BOOK NEWS
Incite 2016
A novel, a poetry collection and a memoir about activism and protest: Sunil Yapa (Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of a Fist), Sarah de Leeuw (Skeena) and Sonja Larsen (Red Star Tattoo). Details at writersfest.bc.ca/feb3incite.
Do you like to plan far in advance? Tickets are now on sale for two great events coming up in May. On May 8, VWF is presenting David Sedaris at the Vogue Theatre. To purchase tickets during the pre-sale (ending Feb 11), use the promo code OWLS. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketfly at https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1032659/tfly?__utma=1.797300158.1452127610.1452551493.1453333174.9&__utmb=1.3.10.1453333174&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1452282302.4.4.utmcsr=writersfest.bc.ca|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/events/david-sedaris&__utmv=-&__utmk=5347891 or by calling 888-732-1682. In addition, early bird tickets are on sale for A Dram Come True, our annual whisky tasting fundraiser on May 13. Save $15/ticket by purchasing your ticket today on our website here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
AWARDS & LISTS
Canada Reads is back, with five books vying for recognitions. The theme of this year's event is "'starting over,' with a focus on immigrant and other stories of transformation and change."
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-news/2016/01/20/books-by-hill-nawaz-and-winter-among-2016-cbc-canada-reads-contenders/
Lawrence Hill has been chosen to chair the 2016 Giller Prize jury. According to Hill, "it's a way of saying I care about CanLit and I'm prepared to spend nine months reading a truckload of Canadian literature."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/lawrence-hill-to-chair-giller-prize-jury/article28254167/
The resident of this year's Berton House Writers' Retreat have been named. The residency, which takes place in Dawson City, Yukon, will be welcoming Toronto poet Claire Caldwell, P.E.I. non-fiction writer Debra Komar, Vancouver children's author Stacey Matson, and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2016/01/19/writers-trust-announces-latest-berton-house-residents/
The Western Canada Jewish Book Awards is a new initiative of the Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival, designed to celebrate excellence in writing on Jewish themes and showcase the achievements of authors residing West of the Ontario-Manitoba border. Submission deadline is February 29, 2016.
https://jccgv.com/content/wcj-book-awards
YOUNG READERS
An unseen Beatrix Potter story featuring an older Peter Rabbit is set to be published! Quentin Blake has been chosen to illustrate The Tale of Kitty-In-Boots, "which was left unfinished when Potter died and was lost for more than a century."
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jan/26/beatrix-potter-tale-kitty-in-boots-quentin-blake
NEWS & FEATURES
Can an apparently "curious" computer improve students' writing? "Most roboreaders grade essays. This one wants to help make them better."
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2016/01/writelab_a_roboreader_that_helps_students_improve_their_writing.html
Iran has banned the use of the word 'wine' and the names of 'foreign animals' in books published in the country. "The decision to censor books published in Iran is to ensure that Iranians are protected from a Western 'cultural onslaught'"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/12109159/Iran-bans-use-of-the-word-wine-and-names-of-foreign-animals-in-books.html
Speaking of censorship, two missing Hong Kong publishers have resurfaced, albeit under scary circumstances. "The disappearances have had a chilling effect on Hong Kong's once-vibrant trade in books critical of the Chinese leadership."
http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-missing-hong-kong-20160120-story.html
The United States and Cuba have joined forces to preserve Hemingway's Havana materials. Experts from both countries are working together to preserve thousands of the writer's books and papers in his house outside Havana.
http://www.mhpbooks.com/us-and-cuba-join-forces-to-preserve-hemingways-havana-materials/
Fairy tales are older than we ever knew! Many stories which had been thought to date back to the 16th and 17th Centuries are now revealed to be prehistoric.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35358487
Are we living in a new golden age of illustration? In a surprising turn, "the advent of e-books and digital publishing has rekindled the bibliophile's interest in the book as a physical object of beauty."
http://lithub.com/a-brief-history-of-book-illustration/
A copy of Don Quixote has been given to jailed drug lord El Chapo. According to prison officials, this is due to him being "depressed and tired."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/22/don-quixote-sent-in-to-jail-to-cheer-up-el-chapo
BOOKS & WRITERS
Elizabeth Strout's My Name Is Lucy Barton is an "exploration of memory," told from the perspective of an author reflecting on nine weeks she spent in the hospital. In channelling Lucy's voice, Strout is "breathtaking."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-elizabeth-strouts-my-name-is-lucy-barton-is-an-exploration-of-memory/article28338507/
In American Housewife: Stories, Helen Ellis takes a stereotype and "spins it into one of the most original and entertaining books in recent memory." Even more importantly, Margaret Atwood has called her "cackle-making!"
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2016/01/24/american-housewife-circa-2016.html
Julie Emerson's new book of poetry, Twenty-Seven Stings, offers seventeen "meditations on war and women." It's illustrated with "powerful" drawings by award-winning artist Roxanna Bikadoroff.
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/poetry+twenty+seven+stings+offers+meditations+women/11670578/story.html#ixzz3yKG8d0j6
A "fascinating" new collection of essays has profiled the everyday people in Shakespeare's life, "from his wife to his actors to his landlord." Called The Shakespeare Circle, it's an anthology that tells exciting new stories about one of literature's most famous, yet elusive, characters.
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2016/01/shakespeare_biography_the_shakespeare_circle_reviewed.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
MEET THE AUTHOR: CAROLINE ADDERSON
Caroline Adderson discusses her book, Ellen in Pieces. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. Cost: $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at christiannehayward.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Frances Boyle, Keith Garebian, Nasreen Pejvack, Manolis Aligizakis plus open mic. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. Suggested donation at
the door: $5. More information at pandorascollective.com.
ANDREW NIKIFORUK
Author presents his new book Slick Water. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $20/$15/$10/$7.50. Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 W. Hastings St. More information at sfu.ca.
HADWIN'S JUDGEMENT
Presentation of Sasha Snow's cinematic adaptation of John Vaillant's Governor General Award-winning novel The Golden Spruce. Friday, January 29 at 7:00pm. Tickets: $12/$10. Richmond Cultural Centre Performance hall, 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond. More information at doxafestival.ca.
ASHLEY SPIRES
Author will be signing books and presenting her new picture book Over-Scheduled Andrew. Saturday, January 30 at 1:00pm. Black Bond Books, 5251 Ladner Trunk Road, Delta. More information at 604-946-6677.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Navaro Franco, Keith Garebian, and Alan Hill. Hosted by Franci Louann. Sunday, January 31 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
RICHARD VAN CAMP
Reading by acclaimed storyteller and author of books for babies, children and adults, graphic novels and comics. Tuesday, February 2 at 7:00pm. Admission by donation. Sunshine Coast Art Centre, Sechelt.
SAY WHA?!
Eric Fell, LeeAnn Keple, Jacob Samuel, and Michael John Unger read from terrible books. Tuesday, February 2 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10 at the door. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main, Vancouver.
JOHN VAILLANT
Meet the author of The Golden Spruce and The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, February 3 at 6:30pm. City Centre Library, Surrey. More information at surreylibraries.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Janet Hudgins, Esmeralda Cabral, Mark Bondyra, Chelene Knight, Sean Kirk, Gayle Mavor, Yaana Dancer, and Nicola Harwood. Thursday, February 4 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at 778-782-8000.
LOVE POETRY AND CHOCOLATE
Join poets Terry Ann Carter, Wendy Morton, Barbara Pelman, Steven J. Thompson, and Victoria's poet laureate Yvonne Blomer, for a special afternoon of poetry readings, personalized poems, and chocolate. Saturday, February 6 at 1:00pm. Community room, Central Branch, Greater Victoria Public Library. More information at gvpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Amber Dawn, Carolyn Smart, Lucas Crawford and Shannon Rayne plus open mic. Wednesday, February 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 pandorascollective.com.
EVE ZAREMBA
Book launch of the author's memoir The Broad Side. Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00pm, free. Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium, 1238 Davie, Vancouver.
CAROLYN SMART
Author reads from her latest poetry collection Careen. Friday, February 12 at 7:30pm. Hillside Coffee and Tea, 1633 Hillside Ave., Victoria.
ALYX DELLAMONICA
Storm Crow Tavern Reading Series presents the author of Daughter of No Nation. Saturday, February 13 at 3:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern, 1305 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at 604-366-9669.
JORDAN ABEL
Reading by Nisga'a author of The Place of Scraps and Un/inhabited. Tuesday, FEbruary 16 at 4:00pm. Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey Library. More information at kpu.ca.
POETRY READING
Featuring Ali Blythe, Arleen Pare, and Kayla Czaga. Hosted by Sheryda Warrener. Thursday, February 18 at 7:00pm. Pulp Fiction Books, Main Street, Vancouver.
GALIANO LITERARY FESTIVAL
Sixth annual festival with over 25 writers. February 19-21, 2016. Galiano Island, BC. Complete details at galianoliteraryfestival.com.
AUTHORS IN OUR COMMUNITY
Mother Tongue Publishers presents a joint launch of Peter Busby's The Life and Art of Jack Akroyd and Trevor Carolan's Literary Storefront: The Glory Years: Vancouver's Literary Centre 1978-1984. Wednesday, February 24 at 7:00pm. Welsh Hall West, West Vancouver Memorial Library. More information at 604-925-7403.
ON EDGE READING SERIES
Elaine Woo reads from her book Cycling with the Dragon. Sunday, February 28 at 7:00pm. Emily Carr Univerity of Art and Design, Granville Island, Vancouver.
DAVID WALLIAMS
Appearance by the author of Grandpa's Great Escape, Awful Auntie, and Mr. Stink and many more! Thursday, March 3 at 7:00pm. School gym, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 2550 Camosun Street. For complete details and to purchase tickets, visit kidsbooks.ca.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Book News Vol. 10 No. 41
BOOK NEWS
On Monday, we announced the winners of our 2015 Short Story and Poetry Contest. Congratulations to Mark MacKichan (first place, short story), Claire Matthews (runner up, short story), Susan Alexander (first place, poetry) and Cornelia Hoogland (runner up, poetry). Read the winning entries on our website here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest, and look for Mark and Susan's entries in an upcoming issue of subTerrain magazine.
Do you like to plan far in advance? Tickets are now on sale for two great events coming up in May. On May 8, VWF is presenting David Sedaris at the Vogue Theatre. To purchase tickets during the pre-sale (ending Feb 11), use the promo code OWLS. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketfly at https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1032659/tfly?__utma=1.797300158.1452127610.1452551493.1453333174.9&__utmb=1.3.10.1453333174&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1452282302.4.4.utmcsr=writersfest.bc.ca|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/events/david-sedaris&__utmv=-&__utmk=5347891 or by calling 888-732-1682. In addition, early bird tickets are on sale for A Dram Come True, our annual whisky tasting fundraiser on May 13. Save $15/ticket by purchasing your ticket today on our website here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
AWARDS & LISTS
Finalists have been named for the National Book Critics Circle Prize. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Helen MacDonald and Lauren Groff made the cut.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/19/ta-nehisi-coates-lauren-groff-amid-national-book-critics-circle-prize-finalists
The Costa short story prize has revealed the identities of its anonymised finalists. "The six-strong shortlist, which the public have been voting for 'blind', includes work by Rupert Thomson, Peggy Riley and Annalisa Crawford."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/18/costa-short-story-prize-reveals-identities-of-anonymised-finalists
The shortlist for the RBC Taylor prize, which celebrates Canadian non-fiction, has been announced. The finalists include "several high-profile authors," including journalist Ian Brown and biographer Rosemary Sullivan.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/13/rosemary-sullivan-ian-brown-among-2016-rbc-taylor-prize-finalists/
YOUNG READERS
Paper Wishes, by Lois Sepahban, is a middle-grade novel that recounts a Japanese-American family's life in a Second World War detention camp. Its protagonist, Manami, is an introvert who uses drawing to express herself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/books/review/paper-wishes-by-lois-sepahban.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Writers have joined a worldwide action to protest the death sentence of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh in Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of writers in 44 countries are taking part in coordinated readings to support Fayadh, who is condemned to death for "allegedly promoting atheism."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/14/writers-join-worldwide-action-to-protest-palestinian-poets-death-sentence-in-saudi-arabia
Anne of Green Gables is returning to CBC Television. "The eight-part series follows news that a movie adaptation will appear on YTV this year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-culture/2016/01/12/anne-of-green-gables-is-coming-to-cbc-television/
Penguin has eliminated degree requirements for its job applicants. The publisher's "attempt to open employment opportunities to [a] more diverse range of candidates follows [a] similar step by Ernst & Young."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/18/penguin-ditches-the-need-for-job-seekers-to-have-university-degrees
What were pop-up books like in the 17th century? Here's a chance to take a glimpse!
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-medical-pop-up-book-from-17th-century-180957803/?is_pocket=1
Philip Pullman has resigned as patron of the Oxford Literary Festival over "lack of pay for authors." Pullman has stated that the organisers' expectation that authors work for free conflicts with his role as president of a society "that campaigns for author wages."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/14/philip-pullman-resigns-oxford-literary-festival-patron-pay-authors
What's more romantic than Valentine's Day at Hogwarts? "Warner Brothers entertainment company said its Harry Potter studio tour will see the venue open its doors to couples on the evening of 13 and 14 February, when they can enjoy a 'bewitching' romantic dinner for two on the set."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/couples-can-enjoy-bewitching-valentines-banquet-on-the-harry-potter-set-a6811371.html
Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue has been nominated for an Oscar for her screenplay adaptation of her 2010 novel, Room. Donoghue appeared at the Writers Fest in 2014.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/14/emma-donoghue-nominated-for-best-adapted-screenplay-oscar/
BOOKS & WRITERS
David Constantine, who appeared at last year's Writers Fest, appeared on CBC's Writers & Company this past week. You can listen to the interview here:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/writersandcompany/david-constantine-on-the-immense-power-of-memory-1.3400858
The Guardian's Poem of the week is The Gartan Mother's Lullaby, by Joseph Campbell. "Originally written as a folk song, with Herbert Hughes, figures from Irish mythology are used here to weave a fresh, beguiling spell."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jan/18/poem-of-the-week-the-gartan-mothers-lullaby-by-joseph-campbell
In Vladimir Sorokin's novel, The Blizzard, a Russian doctor's mission to "deliver a much-need vaccine in a snowstorm is plagued by dangers and temptations." It begins "as a kind of Chekhovian tale" and evolves "into a phantasmagorical allegory sprinkled with surrealistic scenes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/19/books/review-in-vladimir-sorokins-the-blizzard-a-doctors-long-and-strange-trip.html
Elizabeth Strout's newest novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, is about a woman's reconciliation with her mother. She discusses her new book, the best advice she's ever received and more, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/elizabeth-strout-in-real-life-we-have-only-our-imaginations-to-know-what-the-lives-of-others-may-be-like/article28212214/
Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air is "an exquisitely moving exploration of mortality." It details Dr. Kalanithi's diagnosis and demise from cancer, and in doing so, enlarges "our understanding and enhance our perceptions of what it is to be human."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-paul-kalanithis-when-breath-becomes-air-is-an-exquisitely-moving-exploration-of-mortality/article28212547/
What do Academy Award nominations mean for Emma Donoghue's book, Room? Donoghue is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/emma-donoghue-on-what-oscar-nominations-mean-for-room/article28183079/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
POETICS OF APPROACH
Please join Cecily Nicholson and Jordan Scott for an evening of poetry and conversation moderated by David Chariandy. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova Street, Vancouver. More information at gachet.org.
CROCS AT WORK
Book launch for the latest picture book from award-winning author Robert Heidbreder and illustrator Rae Mate. Saturday, January 23 at 3:45pm. Arts Umbrella, 1286 Cartwright St., Vancouver. More information at tradewindbooks.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Frances Boyle, Bren Simmers and DN Simmers. Hosted by James Felton. Sunday, January 24 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
MEET THE AUTHOR: CAROLINE ADDERSON
Caroline Adderson discusses her book, Ellen in Pieces. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. Cost: $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at christiannehayward.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Frances Boyle, Keith Garebian, Nasreen Pejvack, Manolis Aligizakis plus open mic. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. Suggested donation at
the door: $5. More information at pandorascollective.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Navaro Franco, Keith Garebian, and Alan Hill. Hosted by Franci Louann. Sunday, January 31 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Amber Dawn, Carolyn Smart, Lucas Crawford and Shannon Rayne plus open mic. Wednesday, February 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 pandorascollective.com.
ALYX DELLAMONICA
Storm Crow Tavern Reading Series presents the author of Daughter of No Nation. Saturday, February 13 at 3:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern, 1305 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at 604-366-9669.
GALIANO LITERARY FESTIVAL
Sixth annual festival with over 25 writers. February 19-21, 2016. Galiano Island, BC. Complete details at galianoliteraryfestival.com.
On Monday, we announced the winners of our 2015 Short Story and Poetry Contest. Congratulations to Mark MacKichan (first place, short story), Claire Matthews (runner up, short story), Susan Alexander (first place, poetry) and Cornelia Hoogland (runner up, poetry). Read the winning entries on our website here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest, and look for Mark and Susan's entries in an upcoming issue of subTerrain magazine.
Do you like to plan far in advance? Tickets are now on sale for two great events coming up in May. On May 8, VWF is presenting David Sedaris at the Vogue Theatre. To purchase tickets during the pre-sale (ending Feb 11), use the promo code OWLS. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketfly at https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1032659/tfly?__utma=1.797300158.1452127610.1452551493.1453333174.9&__utmb=1.3.10.1453333174&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1452282302.4.4.utmcsr=writersfest.bc.ca|utmccn=(referral)|utmcmd=referral|utmcct=/events/david-sedaris&__utmv=-&__utmk=5347891 or by calling 888-732-1682. In addition, early bird tickets are on sale for A Dram Come True, our annual whisky tasting fundraiser on May 13. Save $15/ticket by purchasing your ticket today on our website here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
AWARDS & LISTS
Finalists have been named for the National Book Critics Circle Prize. Ta-Nehisi Coates, Helen MacDonald and Lauren Groff made the cut.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/19/ta-nehisi-coates-lauren-groff-amid-national-book-critics-circle-prize-finalists
The Costa short story prize has revealed the identities of its anonymised finalists. "The six-strong shortlist, which the public have been voting for 'blind', includes work by Rupert Thomson, Peggy Riley and Annalisa Crawford."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/18/costa-short-story-prize-reveals-identities-of-anonymised-finalists
The shortlist for the RBC Taylor prize, which celebrates Canadian non-fiction, has been announced. The finalists include "several high-profile authors," including journalist Ian Brown and biographer Rosemary Sullivan.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/13/rosemary-sullivan-ian-brown-among-2016-rbc-taylor-prize-finalists/
YOUNG READERS
Paper Wishes, by Lois Sepahban, is a middle-grade novel that recounts a Japanese-American family's life in a Second World War detention camp. Its protagonist, Manami, is an introvert who uses drawing to express herself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/books/review/paper-wishes-by-lois-sepahban.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Writers have joined a worldwide action to protest the death sentence of Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh in Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of writers in 44 countries are taking part in coordinated readings to support Fayadh, who is condemned to death for "allegedly promoting atheism."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/14/writers-join-worldwide-action-to-protest-palestinian-poets-death-sentence-in-saudi-arabia
Anne of Green Gables is returning to CBC Television. "The eight-part series follows news that a movie adaptation will appear on YTV this year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-culture/2016/01/12/anne-of-green-gables-is-coming-to-cbc-television/
Penguin has eliminated degree requirements for its job applicants. The publisher's "attempt to open employment opportunities to [a] more diverse range of candidates follows [a] similar step by Ernst & Young."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/18/penguin-ditches-the-need-for-job-seekers-to-have-university-degrees
What were pop-up books like in the 17th century? Here's a chance to take a glimpse!
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-medical-pop-up-book-from-17th-century-180957803/?is_pocket=1
Philip Pullman has resigned as patron of the Oxford Literary Festival over "lack of pay for authors." Pullman has stated that the organisers' expectation that authors work for free conflicts with his role as president of a society "that campaigns for author wages."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/14/philip-pullman-resigns-oxford-literary-festival-patron-pay-authors
What's more romantic than Valentine's Day at Hogwarts? "Warner Brothers entertainment company said its Harry Potter studio tour will see the venue open its doors to couples on the evening of 13 and 14 February, when they can enjoy a 'bewitching' romantic dinner for two on the set."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/couples-can-enjoy-bewitching-valentines-banquet-on-the-harry-potter-set-a6811371.html
Irish-Canadian writer Emma Donoghue has been nominated for an Oscar for her screenplay adaptation of her 2010 novel, Room. Donoghue appeared at the Writers Fest in 2014.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/14/emma-donoghue-nominated-for-best-adapted-screenplay-oscar/
BOOKS & WRITERS
David Constantine, who appeared at last year's Writers Fest, appeared on CBC's Writers & Company this past week. You can listen to the interview here:
http://www.cbc.ca/radio/writersandcompany/david-constantine-on-the-immense-power-of-memory-1.3400858
The Guardian's Poem of the week is The Gartan Mother's Lullaby, by Joseph Campbell. "Originally written as a folk song, with Herbert Hughes, figures from Irish mythology are used here to weave a fresh, beguiling spell."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/jan/18/poem-of-the-week-the-gartan-mothers-lullaby-by-joseph-campbell
In Vladimir Sorokin's novel, The Blizzard, a Russian doctor's mission to "deliver a much-need vaccine in a snowstorm is plagued by dangers and temptations." It begins "as a kind of Chekhovian tale" and evolves "into a phantasmagorical allegory sprinkled with surrealistic scenes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/19/books/review-in-vladimir-sorokins-the-blizzard-a-doctors-long-and-strange-trip.html
Elizabeth Strout's newest novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, is about a woman's reconciliation with her mother. She discusses her new book, the best advice she's ever received and more, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/elizabeth-strout-in-real-life-we-have-only-our-imaginations-to-know-what-the-lives-of-others-may-be-like/article28212214/
Paul Kalanithi's When Breath Becomes Air is "an exquisitely moving exploration of mortality." It details Dr. Kalanithi's diagnosis and demise from cancer, and in doing so, enlarges "our understanding and enhance our perceptions of what it is to be human."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-paul-kalanithis-when-breath-becomes-air-is-an-exquisitely-moving-exploration-of-mortality/article28212547/
What do Academy Award nominations mean for Emma Donoghue's book, Room? Donoghue is interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/emma-donoghue-on-what-oscar-nominations-mean-for-room/article28183079/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
POETICS OF APPROACH
Please join Cecily Nicholson and Jordan Scott for an evening of poetry and conversation moderated by David Chariandy. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova Street, Vancouver. More information at gachet.org.
CROCS AT WORK
Book launch for the latest picture book from award-winning author Robert Heidbreder and illustrator Rae Mate. Saturday, January 23 at 3:45pm. Arts Umbrella, 1286 Cartwright St., Vancouver. More information at tradewindbooks.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Frances Boyle, Bren Simmers and DN Simmers. Hosted by James Felton. Sunday, January 24 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
MEET THE AUTHOR: CAROLINE ADDERSON
Caroline Adderson discusses her book, Ellen in Pieces. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. Cost: $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at christiannehayward.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Frances Boyle, Keith Garebian, Nasreen Pejvack, Manolis Aligizakis plus open mic. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. Suggested donation at
the door: $5. More information at pandorascollective.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Navaro Franco, Keith Garebian, and Alan Hill. Hosted by Franci Louann. Sunday, January 31 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Amber Dawn, Carolyn Smart, Lucas Crawford and Shannon Rayne plus open mic. Wednesday, February 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 pandorascollective.com.
ALYX DELLAMONICA
Storm Crow Tavern Reading Series presents the author of Daughter of No Nation. Saturday, February 13 at 3:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern, 1305 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at 604-366-9669.
GALIANO LITERARY FESTIVAL
Sixth annual festival with over 25 writers. February 19-21, 2016. Galiano Island, BC. Complete details at galianoliteraryfestival.com.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Book News Vol. 10 No. 40
BOOK NEWS
Announcing! - The Vancouver Writers Fest presents An Evening with David Sedaris
The Vancouver Writers Fest presents David Sedaris, author of the bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor, appearing for one night only at The Vogue Theatre on Sunday, May 8 at 7pm. Get the best seats! Pre-sales to An Evening with David Sedaris start January 11 with the code "OWLS". All seating reserved: $58/43 plus taxes and fees. Ticketfly.com or by phone 888-732-1682. Details here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/david-sedaris.
Coming up: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know you'll be attending in advance.
AWARDS & LISTS
Two Canadian books took home prizes at the American Library Associations' annual youth media awards. Teresa Toten's The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B won in the teen category, and Finding Winnie, about Winnie the Pooh, won the Caldecott Medal.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/12/two-canadian-titles-recognized-with-2016-ala-youth-media-awards/
YOUNG READERS
Here are three new picture books worth checking out (with mini reviews!): Frankencrayon, about the joys of imperfections; Over-Scheduled Andrew, about the joys of unscheduled time; and The Bear Who Went Boo!, about why it can be fun to scare people!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-pictures-books-by-michael-hall-ashley-spires-and-david-walliams/article27973570/
NEWS & FEATURES
Music icon and voracious reader David Bowie died this week. Here's a look-back at his 100 must-read books.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/01/david-bowie-books-kerouac-milligan
Gabriel García Márquez is about to become a lot more accessible. The University of Texas will "digitize more than 24,000 pages of manuscripts, notebooks, scrapbooks, photographs and ephemera from the García Márquez archive and make them available online."
http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-gabriel-garcia-marquez-archive-digitized-20160105-story.html
Emma Watson is starting a feminist book club, and wants your help to name it. She sent her request out on Twitter.
http://time.com/4170105/emma-watson-feminist-book-club/
Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong this week in protest over missing publishers. Five people linked to a "local publisher of books critical of Beijing's leadership" are currently missing.
http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/01/11/thousands-protest-in-hk-over-missing-publishers-booksellers-worried/
On the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, 78 free speech organizations from around the world have "come together to proclaim the importance of protecting dissenting voices." PEN International is leading the charge.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/07/charlie-hebdo-pen-reporters-borders-free-speech-right-to-offend
Across the Channel, the UK's Royal Mint is releasing several literary-themed coins. Both Shakespeare's plays and Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit are represented.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2016/01/05/britain_s_royal_mint_unveils_peter_rabbit_and_shakespeare_themed_coins_for.html
Author Musa Okwonga has written what JK Rowling calls "the best comment I've read" on Cologne's New Year's sexual assaults. Okwonga, who lives in Germany, has urged men, "regardless of our ethnic backgrounds, to get genuinely angry about the treatment of women in public spaces."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/07/jk-rowling-praises-poet-musa-okwonga-response-cologne-sex-attacks-women
Are there any unforgivable sins in literature? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Rivka Galchen and Benjamin Moser discuss "the literary transgressions they cannot forgive."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/are-there-any-unforgivable-sins-in-literature.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Many fantastic books are being made into movies this year. Here are "13 books to read before they become movies in 2016!"
https://www.romper.com/p/13-books-to-read-before-they-become-movies-in-2016-2721
According to Kurt Palka, "any book worth reading once is worth reading again." His new book is called The Piano Maker, and he's interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/kurt-palka-any-book-worth-reading-once-is-worth-reading-again/article28076414/
In this week's New York Times Book Review Podcast, several items are discussed: news from the publishing world, bestseller news, Ethan Michaeli's The Defender and the history of the black press, and Maria Konnikova's The Confidence Game.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/inside-the-new-york-times-book-review-podcast-the-defender.html
The Portable Veblen is a "bold new novel about a woman's relationship with a squirrel" that "blurs the line between eccentricity and madness." It also tackles fraud in the defense industry, dysfunctional families and the "poisoned legacies that parents give their children."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2016/01/the_portable_veblen_by_elizabeth_mckenzie_reviewed.html
It's a new year, and with that comes new lists! Here are some B.C. books to "kick start your year...helpful reads that will expand your mind, raise chickens, boost your health" and more!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/books+kick+start+year/11624698/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SPOKEN INK
Featuring Chelsea Comeau and Sheila Rosen. Thursday, January 14 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby. More information at bwscafe@gmail.com.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series, the second Thursday of the month, 7:30-9 pm. Any genre-short stories, poetry, song with lyrics, creative non-fiction, etc. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AMMIEL ALCALAY
Reading by poet/scholar. Friday, January 15 at 12:30pm, free. Special Collections and Rare Books, W.A.C. Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby). For more information, call 778-782-6676.
SFU WRITER'S STUDIO 15TH ANNIVERSARY
Featuring Cathie Borrie. Friday, January 15 at 6:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
PLANET EARTH POETRY READING SERIES
A special Poet Laureate night featuring Rachel Rose and Yvonne Blomer. Friday, January 15 at 7:30pm. Admission: $5. Hillside Coffee and Tea, 1633 Hillside Ave., Victoria.
POETRY MEETS ART
Award-winning poet Fran Bourassa hosts an afternoon that sees local writers read poems inspired by a current exhibition. Sunday, January 17 at 2:00pm. Seymour Art Gallery.
VAN SLAM
Features spoken word artist Daniel Mark Patterson (DMP). Monday, January 18 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
POETICS OF APPROACH
Please join Cecily Nicholson and Jordan Scott for an evening of poetry and conversation moderated by David Chariandy. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova Street, Vancouver. More information at gachet.org.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Frances Boyle, Bren Simmers and DN Simmers. Hosted by James Felton. Sunday, January 24 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
MEET THE AUTHOR: CAROLINE ADDERSON
Caroline Adderson discusses her book, Ellen in Pieces. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. Cost: $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at christiannehayward.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Navaro Franco, Keith Garebian, and Alan Hill. Hosted by Franci Louann. Sunday, January 31 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
GALIANO LITERARY FESTIVAL
Sixth annual festival with over 25 writers. February 19-21, 2016. Galiano Island, BC. Complete details at galianoliteraryfestival.com.
Announcing! - The Vancouver Writers Fest presents An Evening with David Sedaris
The Vancouver Writers Fest presents David Sedaris, author of the bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor, appearing for one night only at The Vogue Theatre on Sunday, May 8 at 7pm. Get the best seats! Pre-sales to An Evening with David Sedaris start January 11 with the code "OWLS". All seating reserved: $58/43 plus taxes and fees. Ticketfly.com or by phone 888-732-1682. Details here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/david-sedaris.
Coming up: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know you'll be attending in advance.
AWARDS & LISTS
Two Canadian books took home prizes at the American Library Associations' annual youth media awards. Teresa Toten's The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B won in the teen category, and Finding Winnie, about Winnie the Pooh, won the Caldecott Medal.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/12/two-canadian-titles-recognized-with-2016-ala-youth-media-awards/
YOUNG READERS
Here are three new picture books worth checking out (with mini reviews!): Frankencrayon, about the joys of imperfections; Over-Scheduled Andrew, about the joys of unscheduled time; and The Bear Who Went Boo!, about why it can be fun to scare people!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-pictures-books-by-michael-hall-ashley-spires-and-david-walliams/article27973570/
NEWS & FEATURES
Music icon and voracious reader David Bowie died this week. Here's a look-back at his 100 must-read books.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/01/david-bowie-books-kerouac-milligan
Gabriel García Márquez is about to become a lot more accessible. The University of Texas will "digitize more than 24,000 pages of manuscripts, notebooks, scrapbooks, photographs and ephemera from the García Márquez archive and make them available online."
http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-gabriel-garcia-marquez-archive-digitized-20160105-story.html
Emma Watson is starting a feminist book club, and wants your help to name it. She sent her request out on Twitter.
http://time.com/4170105/emma-watson-feminist-book-club/
Thousands of people took to the streets of Hong Kong this week in protest over missing publishers. Five people linked to a "local publisher of books critical of Beijing's leadership" are currently missing.
http://the-digital-reader.com/2016/01/11/thousands-protest-in-hk-over-missing-publishers-booksellers-worried/
On the anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, 78 free speech organizations from around the world have "come together to proclaim the importance of protecting dissenting voices." PEN International is leading the charge.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/07/charlie-hebdo-pen-reporters-borders-free-speech-right-to-offend
Across the Channel, the UK's Royal Mint is releasing several literary-themed coins. Both Shakespeare's plays and Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit are represented.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2016/01/05/britain_s_royal_mint_unveils_peter_rabbit_and_shakespeare_themed_coins_for.html
Author Musa Okwonga has written what JK Rowling calls "the best comment I've read" on Cologne's New Year's sexual assaults. Okwonga, who lives in Germany, has urged men, "regardless of our ethnic backgrounds, to get genuinely angry about the treatment of women in public spaces."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/07/jk-rowling-praises-poet-musa-okwonga-response-cologne-sex-attacks-women
Are there any unforgivable sins in literature? In this week's New York Times' Bookends, Rivka Galchen and Benjamin Moser discuss "the literary transgressions they cannot forgive."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/are-there-any-unforgivable-sins-in-literature.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Many fantastic books are being made into movies this year. Here are "13 books to read before they become movies in 2016!"
https://www.romper.com/p/13-books-to-read-before-they-become-movies-in-2016-2721
According to Kurt Palka, "any book worth reading once is worth reading again." His new book is called The Piano Maker, and he's interviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/kurt-palka-any-book-worth-reading-once-is-worth-reading-again/article28076414/
In this week's New York Times Book Review Podcast, several items are discussed: news from the publishing world, bestseller news, Ethan Michaeli's The Defender and the history of the black press, and Maria Konnikova's The Confidence Game.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/inside-the-new-york-times-book-review-podcast-the-defender.html
The Portable Veblen is a "bold new novel about a woman's relationship with a squirrel" that "blurs the line between eccentricity and madness." It also tackles fraud in the defense industry, dysfunctional families and the "poisoned legacies that parents give their children."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2016/01/the_portable_veblen_by_elizabeth_mckenzie_reviewed.html
It's a new year, and with that comes new lists! Here are some B.C. books to "kick start your year...helpful reads that will expand your mind, raise chickens, boost your health" and more!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/books+kick+start+year/11624698/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SPOKEN INK
Featuring Chelsea Comeau and Sheila Rosen. Thursday, January 14 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby. More information at bwscafe@gmail.com.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series, the second Thursday of the month, 7:30-9 pm. Any genre-short stories, poetry, song with lyrics, creative non-fiction, etc. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AMMIEL ALCALAY
Reading by poet/scholar. Friday, January 15 at 12:30pm, free. Special Collections and Rare Books, W.A.C. Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby). For more information, call 778-782-6676.
SFU WRITER'S STUDIO 15TH ANNIVERSARY
Featuring Cathie Borrie. Friday, January 15 at 6:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
PLANET EARTH POETRY READING SERIES
A special Poet Laureate night featuring Rachel Rose and Yvonne Blomer. Friday, January 15 at 7:30pm. Admission: $5. Hillside Coffee and Tea, 1633 Hillside Ave., Victoria.
POETRY MEETS ART
Award-winning poet Fran Bourassa hosts an afternoon that sees local writers read poems inspired by a current exhibition. Sunday, January 17 at 2:00pm. Seymour Art Gallery.
VAN SLAM
Features spoken word artist Daniel Mark Patterson (DMP). Monday, January 18 at 7:00pm. Cost: $6-$10 sliding scale. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
POETICS OF APPROACH
Please join Cecily Nicholson and Jordan Scott for an evening of poetry and conversation moderated by David Chariandy. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova Street, Vancouver. More information at gachet.org.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Frances Boyle, Bren Simmers and DN Simmers. Hosted by James Felton. Sunday, January 24 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
MEET THE AUTHOR: CAROLINE ADDERSON
Caroline Adderson discusses her book, Ellen in Pieces. Thursday, January 28 at 7:00pm. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. Cost: $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at christiannehayward.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Featuring Navaro Franco, Keith Garebian, and Alan Hill. Hosted by Franci Louann. Sunday, January 31 at 3:00pm. Original's Restaurante Mexicano, 800 Carnarvon St., New Westminster.
GALIANO LITERARY FESTIVAL
Sixth annual festival with over 25 writers. February 19-21, 2016. Galiano Island, BC. Complete details at galianoliteraryfestival.com.
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Book News Vol. 10 No. 39
BOOK NEWS
Announcing! - The Vancouver Writers Fest presents An Evening with David Sedaris
The Vancouver Writers Fest presents David Sedaris, author of the bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor, appearing for one night only at The Vogue Theatre on Sunday, May 8 at 7pm. Get the best seats! Pre-sales to An Evening with David Sedaris start January 11 with the code "OWLS". All seating reserved: $58/43 plus taxes and fees. Ticketfly.com or by phone 888-732-1682. Details here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/david-sedaris.
Coming up: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know you'll be attending in advance.
AWARDS & LISTS
Kate Atkinson has won the Costa novel prize for her "utterly magnificent" book, A God in Ruins. Atkinson is the first author to win the prize three times.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/04/kate-atkinson-wins-costa-novel-prize-for-a-god-in-ruins
The shortlist for the 2015 ReLit Awards, which recognize the best novels and poetry and short fiction collections released by independent Canadian publishers, has been released.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/04/relit-award-nominees-include-ken-babstock-lee-maracle/
YOUNG READERS
What's happening in children's literature in 2016? Check out this literary calendar from The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jan/04/childrens-books-2016-literary-calendar
NEWS & FEATURES
George Elliott Clarke has been appointed Canada's next Parliamentary Poet Laureate.
http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Poet/current-poet-laureate-e.html
What were the bestselling books of 2015? Books written by women comprised seven of the top 10 ten, with Fifty Shades of Grey still sitting at number one.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/24/bestselling-books-2015-analysis-fifty-shades-on-top
In more serious news, a battle for arts funding in Saint John's has taken a positive turn. On Monday, city councilors voted to reinstate funding for grants that had been cut by 50 per cent in the 2016 budget.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/arts-grants-cuts-council-st-john-s-galgay-1.3389675
Another Hong Kong publisher has gone missing. "The disappearances add to growing unease that freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese city are being eroded."
http://news.yahoo.com/missing-hong-kong-booksellers-working-book-xis-love-095401786.html
A letter written by a young Barack Obama has surfaced. It talks about the most unexpected of things: T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland.
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/01/04/obama-as-literary-critic/
What are you favourite "modern medieval" tales? "From George RR Martin to Umberto Eco, many writers have been inspired by stories of the Middle Ages. Here are some of the best."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/30/top-10-modern-medieval-tales-georg-rr-martin-umberto-eco
Are all stories the same? "From Avatar to The Wizard of Oz, Aristotle to Shakespeare, there's one clear form that dramatic storytelling has followed since its inception."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/into-the-woods-excerpt/421566/
BOOKS & WRITERS
Tim Winton, the best-selling Australian writer is now, also, a fish species newly identified by a team of bioscientists.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/06/fish-called-tim-winton-scientists-name-new-species-after-australia-novelist
It's a new year and what are the most anticipated books for the first half of 2016? Here's The Globe and Mail's list...and it's all Canadian!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/16-canadian-reads-for-the-first-half-of2016/article27973806/
There's a lot of crime fiction to be excited about—new works by Jo Nesbo, Chris Carter, Inger Ash Wolfe and more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-novels-from-catriona-mcpherson-inger-ash-wolfe-jo-nesbo-and-more/article27973589/
2015 was a big year for translation. Here's a short story called Venus, written by Chen Xue and translated by Vancouver's own Josh Stenberg. It's published as a part of The Guardian's new Translation Tuesday section.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/translation-tuesdays-by-asymptote-journal/2015/dec/15/translation-tuesday-venus-by-chen-xue
In Billie Livingston's new novel, The Crooked Heart of Mercy, a married couple loses their two-year-old son. The incident comes from the writer's own family's past.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-billie-livingston-unravels-tragic-elements-of-mercy-in-new-novel/article27983485/
Did you enjoy André Alexis' Giller Prize-winning novel, Fifteen Dogs? Then you might enjoy this short story, Quim Monzó.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/quim-monzo-an-exclusive-short-story-from-giller-prize-winner-andre-alexis/article27930832/
Elizabeth Strout is a writer who is "bracingly unafraid of silences." Her new novel is called My Name is Lucy Barton, featuring a writer with an "unquestioning, almost animal love for her mother."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/elizabeth-strouts-my-name-is-lucy-barton.html?ref=books
What are the secrets to Emma Donoghue's success? Here's a hint: "being (professionally) promiscuous pays off!"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/emma-donoghue-shares-secrets-to-her-success-including-why-being-professionally-promiscuous-pays-off/article28019973/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
POETRY, MUSIC & ART AT PLAY
A night of improvisation between poetry and music featuring poet Daniela Elza with Jared Burrows on guitar and Clyde Reed on double base and poetry inspired by the Works in Glass exhibit in the gallery with poets Fran Bourassa, Bonnie Nish, Wilhelmina Salmi, Enrico Renz, Amanda Wardrop & Maria Dimas. January 7 at 7:00pm, free. Jewish Community Center, 950 West 41st Ave.
TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Charlotte Lawson, Cullene Bryant, Carmy Stubbs, Andrew Battershill, Katherine Wagner, Kendall Anne Dixon, and Wayde Compton. Thursday, January 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Saturday, January 10 at 3:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at 604-331-3603.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Our first event of the year will be launching the Make it True: Poetry from Cascadia Anthology (Leaf Press, 2015). Over twenty featured readers will read their poems. Wednesday, January 13th, 7–9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at pandorascollective.com.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series, the second Thursday of the month, 7:30-9 pm. Any genre-short stories, poetry, song with lyrics, creative non-fiction, etc. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AMMIEL ALCALAY
Reading by poet/scholar. Friday, January 15 at 12:30pm, free. Special Collections and Rare Books, W.A.C. Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby). For more information, call 778-782-6676.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
Announcing! - The Vancouver Writers Fest presents An Evening with David Sedaris
The Vancouver Writers Fest presents David Sedaris, author of the bestsellers Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and regular National Public Radio contributor, appearing for one night only at The Vogue Theatre on Sunday, May 8 at 7pm. Get the best seats! Pre-sales to An Evening with David Sedaris start January 11 with the code "OWLS". All seating reserved: $58/43 plus taxes and fees. Ticketfly.com or by phone 888-732-1682. Details here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/david-sedaris.
Coming up: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know you'll be attending in advance.
AWARDS & LISTS
Kate Atkinson has won the Costa novel prize for her "utterly magnificent" book, A God in Ruins. Atkinson is the first author to win the prize three times.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/04/kate-atkinson-wins-costa-novel-prize-for-a-god-in-ruins
The shortlist for the 2015 ReLit Awards, which recognize the best novels and poetry and short fiction collections released by independent Canadian publishers, has been released.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/01/04/relit-award-nominees-include-ken-babstock-lee-maracle/
YOUNG READERS
What's happening in children's literature in 2016? Check out this literary calendar from The Guardian.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/jan/04/childrens-books-2016-literary-calendar
NEWS & FEATURES
George Elliott Clarke has been appointed Canada's next Parliamentary Poet Laureate.
http://www.lop.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Poet/current-poet-laureate-e.html
What were the bestselling books of 2015? Books written by women comprised seven of the top 10 ten, with Fifty Shades of Grey still sitting at number one.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/24/bestselling-books-2015-analysis-fifty-shades-on-top
In more serious news, a battle for arts funding in Saint John's has taken a positive turn. On Monday, city councilors voted to reinstate funding for grants that had been cut by 50 per cent in the 2016 budget.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/arts-grants-cuts-council-st-john-s-galgay-1.3389675
Another Hong Kong publisher has gone missing. "The disappearances add to growing unease that freedoms in the semi-autonomous Chinese city are being eroded."
http://news.yahoo.com/missing-hong-kong-booksellers-working-book-xis-love-095401786.html
A letter written by a young Barack Obama has surfaced. It talks about the most unexpected of things: T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland.
http://www.nybooks.com/daily/2016/01/04/obama-as-literary-critic/
What are you favourite "modern medieval" tales? "From George RR Martin to Umberto Eco, many writers have been inspired by stories of the Middle Ages. Here are some of the best."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/30/top-10-modern-medieval-tales-georg-rr-martin-umberto-eco
Are all stories the same? "From Avatar to The Wizard of Oz, Aristotle to Shakespeare, there's one clear form that dramatic storytelling has followed since its inception."
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/into-the-woods-excerpt/421566/
BOOKS & WRITERS
Tim Winton, the best-selling Australian writer is now, also, a fish species newly identified by a team of bioscientists.
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/06/fish-called-tim-winton-scientists-name-new-species-after-australia-novelist
It's a new year and what are the most anticipated books for the first half of 2016? Here's The Globe and Mail's list...and it's all Canadian!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/16-canadian-reads-for-the-first-half-of2016/article27973806/
There's a lot of crime fiction to be excited about—new works by Jo Nesbo, Chris Carter, Inger Ash Wolfe and more.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-novels-from-catriona-mcpherson-inger-ash-wolfe-jo-nesbo-and-more/article27973589/
2015 was a big year for translation. Here's a short story called Venus, written by Chen Xue and translated by Vancouver's own Josh Stenberg. It's published as a part of The Guardian's new Translation Tuesday section.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/translation-tuesdays-by-asymptote-journal/2015/dec/15/translation-tuesday-venus-by-chen-xue
In Billie Livingston's new novel, The Crooked Heart of Mercy, a married couple loses their two-year-old son. The incident comes from the writer's own family's past.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/author-billie-livingston-unravels-tragic-elements-of-mercy-in-new-novel/article27983485/
Did you enjoy André Alexis' Giller Prize-winning novel, Fifteen Dogs? Then you might enjoy this short story, Quim Monzó.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/quim-monzo-an-exclusive-short-story-from-giller-prize-winner-andre-alexis/article27930832/
Elizabeth Strout is a writer who is "bracingly unafraid of silences." Her new novel is called My Name is Lucy Barton, featuring a writer with an "unquestioning, almost animal love for her mother."
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/books/review/elizabeth-strouts-my-name-is-lucy-barton.html?ref=books
What are the secrets to Emma Donoghue's success? Here's a hint: "being (professionally) promiscuous pays off!"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/emma-donoghue-shares-secrets-to-her-success-including-why-being-professionally-promiscuous-pays-off/article28019973/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
POETRY, MUSIC & ART AT PLAY
A night of improvisation between poetry and music featuring poet Daniela Elza with Jared Burrows on guitar and Clyde Reed on double base and poetry inspired by the Works in Glass exhibit in the gallery with poets Fran Bourassa, Bonnie Nish, Wilhelmina Salmi, Enrico Renz, Amanda Wardrop & Maria Dimas. January 7 at 7:00pm, free. Jewish Community Center, 950 West 41st Ave.
TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Charlotte Lawson, Cullene Bryant, Carmy Stubbs, Andrew Battershill, Katherine Wagner, Kendall Anne Dixon, and Wayde Compton. Thursday, January 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Saturday, January 10 at 3:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at 604-331-3603.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Our first event of the year will be launching the Make it True: Poetry from Cascadia Anthology (Leaf Press, 2015). Over twenty featured readers will read their poems. Wednesday, January 13th, 7–9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at pandorascollective.com.
ZERO - 360 OPEN MIC
Meet other writers and share your work at this casual open mic series, the second Thursday of the month, 7:30-9 pm. Any genre-short stories, poetry, song with lyrics, creative non-fiction, etc. Readers are limited to 6 minutes; sign up begins at 7:05. Pelican Rouge Coffee, 15142 North Bluff Rd., White Rock. Presented by Semiahmoo Arts.
AMMIEL ALCALAY
Reading by poet/scholar. Friday, January 15 at 12:30pm, free. Special Collections and Rare Books, W.A.C. Bennett Library (SFU Burnaby). For more information, call 778-782-6676.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
MARK WINSTON
Reading by the author of Bee Time: Lessons From the Hive, winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction. Tuesday, January 26 at 7:00pm, free. St. Catherine's Church, 1058 Ridgewood Dr., North Vancouver.
READINGS BY THE SALISH SEA
Celebrated writer Susan Musgrave brings her most recent book A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Foraging and Feasting at the Edge of the World to the shores of White Rock. January 28, 7 pm, Turnbull Gallery in South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601-20th Avenue. Tickets $10 at Semiahmooarts.com or call 604-536-8333.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 38
BOOK NEWS
Happy Holidays from everyone at the Vancouver Writers Fest! Thank you for helping us make 2015 a great year.
Coming up in the new year: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know
you'll be attending in advance, click here: http://vanwritersfest.formstack.com/forms/incite.
Please note that the VWF office will be closed from December 19-January 3rd.
AWARDS & LISTS
The long list for the RBC Taylor Prize has been released. The award is Canada's most prestigious non-fiction prize.
http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2015/longlist_15.asp
Poet Sarah Howe has been awarded the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser and Dunlop Young Writer of the Year award. She won for Loop of Jade, a "'luminous' first collection of poetry exploring her dual English and Chinese heritage."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/11/poet-sarah-howe-named-young-writer-of-the-year
YOUNG READERS
It's almost Christmas! Here are three holiday picture books sure to get the little kid in your life excited.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-holiday-picture-books-from-rubin-pingk-linda-ashman-and-john-hughes/article27713705/
NEWS & FEATURES
What were the Obama family's favourite books of 2015? The president selected Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies as his "pick of the year," while the first lady chose Elizabeth Alexander's The Light of the World.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/10/obama-favourite-book-of-2015-lauren-groff-fates-and-furies
Books are getting longer. According to a recent survey which "looked at 2,500 books from the New York Times best seller list and Google's annual surveys, the average book length has increased by 25 percent, from 320 pages in 1999 to 400 pages in 2014."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/10/survey-confirms-books-are-getting-longer
Publishing in Iceland is "a national sport!" According to a study conducted by Bifröst University in 2013, 50% of Icelanders read "at least 8 books per year, while an impressive 93% of them read at least one. What is more, according to BBC Magazine, one in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their life!"
http://2seasagency.com/publishing-iceland-reading-national-sport/
Audiobooks are gaining on print books, and in many cases, outselling them. "Audiobooks racked up $1.5 billion in sales last year and remain the fastest-growing segment of the book publishing industry, according to the Audio Publishers Association, but text is still king."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-some-audiobooks-sell-four-times-as-well-as-their-print-versions-2015-12-08
A saucy diary entry by William Shakespeare is set to go on display at the British Library. Never before seen in public, it details a tryst the playwright had with a fan (and how he became the talk of the town because of it.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12031757/William-Shakespeares-tryst-with-a-female-fan.html
"If you believe writing a really good book requires joining the insular literati cliques of Melbourne, Tokyo, Brooklyn and Hackney, think again." Apparently literati cities are "just the spot for networking, less so for writing a great novel."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2015/dec/14/literati-cities-just-the-spot-for-networking-less-so-for-writing-a-great-novel
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you looking for help with your holiday shopping? The Globe and Mail's Books editor, Mark Medley's "comprehensive (and handy!) gift guide will help you find the perfect present for every reader on your list."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/holiday-guide/gift-guides-shopping/globe-books-2015-giftguide/article27723500/
San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore has also released its list of favourite books. More information about each book can be found by clicking on its title.
http://lithub.com/favorite-books-of-the-year-city-lights/
There's at least one kind of narrative that Simon Winchester avoids. "Sensible people tell me I should like stories with zombies, but try as I might, I don't." Winchester is interviewed here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/simon-winchester-by-the-book.html
An "absorbing" new biography of John le Carré has been released. Called John le Carré: The Biography, the book "creates an insightful and highly readable portrait of a writer and a man who has often been as elusive and enigmatic as his fictional heroes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/books/review-adam-sismans-john-le-carre-the-biography.html?ref=books
In their "spry, friendly memoir" Mountain City Girls, Anna and Jane McGarrigle examine one of Canada's great musical families (their own!). "Mountain City Girls is unique in that we are 315 pages into a 321-page book before we even read about Warner Brothers signing Kate and Anna in 1975. It's all lead-up and context to what should be considered a national treasure of song."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-the-mcgarrigle-sisters-look-back-on-their-careers-in-mountain-city-girls/article27713592/
Anne-Marie Turza's poem, The Visitor, has been featured in the most recent edition of The Globe and Mail's "Globe Poetry." Her first book, The Quiet, was published last year.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/globe-poetry-the-visitor-by-anne-marie-turza/article27609008/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TALES FOR A WINTER NIGHT
Featuring Philomena Jordan, Mia Zhou, Rita Taylor, Chen Ha, and Ann Linton. Sunday, December 20 at 7:00pm. Cost: $7. St. Mark's Church, 1805 Larch, Vancouver.
YOUTH POETRY SLAM
Featuring Seattle's Maya Hersh. Monday, December 28 at 8:00pm. Cost: $4-$10. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial, Vancouver.
WORLD POETRY READING SERIES
Featuring multicultural and multilingual poets, writers, and musicians. Saturday, January 2 at 1:00pm, free. Britannia branch, VPL, 1661 Napier St. More information at 604-665-2222.
TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Charlotte Lawson, Cullene Bryant, Carmy Stubbs, Andrew Battershill, Katherine Wagner, Kendall Anne Dixon, and Wayde Compton. Thursday, January 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Saturday, January 10 at 3:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at 604-331-3603.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
Happy Holidays from everyone at the Vancouver Writers Fest! Thank you for helping us make 2015 a great year.
Coming up in the new year: the return of Incite! The first Incite event for 2016 will take place at the VPL Central Branch at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 and will feature novelists Andrew Battershill, Pauline Holdstock and Billie Livingston. This event is free, but we appreciate it if you let us know
you'll be attending in advance, click here: http://vanwritersfest.formstack.com/forms/incite.
Please note that the VWF office will be closed from December 19-January 3rd.
AWARDS & LISTS
The long list for the RBC Taylor Prize has been released. The award is Canada's most prestigious non-fiction prize.
http://www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2015/longlist_15.asp
Poet Sarah Howe has been awarded the Sunday Times/Peters Fraser and Dunlop Young Writer of the Year award. She won for Loop of Jade, a "'luminous' first collection of poetry exploring her dual English and Chinese heritage."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/11/poet-sarah-howe-named-young-writer-of-the-year
YOUNG READERS
It's almost Christmas! Here are three holiday picture books sure to get the little kid in your life excited.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-holiday-picture-books-from-rubin-pingk-linda-ashman-and-john-hughes/article27713705/
NEWS & FEATURES
What were the Obama family's favourite books of 2015? The president selected Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies as his "pick of the year," while the first lady chose Elizabeth Alexander's The Light of the World.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/10/obama-favourite-book-of-2015-lauren-groff-fates-and-furies
Books are getting longer. According to a recent survey which "looked at 2,500 books from the New York Times best seller list and Google's annual surveys, the average book length has increased by 25 percent, from 320 pages in 1999 to 400 pages in 2014."
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/10/survey-confirms-books-are-getting-longer
Publishing in Iceland is "a national sport!" According to a study conducted by Bifröst University in 2013, 50% of Icelanders read "at least 8 books per year, while an impressive 93% of them read at least one. What is more, according to BBC Magazine, one in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their life!"
http://2seasagency.com/publishing-iceland-reading-national-sport/
Audiobooks are gaining on print books, and in many cases, outselling them. "Audiobooks racked up $1.5 billion in sales last year and remain the fastest-growing segment of the book publishing industry, according to the Audio Publishers Association, but text is still king."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-some-audiobooks-sell-four-times-as-well-as-their-print-versions-2015-12-08
A saucy diary entry by William Shakespeare is set to go on display at the British Library. Never before seen in public, it details a tryst the playwright had with a fan (and how he became the talk of the town because of it.)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12031757/William-Shakespeares-tryst-with-a-female-fan.html
"If you believe writing a really good book requires joining the insular literati cliques of Melbourne, Tokyo, Brooklyn and Hackney, think again." Apparently literati cities are "just the spot for networking, less so for writing a great novel."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/australia-books-blog/2015/dec/14/literati-cities-just-the-spot-for-networking-less-so-for-writing-a-great-novel
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you looking for help with your holiday shopping? The Globe and Mail's Books editor, Mark Medley's "comprehensive (and handy!) gift guide will help you find the perfect present for every reader on your list."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/holiday-guide/gift-guides-shopping/globe-books-2015-giftguide/article27723500/
San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore has also released its list of favourite books. More information about each book can be found by clicking on its title.
http://lithub.com/favorite-books-of-the-year-city-lights/
There's at least one kind of narrative that Simon Winchester avoids. "Sensible people tell me I should like stories with zombies, but try as I might, I don't." Winchester is interviewed here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/simon-winchester-by-the-book.html
An "absorbing" new biography of John le Carré has been released. Called John le Carré: The Biography, the book "creates an insightful and highly readable portrait of a writer and a man who has often been as elusive and enigmatic as his fictional heroes."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/books/review-adam-sismans-john-le-carre-the-biography.html?ref=books
In their "spry, friendly memoir" Mountain City Girls, Anna and Jane McGarrigle examine one of Canada's great musical families (their own!). "Mountain City Girls is unique in that we are 315 pages into a 321-page book before we even read about Warner Brothers signing Kate and Anna in 1975. It's all lead-up and context to what should be considered a national treasure of song."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-the-mcgarrigle-sisters-look-back-on-their-careers-in-mountain-city-girls/article27713592/
Anne-Marie Turza's poem, The Visitor, has been featured in the most recent edition of The Globe and Mail's "Globe Poetry." Her first book, The Quiet, was published last year.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/globe-poetry-the-visitor-by-anne-marie-turza/article27609008/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TALES FOR A WINTER NIGHT
Featuring Philomena Jordan, Mia Zhou, Rita Taylor, Chen Ha, and Ann Linton. Sunday, December 20 at 7:00pm. Cost: $7. St. Mark's Church, 1805 Larch, Vancouver.
YOUTH POETRY SLAM
Featuring Seattle's Maya Hersh. Monday, December 28 at 8:00pm. Cost: $4-$10. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial, Vancouver.
WORLD POETRY READING SERIES
Featuring multicultural and multilingual poets, writers, and musicians. Saturday, January 2 at 1:00pm, free. Britannia branch, VPL, 1661 Napier St. More information at 604-665-2222.
TWS READING SERIES
Featuring Charlotte Lawson, Cullene Bryant, Carmy Stubbs, Andrew Battershill, Katherine Wagner, Kendall Anne Dixon, and Wayde Compton. Thursday, January 7 at 8:00pm. Admission by donation. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Saturday, January 10 at 3:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St. More information at 604-331-3603.
SALON SPEAKER SERIES
Featuring JJ Lee discussing his critically acclaimed memoir The Measure of a Man. Friday, January 22 at 7:00pm. Cost: $5. Place des Arts, 1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 37
BOOK NEWS
2015 was a great year for the Writers Fest, but we believe 2016 can be even better. Help us make that happen by donating today. We have several ways to give:
Join us at our 2016 A Dram Come True Fundraiser! Tickets for the event are available on our website (writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true) and make a great gift. If you'd like to receive a gift voucher for the tickets, purchase before December 17 and send an email to aspence@writersfest.bc.ca with your mailing address and number of gift tickets.
Make a one-time donation through our website. Donors receive special benefits such as two-for-one deals on VWF special event tickets, an invitation to our Opening Reception and more. For more details and to donate, click here http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate.
We also offer a convenient monthly giving option! Choose the amount you want to give per month and let us handle the rest. To become a monthly donor, click here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_donation.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
Michael Crummey has been named the first of three recipients of the Writers' Trust of Canada's new writing fellowship. The $50,000 prize was launched in order to celebrate the nation's 150th anniversary.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/11/26/michael-crummy-awarded-inaugural-writers-trust-fellowship/
What were the best children's and YA books of the year? Here's a list, selected by the children's books editor of The New York Times Book Review.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2015.html
The shortlist has been announced for B.C.'s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. Two biographies and two memoirs were shortlisted. "The biographies recount the lives of Stephen Harper and the daughter of Josef Stalin, while the two memoirs deal with albinism, and climate change and Inuit culture."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/shortlist-announced-for-bcs-national-award-for-canadian-non-fiction/article27655228/
YOUNG READERS
The holiday season has officially begun! Hanukkah's already underway, and Christmas is just around the corner. Here are some holiday tales for the youngster in your life.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/04/books/review/04bookshelf-holiday.html
NEWS & FEATURES
It's official...English isn't normal! "No, English isn't uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language."
https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-english-so-weirdly-different-from-other-languages
The Swedish Women's Lobby, along with publisher Albert Bonniers, has announced that they will be distributing Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists to every 16-year-old in the country. "Our hope is that the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie text will open up a conversation about gender and gender roles, starting from young people's own experiences."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/04/every-16-year-old-in-sweden-to-receive-copy-of-we-should-all-be-feminists
Do you enjoy "the unmistakable essence of old paperbacks?" Then you might enjoy this perfume that's "sweet and lovely, with just a touch of the mustiness of aged paper."
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2015/nov/25/old-spines-why-love-smell-of-secondhand-books-perfume
What are the best books, new or old, that you read this year? In a special year-end edition of the New York Times' Bookends, sixteen columnists share their favorite reading experience of 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/whats-the-best-book-new-or-old-you-read-this-year.html
The Globe and Mail has produced a similar piece, with a slightly Canadian bent, of course. Stacey May Fowles, Pasha Malla and John Semley look back on their favourite reading of 2015, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/my-year-in-reading-stacey-may-fowles-pasha-malla-and-john-semley-look-back-on-2015/article27601508/
Penguin is slashing jobs, blaming the losses on the rise of ebooks. "Ebooks now make up 25% of the market, just eight years after the launch of the Kindle in 2007."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/rise-ebooks-blamed-200-job-losses-penguin
Speaking of ebooks, Kobo has revealed that its ten bestselling authors of 2015 have all been women. It's an interesting development "in a year where female writers have struggled to find review space and where the publishing industry has been slammed for its 'gender bias.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/kobos-top-10-authors-of-2015-are-all-women
What do authors really think of publishers? At the beginning of March, Jane Friedman and Harry Bingham launched "the English-speaking world's most comprehensive survey of what authors think of the firms that publish them." Here are the results.
http://agenthunter.co.uk/blog/363/
BOOKS & WRITERS
This week, The Vancouver Sun's Book Club looks at Wab Kinew's new book, The Reason You Walk. The book follows the story of Kinew and his father, "a residential school survivor who died from cancer a few years ago." http://www.vancouversun.com/news/book+club+many+indigenous+voices+ringing/11566425/story.html#ixzz3tnE9WwYC
Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize last year, and now a slew of his works have finally been released in English. "A sense of vaguely threatening mystery attaches to every one of the characters in Modiano's writings," with many of his books relating to the German occupation and life in post-war France.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-occupation-trilogy-and-more-by-patrick-modiano.html
In The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, James Shapiro sorts through "the information that has emerged from old libraries and dusty archives in the last 50 years, and then he consolidates it and brings it alive in a smooth, lively and conversational style." It's an "irresistible" story, a "banquet of wisdom about the small and dramatic world that a 42-year-old playwright is living in."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-year-of-lear-shakespeare-in-1606-by-james-shapiro.html
According to a recent Statistics Canada survey, "only 16 per cent of Canadians can successfully name the beaver as our country's national animal." Frances Backhouse's Once They Were Hats might help spread beaver knowledge. It's a "fascinating and smartly written" book that "adopts the narrative strategy of previous single-subject books on salt, sugar, coffee, cod and so on."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-frances-backhouse-sinks-her-teeth-into-canadas-national-animal-in-the-fascinating-and-smartly-written-once-they-were-hats/article27507847/
Gordon Lish is a "legendary" editor who has worked closely with "many of the most daring writers of the past 50 years, including Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Barry Hannah and Joy Williams." In this interview, which will appear in full in the Winter 2015 edition of the Paris Review, he discusses his relationship with Carver, being an editor, not being a writer, and more.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/05/gordon-lish-books-interview-editing-raymond-carver
What are some gift ideas for "literary locavores?" Here's the Georgia Straight's take on the matter, including several mini reviews. "Your holiday food and drink menus are likely full of local ingredients—so why not your holiday reading list too?"
http://www.straight.com/life/590056/gift-ideas-literary-locavores-your-list
The Vancouver Sun has compiled a similar list, with less of a focus on all things "local". The reviews are still there, though!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/stick+good+read+under+tree/11566385/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poets Bren Simmers and Raoul Fernandes. Thursday, December 10 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
2015 was a great year for the Writers Fest, but we believe 2016 can be even better. Help us make that happen by donating today. We have several ways to give:
Join us at our 2016 A Dram Come True Fundraiser! Tickets for the event are available on our website (writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true) and make a great gift. If you'd like to receive a gift voucher for the tickets, purchase before December 17 and send an email to aspence@writersfest.bc.ca with your mailing address and number of gift tickets.
Make a one-time donation through our website. Donors receive special benefits such as two-for-one deals on VWF special event tickets, an invitation to our Opening Reception and more. For more details and to donate, click here http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/donate.
We also offer a convenient monthly giving option! Choose the amount you want to give per month and let us handle the rest. To become a monthly donor, click here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_donation.php.
AWARDS & LISTS
Michael Crummey has been named the first of three recipients of the Writers' Trust of Canada's new writing fellowship. The $50,000 prize was launched in order to celebrate the nation's 150th anniversary.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/11/26/michael-crummy-awarded-inaugural-writers-trust-fellowship/
What were the best children's and YA books of the year? Here's a list, selected by the children's books editor of The New York Times Book Review.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/notable-childrens-books-of-2015.html
The shortlist has been announced for B.C.'s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. Two biographies and two memoirs were shortlisted. "The biographies recount the lives of Stephen Harper and the daughter of Josef Stalin, while the two memoirs deal with albinism, and climate change and Inuit culture."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/shortlist-announced-for-bcs-national-award-for-canadian-non-fiction/article27655228/
YOUNG READERS
The holiday season has officially begun! Hanukkah's already underway, and Christmas is just around the corner. Here are some holiday tales for the youngster in your life.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/04/books/review/04bookshelf-holiday.html
NEWS & FEATURES
It's official...English isn't normal! "No, English isn't uniquely vibrant or mighty or adaptable. But it really is weirder than pretty much every other language."
https://aeon.co/essays/why-is-english-so-weirdly-different-from-other-languages
The Swedish Women's Lobby, along with publisher Albert Bonniers, has announced that they will be distributing Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists to every 16-year-old in the country. "Our hope is that the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie text will open up a conversation about gender and gender roles, starting from young people's own experiences."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/04/every-16-year-old-in-sweden-to-receive-copy-of-we-should-all-be-feminists
Do you enjoy "the unmistakable essence of old paperbacks?" Then you might enjoy this perfume that's "sweet and lovely, with just a touch of the mustiness of aged paper."
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/shortcuts/2015/nov/25/old-spines-why-love-smell-of-secondhand-books-perfume
What are the best books, new or old, that you read this year? In a special year-end edition of the New York Times' Bookends, sixteen columnists share their favorite reading experience of 2015.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/whats-the-best-book-new-or-old-you-read-this-year.html
The Globe and Mail has produced a similar piece, with a slightly Canadian bent, of course. Stacey May Fowles, Pasha Malla and John Semley look back on their favourite reading of 2015, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/my-year-in-reading-stacey-may-fowles-pasha-malla-and-john-semley-look-back-on-2015/article27601508/
Penguin is slashing jobs, blaming the losses on the rise of ebooks. "Ebooks now make up 25% of the market, just eight years after the launch of the Kindle in 2007."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/rise-ebooks-blamed-200-job-losses-penguin
Speaking of ebooks, Kobo has revealed that its ten bestselling authors of 2015 have all been women. It's an interesting development "in a year where female writers have struggled to find review space and where the publishing industry has been slammed for its 'gender bias.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/07/kobos-top-10-authors-of-2015-are-all-women
What do authors really think of publishers? At the beginning of March, Jane Friedman and Harry Bingham launched "the English-speaking world's most comprehensive survey of what authors think of the firms that publish them." Here are the results.
http://agenthunter.co.uk/blog/363/
BOOKS & WRITERS
This week, The Vancouver Sun's Book Club looks at Wab Kinew's new book, The Reason You Walk. The book follows the story of Kinew and his father, "a residential school survivor who died from cancer a few years ago." http://www.vancouversun.com/news/book+club+many+indigenous+voices+ringing/11566425/story.html#ixzz3tnE9WwYC
Patrick Modiano won the Nobel Prize last year, and now a slew of his works have finally been released in English. "A sense of vaguely threatening mystery attaches to every one of the characters in Modiano's writings," with many of his books relating to the German occupation and life in post-war France.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-occupation-trilogy-and-more-by-patrick-modiano.html
In The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606, James Shapiro sorts through "the information that has emerged from old libraries and dusty archives in the last 50 years, and then he consolidates it and brings it alive in a smooth, lively and conversational style." It's an "irresistible" story, a "banquet of wisdom about the small and dramatic world that a 42-year-old playwright is living in."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/13/books/review/the-year-of-lear-shakespeare-in-1606-by-james-shapiro.html
According to a recent Statistics Canada survey, "only 16 per cent of Canadians can successfully name the beaver as our country's national animal." Frances Backhouse's Once They Were Hats might help spread beaver knowledge. It's a "fascinating and smartly written" book that "adopts the narrative strategy of previous single-subject books on salt, sugar, coffee, cod and so on."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-frances-backhouse-sinks-her-teeth-into-canadas-national-animal-in-the-fascinating-and-smartly-written-once-they-were-hats/article27507847/
Gordon Lish is a "legendary" editor who has worked closely with "many of the most daring writers of the past 50 years, including Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Barry Hannah and Joy Williams." In this interview, which will appear in full in the Winter 2015 edition of the Paris Review, he discusses his relationship with Carver, being an editor, not being a writer, and more.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/05/gordon-lish-books-interview-editing-raymond-carver
What are some gift ideas for "literary locavores?" Here's the Georgia Straight's take on the matter, including several mini reviews. "Your holiday food and drink menus are likely full of local ingredients—so why not your holiday reading list too?"
http://www.straight.com/life/590056/gift-ideas-literary-locavores-your-list
The Vancouver Sun has compiled a similar list, with less of a focus on all things "local". The reviews are still there, though!
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/stick+good+read+under+tree/11566385/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Featuring poets Bren Simmers and Raoul Fernandes. Thursday, December 10 at 8:00pm. Wings Pub & Grill, 6879 Kingsway, Burnaby.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 36
BOOK NEWS
Avoid the crowds at the mall by doing your holiday shopping at writersfest.bc.ca! We've got gifts for everyone on your list.
Got a scotch lover in the family? A ticket to the 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Introduce a friend to the Festival or treat a long-time festival goer by purchasing them a VWF gift certificate! Certificates can be used towards the purchase of tickets for the 2016 Festival. To purchase, please call 604-681-6330 ext. 0.
Finally, honour the altruist in the family by making a donation to the VWF, http://writersfest.bc.ca/donate in their name! Your donation will help us present the world's best authors in year-round events.
AWARDS & LISTS
What were the best books of 2015? Here's part one of The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2015/nov/28/best-books-of-2015-part-one
How about the most overlooked books of the year? In this piece, Slate Book Review critics recommend "27 books you'd probably love if only you knew about them."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/underrated_books_of_2015_overlooked_novels_collections_and_nonfiction_of.html
The New York Times has an end-of-year list too! Here's their take on the "100 Notable Books of 2015."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html
YOUNG READERS
The King and The Sea is a "more elliptical version" of The Little Prince. It's comprised of a series of very short tales about a king "who has much to learn", and is "the kind of unexpectedly profound picture book that often prompts people to say, ‘That's more for adults than for kids.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/books/review/its-sort-of-good-to-be-the-king.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Here's book curation gone to the extreme. "If making choices isn't your forte, you'll find that the perfect bookstore for you is located in Ginza, Tokyo. Morioka Shoten & Co. Ginza Branch is a store that stocks multiple copies of just one book per week."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/this-japanese-bookstore-stocks-just-one-book-per-week.html
Greek New Testament papyrus has been discovered on eBay. The fragment is believed to contain lines from the Gospel of John, dating from A.D. 250 to A.D. 350.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/books/greek-new-testament-papyrus-is-discovered-on-ebay.html
In order to encourage reading, Brazil's biggest pocket book publisher is selling a line of classic literature that also doubles as subway tickets. Unlike other similar projects, which have been short lived, São Paulo's Ticket Books project has been so successful it is becoming permanent and has even expanded to other major Brazilian cities.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazil-subway-reading-means-ticket-ride-180957393/#DiIRBEEsdLL4OIgE.99
What's it like running a bookstore in Islamabad? Here's an incredible story of the family that built "one of the biggest bookstores in the world, mostly selling books in English, in a country where that is a second language for most people."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/world/asia/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad.html
Is it still possible to be a public intellectual? In this week's edition of the New York Times' Bookends, Pankaj Mishra and Alice Gregory discuss "the fate of the public intellectual in an age of specialization."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/is-it-still-possible-to-be-a-public-intellectual.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Which three writers would Margaret Atwood invite to dinner? She answers that question, and more, in this interview with The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/margaret-atwood-by-the-book.html
In his "moving" memoir, Men of Action, Toronto writer Howard Akler explores his father's death. Even more specifically, the book is about "patrimony and the connection between fathers and sons" as well as "never being able to truly know a person you love."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-howard-akler-explores-his-fathers-death-in-his-moving-memoir-men-of-action/article27390621/
Straight Up, by Owen Gallagher, is "a playful and euphemistic poem about masculinity and the festering, phallic fear of sexual inadequacy." It's also the Guardian's poem of the week! Read it here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/nov/30/poem-of-the-week-straight-up-by-owen-gallagher
Both Jess Taylor's Pauls and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno are both linked short story collections. They "fall into a fairly established tradition, especially in Canada, where they trace their lineage back through Alice Munro's Who Do You Think You Are?"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-anthony-marras-the-tsar-of-love-and-techno-and-jess-taylors-pauls-continue-the-tradition-of-linked-short-story-collections/article27390699/
Jeannette Winterson and Marlon James grew up worlds apart, and yet they're mutual admirers. In Winterson's words: "It's so nice to meet someone you know you can talk to." They interview each other here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/28/conversation-jeanette-winterson-marlon-james-interview
Here's an unlikely bestseller: a book about felling, chopping and burning trees. Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way "captures the romance of the great outdoors, the nobility of the honest graft of wood chopping, and our close relationship with trees"...as well as being a "step-by-step guide to preparing your wood store."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/how-a-book-about-norwegian-wood-has-become-a-global-hit-a6747431.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SFU WRITER'S STUDIO READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents Rachel Rose, Poet Laureate of the City of Vancouver. Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.
STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
Upcoming
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
Avoid the crowds at the mall by doing your holiday shopping at writersfest.bc.ca! We've got gifts for everyone on your list.
Got a scotch lover in the family? A ticket to the 2016 A Dram Come True fundraiser makes a great gift. Earlybird tickets are on sale now, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Introduce a friend to the Festival or treat a long-time festival goer by purchasing them a VWF gift certificate! Certificates can be used towards the purchase of tickets for the 2016 Festival. To purchase, please call 604-681-6330 ext. 0.
Finally, honour the altruist in the family by making a donation to the VWF, http://writersfest.bc.ca/donate in their name! Your donation will help us present the world's best authors in year-round events.
AWARDS & LISTS
What were the best books of 2015? Here's part one of The Guardian's list.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2015/nov/28/best-books-of-2015-part-one
How about the most overlooked books of the year? In this piece, Slate Book Review critics recommend "27 books you'd probably love if only you knew about them."
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/11/underrated_books_of_2015_overlooked_novels_collections_and_nonfiction_of.html
The New York Times has an end-of-year list too! Here's their take on the "100 Notable Books of 2015."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/06/books/review/100-notable-books-of-2015.html
YOUNG READERS
The King and The Sea is a "more elliptical version" of The Little Prince. It's comprised of a series of very short tales about a king "who has much to learn", and is "the kind of unexpectedly profound picture book that often prompts people to say, ‘That's more for adults than for kids.'"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/books/review/its-sort-of-good-to-be-the-king.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Here's book curation gone to the extreme. "If making choices isn't your forte, you'll find that the perfect bookstore for you is located in Ginza, Tokyo. Morioka Shoten & Co. Ginza Branch is a store that stocks multiple copies of just one book per week."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/11/this-japanese-bookstore-stocks-just-one-book-per-week.html
Greek New Testament papyrus has been discovered on eBay. The fragment is believed to contain lines from the Gospel of John, dating from A.D. 250 to A.D. 350.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/21/books/greek-new-testament-papyrus-is-discovered-on-ebay.html
In order to encourage reading, Brazil's biggest pocket book publisher is selling a line of classic literature that also doubles as subway tickets. Unlike other similar projects, which have been short lived, São Paulo's Ticket Books project has been so successful it is becoming permanent and has even expanded to other major Brazilian cities.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brazil-subway-reading-means-ticket-ride-180957393/#DiIRBEEsdLL4OIgE.99
What's it like running a bookstore in Islamabad? Here's an incredible story of the family that built "one of the biggest bookstores in the world, mostly selling books in English, in a country where that is a second language for most people."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/25/world/asia/a-storied-bookstore-and-its-late-oracle-leave-imprint-on-islamabad.html
Is it still possible to be a public intellectual? In this week's edition of the New York Times' Bookends, Pankaj Mishra and Alice Gregory discuss "the fate of the public intellectual in an age of specialization."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/is-it-still-possible-to-be-a-public-intellectual.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
Which three writers would Margaret Atwood invite to dinner? She answers that question, and more, in this interview with The New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/books/review/margaret-atwood-by-the-book.html
In his "moving" memoir, Men of Action, Toronto writer Howard Akler explores his father's death. Even more specifically, the book is about "patrimony and the connection between fathers and sons" as well as "never being able to truly know a person you love."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-howard-akler-explores-his-fathers-death-in-his-moving-memoir-men-of-action/article27390621/
Straight Up, by Owen Gallagher, is "a playful and euphemistic poem about masculinity and the festering, phallic fear of sexual inadequacy." It's also the Guardian's poem of the week! Read it here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/nov/30/poem-of-the-week-straight-up-by-owen-gallagher
Both Jess Taylor's Pauls and Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno are both linked short story collections. They "fall into a fairly established tradition, especially in Canada, where they trace their lineage back through Alice Munro's Who Do You Think You Are?"
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-anthony-marras-the-tsar-of-love-and-techno-and-jess-taylors-pauls-continue-the-tradition-of-linked-short-story-collections/article27390699/
Jeannette Winterson and Marlon James grew up worlds apart, and yet they're mutual admirers. In Winterson's words: "It's so nice to meet someone you know you can talk to." They interview each other here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/28/conversation-jeanette-winterson-marlon-james-interview
Here's an unlikely bestseller: a book about felling, chopping and burning trees. Norwegian Wood: Chopping, Stacking and Drying Wood the Scandinavian Way "captures the romance of the great outdoors, the nobility of the honest graft of wood chopping, and our close relationship with trees"...as well as being a "step-by-step guide to preparing your wood store."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/how-a-book-about-norwegian-wood-has-become-a-global-hit-a6747431.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SFU WRITER'S STUDIO READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents Rachel Rose, Poet Laureate of the City of Vancouver. Thursday, Dec. 3 at 8:00 p.m. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
CRIME WRITERS OF CANADA
Crime writers Cathy Ace. Allan J. Emerson and Don Hauka will do readings from their work, and answer questions about their experiences finding agents and publishers, online resources for writers, local writing groups, and writers' conventions. Thursday, December 3 at 7:00pm. Poirier branch, Coquitlam Public Library. More information at coqlibrary.ca.
NEW POETRY AND FICTION
Featuring Sandy Shreve, Kate Braid, Marilyn Bowering and Kath Curran. Monday, December 7 at 1:00pm. Talisman Books, 4605 Bedwell Harbour Road.
READ ME A STORY EXHIBITION
A multicultural showcase of 1,200 folktales and fairy tales from 120 countries. December 8-16, 2015, free. Roundhouse Community Centre, 183 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. For complete details, visit readmeastory.ca.
STORY SLAM CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
Featuring Alexis Sugden, Emma Cooper, Jo Dworschak, John Cullen, Johnny Scoop, Mark Hughes, Marylee Stephenson, Ruth Wadge, Shlomo McPeake and Steve Elliott. Tuesday, December 8 at 8:00pm. Tickets: $10. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main St., Vancouver.
BERNADETTE CALONEGO
Author reads from her latest thriller Under Dark Waters. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Central branch, VPL, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
VANCOUVER ISLAND WRITERS EVENT
Featuring Joy Guegler, Frank Moher, Jay Ruzesky, Sarah Segal, Robert Weirsema, and host Kathy Page. Wednesday, December 9 at 7:00pm, free. Library program room, Salt Spring Island Public Library. More information at 250-537-4666.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Annual Christmas Fundraiser for Children in Need, with music by Patsy Thompson and readings from The Revolving City Anthology (Anvil Press, 2015). Thursday, December 10th, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street.
Cash donations accepted at the door. More information: blnish_pandoras@yahoo.ca.
Upcoming
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chris Turnbull and Roger Farr. Wednesday, December 16 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Vancouver, Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver. More information at 778-782-6930.
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