Book News Vol. 10 No. 23

BOOK NEWS

After a whirlwind week here at the office, the Festival website is now live! Visit our website, writersfest.bc.ca for details of this year's Festival, including the full schedule and ticketing information. We've got a lot of great events
this year and we are so excited to share them with you!

Help jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi be heard.

Raif Badawi was sentenced to a 10 year jail sentence and 1,000 lashes just for writing blogs that promoted religious tolerance. Meanwhile, his wife, Ensaf Haidar, is fighting for his freedom. Help us bring Ensaf to our Festival this fall where she will read from Raif's blogs (published in Canada by Greystone Books) and raise awareness of the injustices he's facing. So far our campaign has raised nearly $5,000, but we need your help to reach our goal by September 15th. Donate today, https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/811vgd/ab/e54kg4.

Volunteer registration is now open!
Prospective volunteers should check out the volunteer pages, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/get-involved/volunteers, of our Festival website and register through My Volunteer Page here,
https://app.volunteer2.com/Public/SignUp?organizationGUID=5c4eca8b-95ae-4e41-99a5-6a0e5843faa8&signupFormId=1.

Poetry and Short Story Contest
The 17th Vancouver Writers Fest Poetry and Short Story Contest is now open! Entries will be accepted until October 25th, so get writing or start polishing up your best work. The contest is open to all writers, so this could be the perfect opportunity for you to get published for the first time, kick start your writing career or add to your already impressive resume. First place winners will receive $500 and be published in subTERRAIN Magazine. Details and to enter: http://writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest

Know a young writer? Tell them about our writing contest for BC grades 8-12 students, http://writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest.

Featured Event

Vancouver launch of Across Canada by Story: A Coast to Coast Literary Adventure by Douglas Gibson
When Doug Gibson ran McClelland & Stewart, he took the company's titles "The Canadian Publishers" very seriously. So he travelled widely, in order to get to know the country's authors, at home. He even got involved in setting up
programmes like the Master's in Publishing at SFU. And he really got to know Vancouver and its fascinating book world, populated by people like Alma Lee, Alan Twigg, and Hal Wake. August 31 at 7:00 pm, Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. More information at 604-879-7737.

AWARDS & LISTS

Andre Alexis and Margaret Atwood are among the finalists nominated for this year's Toronto Book Award. The award honours "books evocative of the city."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/08/24/andre-alexis-margaret-atwood-among-2015-toronto-book-award-finalists/

The 2015 CBC Creative Nonfiction Prize has named its jury: Kamal Al-Solaylee, Merrily Weisbord and Michael Harris. The winner will be announced on September 21st.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/08/michael-harris-merrily-weisbord-and-kamal-al-solaylee-named-2015-cbc-creative-nonfiction-prize-jury.html

YOUNG READERS

Why are there no taboos in Scandinavian children's books? In this piece, Norwegian writer Ingelin Røssland examines the Scandinavian children's and teen lit scene, "where explorations of sexuality and explicit swearing escape censorship–and explains why so many Scandinavian adult authors such as Jo Nesbo feel liberated to write honest, brave and dark children's books."
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/aug/25/scandinavian-childrens-books-norway-ingelin-rossland-sex-swearing

Anne Fine is one of "the most celebrated children's authors of our time." As a child, she didn't think about writing. "I didn't ever want to become a writer—just to be left alone to read!"
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2015/aug/24/anne-fine-i-didnt-ever-want-to-become-a-writer-interview

NEWS & FEATURES

Was Margaret Atwood censored by the National Post? A jokey piece she wrote about Conservative attack ads was removed for "fact checking," then republished with several key details missing. The irony is palpable, since Atwood is something of an expert on "vivid dystopian futures."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/23/margaret-atwood-stephen-harper-hair-canada

The Vancouver Public Library has appointed playwright and actor Sharon Shorty as its 2015 Aboriginal Storyteller in Residence. "Shorty uses traditional storytelling traditions of the southern Yukon and contemporary techniques in her performances and has been recognized with the Aurora Award for storytelling."
http://www.vancouversun.com/Aboriginal+storyteller+keeps+tradition+alive/11297119/story.html#ixzz3jqcPizC6

A British teacher has set up a makeshift library at a growing refugee camp in Calais, France (and she's asking for donations). "I wanted to start something that offered real, practical help. Many people here are well-educated—they want to get on and they want books that will help them read and write English, apply for jobs, fill-in forms."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/24/calais-migrant-camp-gets-makeshift-library-and-it-needs-more-books

What does translation mean to you? For Kim Echlin, it's "an act of shared humanity." "In Ojibway, for example, the word for squirrel is ajiidamoo, which means 'upside-down climber.' After I learned that word, I never again looked in the same way at squirrels scrambling around the trees."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/translation-is-an-act-of-shared-humanity/article25927955/

A few months ago, we highlighted an article about a book that can be planted and turned into a tree. This week, there's more environment-related literary excitement: a book that filters water!
https://litreactor.com/news/drinkable-book-filters-water

This summer, a city in Romania encouraged reading through an effective and inventive new way: by offering free bus rides. "I believe that it's better to promote reading by rewarding those who read, instead of criticising the ones who don't," said Victor Miron, the man behind the plan.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/romanian-city-offers-free-rides-to-people-reading-on-the-bus-10463497.html

Speaking of which, McDonald's franchises in Australia are now offering books as a part of their Happy Meals. A public outcry has arisen. "Far from applauding the use of tempting fast food to promote childhood literacy, parents are decrying the use of childhood literacy to promote tempting fast food."
http://teleread.com/ebooks/australian-happy-meal-book-giveaway-sparks-parental-protests/

And it's not just McDonald's. Simon & Schuster is now giving away e-books to travelers who book through Hotels.com. "The partnership is part of an emerging trend in which publishers are looking for new ways to get their e-books into the hands of travelers."
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/simon-schuster-is-giving-away-e-books-via-hotels-com/108712

But forget about giving away books...why not just let them run your store? A new listing on AirBnb is inviting travelers "to live in—and run—the Open Book store in Wigtown, Scotland!"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/21/tourists-offered-chance-to-run-a-bookshop-on-holiday-wigtown

What helps Haruki Murakami get down to work? "A workspace filled with memorabilia and lined with about 10,000 vinyl records!" Take a look, here:
http://lifehacker.com/the-music-and-souvenir-filled-workspace-of-author-haru-1724850226

In other Murakami news, a Japanese bookstore chain has bought up 90% of the author's new print run. Why? In order to limit web sales!
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/aug/25/bookshop-buys-up-90-of-new-haruki-murakami-print-run-to-limit-web-sales

Indigo has announced that they will open a new smaller Chapters location to replace their Robson Street store.
https://www.biv.com/article/2015/8/indigo-open-smaller-downtown-vancouver-store-repla/

BOOKS & WRITERS

What are the 20 books that you'll be "reading—and talking about—for the rest of the year?" Here's the Globe and Mail's list.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-20-books-youll-be-reading-and-talking-about-for-the-rest-of-the-year/article25248161/

Speaking of the Globe, they're now doing weekly previews of the fall's most anticipated books. This week's is from Louise Penny's new novel, The Nature of the Beast. Check it out here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-nature-of-the-beast-read-an-exclusive-excerpt-from-louise-pennys-new-mystery/article26049127/

One book that has also been highly anticipated is Jonathan Franzen's In Purity. Featuring "a young California woman named Pip who is looking for her father, and a Julian Assange-like figure who is eager to get Pip to work for him in South America," it's his most "fleet-footed, least self-conscious and most intimate novel yet."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/25/books/review-in-purity-jonathan-franzen-hits-a-new-octave.html

Nalo Hopkinson, whose books combine themes from Caribbean folklore with science-fiction, feminism and fantasy, has been described by Junot Diaz as "one of our most important writers." Her new genre-bending book is called Falling in Love with Hominids, and she's interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/nalo-hopkinson-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-21st-century/article26048188/

His Whole Life, by Elizabeth Hay, is "a moving reflection on an unbreakable mother-son bond." Set during the second Quebec referendum, it blends "a lakeside setting, a touch of CanLit self-referencing and discriminating doses of Shakespeare and Greek tragedy to create a family saga."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-his-whole-life-is-a-moving-reflection-on-an-unbreakable-mother-son-bond/article26048675/

Charlotte Silver's Bennington Girls Are Easy is a "delicious first novel about growing up and not leaving New York." There are plenty of reasons to hate the novel's protagonists—they are "catty and selfish and lazy and their priorities are all wrong—but they're also indomitable and savvy and full of moxie that's hard not to enjoy."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/08/charlotte_silver_s_first_novel_bennington_girls_are_easy_reviewed.html

Chinkstar, by Jon Chan Simpson, is "a fresh and totally badass exploration of history, language and cultural truthiness–straight outta Red Deer." Exploring modern Canadian immigrant culture, it combines the traditions of oral storytelling with classic whodunit style.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-jon-chan-simpsons-novel-chinkstar-is-a-genre-bending-exploration-of-history-language-and-culture/article26049470/

In Camilla Gibb's This is Happy, the author "zooms in and out of her formative years as she tries to figure out what family means for her, and how to build one that lasts." Written as a memoir, the story is framed within the context of her own pregnancy, which she went through alone after her wife left her.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-camilla-gibb-chronicles-her-search-for-connection-in-this-is-happy/article26048420/

COMMUNITY EVENTS

PLAY ON WORDS
The Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) Central Branch is hosting the 2nd annual two day celebration of literary arts in all its diverse forms. August 28 at 12:00pm. Central Courtyard, Greater Victoria Public Library. More information at gvpl.ca.

WORLD POETRY VANCOUVER
Presents Embracing Interconnectivity: Nature & the World. Hosts Wanda Kehewin and Elaine Woo. Features local writers Anita Aguirre-Nieveras, Christine Leclerc, Grace Woo, Isaac Yuen, Jonina Kirton, Joanne Arnott, Nasreen Pejvak, Synne Kune Loh and Rita Wong. September 5, 2015, 1-3 pm. Britannia Branch, VPL, 1661 Napier St., Vancouver, V5L 4X4.

TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Russell Thornton & Elena Johnson + Open Mic. Thursday, September 10th, 7–9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Twisted Poets runs the 2nd Wednesday and the 4th Thursday of the month. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.

W. JAMES DICKINSON
Local author will read from his book Raptor Night. Friday, September 11 at 4:00pm, free. Salt Spring Island Public Library, Salt Spring Island. More information at saltspring.bc.libraries.coop.

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, September 13 at 3:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.

THE HISTORY OF WOMEN IN THE RCMP
Historian and former RCMP officer, Bonnie Reilly Schmidt, launches her new book, Silenced: The Untold Story of the Fight for Equality in the RCMP. Tuesday, September 15 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse on Main Street, 4118 Main ST. More information andrea@caitlin-press.com.

SPOKEN INK READING SERIES
Features poets Bren Simmers and Raoul Fernandes. Tuesday, September 15 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at harbourpublishing.com.

NOVEL NIGHTS
Raziel Reid discusses his novel When Everything Feels Like The Movies. Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. More information at 604-879-7737.

Upcoming

THE BOOK OF NEGROES: FROM PAGE TO SCREEN WITH LAWRENCE HILL
Join acclaimed author Lawrence Hill in an evening of conversation with CBC's Margaret Gallagher on the highs and lows of transforming his best-selling novel into a major television series, and other rich revelations. Thursday September 17 at 7:00 pm. Goldcorps Centre for the Arts, 149 W. Hastings St. More information at hapapalooza.com.

KOOTENAY BOOKWEEKEND
The Kootenay Bookweekend will be hosting passionate page-tuners reading and discussing The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King, Daughters of the Witching Hill by Mary Sharratt, Local Customs by Audrey Thomas and our guest author, Arno Kopecky's book The Oil Man and the Sea. September 18-20, 2015 in Nelson, BC. Registration forms and information at kootenaybookweekend.ca.

EUROPEAN BOOK CLUB
Presents My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. Moderated by Dr. Elisa Segnini. Saturday, September 19 at 3:00pm, free but register at eubookclub.vancouver@gmail.com. Kitsilano Branch, VPL. More information at alliancefrancaise.ca.

THE BEST LAID PLANS: A MUSICAL
The world premiere of a musical based Terry Fallis' award-winning first novel. Presented by Touchstone Theatre and Patrick Street Productions. September 19-October 3, 2015. The York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive. For tickets, visit tickets.thecultch.com.

COMPLETELY MIXED UP
A display of creativity exploring what it means to be of mixed Asian-North American Heritage. Monday, September 21 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.

WORD VANCOUVER
Featuring books and authors with free exhibits, performances, and hands-on activities for a wide range of ages and interests. September 23-27, 2015. Various locations. For complete details, visit wordvancouver.ca.

AUTHORS UNBOUND UNINTERRUPTED
An evening of entertainment and inspiration provided by six local People of the Page: Mauro Azzano, Margo Bates, Kempton Dexter, Pattry Emry, Ron Kearse and Lillja Valis. Monday, September 28 at 7:00pm. Central Branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.