the-book-im-about-to-publish-will-be-ignored
An attempt to break the book dominos world record has been condemned as "disrespectful to books!" Japan's Gifu City Library had planned the event in order to commemorate its spectacular new building, and promote Gifu as a "book city."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11653656/Book-dominos-world-record-attempt-causes-outcry-as-disrespectful-to-books.html
Are you a good online reader? Here's a guide to being better!
http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/being-a-better-online-reader
Paulo Coelho is offering two of his works for free, asking readers to pay only if they enjoyed reading them. ‘This idea does not harm the business,' he stated.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/09/paulo-coelho-buy-my-book-after-youve-read-it-only-if-you-liked-it
BOOKS & WRITERS
Ali Smith's recently won the Bailey's Fiction Prize. The "triumph in the women's fiction prize confirmed her as one of our pre-eminent writers. And, she says, the award shares her own preoccupation–how to assert a complex female identity in a world that tells women to be simple." Her new book, How to be Both, challenges the male cannon.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/05/baileys-prize-winner-ali-smith-interview
Joshua Cohen's new novel, Book of Numbers, features a struggling writer and a tech billionaire who share the same name. It "hums with the static of the cosmos," and "in its fractured way, is more impressive than all but a few novels published so far this decade.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/books/review-book-of-numbers-by-joshua-cohen-is-narrative-as-rich-as-the-web.html
"Today's fiction rarely has kind things to say about the middle-aged male psyche. Whether through hyper-masculine compensation, nostalgic tales of misspent youth or creepy accounts of abuse, most literary depictions of this maligned demographic might as well be accompanied by the warning sign: ‘Here be dragons!'" James Grainger's Harmless, on the other hand, is a "book made for today."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/mean-thriller-harmless-is-a-book-made-for-today/article24818969/
Colm Tóibín is featured in this week's Guardian books podcast. He discusses the women in his fiction, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2015/jun/05/colm-toibin-women-fiction-podcast
Aleksandar Hemon's The Making of Zombie Wars is "a violent, sexually astute, culturally exacting, zany and weirdly observant feat of writing." It's also one of the "funniest books of the year."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-aleksandar-hemons-the-making-of-zombie-wars-is-one-of-the-funniest-books-of-the-year/article24821619/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
Upcoming
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 11
BOOK NEWS
A Dram Come True-This Friday!
It's summertime and the living is easy. Join us at Scotch o'clock (7:30 pm) for A Dram Come True at Hycroft this Friday June 5. Sample 44 rare and distinguished single malts plus select spirits, Tinhorn Creek wine and appetizers, while supporting the Vancouver Writers Fest.
For a preview of what to expect check out A Dram Come True whisky expert Dave Mason on Global TV's Morning News BC:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2023038/a-dram-come-true-scotch-tasting
Details and tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true
AWARDS & LISTS
Rivka Galchen has won the 2014 Danuta Gleed Literary Award for her short-fiction collection, American Innovations. Her debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/01/rivka-galchen-wins-2014-danuta-gleed-literary-award/
Margaret Atwood and C.C. Humphreys are among the winners of this year's Arthur Ellis Awards for Crime Writing. The awards were judged by a panel of twenty-one writers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, and academics specializing in the crime genre.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/29/margaret-atwood-c-c-humphreys-among-2015-arthur-ellis-award-winners/
The Lambda literary awards, a "celebration of queer culture and queer literature," were handed out this week in New York City. The big winner of the night was John Waters, the filmmaker and writer who called his award "the Imperial Margarine crown of queer royalty".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/02/lambda-literary-awards-lgbt-literature-john-waters
The shortlists for the government of Ontario's Trillium Book Awards have been announced, recognizing "excellent works of literature by the province's writers published the year prior." Margaret Atwood, Thomas King and Dionne Brand are among the finalists.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/margaret-atwood-dionne-brand-thomas-king-among-2015-trillium-book-awards-finalists/
Meanwhile, in Atlantic Canada, Carmelita McGrath and Andrew Peacock have won the 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. McGrath is the recipient of this year's E.J. Pratt Award for her collection, Escape Velocity, and Peacock won this year's non-fiction award for his debut title, Creatures of the Rock: A Veterinarian's Adventures in Newfoundland.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/carmelita-mcgrath-and-andrew-peacock-win-2015-newfoundland-and-labrador-book-awards/
Ali Smith has won The Baileys women's prize for How to Be Both.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/03/ali-smith-wins-baileys-prize-with-how-to-be-both
YOUNG READERS
A new children's book, Sweep Up the Sun, salutes birds in flight. Unlike many high-quality nonfiction picture books, however, it uses photography rather than traditional illustration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/books/review/winged-wonders.html
NEWS & FEATURES
The New York Times has sparked criticism after releasing an all-white summer reading list. "According to Gawker, past volumes of the esteemed publication's summer reading list have also had a diversity problem."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-new-york-times-sparks-criticism-after-releasing-an-allwhite-reading-list-10274663.html
A proof copy of The Bell Jar has been unearthed. Attributed to Plath's pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the early version of the novel reveals many last-minute changes to the text.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/the-bell-jar-proof-copy-found-sylvia-plath
Philip Larkin once described literary parties as his idea of "hell on earth." For Philip Hensher, however, things felt very different. "You never knew what would happen next at an old-style literary gathering. Where else could you argue with Doris Lessing about underpants from M&S?"
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/01/philip-larkin-doris-lessing-literary-party
And if you do get invited to such a gathering, here are some great tips for how to survive! Headphones, books and cigarettes are just a few of many helpful tools that can be employed.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/02/how-to-survive-literary-parties-author-francis-plug
"Is it good poetry where every other line rhymes, instead of having each line rhyme with the one before it?" What about a "name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?" Before Google, these were just a few of the questions asked in a now-revealed cache of New York Public Library question cards.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/librarian-new-york-public-librarys-quirkiest-enquiries
BOOKS & WRITERS
Several years ago, Hilary Mantel's novel, Wolf Hall, won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Now it's a success on the London Stage. Hilary Mantel discusses taking the book from page to stage, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/theater/hilary-mantel-on-taking-her-wolf-hall-novels-to-the-stage.html
Kamel Daoud's "stunning" debut novel, The Meursault Investigation, retells Albert Camus's existential classic, The Stranger, from an Algerian point of view. "This is not just a clever, playful conceit...it provides the architecture for an intricately layered tale that not only makes us reassess Camus's novel but also nudges us into a contemplation of Algeria's history and current religious politics."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/books/review-kamel-daoud-interrogates-camus-in-the-meursault-investigation.html
This fall, feminist icon Gloria Steinem will be publishing her first book in more than 20 years. My Life on the Road has been described as "a candid account of how her early years led her to an on-the-road kind of life traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/05/27/gloria-steinem-book-my-life-on-the-road/28008947/
Sara Novic's first novel, Girl at War, explores "how the experience of war can be conveyed to those who don't know it." Narrated by a former child soldier at the end of the Yugoslavian civil war, Girl at War‘s language is charged with enough vitality that "its story wil be remember by readers a world away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/books/review/girl-at-war-by-sara-novic.html
"At first glance, poets Claudia Emerson and Philip Metres have nothing to say to each other. Maybe that's the point." Emerson's The Opposite House and Metres' Sand Opera are looked at side by side, here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/06/the_opposite_house_by_claudia_emerson_and_sand_opera_by_philip_metres_reviewed.html
Make it True: Poetry from Cascadia, is a poetry anthology that celebrates sustainability and "harmony with nature... From Alaska to Arcata, from Nanaimo to Missoula, the 89 poets in this Cascadian collection explore, preserve and celebrate the mind's wilderness and the wilderness of this place."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Anthology+poetry+from+Cascadia+celebrates+sustainability+harmony+with+nature/11093961/story.html#ixzz3bxAzRA8F
COMMUNITY EVENTS
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents writer, filmmaker, and wilderness guide Calder Cheverie, director of The Peel Project. Thursday, June 4 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
BOOKS & BISCOTTI
Features readings by British Columbia writers Diego Bastianutti, Robert Pepper Smith, and Anna Ciampolini Foschi, and the premiere of a documentary movie by Ornella Sinigaglia. Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00pm, free. Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., Vancouver. More information at italianculturalcentre.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Alex Leslie and Robin Susanto plus open mic. Wednesday, June 10 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.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A Dram Come True-This Friday!
It's summertime and the living is easy. Join us at Scotch o'clock (7:30 pm) for A Dram Come True at Hycroft this Friday June 5. Sample 44 rare and distinguished single malts plus select spirits, Tinhorn Creek wine and appetizers, while supporting the Vancouver Writers Fest.
For a preview of what to expect check out A Dram Come True whisky expert Dave Mason on Global TV's Morning News BC:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2023038/a-dram-come-true-scotch-tasting
Details and tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true
AWARDS & LISTS
Rivka Galchen has won the 2014 Danuta Gleed Literary Award for her short-fiction collection, American Innovations. Her debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/01/rivka-galchen-wins-2014-danuta-gleed-literary-award/
Margaret Atwood and C.C. Humphreys are among the winners of this year's Arthur Ellis Awards for Crime Writing. The awards were judged by a panel of twenty-one writers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, and academics specializing in the crime genre.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/29/margaret-atwood-c-c-humphreys-among-2015-arthur-ellis-award-winners/
The Lambda literary awards, a "celebration of queer culture and queer literature," were handed out this week in New York City. The big winner of the night was John Waters, the filmmaker and writer who called his award "the Imperial Margarine crown of queer royalty".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/02/lambda-literary-awards-lgbt-literature-john-waters
The shortlists for the government of Ontario's Trillium Book Awards have been announced, recognizing "excellent works of literature by the province's writers published the year prior." Margaret Atwood, Thomas King and Dionne Brand are among the finalists.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/margaret-atwood-dionne-brand-thomas-king-among-2015-trillium-book-awards-finalists/
Meanwhile, in Atlantic Canada, Carmelita McGrath and Andrew Peacock have won the 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. McGrath is the recipient of this year's E.J. Pratt Award for her collection, Escape Velocity, and Peacock won this year's non-fiction award for his debut title, Creatures of the Rock: A Veterinarian's Adventures in Newfoundland.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/carmelita-mcgrath-and-andrew-peacock-win-2015-newfoundland-and-labrador-book-awards/
Ali Smith has won The Baileys women's prize for How to Be Both.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/03/ali-smith-wins-baileys-prize-with-how-to-be-both
YOUNG READERS
A new children's book, Sweep Up the Sun, salutes birds in flight. Unlike many high-quality nonfiction picture books, however, it uses photography rather than traditional illustration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/books/review/winged-wonders.html
NEWS & FEATURES
The New York Times has sparked criticism after releasing an all-white summer reading list. "According to Gawker, past volumes of the esteemed publication's summer reading list have also had a diversity problem."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-new-york-times-sparks-criticism-after-releasing-an-allwhite-reading-list-10274663.html
A proof copy of The Bell Jar has been unearthed. Attributed to Plath's pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the early version of the novel reveals many last-minute changes to the text.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/the-bell-jar-proof-copy-found-sylvia-plath
Philip Larkin once described literary parties as his idea of "hell on earth." For Philip Hensher, however, things felt very different. "You never knew what would happen next at an old-style literary gathering. Where else could you argue with Doris Lessing about underpants from M&S?"
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/01/philip-larkin-doris-lessing-literary-party
And if you do get invited to such a gathering, here are some great tips for how to survive! Headphones, books and cigarettes are just a few of many helpful tools that can be employed.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/02/how-to-survive-literary-parties-author-francis-plug
"Is it good poetry where every other line rhymes, instead of having each line rhyme with the one before it?" What about a "name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?" Before Google, these were just a few of the questions asked in a now-revealed cache of New York Public Library question cards.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/librarian-new-york-public-librarys-quirkiest-enquiries
BOOKS & WRITERS
Several years ago, Hilary Mantel's novel, Wolf Hall, won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Now it's a success on the London Stage. Hilary Mantel discusses taking the book from page to stage, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/theater/hilary-mantel-on-taking-her-wolf-hall-novels-to-the-stage.html
Kamel Daoud's "stunning" debut novel, The Meursault Investigation, retells Albert Camus's existential classic, The Stranger, from an Algerian point of view. "This is not just a clever, playful conceit...it provides the architecture for an intricately layered tale that not only makes us reassess Camus's novel but also nudges us into a contemplation of Algeria's history and current religious politics."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/books/review-kamel-daoud-interrogates-camus-in-the-meursault-investigation.html
This fall, feminist icon Gloria Steinem will be publishing her first book in more than 20 years. My Life on the Road has been described as "a candid account of how her early years led her to an on-the-road kind of life traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/05/27/gloria-steinem-book-my-life-on-the-road/28008947/
Sara Novic's first novel, Girl at War, explores "how the experience of war can be conveyed to those who don't know it." Narrated by a former child soldier at the end of the Yugoslavian civil war, Girl at War‘s language is charged with enough vitality that "its story wil be remember by readers a world away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/books/review/girl-at-war-by-sara-novic.html
"At first glance, poets Claudia Emerson and Philip Metres have nothing to say to each other. Maybe that's the point." Emerson's The Opposite House and Metres' Sand Opera are looked at side by side, here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/06/the_opposite_house_by_claudia_emerson_and_sand_opera_by_philip_metres_reviewed.html
Make it True: Poetry from Cascadia, is a poetry anthology that celebrates sustainability and "harmony with nature... From Alaska to Arcata, from Nanaimo to Missoula, the 89 poets in this Cascadian collection explore, preserve and celebrate the mind's wilderness and the wilderness of this place."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Anthology+poetry+from+Cascadia+celebrates+sustainability+harmony+with+nature/11093961/story.html#ixzz3bxAzRA8F
COMMUNITY EVENTS
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents writer, filmmaker, and wilderness guide Calder Cheverie, director of The Peel Project. Thursday, June 4 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
BOOKS & BISCOTTI
Features readings by British Columbia writers Diego Bastianutti, Robert Pepper Smith, and Anna Ciampolini Foschi, and the premiere of a documentary movie by Ornella Sinigaglia. Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00pm, free. Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., Vancouver. More information at italianculturalcentre.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Alex Leslie and Robin Susanto plus open mic. Wednesday, June 10 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.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
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