BOOK NEWS
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Warm hospitality. World class spa. Exceptional service. Be yourself. Be pampered. We'll take care of the rest." - The Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa
There are only 6 days left to enter our Romantic Weekend Getaway raffle! This is a fabulous weekend vacation package and we are so excited to be able to give it away. The package includes a roundtrip flight on Pacific Coastal Airlines and a two night stay in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, so it will be the perfect opportunity to relax and take in the beauty of the BC coast.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
Louise Penny in conversation with Hal Wake
Join us on August 24, 2015 as Louise Penny and our very own Hal Wake discuss the 11th book in Penny's wildly popular Inspector Gamache Series, The Nature of the Beast.
"Three Pines again proves no refuge in Penny's stellar [The Nature of the Beast]...fans will delight in [her] continued complex fleshing out of characters they have come to love."—Publisher's Weekly, starred review.
Copies of The Nature of the Beast as well as previous Inspector Gamache novels will be available for purchase at the event. Bookstores won't have The Nature of the Beast on their shelves until August 25, so this is your chance to get your copy early and to have it signed by the author herself!
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.
FESTIVALS
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival continues with more great music including Pink Martini, Chris Botti, The Roots and The Waifs, free shows at David Lam Park/Roundhouse this weekend and on Granville Island (plus Canada Day, July 1), and much more. More information at http://www.coastaljazz.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
Nick Cutter, Thomas King and Emily St. John Mandel are just a few of the authors who have been shortlisted for the Sunburst Awards, which recognize "excellent works of Canadian fantasy and speculative fiction published the previous year." The winners will be revealed in the fall.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/22/nick-cutter-thomas-king-emily-st-john-mandel-among-authors-shortlisted-for-sunburst-awards/
Tanya Landman and William Grill have won the Carnegie and Kate Greenaway medals, the oldest awards for children's fiction. Both of their stories were inspired by historical events.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookprizes/11691240/Real-life-stories-win-Carnegie-and-Kate-Greenaway-medals.html
YOUNG READERS
Here's Quill and Quire's "Books for Young People" fall preview. Among the anticipated titles is a book on Canadian musical legend Oscar Peterson, who gets the picture-book treatment in Oscar Lives Next Door.
http://www.quillandquire.com/childrens-publishing/2015/06/22/fall-books-for-young-people-preview-titles-for-exploring/
"Show-stopping butterflies and fireflies" are the stars of these picture books set in "the loveliest corners of the insect world." Four different children's titles are reviewed, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/23/books/review/23childrens.html
NEWS & FEATURES
"Cult" author James Salter has died. "The novelist Richard Ford, one of many fellow writers who appreciated Salter's work long before it won general public acclaim, once declared that he 'writes American sentences better than anyone.'"
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/22/james-salter
Where are English bookstores thriving? You might not guess it: China!
http://goodereader.com/blog/bea/english-bookstores-are-thriving-in-china
As it turns out, the love for English literature in China extends far beyond our language's most accessible authors. Here's a piece on James Joyce's growing popularity in China.
http://www.mhpbooks.com/james-joyces-growing-popularity-in-china/
Penguin Random House is now selling books on Twitter. "When you click on book related branding by Penguin Random House, such as a Tweet about a latest bestseller it will take you to a dedicated product page."
http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/penguin-random-house-now-selling-books-on-twitter
Does a true artist care what his audience thinks? That's the question being asked on this week's edition of The New York Times' Bookends. Adam Kirsch and Ayana Mathis discuss "the relationship between writers and readership," here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/books/review/does-a-true-artist-care-what-his-audience-thinks.html
Have you ever wondered what it's like to have dyslexia? This font can show you.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/dyslexia-font-daniel-britton_n_7615156.html
Simon Armitage has been voted Oxford's new Professor of Poetry, and not everyone is happy about it. The post was established in the early 18th century, and previous holders include Robert Graves, Cecil Day-Lewis and WH Auden.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11687586/simon-armitage-oxford-professor-of-poetry.html
BOOKS & WRITERS
In Amy Bloom's new novel, Lucky Us, "the sexual secrets of the 1930s film industry mix with untold stories of her own ancestors." She explains the novel, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/23/amy-bloom-novelist-bringing-hollywood-and-family-out-of-closet
Graham Swift's England and Other Stories, is a collection of tales that "tend to be short, dense narratives that unfold, origami-style, into complex meditations on characters' lives, tales with vistas as panoramic as those in the stories of Alice Munro." Mortality is a main theme, looming large.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/23/books/review-graham-swifts-england-and-other-stories-a-darkness-across-time-and-fates.html
Vendela Vida's fourth book, The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty, is about "a shifty American whose terrible decisions keep the narrative moving at a taut and suspenseful clip." It's Vida's finest book yet, "a taut, suspenseful story that ticks along with marvelous efficiency, like a little bomb."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/books/review-vendela-vidas-the-divers-clothes-lie-empty-offers-freedom-to-escape.html
Saint Mazie, by Jami Attenberg details a fascinating period of New York history that "transcends its mid-20th-century Manhattan setting." The novel is a fictionalised account of the life of the Big Apple's "Queen of the Bowery."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/21/saint-mazie-review-jami-attenberg
Melody: Story of a Nude Dancer has cemented Sylvie Rancourt's legacy as "one of Canada's first, and most important, graphic memoirists... Read Melody, and see what love and life look like, freed from all spite."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-melody-cements-sylvie-rancourts-legacy-as-one-of-canadas-first-and-most-important-graphic-memoirists/article25038651/
The Vancouver Sun's book club is currently discussing Boo, a new novel by Neil Smith. Feedback and mini reviews can be found here. On June 26th, Neil Smith will also be chatting online with readers.
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/book+club+year+protagonist+quest+meaning/11151629/story.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
KATHERINE FAWCETT
Author reads from her new book of dark comedy, satire and twisted fables, The Little Washer of Sorrows. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. Pulpfiction Books, Main Street, Vancouver.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A GATHERING OF POETS
An evening of poetry by B.C.'s finest wordsmiths featuring Jane Munro, Cecily Nicholson, Rob Budde, Kayla Czaga, Patrick Lane and Russell Thornton. Moderated by Vancouver's Poet Laureate Rachel Rose. Friday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEBRA KOMAR
Author discusses her new book Murder at Fort Stikine: Solving a Centuries Old Crime in the Hudson's Bay Company. Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CARELLIN BROOKS AND MICHAEL V. SMITH
Authors read from their latest works: One Hundred Days of Rain (Brooks) and My Body Is Yours (Smith). Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
Upcoming
MICHAEL KUSUGAK
Storytelling sessions with Inuit storyteller and children's author Michael Kusugak. Wednesday, July 1 at 11am and 1pm, free. Vancouver Maritime Museum, 1905 Ogden Ave., Vancouver. More information at vancouvermaritimemuseum.com.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents celebrated crime writer E.R. Brown, author of the Edgar nominated novel Almost Criminal. Also on the playbill, a diverse line-up of talented writers in all genres. Thursday, July 2 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Kevin Spenst and Jennifer Zlim plus open mic. Wednesday, July 8 at 7pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
CHEVY STEVENS
Author presents her latest work, Those Girls. Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
On Sunday July 12th from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Alice MacKay room of the VPL Central Branch, the Dead Poets Reading Series will present the following program: ee cumming read by DN Simmers, Lauris Edmond, read by Christine Hayvice, John Keats, read by Matthew Henley, Robert Lowell, read by Christopher Levenson and P.K. Page read by Ruth Daniell.
Admission is free and readings start on time. For further information visit www.deadpoetslive.com.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 13
BOOK NEWS
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Our Romantic Oceanside Getaway Raffle is off to a great start! We've already sold 70 tickets, so make sure to purchase yours before it's too late. The getaway consists of a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox and a two night stay for two in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, which features an oceanfront balcony, whirlpool tub and cozy fireplace.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
An Evening with Louise Penny
Eagerly awaiting the latest installment in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series? Tickets are now on sale for our special event with Louise Penny on Monday, August 24. Louise will be discussing the 11th book in the series, The Nature of the Beast, which has Inspector Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache investigating the disappearance of a nine year old boy in Three Pines, a small village with a dark, even monstrous, past.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.
FESTIVALS
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 18-July 1) features 14 days of great music including headliners Buddy Guy, Erykah Badu, Pink Martini, and The Roots, the North Shore jazz series featuring The Campbell Brothers and The Waifs, free concerts at the Vancouver Art Gallery/Robson Square (June 18-21), David Lam Park/Roundhouse(June 27-28) and Granville Island (Canada Day, July 1), and much more. Details at http://www.coastaljazz.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Canadian Authors Association has announced the shortlists for its annual literary awards, which recognize "excellent titles published by the country's writers in the previous year." Ann-Marie MacDonald, Miriam Toews and Eliza Robertson all made the list.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/miriam-toews-sean-michaels-among-2015-canadian-authors-association-literary-awards-finalists/
Darrell Dennis has won the PMC Aboriginal Literature Award. "Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians (Douglas & McIntyre), in which Dennis tackles misconceptions about First Nations people in Canada with personal anecdotes, history, and humour, will also serve as the official selected title of FNCR 2015–2016."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/darrell-dennis-wins-pmc-aboriginal-literature-award/
John Spurling has been awarded the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Ten Thousand Things, a book that was rejected by publishers 44 times. According to Spurling, "I always thought that I would like success to be in my seventies, and I'm seventy-nine this year, so have just made it!"
http://www.teleread.com/award/keep-those-rejection-slips-coming-authors-scottish-prize-goes-to-book-rejected-44-times/
Jack Livings has won the PEN Prize for Debut Fiction. His short story collection, The Dog, is set in China, where Livings lived for a time during the 1990s.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/jack-livings-wins-pen-prize-for-debut-fiction/
YOUNG READERS
June 11 was Robert Munsch's 70th birthday. Here are 70 facts "you might not know about the iconic storyteller to celebrate."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/70-amazing-facts-about-robert-munsch.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Vancouver has topped Amazon.ca's "Canadian Cities that Love to Read" list. "The West Coast city not only ranked number one overall, but Vancouver residents are proving to be a worldly bunch - buying more cookbooks, travel guides, business books, health guides and self-help titles than anyone else in the country."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/vancouver-is-1-on-amazoncas-canadian-cities-that-love-to-read-list.html
Juan Felipe Herrera has been named U.S. Poet Laureate. A son of migrant farmworkers, his writing "fuses wide-ranging experimentalism with reflections on Mexican-American identity." He is the first Latino to occupy the position.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/books/juan-felipe-herrera-of-california-to-be-next-poet-laureate.html
It was Bloomsday this week, celebrated every June 16th (the day in which the events of James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, take place.) How would Ulysses be received today?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/how-would-ulysses-be-received-today.html
Missouri's Ferguson Municipal Public Library has been chosen as Library Journal's library of the year. The tiny library's only full-time employee, Scott Bonner, "gained international attention after he and a handful of volunteers kept the doors open for patrons despite the breakout of riots last November."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/ferguson-library-named-library-of-the-year.html
A U.K. publisher has vowed to publish only women for a year in response to author Kamila Shamsie's call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishing. Called And Other Stories, they release 10 to 12 new titles a year.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/11/no-men-allowed-publisher-accepts-novelists-year-of-women-challenge
Why is English the only language that capitalizes the letter "I"? "Could ‘I' actually affect English speakers' sense of self?" Find out the answer, here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/english-first-person-pronouns_n_7485402.html
Are big publishers taking over fan-fiction? It has become a boon for licensors and publishers, who have used online forums to search out new authors who might be interested in contributing to the creative process.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/licensing/article/66650-embracing-the-fans.html
Can Instagram be used as a platform for memoir writing? An art history student at Cambridge University is "in the process of writing a fragmented memoir entirely on Instagram. Along the way, she's collected 339,000 readers—and a literary agent who's now turning her adventures into a book."
http://mic.com/articles/120102/caroline-calloway-instragram-memoir-book
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you ready for some summertime reading? Here's the Georgia Straight's guide.
http://www.straight.com/life/469081/bright-books-warm-weather
Backlands, by Victoria Shorr, is "the fictionalized account of a real-life one-eyed bandit called Lampião and his lover, Maria Bonita — famous Brazilian outlaws who took from the rich and gave to the poor." Backlands is "less a tale of adventure than an exploration of love and loyalty, of the relationship between a people and their land."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/backlands-by-victoria-shorr.html
Tracey Lindberg's debut novel, Birdie, has introduced "an important new voice in Canadian fiction." It's an idiosyncratic and relatable tale about a Cree-Métis woman who moves from northern Alberta to B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, thanks to a girlhood obsession with the long-running CBC TV series The Beachcombers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-tracey-lindbergs-debut-novel-birdie-introduces-an-important-new-voice-in-canadian-fiction/article24940197/
Jami Attenberg's new novel, inspired by a 1940 New Yorker profile, "centers on a bawdy, bighearted woman in Depression-era New York." Called Saint Mazie, it makes "sainthood seem not only attainable, but seductive!"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/saint-mazie-by-jami-attenberg.html
Tua Forsström poem, Houdini in Karis), has been named Poem of the week by the Guardian Newspaper. "In this piece from the Finnish-Swedish poet's new collection, Houdini is an escape artist who longs for human connection." You can read the poem (and a discussion of it), here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/15/poem-of-the-week-houdini-in-karis-by-tua-forsstrom
Irina Kovalyova's debut short story collection, Specimen. is "a humanist collision of art and science." The science comes naturally to Kovalvoa, who has a PhD in microbiology and immunology.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/06/13/specimen-by-irina-kovalyova-review.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
W. RUTH KOZAK
Author reads from her new novel Shadow of the Lion. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Kitsilano branch, 2425 MacDonald St., Vancouver. More information at 604-665-3976.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
DON MCLELLAN
Author reads from his first collection of stories, In the Quiet After Slaughter. Tuesday, June 23 at 7:00pm. Collingwood branch, 2985 Kingsway. More information at 604-665-3953.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A GATHERING OF POETS
An evening of poetry by B.C.'s finest wordsmiths featuring Jane Munro, Cecily Nicholson, Rob Budde, Kayla Czaga, Patrick Lane and Russell Thornton. Moderated by Vancouver's Poet Laureate Rachel Rose. Friday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEBRA KOMAR
Author discusses her new book Murder at Fort Stikine: Solving a Centuries Old Crime in the Hudson's Bay Company. Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CARELLIN BROOKS AND MICHAEL V. SMITH
Authors read from their latest works: One Hundred Days of Rain (Brooks) and My Body Is Yours (Smith). Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
Upcomings
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Kevin Spenst and Jennifer Zlim plus open mic. Wednesday, July 8 at 7pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
CHEVY STEVENS
Author presents her latest work, Those Girls. Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Each reader will give a brief presentation on the life and work of their chosen poet, followed by a poetry reading. Sunday, July 12 at 3:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Our Romantic Oceanside Getaway Raffle is off to a great start! We've already sold 70 tickets, so make sure to purchase yours before it's too late. The getaway consists of a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox and a two night stay for two in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, which features an oceanfront balcony, whirlpool tub and cozy fireplace.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
An Evening with Louise Penny
Eagerly awaiting the latest installment in Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series? Tickets are now on sale for our special event with Louise Penny on Monday, August 24. Louise will be discussing the 11th book in the series, The Nature of the Beast, which has Inspector Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache investigating the disappearance of a nine year old boy in Three Pines, a small village with a dark, even monstrous, past.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Details and to purchase tickets, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny.
FESTIVALS
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival (June 18-July 1) features 14 days of great music including headliners Buddy Guy, Erykah Badu, Pink Martini, and The Roots, the North Shore jazz series featuring The Campbell Brothers and The Waifs, free concerts at the Vancouver Art Gallery/Robson Square (June 18-21), David Lam Park/Roundhouse(June 27-28) and Granville Island (Canada Day, July 1), and much more. Details at http://www.coastaljazz.ca.
AWARDS & LISTS
The Canadian Authors Association has announced the shortlists for its annual literary awards, which recognize "excellent titles published by the country's writers in the previous year." Ann-Marie MacDonald, Miriam Toews and Eliza Robertson all made the list.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/miriam-toews-sean-michaels-among-2015-canadian-authors-association-literary-awards-finalists/
Darrell Dennis has won the PMC Aboriginal Literature Award. "Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians (Douglas & McIntyre), in which Dennis tackles misconceptions about First Nations people in Canada with personal anecdotes, history, and humour, will also serve as the official selected title of FNCR 2015–2016."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/10/darrell-dennis-wins-pmc-aboriginal-literature-award/
John Spurling has been awarded the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Ten Thousand Things, a book that was rejected by publishers 44 times. According to Spurling, "I always thought that I would like success to be in my seventies, and I'm seventy-nine this year, so have just made it!"
http://www.teleread.com/award/keep-those-rejection-slips-coming-authors-scottish-prize-goes-to-book-rejected-44-times/
Jack Livings has won the PEN Prize for Debut Fiction. His short story collection, The Dog, is set in China, where Livings lived for a time during the 1990s.
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/jack-livings-wins-pen-prize-for-debut-fiction/
YOUNG READERS
June 11 was Robert Munsch's 70th birthday. Here are 70 facts "you might not know about the iconic storyteller to celebrate."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/70-amazing-facts-about-robert-munsch.html
NEWS & FEATURES
Vancouver has topped Amazon.ca's "Canadian Cities that Love to Read" list. "The West Coast city not only ranked number one overall, but Vancouver residents are proving to be a worldly bunch - buying more cookbooks, travel guides, business books, health guides and self-help titles than anyone else in the country."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/vancouver-is-1-on-amazoncas-canadian-cities-that-love-to-read-list.html
Juan Felipe Herrera has been named U.S. Poet Laureate. A son of migrant farmworkers, his writing "fuses wide-ranging experimentalism with reflections on Mexican-American identity." He is the first Latino to occupy the position.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/books/juan-felipe-herrera-of-california-to-be-next-poet-laureate.html
It was Bloomsday this week, celebrated every June 16th (the day in which the events of James Joyce's novel, Ulysses, take place.) How would Ulysses be received today?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/how-would-ulysses-be-received-today.html
Missouri's Ferguson Municipal Public Library has been chosen as Library Journal's library of the year. The tiny library's only full-time employee, Scott Bonner, "gained international attention after he and a handful of volunteers kept the doors open for patrons despite the breakout of riots last November."
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/06/ferguson-library-named-library-of-the-year.html
A U.K. publisher has vowed to publish only women for a year in response to author Kamila Shamsie's call for direct action to beat gender bias in publishing. Called And Other Stories, they release 10 to 12 new titles a year.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/11/no-men-allowed-publisher-accepts-novelists-year-of-women-challenge
Why is English the only language that capitalizes the letter "I"? "Could ‘I' actually affect English speakers' sense of self?" Find out the answer, here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/09/english-first-person-pronouns_n_7485402.html
Are big publishers taking over fan-fiction? It has become a boon for licensors and publishers, who have used online forums to search out new authors who might be interested in contributing to the creative process.
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/licensing/article/66650-embracing-the-fans.html
Can Instagram be used as a platform for memoir writing? An art history student at Cambridge University is "in the process of writing a fragmented memoir entirely on Instagram. Along the way, she's collected 339,000 readers—and a literary agent who's now turning her adventures into a book."
http://mic.com/articles/120102/caroline-calloway-instragram-memoir-book
BOOKS & WRITERS
Are you ready for some summertime reading? Here's the Georgia Straight's guide.
http://www.straight.com/life/469081/bright-books-warm-weather
Backlands, by Victoria Shorr, is "the fictionalized account of a real-life one-eyed bandit called Lampião and his lover, Maria Bonita — famous Brazilian outlaws who took from the rich and gave to the poor." Backlands is "less a tale of adventure than an exploration of love and loyalty, of the relationship between a people and their land."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/backlands-by-victoria-shorr.html
Tracey Lindberg's debut novel, Birdie, has introduced "an important new voice in Canadian fiction." It's an idiosyncratic and relatable tale about a Cree-Métis woman who moves from northern Alberta to B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, thanks to a girlhood obsession with the long-running CBC TV series The Beachcombers.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-tracey-lindbergs-debut-novel-birdie-introduces-an-important-new-voice-in-canadian-fiction/article24940197/
Jami Attenberg's new novel, inspired by a 1940 New Yorker profile, "centers on a bawdy, bighearted woman in Depression-era New York." Called Saint Mazie, it makes "sainthood seem not only attainable, but seductive!"
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/14/books/review/saint-mazie-by-jami-attenberg.html
Tua Forsström poem, Houdini in Karis), has been named Poem of the week by the Guardian Newspaper. "In this piece from the Finnish-Swedish poet's new collection, Houdini is an escape artist who longs for human connection." You can read the poem (and a discussion of it), here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/15/poem-of-the-week-houdini-in-karis-by-tua-forsstrom
Irina Kovalyova's debut short story collection, Specimen. is "a humanist collision of art and science." The science comes naturally to Kovalvoa, who has a PhD in microbiology and immunology.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/2015/06/13/specimen-by-irina-kovalyova-review.html
COMMUNITY EVENTS
W. RUTH KOZAK
Author reads from her new novel Shadow of the Lion. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Kitsilano branch, 2425 MacDonald St., Vancouver. More information at 604-665-3976.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
DON MCLELLAN
Author reads from his first collection of stories, In the Quiet After Slaughter. Tuesday, June 23 at 7:00pm. Collingwood branch, 2985 Kingsway. More information at 604-665-3953.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A GATHERING OF POETS
An evening of poetry by B.C.'s finest wordsmiths featuring Jane Munro, Cecily Nicholson, Rob Budde, Kayla Czaga, Patrick Lane and Russell Thornton. Moderated by Vancouver's Poet Laureate Rachel Rose. Friday, June 26 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEBRA KOMAR
Author discusses her new book Murder at Fort Stikine: Solving a Centuries Old Crime in the Hudson's Bay Company. Sunday, June 28 at 2:30pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
CARELLIN BROOKS AND MICHAEL V. SMITH
Authors read from their latest works: One Hundred Days of Rain (Brooks) and My Body Is Yours (Smith). Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
Upcomings
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Kevin Spenst and Jennifer Zlim plus open mic. Wednesday, July 8 at 7pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. Suggested donation at the door: $5. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
CHEVY STEVENS
Author presents her latest work, Those Girls. Wednesday, July 8 at 7:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at 604-331-3603.
DEAD POETS READING SERIES
Five poets/poetry-lovers/readers/writers bring to life the works of their favourite deceased poets. Each reader will give a brief presentation on the life and work of their chosen poet, followed by a poetry reading. Sunday, July 12 at 3:00pm. Central library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at deadpoetslive.com.
Thursday, June 11, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 12
BOOK NEWS
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Pamper yourself and rekindle the flame between you and your partner with a stay in the Romance Suite which features a cozy fireplace, a whirlpool bathtub, and an oceanfront balcony with a spectacular view of the Pacific.
The Vancouver Writers Fest Romantic Weekend Raffle features a two night stay in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, including a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox on Pacific Coastal Airlines.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
Announcing - An Evening with Louise Penny
New York Times bestselling author, Louise Penny is back with the 11th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series, The Nature of the Beast. Set in Three Pines, Quebec, The Nature of the Beast begins with Laurent Lepage, a nine year old boy whose stories of alien invasions, walking trees and dinosaurs outside the village have many villagers, including newcomers Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, doubting the truth of his words. That is, until Laurent disappears and the people of Three Pines are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Information about tickets will be available soon. Keep checking our website for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny
AWARDS & LISTS
Jane Munro has been awarded the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize for her most recent collection, Blue Sonoma. Blue Sonoma focuses on the struggle Munro's long-time partner has faced with Alzheimer's.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/jane-munros-blue-sonoma-wins-griffin-poetry-prize/article24817466/
Judith Saltman and Jacques Payette have won the 2014 Claude Aubry Awards for distinguished service in the field of Canadian children's literature. Judith Saltman, author of Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing received the English-language award, while Jacques Payette was honoured for his work in French.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/judith-saltman-jacques-payette-win-ibby-canadas-aubry-award/
Winnipeg author Casey Plett has been named winner of the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for transgender fiction. "The awards aim to recognize the best English-language LGBT titles published the previous year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/casey-plett-wins-lambda-literary-award-for-transgender-fiction/
Vancouver writer Alex Leslie has won the $4,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers. Leslie's works include the short-story collection People Who Disappear and the poetry collection The things I heard about you, both nominated for several awards.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/alex-leslie-wins-2015-dayne-ogilvie-prize-for-lgbt-emerging-writers/
Wayson Choy, also of Vancouver, has been named winner of this year's George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding long-time contributions to B.C. literature. "His stories connect us, help us understand our city's past, and let us see life through a different perspective. He has helped tear down barriers between cultures and generations."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/wayson-choy-receives-2015-george-woodcock-lifetime-achievement-award/
Ann-Marie MacDonald has been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, nicknamed America's Nobel Prize. "MacDonald is the sole Canadian among nine authors shortlisted for their ongoing literary achievements."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/ann-marie-macdonald-shortlisted-for-2016-neustadt-prize/
YOUNG READERS
Illustrator Chris Riddell has been named as the UK's new children's laureate. "The 53-year-old illustrator, who lives in Brighton, is dedicating his laureateship to championing creativity and, in particular, to visual literacy."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/09/illustrator-chris-riddell-named-uk-childrens-laureate
Here are some new young adult fiction titles worth checking out! Among the books reviewed is The Truth Commission, by B.C.'s own Susan Juby, "her finest novel yet."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-young-adult-fiction-from-susin-nielsen-sarah-henstra-susan-juby-and-others/article24821718/
NEWS & FEATURES
Anne of Green Gables, one of Canada's favourite books and film adaptations, is set to be adapted for the screen once more. Filming is currently under way, with Martin Sheen playing Matthew Cuthbert.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/story/1.3104952
Is Quebec literature isolated from the rest of North America? Here's Pasha Malla's take on the matter: "Too Different and Too Familiar: The Challenge of French-Canadian Literature."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/too-different-and-too-familiar-the-challenge-of-french-canadian-literature
Carmine Starnino, editor at Montreal's Véhicule Press, also has an opinion on the matter. Why does the prospect of publishing a new collection by Pierre Nepveu plunge him "into despair? Because I already know what to expect when the book is finally released: what UK poet and translator Michael Hofmann has called "a deluge—a deluge of nothing."
http://www.partisanmagazine.com/blog/2015/6/8/why-the-book-im-about-to-publish-will-be-ignored
An attempt to break the book dominos world record has been condemned as "disrespectful to books!" Japan's Gifu City Library had planned the event in order to commemorate its spectacular new building, and promote Gifu as a "book city."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11653656/Book-dominos-world-record-attempt-causes-outcry-as-disrespectful-to-books.html
Are you a good online reader? Here's a guide to being better!
http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/being-a-better-online-reader
Paulo Coelho is offering two of his works for free, asking readers to pay only if they enjoyed reading them. ‘This idea does not harm the business,' he stated.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/09/paulo-coelho-buy-my-book-after-youve-read-it-only-if-you-liked-it
BOOKS & WRITERS
Ali Smith's recently won the Bailey's Fiction Prize. The "triumph in the women's fiction prize confirmed her as one of our pre-eminent writers. And, she says, the award shares her own preoccupation–how to assert a complex female identity in a world that tells women to be simple." Her new book, How to be Both, challenges the male cannon.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/05/baileys-prize-winner-ali-smith-interview
Joshua Cohen's new novel, Book of Numbers, features a struggling writer and a tech billionaire who share the same name. It "hums with the static of the cosmos," and "in its fractured way, is more impressive than all but a few novels published so far this decade.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/books/review-book-of-numbers-by-joshua-cohen-is-narrative-as-rich-as-the-web.html
"Today's fiction rarely has kind things to say about the middle-aged male psyche. Whether through hyper-masculine compensation, nostalgic tales of misspent youth or creepy accounts of abuse, most literary depictions of this maligned demographic might as well be accompanied by the warning sign: ‘Here be dragons!'" James Grainger's Harmless, on the other hand, is a "book made for today."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/mean-thriller-harmless-is-a-book-made-for-today/article24818969/
Colm Tóibín is featured in this week's Guardian books podcast. He discusses the women in his fiction, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2015/jun/05/colm-toibin-women-fiction-podcast
Aleksandar Hemon's The Making of Zombie Wars is "a violent, sexually astute, culturally exacting, zany and weirdly observant feat of writing." It's also one of the "funniest books of the year."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-aleksandar-hemons-the-making-of-zombie-wars-is-one-of-the-funniest-books-of-the-year/article24821619/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
Upcoming
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
Win a romantic oceanside Getaway!
Pamper yourself and rekindle the flame between you and your partner with a stay in the Romance Suite which features a cozy fireplace, a whirlpool bathtub, and an oceanfront balcony with a spectacular view of the Pacific.
The Vancouver Writers Fest Romantic Weekend Raffle features a two night stay in the Romance Suite at the Kingfisher Oceanside Resort & Spa, including a roundtrip flight from Vancouver to Comox on Pacific Coastal Airlines.
Tickets are only $25.00 each. The winner will be drawn at 12pm on June 30, 2015. Details (http://writersfest.bc.ca/support-us/kingfisher-raffle) and to purchase tickets:
https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/secure/secure_raffle_requests.php
Special Event
Announcing - An Evening with Louise Penny
New York Times bestselling author, Louise Penny is back with the 11th book in her Chief Inspector Gamache series, The Nature of the Beast. Set in Three Pines, Quebec, The Nature of the Beast begins with Laurent Lepage, a nine year old boy whose stories of alien invasions, walking trees and dinosaurs outside the village have many villagers, including newcomers Armand and Reine-Marie Gamache, doubting the truth of his words. That is, until Laurent disappears and the people of Three Pines are faced with the possibility that one of his tall tales might have been true.
Monday, August 24 at 7:30pm
Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton Street
Information about tickets will be available soon. Keep checking our website for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/louise-penny
AWARDS & LISTS
Jane Munro has been awarded the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize for her most recent collection, Blue Sonoma. Blue Sonoma focuses on the struggle Munro's long-time partner has faced with Alzheimer's.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/jane-munros-blue-sonoma-wins-griffin-poetry-prize/article24817466/
Judith Saltman and Jacques Payette have won the 2014 Claude Aubry Awards for distinguished service in the field of Canadian children's literature. Judith Saltman, author of Picturing Canada: A History of Canadian Children's Illustrated Books and Publishing received the English-language award, while Jacques Payette was honoured for his work in French.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/judith-saltman-jacques-payette-win-ibby-canadas-aubry-award/
Winnipeg author Casey Plett has been named winner of the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for transgender fiction. "The awards aim to recognize the best English-language LGBT titles published the previous year."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/09/casey-plett-wins-lambda-literary-award-for-transgender-fiction/
Vancouver writer Alex Leslie has won the $4,000 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers. Leslie's works include the short-story collection People Who Disappear and the poetry collection The things I heard about you, both nominated for several awards.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/alex-leslie-wins-2015-dayne-ogilvie-prize-for-lgbt-emerging-writers/
Wayson Choy, also of Vancouver, has been named winner of this year's George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding long-time contributions to B.C. literature. "His stories connect us, help us understand our city's past, and let us see life through a different perspective. He has helped tear down barriers between cultures and generations."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/wayson-choy-receives-2015-george-woodcock-lifetime-achievement-award/
Ann-Marie MacDonald has been selected as a finalist for the 2016 Neustadt International Prize for Literature, nicknamed America's Nobel Prize. "MacDonald is the sole Canadian among nine authors shortlisted for their ongoing literary achievements."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/08/ann-marie-macdonald-shortlisted-for-2016-neustadt-prize/
YOUNG READERS
Illustrator Chris Riddell has been named as the UK's new children's laureate. "The 53-year-old illustrator, who lives in Brighton, is dedicating his laureateship to championing creativity and, in particular, to visual literacy."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/09/illustrator-chris-riddell-named-uk-childrens-laureate
Here are some new young adult fiction titles worth checking out! Among the books reviewed is The Truth Commission, by B.C.'s own Susan Juby, "her finest novel yet."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-new-young-adult-fiction-from-susin-nielsen-sarah-henstra-susan-juby-and-others/article24821718/
NEWS & FEATURES
Anne of Green Gables, one of Canada's favourite books and film adaptations, is set to be adapted for the screen once more. Filming is currently under way, with Martin Sheen playing Matthew Cuthbert.
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/story/1.3104952
Is Quebec literature isolated from the rest of North America? Here's Pasha Malla's take on the matter: "Too Different and Too Familiar: The Challenge of French-Canadian Literature."
http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/too-different-and-too-familiar-the-challenge-of-french-canadian-literature
Carmine Starnino, editor at Montreal's Véhicule Press, also has an opinion on the matter. Why does the prospect of publishing a new collection by Pierre Nepveu plunge him "into despair? Because I already know what to expect when the book is finally released: what UK poet and translator Michael Hofmann has called "a deluge—a deluge of nothing."
http://www.partisanmagazine.com/blog/2015/6/8/why-the-book-im-about-to-publish-will-be-ignored
An attempt to break the book dominos world record has been condemned as "disrespectful to books!" Japan's Gifu City Library had planned the event in order to commemorate its spectacular new building, and promote Gifu as a "book city."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/11653656/Book-dominos-world-record-attempt-causes-outcry-as-disrespectful-to-books.html
Are you a good online reader? Here's a guide to being better!
http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/being-a-better-online-reader
Paulo Coelho is offering two of his works for free, asking readers to pay only if they enjoyed reading them. ‘This idea does not harm the business,' he stated.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/09/paulo-coelho-buy-my-book-after-youve-read-it-only-if-you-liked-it
BOOKS & WRITERS
Ali Smith's recently won the Bailey's Fiction Prize. The "triumph in the women's fiction prize confirmed her as one of our pre-eminent writers. And, she says, the award shares her own preoccupation–how to assert a complex female identity in a world that tells women to be simple." Her new book, How to be Both, challenges the male cannon.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/05/baileys-prize-winner-ali-smith-interview
Joshua Cohen's new novel, Book of Numbers, features a struggling writer and a tech billionaire who share the same name. It "hums with the static of the cosmos," and "in its fractured way, is more impressive than all but a few novels published so far this decade.'
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/08/books/review-book-of-numbers-by-joshua-cohen-is-narrative-as-rich-as-the-web.html
"Today's fiction rarely has kind things to say about the middle-aged male psyche. Whether through hyper-masculine compensation, nostalgic tales of misspent youth or creepy accounts of abuse, most literary depictions of this maligned demographic might as well be accompanied by the warning sign: ‘Here be dragons!'" James Grainger's Harmless, on the other hand, is a "book made for today."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/mean-thriller-harmless-is-a-book-made-for-today/article24818969/
Colm Tóibín is featured in this week's Guardian books podcast. He discusses the women in his fiction, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/audio/2015/jun/05/colm-toibin-women-fiction-podcast
Aleksandar Hemon's The Making of Zombie Wars is "a violent, sexually astute, culturally exacting, zany and weirdly observant feat of writing." It's also one of the "funniest books of the year."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-aleksandar-hemons-the-making-of-zombie-wars-is-one-of-the-funniest-books-of-the-year/article24821619/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
VOICE TO VOICE
Launch of the latest book from the Thursdays Writing Collective. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Lost and Found Cafe, 33 W. Hastings.
Upcoming
ACTIVE FICTION PROJECT
Call for writers: real life choose your own adventure fiction The Active Fiction Project is a public art initiative that explores the intersection of public space and literary fiction. They're looking for a few talented authors to create short pieces of choose your own adventure fiction (max 10 pages) for this summer/fall. More information at www.activefictionproject.com/submissions.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 11
BOOK NEWS
A Dram Come True-This Friday!
It's summertime and the living is easy. Join us at Scotch o'clock (7:30 pm) for A Dram Come True at Hycroft this Friday June 5. Sample 44 rare and distinguished single malts plus select spirits, Tinhorn Creek wine and appetizers, while supporting the Vancouver Writers Fest.
For a preview of what to expect check out A Dram Come True whisky expert Dave Mason on Global TV's Morning News BC:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2023038/a-dram-come-true-scotch-tasting
Details and tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true
AWARDS & LISTS
Rivka Galchen has won the 2014 Danuta Gleed Literary Award for her short-fiction collection, American Innovations. Her debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/01/rivka-galchen-wins-2014-danuta-gleed-literary-award/
Margaret Atwood and C.C. Humphreys are among the winners of this year's Arthur Ellis Awards for Crime Writing. The awards were judged by a panel of twenty-one writers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, and academics specializing in the crime genre.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/29/margaret-atwood-c-c-humphreys-among-2015-arthur-ellis-award-winners/
The Lambda literary awards, a "celebration of queer culture and queer literature," were handed out this week in New York City. The big winner of the night was John Waters, the filmmaker and writer who called his award "the Imperial Margarine crown of queer royalty".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/02/lambda-literary-awards-lgbt-literature-john-waters
The shortlists for the government of Ontario's Trillium Book Awards have been announced, recognizing "excellent works of literature by the province's writers published the year prior." Margaret Atwood, Thomas King and Dionne Brand are among the finalists.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/margaret-atwood-dionne-brand-thomas-king-among-2015-trillium-book-awards-finalists/
Meanwhile, in Atlantic Canada, Carmelita McGrath and Andrew Peacock have won the 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. McGrath is the recipient of this year's E.J. Pratt Award for her collection, Escape Velocity, and Peacock won this year's non-fiction award for his debut title, Creatures of the Rock: A Veterinarian's Adventures in Newfoundland.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/carmelita-mcgrath-and-andrew-peacock-win-2015-newfoundland-and-labrador-book-awards/
Ali Smith has won The Baileys women's prize for How to Be Both.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/03/ali-smith-wins-baileys-prize-with-how-to-be-both
YOUNG READERS
A new children's book, Sweep Up the Sun, salutes birds in flight. Unlike many high-quality nonfiction picture books, however, it uses photography rather than traditional illustration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/books/review/winged-wonders.html
NEWS & FEATURES
The New York Times has sparked criticism after releasing an all-white summer reading list. "According to Gawker, past volumes of the esteemed publication's summer reading list have also had a diversity problem."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-new-york-times-sparks-criticism-after-releasing-an-allwhite-reading-list-10274663.html
A proof copy of The Bell Jar has been unearthed. Attributed to Plath's pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the early version of the novel reveals many last-minute changes to the text.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/the-bell-jar-proof-copy-found-sylvia-plath
Philip Larkin once described literary parties as his idea of "hell on earth." For Philip Hensher, however, things felt very different. "You never knew what would happen next at an old-style literary gathering. Where else could you argue with Doris Lessing about underpants from M&S?"
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/01/philip-larkin-doris-lessing-literary-party
And if you do get invited to such a gathering, here are some great tips for how to survive! Headphones, books and cigarettes are just a few of many helpful tools that can be employed.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/02/how-to-survive-literary-parties-author-francis-plug
"Is it good poetry where every other line rhymes, instead of having each line rhyme with the one before it?" What about a "name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?" Before Google, these were just a few of the questions asked in a now-revealed cache of New York Public Library question cards.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/librarian-new-york-public-librarys-quirkiest-enquiries
BOOKS & WRITERS
Several years ago, Hilary Mantel's novel, Wolf Hall, won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Now it's a success on the London Stage. Hilary Mantel discusses taking the book from page to stage, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/theater/hilary-mantel-on-taking-her-wolf-hall-novels-to-the-stage.html
Kamel Daoud's "stunning" debut novel, The Meursault Investigation, retells Albert Camus's existential classic, The Stranger, from an Algerian point of view. "This is not just a clever, playful conceit...it provides the architecture for an intricately layered tale that not only makes us reassess Camus's novel but also nudges us into a contemplation of Algeria's history and current religious politics."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/books/review-kamel-daoud-interrogates-camus-in-the-meursault-investigation.html
This fall, feminist icon Gloria Steinem will be publishing her first book in more than 20 years. My Life on the Road has been described as "a candid account of how her early years led her to an on-the-road kind of life traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/05/27/gloria-steinem-book-my-life-on-the-road/28008947/
Sara Novic's first novel, Girl at War, explores "how the experience of war can be conveyed to those who don't know it." Narrated by a former child soldier at the end of the Yugoslavian civil war, Girl at War‘s language is charged with enough vitality that "its story wil be remember by readers a world away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/books/review/girl-at-war-by-sara-novic.html
"At first glance, poets Claudia Emerson and Philip Metres have nothing to say to each other. Maybe that's the point." Emerson's The Opposite House and Metres' Sand Opera are looked at side by side, here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/06/the_opposite_house_by_claudia_emerson_and_sand_opera_by_philip_metres_reviewed.html
Make it True: Poetry from Cascadia, is a poetry anthology that celebrates sustainability and "harmony with nature... From Alaska to Arcata, from Nanaimo to Missoula, the 89 poets in this Cascadian collection explore, preserve and celebrate the mind's wilderness and the wilderness of this place."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Anthology+poetry+from+Cascadia+celebrates+sustainability+harmony+with+nature/11093961/story.html#ixzz3bxAzRA8F
COMMUNITY EVENTS
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents writer, filmmaker, and wilderness guide Calder Cheverie, director of The Peel Project. Thursday, June 4 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
BOOKS & BISCOTTI
Features readings by British Columbia writers Diego Bastianutti, Robert Pepper Smith, and Anna Ciampolini Foschi, and the premiere of a documentary movie by Ornella Sinigaglia. Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00pm, free. Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., Vancouver. More information at italianculturalcentre.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Alex Leslie and Robin Susanto plus open mic. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
A Dram Come True-This Friday!
It's summertime and the living is easy. Join us at Scotch o'clock (7:30 pm) for A Dram Come True at Hycroft this Friday June 5. Sample 44 rare and distinguished single malts plus select spirits, Tinhorn Creek wine and appetizers, while supporting the Vancouver Writers Fest.
For a preview of what to expect check out A Dram Come True whisky expert Dave Mason on Global TV's Morning News BC:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2023038/a-dram-come-true-scotch-tasting
Details and tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true
AWARDS & LISTS
Rivka Galchen has won the 2014 Danuta Gleed Literary Award for her short-fiction collection, American Innovations. Her debut novel, Atmospheric Disturbances, was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/06/01/rivka-galchen-wins-2014-danuta-gleed-literary-award/
Margaret Atwood and C.C. Humphreys are among the winners of this year's Arthur Ellis Awards for Crime Writing. The awards were judged by a panel of twenty-one writers, reviewers, librarians, booksellers, and academics specializing in the crime genre.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/29/margaret-atwood-c-c-humphreys-among-2015-arthur-ellis-award-winners/
The Lambda literary awards, a "celebration of queer culture and queer literature," were handed out this week in New York City. The big winner of the night was John Waters, the filmmaker and writer who called his award "the Imperial Margarine crown of queer royalty".
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/02/lambda-literary-awards-lgbt-literature-john-waters
The shortlists for the government of Ontario's Trillium Book Awards have been announced, recognizing "excellent works of literature by the province's writers published the year prior." Margaret Atwood, Thomas King and Dionne Brand are among the finalists.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/margaret-atwood-dionne-brand-thomas-king-among-2015-trillium-book-awards-finalists/
Meanwhile, in Atlantic Canada, Carmelita McGrath and Andrew Peacock have won the 2015 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. McGrath is the recipient of this year's E.J. Pratt Award for her collection, Escape Velocity, and Peacock won this year's non-fiction award for his debut title, Creatures of the Rock: A Veterinarian's Adventures in Newfoundland.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/27/carmelita-mcgrath-and-andrew-peacock-win-2015-newfoundland-and-labrador-book-awards/
Ali Smith has won The Baileys women's prize for How to Be Both.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/03/ali-smith-wins-baileys-prize-with-how-to-be-both
YOUNG READERS
A new children's book, Sweep Up the Sun, salutes birds in flight. Unlike many high-quality nonfiction picture books, however, it uses photography rather than traditional illustration.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/27/books/review/winged-wonders.html
NEWS & FEATURES
The New York Times has sparked criticism after releasing an all-white summer reading list. "According to Gawker, past volumes of the esteemed publication's summer reading list have also had a diversity problem."
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/news/the-new-york-times-sparks-criticism-after-releasing-an-allwhite-reading-list-10274663.html
A proof copy of The Bell Jar has been unearthed. Attributed to Plath's pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the early version of the novel reveals many last-minute changes to the text.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/the-bell-jar-proof-copy-found-sylvia-plath
Philip Larkin once described literary parties as his idea of "hell on earth." For Philip Hensher, however, things felt very different. "You never knew what would happen next at an old-style literary gathering. Where else could you argue with Doris Lessing about underpants from M&S?"
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jun/01/philip-larkin-doris-lessing-literary-party
And if you do get invited to such a gathering, here are some great tips for how to survive! Headphones, books and cigarettes are just a few of many helpful tools that can be employed.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/jun/02/how-to-survive-literary-parties-author-francis-plug
"Is it good poetry where every other line rhymes, instead of having each line rhyme with the one before it?" What about a "name of a book that dramatizes bedbugs?" Before Google, these were just a few of the questions asked in a now-revealed cache of New York Public Library question cards.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/28/librarian-new-york-public-librarys-quirkiest-enquiries
BOOKS & WRITERS
Several years ago, Hilary Mantel's novel, Wolf Hall, won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Now it's a success on the London Stage. Hilary Mantel discusses taking the book from page to stage, here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/theater/hilary-mantel-on-taking-her-wolf-hall-novels-to-the-stage.html
Kamel Daoud's "stunning" debut novel, The Meursault Investigation, retells Albert Camus's existential classic, The Stranger, from an Algerian point of view. "This is not just a clever, playful conceit...it provides the architecture for an intricately layered tale that not only makes us reassess Camus's novel but also nudges us into a contemplation of Algeria's history and current religious politics."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/books/review-kamel-daoud-interrogates-camus-in-the-meursault-investigation.html
This fall, feminist icon Gloria Steinem will be publishing her first book in more than 20 years. My Life on the Road has been described as "a candid account of how her early years led her to an on-the-road kind of life traveling, listening to people, learning, and creating change."
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/05/27/gloria-steinem-book-my-life-on-the-road/28008947/
Sara Novic's first novel, Girl at War, explores "how the experience of war can be conveyed to those who don't know it." Narrated by a former child soldier at the end of the Yugoslavian civil war, Girl at War‘s language is charged with enough vitality that "its story wil be remember by readers a world away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/books/review/girl-at-war-by-sara-novic.html
"At first glance, poets Claudia Emerson and Philip Metres have nothing to say to each other. Maybe that's the point." Emerson's The Opposite House and Metres' Sand Opera are looked at side by side, here:
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/books/2015/06/the_opposite_house_by_claudia_emerson_and_sand_opera_by_philip_metres_reviewed.html
Make it True: Poetry from Cascadia, is a poetry anthology that celebrates sustainability and "harmony with nature... From Alaska to Arcata, from Nanaimo to Missoula, the 89 poets in this Cascadian collection explore, preserve and celebrate the mind's wilderness and the wilderness of this place."
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Anthology+poetry+from+Cascadia+celebrates+sustainability+harmony+with+nature/11093961/story.html#ixzz3bxAzRA8F
COMMUNITY EVENTS
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents writer, filmmaker, and wilderness guide Calder Cheverie, director of The Peel Project. Thursday, June 4 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
BOOKS & BISCOTTI
Features readings by British Columbia writers Diego Bastianutti, Robert Pepper Smith, and Anna Ciampolini Foschi, and the premiere of a documentary movie by Ornella Sinigaglia. Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00pm, free. Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., Vancouver. More information at italianculturalcentre.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Alex Leslie and Robin Susanto plus open mic. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
HEATHER HALEY
Author reads from her debut novel The Town Slut's Daughter. Thursday, June 18 at 7:00pm. Storm Crow Tavern. More information at howesoundpublishing@gmail.com.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Adrienne Gruber and Raoul Fernandes with open mic. Thursday, June 25 at 7:00pm. The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7 pm. More information at
www.pandorascollective.com.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 10
BOOK NEWS
The Board of Directors of the Vancouver Writers Fest is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole Nozick as Executive Director, effective June 22. Nozick, who was most recently Director of the Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival, takes over from current VWF Executive Director Camilla Tibbs, who has accepted a position as Executive Director of the Richmond Gateway Theatre.
A Dram Come True
Dust off your kilt! Tickets are still available for A Dram Come True, the VWF's scotch tasting fundraiser on June 5.
Reasons to attend:
Where else can you sample 40+ amazing scotches plus select spirits and Tinhorn Creek wine, with a jazz pianist tickling the ivories in the background?
Supports the Vancouver Writers Fest and Spreading the Word programs for students
Hycroft makes a great date night destination!
For a preview of what to expect check out A Dram Come True whisky expert Dave Mason on Global TV's Morning News BC:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2023038/a-dram-come-true-scotch-tasting
Details and tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true
AWARDS & LISTS
The shortlist for Kobo's $10,000 Emerging Writer Prize, which "recognizes excellent debut titles published the year prior and available on the digital platform," has been made public. Kim Fu, Elizabeth Renzetti and Plum Johnson are among the chosen few.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/20/kim-fu-plum-johnson-among-those-shortlisted-for-inaugural-kobo-emerging-writer-prize/
Alix Hawley has won Amazon.ca's First Novel Award for All True Not a Lie In It. The prize recognizes "an exceptional English-language title by a Canadian debut novelist."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/22/alix-hawley-wins-amazon-ca-first-novel-award/
The winners of the 2015 Alberta Literary Awards have been announced. Rudy Wiebe took the fiction prize for his novel, Come Back.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/25/winners-of-the-2015-alberta-literary-awards-announced/
The 2015 O. Henry Prize stories, which will appear in an anthology in September, have been revealed. Russell Banks' A Permanent Member of the Family was selected.
http://lithub.com/the-o-henry-prize-stories-for-2015/
YOUNG READERS
Here are some new children's books for young music-lovers! The first features an animal orchestra; the second, the real-life story of a Cuban girlswho longs to play the drums; the third, a story of young Doc Watson; the fourth about music in New Orleans; and the last, an innovative tribute to the partnership of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/20/books/review/20childrens.html
NEWS & FEATURES
How does the Vancouver Public Library remain relevant in an increasingly diverse city? "It's not easy to do in the wake of the Conservative government's cancellation of the mandatory long-form census."
http://www.straight.com/life/456406/how-vancouver-public-library-remains-relevant-increasingly-diverse-city
It looks like we might soon be finding poetry in our parks! One Vancouver Park Board commissioner has put forth a motion to "work with staff from the Vancouver Public Library on a pilot program to bring poetry to Vancouver's parks in 2015 and to explore longer term options for a broader Poetry in Parks program to be launched in 2016".
http://www.straight.com/blogra/456266/poetry-coming-vancouver-parks
The brutal murder of three Bangladeshi bloggers has led to an outcry from the international writing community. Margaret Atwood, Rohinton Mistry and Yann Martel are just three of the more than 150 writers who are urging the Bangladeshi government to take action.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/05/margaret-atwood-yann-martel-and-other-writers-speak-out-against-bangladesh-blogger-murders.html
Speaking of Margaret Atwood, she has been chosen as the inaugural author to commit a manuscript to Scottish conceptual artist Katie Paterson's Future Library project. Last year, a forest of 1,000 trees was planted "to be cut down in one century to provide paper to publish never-before-read manuscripts by renowned authors."
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/05/21/margaret-atwood-to-add-manuscript-to-future-library-on-may-26/
And Margaret Atwood becomes the first author to add a secret story to the Future Library.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/margaret-atwood-becomes-1st-author-to-add-secret-story-to-future-library-1.3087724
The "true face of Shakespeare" has appeared in a botany book, or so claims botanist and historian Mark Griffiths. Whether it's actually "the literary discovery of the century" appears to be up for debate!
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32782267
Scrabble has "come crashing into the 21st century," thanks to the addition of a whole legion of new words, many of which cannot be found in the dictionary. "People use slang in social media posts, tweets, blogs, comments, text messages – you name it–so there's a host of evidence for informal varieties of English that simply didn't exist before."
http://radio.com/2015/05/21/scrabble-adds-words-hashtag-vape-obvs/
A nonprofit organization is crowdfunding for its "eGranary Pocket Library," a "library on a chip" that provides information for people without internet access. "Each library is customized to a particular audience. For example, the nonprofit recently created an ebola pocket library with the CDC, World Health Organization and other charitable groups."
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3045289/fund-this/this-library-on-a-chip-gives-people-without-internet-access-all-the-information-th
What's the place of indulgence in writing? "Indulgent, which—along with self-indulgent—has come to represent something very, very bad where art is concerned." Here's one woman's argument otherwise.
http://flavorwire.com/519421/in-defense-of-indulgent-art
Have you ever been on a literary pilgrimage? "For those shaped by words, whose dreams are forged between the leaves of books, trips like these are how we become a part of the stories that helped to direct our own."
http://bookriot.com/2015/05/18/literary-pilgrimage/
BOOKS & WRITERS
Judy Blume has written her first novel for adults in 17 years. In the Unlikely Event, which will be published next month, takes place in 1952 and was inspired by three real-life plane crashes in Blume's own hometown.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/magazine/judy-blume-knows-all-your-secrets.html
Neil Smith's Boo is "a novel of tremendous imagination," telling the story of Oliver "Boo" Dalrymple, who goes to heaven after dying of an apparent heart defect in front of his locker. "With Boo, Neil Smith has written something valuable and important for both young readers and older ones."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-neil-smiths-boo-is-a-novel-of-tremendous-imagination/article24567457/
What's it like to be a deaf novelist? In this interview, Sara Novi Novic "explains the challenges of being a deaf author and why deafness is still used as a synonym for stupidity."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/23/what-its-like-to-be-a-deaf-novelist
Two debut poetry collections by Liz Howard and Madhur Anand "mix technical language with themes of identity, selfhood and race." Both collections are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/two-debut-poetry-collections-mix-technical-language-with-themes-of-identity-selfhood-and-race/article24454121/
Jim Shepard's newest novel, The Book of Aron, is a coming-of-age story set in the Warsaw ghetto during World War Two. He's interviewed about the book, the best advice he's ever received, and more, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/look-for-the-weirdness-in-your-own-work/article24566332/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Linda King and Anatoly Molotkov (Portland) plus open mic. Thursday, May 28, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
THE DE COSMOS ENIGMA
Local author Gordon Hawkins launches his book The De Cosmos Enigma, a study of the life of BC's second premier. Friday, May 29 at 3:30pm, free. GVPL Central Branch, 735 Broughton St., Victoria. More information at 250-940-4875.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
Authors Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer discuss and sign on their new book, The Flour Peddler: A Global Journey into Local Food from Canada to South Sudan. Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm. Bolen Books, 11-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria. More information at caitlin-press.com.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
WRITERS ADVENTURE CAMP
Join award-winning authors in Whistler, BC for a fun and immersive weekend designed for both published and emerging writers. Deadline to register is May 22, 2015. Dates are June 6-7, 2015. Complete information at thepointartists.com.
OWEN LAUKKANEN
Best-selling thriller author presents his latest work, The Stolen Ones. Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents writer, filmmaker, and wilderness guide Calder Cheverie, director of The Peel Project. Thursday, June 4 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
BOOKS & BISCOTTI
Features readings by British Columbia writers Diego Bastianutti, Robert Pepper Smith, and Anna Ciampolini Foschi, and the premiere of a documentary movie by Ornella Sinigaglia. Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00pm, free. Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., Vancouver. More information at italianculturalcentre.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
The Board of Directors of the Vancouver Writers Fest is pleased to announce the appointment of Nicole Nozick as Executive Director, effective June 22. Nozick, who was most recently Director of the Cherie Smith JCC Jewish Book Festival, takes over from current VWF Executive Director Camilla Tibbs, who has accepted a position as Executive Director of the Richmond Gateway Theatre.
A Dram Come True
Dust off your kilt! Tickets are still available for A Dram Come True, the VWF's scotch tasting fundraiser on June 5.
Reasons to attend:
Where else can you sample 40+ amazing scotches plus select spirits and Tinhorn Creek wine, with a jazz pianist tickling the ivories in the background?
Supports the Vancouver Writers Fest and Spreading the Word programs for students
Hycroft makes a great date night destination!
For a preview of what to expect check out A Dram Come True whisky expert Dave Mason on Global TV's Morning News BC:
http://globalnews.ca/video/2023038/a-dram-come-true-scotch-tasting
Details and tickets: http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true
AWARDS & LISTS
The shortlist for Kobo's $10,000 Emerging Writer Prize, which "recognizes excellent debut titles published the year prior and available on the digital platform," has been made public. Kim Fu, Elizabeth Renzetti and Plum Johnson are among the chosen few.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/20/kim-fu-plum-johnson-among-those-shortlisted-for-inaugural-kobo-emerging-writer-prize/
Alix Hawley has won Amazon.ca's First Novel Award for All True Not a Lie In It. The prize recognizes "an exceptional English-language title by a Canadian debut novelist."
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/22/alix-hawley-wins-amazon-ca-first-novel-award/
The winners of the 2015 Alberta Literary Awards have been announced. Rudy Wiebe took the fiction prize for his novel, Come Back.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/25/winners-of-the-2015-alberta-literary-awards-announced/
The 2015 O. Henry Prize stories, which will appear in an anthology in September, have been revealed. Russell Banks' A Permanent Member of the Family was selected.
http://lithub.com/the-o-henry-prize-stories-for-2015/
YOUNG READERS
Here are some new children's books for young music-lovers! The first features an animal orchestra; the second, the real-life story of a Cuban girlswho longs to play the drums; the third, a story of young Doc Watson; the fourth about music in New Orleans; and the last, an innovative tribute to the partnership of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/20/books/review/20childrens.html
NEWS & FEATURES
How does the Vancouver Public Library remain relevant in an increasingly diverse city? "It's not easy to do in the wake of the Conservative government's cancellation of the mandatory long-form census."
http://www.straight.com/life/456406/how-vancouver-public-library-remains-relevant-increasingly-diverse-city
It looks like we might soon be finding poetry in our parks! One Vancouver Park Board commissioner has put forth a motion to "work with staff from the Vancouver Public Library on a pilot program to bring poetry to Vancouver's parks in 2015 and to explore longer term options for a broader Poetry in Parks program to be launched in 2016".
http://www.straight.com/blogra/456266/poetry-coming-vancouver-parks
The brutal murder of three Bangladeshi bloggers has led to an outcry from the international writing community. Margaret Atwood, Rohinton Mistry and Yann Martel are just three of the more than 150 writers who are urging the Bangladeshi government to take action.
http://www.cbc.ca/books/2015/05/margaret-atwood-yann-martel-and-other-writers-speak-out-against-bangladesh-blogger-murders.html
Speaking of Margaret Atwood, she has been chosen as the inaugural author to commit a manuscript to Scottish conceptual artist Katie Paterson's Future Library project. Last year, a forest of 1,000 trees was planted "to be cut down in one century to provide paper to publish never-before-read manuscripts by renowned authors."
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/05/21/margaret-atwood-to-add-manuscript-to-future-library-on-may-26/
And Margaret Atwood becomes the first author to add a secret story to the Future Library.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/margaret-atwood-becomes-1st-author-to-add-secret-story-to-future-library-1.3087724
The "true face of Shakespeare" has appeared in a botany book, or so claims botanist and historian Mark Griffiths. Whether it's actually "the literary discovery of the century" appears to be up for debate!
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32782267
Scrabble has "come crashing into the 21st century," thanks to the addition of a whole legion of new words, many of which cannot be found in the dictionary. "People use slang in social media posts, tweets, blogs, comments, text messages – you name it–so there's a host of evidence for informal varieties of English that simply didn't exist before."
http://radio.com/2015/05/21/scrabble-adds-words-hashtag-vape-obvs/
A nonprofit organization is crowdfunding for its "eGranary Pocket Library," a "library on a chip" that provides information for people without internet access. "Each library is customized to a particular audience. For example, the nonprofit recently created an ebola pocket library with the CDC, World Health Organization and other charitable groups."
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3045289/fund-this/this-library-on-a-chip-gives-people-without-internet-access-all-the-information-th
What's the place of indulgence in writing? "Indulgent, which—along with self-indulgent—has come to represent something very, very bad where art is concerned." Here's one woman's argument otherwise.
http://flavorwire.com/519421/in-defense-of-indulgent-art
Have you ever been on a literary pilgrimage? "For those shaped by words, whose dreams are forged between the leaves of books, trips like these are how we become a part of the stories that helped to direct our own."
http://bookriot.com/2015/05/18/literary-pilgrimage/
BOOKS & WRITERS
Judy Blume has written her first novel for adults in 17 years. In the Unlikely Event, which will be published next month, takes place in 1952 and was inspired by three real-life plane crashes in Blume's own hometown.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/24/magazine/judy-blume-knows-all-your-secrets.html
Neil Smith's Boo is "a novel of tremendous imagination," telling the story of Oliver "Boo" Dalrymple, who goes to heaven after dying of an apparent heart defect in front of his locker. "With Boo, Neil Smith has written something valuable and important for both young readers and older ones."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/review-neil-smiths-boo-is-a-novel-of-tremendous-imagination/article24567457/
What's it like to be a deaf novelist? In this interview, Sara Novi Novic "explains the challenges of being a deaf author and why deafness is still used as a synonym for stupidity."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/23/what-its-like-to-be-a-deaf-novelist
Two debut poetry collections by Liz Howard and Madhur Anand "mix technical language with themes of identity, selfhood and race." Both collections are reviewed here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/two-debut-poetry-collections-mix-technical-language-with-themes-of-identity-selfhood-and-race/article24454121/
Jim Shepard's newest novel, The Book of Aron, is a coming-of-age story set in the Warsaw ghetto during World War Two. He's interviewed about the book, the best advice he's ever received, and more, here:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/look-for-the-weirdness-in-your-own-work/article24566332/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Linda King and Anatoly Molotkov (Portland) plus open mic. Thursday, May 28, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
THE DE COSMOS ENIGMA
Local author Gordon Hawkins launches his book The De Cosmos Enigma, a study of the life of BC's second premier. Friday, May 29 at 3:30pm, free. GVPL Central Branch, 735 Broughton St., Victoria. More information at 250-940-4875.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
Authors Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer discuss and sign on their new book, The Flour Peddler: A Global Journey into Local Food from Canada to South Sudan. Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm. Bolen Books, 11-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria. More information at caitlin-press.com.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
WRITERS ADVENTURE CAMP
Join award-winning authors in Whistler, BC for a fun and immersive weekend designed for both published and emerging writers. Deadline to register is May 22, 2015. Dates are June 6-7, 2015. Complete information at thepointartists.com.
OWEN LAUKKANEN
Best-selling thriller author presents his latest work, The Stolen Ones. Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
TWS READING SERIES
The Writer's Studio at SFU presents writer, filmmaker, and wilderness guide Calder Cheverie, director of The Peel Project. Thursday, June 4 at 8:00pm. Cottage Bistro, 4470 Main Street, Vancouver.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
BOOKS & BISCOTTI
Features readings by British Columbia writers Diego Bastianutti, Robert Pepper Smith, and Anna Ciampolini Foschi, and the premiere of a documentary movie by Ornella Sinigaglia. Tuesday, June 8 at 7:00pm, free. Il Centro Italian Cultural Centre, 3075 Slocan St., Vancouver. More information at italianculturalcentre.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
Upcoming
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 9
BOOK NEWS
A Dram Come True
Single cask whisky and locally distilled spirits at A Dram Come True
The 13th annual Dram Come True highlights single cask whiskies. Tasting whisky from a single cask is a rare opportunity made even more special by the fact that once it's all been drunk, it's gone for good. This year, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which bottles some of the finest single cask whisky in the world, will be pouring seven of their latest bottlings-a privilege usually reserved solely for society members.
Your ticket gets you full access to the whisky tasting, access to the Tinhorn Creek wine bar, spirits from Odd Society Spirits, chocolate pairing by Chocolate Arts and appetizers from Emelle's catering. Don't wait to purchase your tickets-this event sold out last year!
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
AWARDS & LISTS
Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the author of Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, among others, has won this year's Man Booker International Prize.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/laszlo-krasznahorkai-wins-man-booker-international-prize-1.3079381
Debut novelist Christine Piper is among five selected for the Miles Franklin Prize's 2015 shortlist. The award is Australia’s most prestigious literary prize.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/18/debut-novelist-christine-piper-joins-shortlist-for-2015-miles-franklin-prize
The 2015 Atlantic Book Awards winners were announced, and included Linden MacIntyre for Punishment.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/19/2015-atlantic-book-awards-winners-revealed/
YOUNG READERS
What children's stories inspired today's leading authors? "From sinister water-babies to Chinese warlords, Norse gods to star-crossed lovers...In a new edition of a volume first published in 1992, writers recall the tales that shaped their imaginations."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/09/writers-books-inspired-young-the-pleasures-of-reading-edited-antonia-fraser
Amazon has launched a Young Adult book club. The first book is I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Participants can submit questions for Nelson from now until May 30.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/amazon-editors-launch-a-young-adult-book-club/103360
NEWS & FEATURES
What city has more bookstores per capita than any other? You might be surprised by the answer: Buenos Aires!
http://publishingperspectives.com/2015/05/what-city-has-more-bookstores-per-capita-than-any-other/
If you're traveling through Toronto instead of Buenos Aires, you may not need to worry about the lack of bookstores. Free ebooks are now available at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-links/2015/05/13/toronto-airport-to-offer-free-harpercollins-ebooks-atwood-honoured-by-american-academy-of-arts-and-letters-and-more/
Have you ever made yourself read a book you didn't like? Believe it or not, there might be some benefits to the deed.
http://bookriot.com/2015/05/13/benefits-reading-book-dont-like/
Project Bookmark Canada, "which erects textual markers from stories and poems in the places where literary scenes are set," has announced that it will unveil a Cape Breton bookmark for Alistair MacLeod’s novel No Great Mischief. MacLeod died last year at 77.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/05/12/cape-breton-bookmark-site-to-honour-alistair-macleod/
What's the state of digital publishing in Canada? This infographic provides some interesting facts.
http://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2015/5/11/infographic-state-of-digital-publishing-in-canada-2014.html
Hong Kong is "clamping down" on creative writing. In this piece, Madeleine Thien discusses the closure of a major university's MFA program. "The decision to close City University’s MFA programme is plainly intended to limit free expression–showing just how vital it is."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/may/18/why-hong-kong-is-clamping-down-on-creative-writing
What's the future of reading? "There’s no mystery about it. Walter Mosley, best-selling author of the Easy Rawlins series, has good news for those who love to read."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-future-of-reading-theres-no-mystery-about-it-1430104991
BOOKS & WRITERS
Elizabeth Day's third novel, Paradise City, features four characters, the most interesting of which is a Ugandan asylum seeker. Day’s third novel is "her most accomplished yet," possessing " a propulsion that her earlier novels, for all their emotional courage, lacked."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/16/paradise-city-elizabeth-day-review-novel
Michael V. Smith's new memoir, My Body is Yours, contains themes for which he's well known: "small towns, sexual orientation and familial ties." His first two novels cover similar territory, though they don't reach as far in terms of graphically capturing "the complicated relationships Smith has had with his father, addiction, sex, and his own body." Smith is interviewed here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/05/15/qa-michael-v-smith-on-public-persona-gender-in-memoir-and-writing-with-vulnerability/
Giving Up, by Mike Steeves, is a "profound and hilarious" book. The novel’s main theme is faith, "from the interpersonal trust required in romantic relationships to the surrogate systems and signifiers to which we assign meaning in a secular age."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/not-your-traditional-book-review-giving-up-is-profound-and-hilarious-it-was-also-written-by-my-friend/article24453666/
Bahiyyih Nakhjavani's The Woman Who Read Too Much is "a haunting, complex portrait" of an 18th-century Persian mystic, "one of the most powerfully convincing characters in recent historical fiction." Alberto Manguel reviews the book, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/16/woman-read-too-much-bahiyyih-nakhjavani-review
Kate Atkinson’s A God in Ruins is a "gorgeous novel" that visits a family changed by the Second World War. It tells the story of Edward "Teddy" Todd, an RAF wing commander who's life is defined by the paradox of combat: "to feel so alive in the midst of carnage."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/kate-atkinsons-a-god-in-ruins-is-a-gorgeous-novel-that-visits-a-family-changed-by-war/article24434278/
The Gracekeepers, by Kirsty Logan, is "a watery dystopia" in which rising waters swallow the soil and survivors cluster on boats and islands. "Like Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven, The Gracekeepers circles the peculiar business of the culture humans make, and tries to understand why we would persist in the direst circumstances."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/15/the-gracekeepers-kirsty-logan-watery-dystopia
COMMUNITY EVENTS
THE EXILES' GALLERY
Reading in honour of poet Elise Partridge. Featuring Jordan Abel, Caroline Adderson, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Aislinn Hunter, Gillian Jerome, Fiona Tinwei Lam, George McWhirter, Barbara Nickel, Christopher Patton, Miranda Pearson, Rob Taylor, and Rhea Tregebov. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00pm, free. Heartwood Cafe, 317 Broadway E., Vancouver. More information at heartwoodcc.ca.
MEET THE AUTHOR
BC Book Prize nominee, Brian Payton, discusses his novel The Wind is Not a River. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
MEGA FAUNA
Launch of Cloudscape Comics' latest anthology. Friday, May 22 at 6:00pm, free. Cloudscape Studio, 5955 Ross, Vancouver. More information at cloudscapecomics.com.
SHAWN CURTIS STIBBARDS
Launch of the author's debut novel, The Video Watcher. Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm, free. Pulpfiction Books, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at biblioasis.com.
VANCOUVER COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL
Weekend-long celebration of comics, with readings, panels and workshops. May 23-24, 2015. Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. More information at vancaf.com.
DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH
Featuring Meredith Quartermain (I, Bartleby) and Colin Browne (The Hatch). Saturday, May 23 at 2:00pm. Access Gallery, 222 East Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Features Meagan Schlee-Bedard and Bernice Lever with host Franci Louann. Sunday, May 24 at 3:00pm. The Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster. More information at poeticjustice.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Linda King and Anatoly Molotkov (Portland) plus open mic. Thursday, May 28, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
Authors Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer discuss and sign on their new book, The Flour Peddler: A Global Journey into Local Food from Canada to South Sudan. Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm. Bolen Books, 11-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria. More information at caitlin-press.com.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
Upcoming
WRITERS ADVENTURE CAMP
Join award-winning authors in Whistler, BC for a fun and immersive weekend designed for both published and emerging writers. Deadline to register is May 22, 2015. Dates are June 6-7, 2015. Complete information at thepointartists.com.
OWEN LAUKKANEN
Best-selling thriller author presents his latest work, The Stolen Ones. Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
A Dram Come True
Single cask whisky and locally distilled spirits at A Dram Come True
The 13th annual Dram Come True highlights single cask whiskies. Tasting whisky from a single cask is a rare opportunity made even more special by the fact that once it's all been drunk, it's gone for good. This year, the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, which bottles some of the finest single cask whisky in the world, will be pouring seven of their latest bottlings-a privilege usually reserved solely for society members.
Your ticket gets you full access to the whisky tasting, access to the Tinhorn Creek wine bar, spirits from Odd Society Spirits, chocolate pairing by Chocolate Arts and appetizers from Emelle's catering. Don't wait to purchase your tickets-this event sold out last year!
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
AWARDS & LISTS
Hungarian author Laszlo Krasznahorkai, the author of Satantango and The Melancholy of Resistance, among others, has won this year's Man Booker International Prize.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/laszlo-krasznahorkai-wins-man-booker-international-prize-1.3079381
Debut novelist Christine Piper is among five selected for the Miles Franklin Prize's 2015 shortlist. The award is Australia’s most prestigious literary prize.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/18/debut-novelist-christine-piper-joins-shortlist-for-2015-miles-franklin-prize
The 2015 Atlantic Book Awards winners were announced, and included Linden MacIntyre for Punishment.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/19/2015-atlantic-book-awards-winners-revealed/
YOUNG READERS
What children's stories inspired today's leading authors? "From sinister water-babies to Chinese warlords, Norse gods to star-crossed lovers...In a new edition of a volume first published in 1992, writers recall the tales that shaped their imaginations."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/09/writers-books-inspired-young-the-pleasures-of-reading-edited-antonia-fraser
Amazon has launched a Young Adult book club. The first book is I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Participants can submit questions for Nelson from now until May 30.
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/amazon-editors-launch-a-young-adult-book-club/103360
NEWS & FEATURES
What city has more bookstores per capita than any other? You might be surprised by the answer: Buenos Aires!
http://publishingperspectives.com/2015/05/what-city-has-more-bookstores-per-capita-than-any-other/
If you're traveling through Toronto instead of Buenos Aires, you may not need to worry about the lack of bookstores. Free ebooks are now available at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.
http://www.quillandquire.com/book-links/2015/05/13/toronto-airport-to-offer-free-harpercollins-ebooks-atwood-honoured-by-american-academy-of-arts-and-letters-and-more/
Have you ever made yourself read a book you didn't like? Believe it or not, there might be some benefits to the deed.
http://bookriot.com/2015/05/13/benefits-reading-book-dont-like/
Project Bookmark Canada, "which erects textual markers from stories and poems in the places where literary scenes are set," has announced that it will unveil a Cape Breton bookmark for Alistair MacLeod’s novel No Great Mischief. MacLeod died last year at 77.
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/05/12/cape-breton-bookmark-site-to-honour-alistair-macleod/
What's the state of digital publishing in Canada? This infographic provides some interesting facts.
http://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2015/5/11/infographic-state-of-digital-publishing-in-canada-2014.html
Hong Kong is "clamping down" on creative writing. In this piece, Madeleine Thien discusses the closure of a major university's MFA program. "The decision to close City University’s MFA programme is plainly intended to limit free expression–showing just how vital it is."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2015/may/18/why-hong-kong-is-clamping-down-on-creative-writing
What's the future of reading? "There’s no mystery about it. Walter Mosley, best-selling author of the Easy Rawlins series, has good news for those who love to read."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-future-of-reading-theres-no-mystery-about-it-1430104991
BOOKS & WRITERS
Elizabeth Day's third novel, Paradise City, features four characters, the most interesting of which is a Ugandan asylum seeker. Day’s third novel is "her most accomplished yet," possessing " a propulsion that her earlier novels, for all their emotional courage, lacked."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/16/paradise-city-elizabeth-day-review-novel
Michael V. Smith's new memoir, My Body is Yours, contains themes for which he's well known: "small towns, sexual orientation and familial ties." His first two novels cover similar territory, though they don't reach as far in terms of graphically capturing "the complicated relationships Smith has had with his father, addiction, sex, and his own body." Smith is interviewed here:
http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/2015/05/15/qa-michael-v-smith-on-public-persona-gender-in-memoir-and-writing-with-vulnerability/
Giving Up, by Mike Steeves, is a "profound and hilarious" book. The novel’s main theme is faith, "from the interpersonal trust required in romantic relationships to the surrogate systems and signifiers to which we assign meaning in a secular age."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/not-your-traditional-book-review-giving-up-is-profound-and-hilarious-it-was-also-written-by-my-friend/article24453666/
Bahiyyih Nakhjavani's The Woman Who Read Too Much is "a haunting, complex portrait" of an 18th-century Persian mystic, "one of the most powerfully convincing characters in recent historical fiction." Alberto Manguel reviews the book, here:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/16/woman-read-too-much-bahiyyih-nakhjavani-review
Kate Atkinson’s A God in Ruins is a "gorgeous novel" that visits a family changed by the Second World War. It tells the story of Edward "Teddy" Todd, an RAF wing commander who's life is defined by the paradox of combat: "to feel so alive in the midst of carnage."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/kate-atkinsons-a-god-in-ruins-is-a-gorgeous-novel-that-visits-a-family-changed-by-war/article24434278/
The Gracekeepers, by Kirsty Logan, is "a watery dystopia" in which rising waters swallow the soil and survivors cluster on boats and islands. "Like Emily St John Mandel’s Station Eleven, The Gracekeepers circles the peculiar business of the culture humans make, and tries to understand why we would persist in the direst circumstances."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/15/the-gracekeepers-kirsty-logan-watery-dystopia
COMMUNITY EVENTS
THE EXILES' GALLERY
Reading in honour of poet Elise Partridge. Featuring Jordan Abel, Caroline Adderson, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Aislinn Hunter, Gillian Jerome, Fiona Tinwei Lam, George McWhirter, Barbara Nickel, Christopher Patton, Miranda Pearson, Rob Taylor, and Rhea Tregebov. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00pm, free. Heartwood Cafe, 317 Broadway E., Vancouver. More information at heartwoodcc.ca.
MEET THE AUTHOR
BC Book Prize nominee, Brian Payton, discusses his novel The Wind is Not a River. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
MEGA FAUNA
Launch of Cloudscape Comics' latest anthology. Friday, May 22 at 6:00pm, free. Cloudscape Studio, 5955 Ross, Vancouver. More information at cloudscapecomics.com.
SHAWN CURTIS STIBBARDS
Launch of the author's debut novel, The Video Watcher. Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm, free. Pulpfiction Books, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at biblioasis.com.
VANCOUVER COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL
Weekend-long celebration of comics, with readings, panels and workshops. May 23-24, 2015. Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. More information at vancaf.com.
DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH
Featuring Meredith Quartermain (I, Bartleby) and Colin Browne (The Hatch). Saturday, May 23 at 2:00pm. Access Gallery, 222 East Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Features Meagan Schlee-Bedard and Bernice Lever with host Franci Louann. Sunday, May 24 at 3:00pm. The Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster. More information at poeticjustice.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Linda King and Anatoly Molotkov (Portland) plus open mic. Thursday, May 28, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
Authors Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer discuss and sign on their new book, The Flour Peddler: A Global Journey into Local Food from Canada to South Sudan. Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm. Bolen Books, 11-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria. More information at caitlin-press.com.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
Upcoming
WRITERS ADVENTURE CAMP
Join award-winning authors in Whistler, BC for a fun and immersive weekend designed for both published and emerging writers. Deadline to register is May 22, 2015. Dates are June 6-7, 2015. Complete information at thepointartists.com.
OWEN LAUKKANEN
Best-selling thriller author presents his latest work, The Stolen Ones. Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Book News Vol. 10 No. 8
BOOK NEWS
A Dram Come True
A Dram Come True, the VWF's signature scotch tasting fundraiser, captures the spirit of World Whisky Day (May 16) with a celebration of the pleasures of uisge beatha (the water of life).
A Dram Come True is Vancouver's best single malt scotch event-we've just confirmed that there will be 35 select and rare malts poured. Click here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-tasting-menu, for a sneak peek at the 2015 tasting menu.
Your ticket gets you full access to the single malt tasting, plus the Tinhorn Creek wine bar, chocolate pairing by Chocolate Arts and appetizers by Emelle's, in the elegant surroundings of Hycroft.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
Three seasoned voices of CanLit: Guy Vanderhaeghe (Daddy Lenin and Other Stories), Mark Anthony Jarman (Knife Party at the Hotel Europa), and Joan Thomas (The Opening Sky). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, May 20
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
Margaret Atwood has been named a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. "The academy is an honour society based in New York and founded in 1898, with members over the years ranging from James Baldwin and William Faulkner to Leonard Bernstein and Jasper Johns."
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/atwood-named-member-of-american-arts-academy-303035941.html
Canadian novelist Emily St. John Mandel has won the U.K.'s Arthur C. Clark Award for Science-fiction for her dystopian novel Station Eleven. The novel was also shortlisted for the PEN-Faulkner Award and longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/07/emily-st-john-mandel-wins-arthur-c-clarke-award-for-science-fiction/
Neel Mikherjee's The Lives of Others has been awarded the Encore Prize. "The 'ambition and depth' of the Booker-shortlisted novel secures £10,000 award for the best second novel of the year."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/12/neel-mukherjees-the-lives-of-others-wins-encore-prize
Paul Kingsnorth's crowdfunded novel, The Wake, has won Bookseller Magazine's Book of the Year award. The novel was written in an invented form of Old English.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/12/paul-kingsnorth-crowdfunded-novel-the-wake-wins-book-of-the-year-award
YOUNG READERS
A new children's book is taking environmentalism to a whole new level—hand-stitched and made from acid-free paper, ecological ink and jacaranda seeds; after reading the story, kids can plant the book in soil and it will grow into a tree!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/plantable-book-tree_n_7244060.html
NEWS & FEATURES
A 52,438-word dissertation by a UBC Ph.D. candidate has made headlines for eschewing almost all punctuation. The student "wanted to make a point about aboriginal culture, colonialism, and 'the blind acceptance of English language conventions in academia.'"
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ubc-student-writes-52438-word-architecture-dissertation-with-no-punctuation-not-everyone-loved-it
What's in a name? That's the question being explored in this new infographic, called 'A History of Pen Names!' "The image features several literary icons including Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer author Mark Twain, and Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë"
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/the-pseudonyms-of-icons-infographic/103203
Does typeface still matter in our digital age? A new typeface used to take years to create, and now "thousands are available at the click of a drop-down menu. So why do most of us still rely on the old classics?"
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/they-came-in-with-william-caxtons-printing-press-but-typefaces-still-matter-in-the-digital-age-10230301.html
Is Twitter a useful platform for short fiction? Earnest Hemingway's famous six-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn" would have been "the perfect candidate for this year's #TwitterFiction Festival, where writers such as Margaret Atwood and Celeste Ng will practice crafting very brief tales online, beginning on May 11."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/07/twitter-fiction_n_7205686.html
What do Anthony Doerr, Joyce Carol Oates and Elissa Schapell all have in common? They've all published work in the same magazine! "It wasn't one of the usual literary outlets, like Tin House, The Paris Review or The New Yorker. It was Rhapsody, an in-flight magazine for United Airlines."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/04/business/media/rhapsody-the-in-flight-magazine-is-becoming-a-first-class-literary-journal.html
If you're living in the United States, here's a fact you might not know: "your local library is on the front lines against government surveillance!"
http://www.thenation.com/article/206561/librarians-versus-nsa
What do we want from writing? "It's time to rethink everything. Everything. What it means to write and what it means to write for a public—and which public."
http://flavorwire.com/517331/what-do-we-want-from-writing-money-a-career-recognition
BOOKS & WRITERS
Anne Enright's new novel, The Green Road, was partially written on the dramatic west coast of Ireland. "Over the years I had avoided what I call 'the landscape solution' in Irish prose...But there I was myself, getting fixed on the green road, and it seemed to me that this was something I should allow myself to write about now."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/09/return-western-shore-anne-enright-yielding-irish-tradition
In David Gates' new collection, A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me, each character "has an arsenal just special enough to make the damage he or she wreaks distinctive." Most of the stories have already been published, but "their cumulative effect is still powerful."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/books/review-david-gates-delivers-more-havoc-in-a-hand-reached-down-to-guide-me.html
Look Who's Back, a German book that satirizes Hitler, has been an extraordinary success. It's "evidence of a generational shift, a sense that 70 years after the Nazis, it's time to use dark humor to address Germany's past."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/books/look-whos-back-germans-reflect-on-the-success-of-a-satire-about-hitler.html
Tina Packer's Women of Will takes a "look at Shakespeare's feminine side," taking a detailed look at his literary heroines. Packer knows the territory well—she's the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/books/review-women-of-will-by-tina-packer-a-look-at-shakespeares-feminine-side.html
In his new collection, Confidence, Russell Smith "plumbs the psyches of the seemingly superficial in frequently funny prose that exudes an understanding of their anxieties about ambition, class, stature and their own desirability." The book walks the fine line between satire and humanity, balancing "contempt and compassion."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/as-an-anthropologist-of-the-urbane-russell-smith-plumbs-the-psyches-of-the-seemingly-superficial-in-confidence/article24337359/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SOUTHBANK WRITERS READING SERIES
Featuring Surrey-based poet Phinder Dulai, author of dream / arteries, Ragas from the Periphery, and Basmati Brown. Thursday, May 14 at 6:00pm, free. City Centre Library, Surrey. More information at surreylibraries.ca.
EE COOPER
Book signing and launch party for the author's latest YA book, Vanished. Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm. Chapters/Indigo, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
VAN SLAM
Featuring San Jose-based stand-up poet Mike McGee. Monday, May 18 at 7:00pm. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at vancouverpoetryhouse.com.
W.P. KINSELLA
Author will read from his new book The Essential W.P. Kinsella. Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30pm. Hope Library, More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Kayla Czaga reads from her first poetry collection For Your Safety Please Hold On. Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chelene Knight and Dina Del Bucchia. Wednesday, May 20 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Featuring Janie Chang, Carol M. Cram and Marie Sadro. Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm. 3rd floor program room, North Van City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver.
THE EXILES' GALLERY
Reading in honour of poet Elise Partridge. Featuring Jordan Abel, Caroline Adderson, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Aislinn Hunter, Gillian Jerome, Fiona Tinwei Lam, George McWhirter, Barbara Nickel, Christopher Patton, Miranda Pearson, Rob Taylor, and Rhea Tregebov. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00pm, free. Heartwood Cafe, 317 Broadway E., Vancouver. More information at heartwoodcc.ca.
MEET THE AUTHOR
BC Book Prize nominee, Brian Payton, discusses his novel The Wind is Not a River. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
MEGA FAUNA
Launch of Cloudscape Comics' latest anthology. Friday, May 22 at 6:00pm, free. Cloudscape Studio, 5955 Ross, Vancouver. More information at cloudscapecomics.com.
SHAWN CURTIS STIBBARDS
Launch of the author's debut novel, The Video Watcher. Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm, free. Pulpfiction Books, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at biblioasis.com.
VANCOUVER COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL
Weekend-long celebration of comics, with readings, panels and workshops. May 23-24, 2015. Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. More information at vancaf.com.
DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH
Featuring Meredith Quartermain (I, Bartleby) and Colin Browne (The Hatch). Saturday, May 23 at 2:00pm. Access Gallery, 222 East Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Features Meagan Schlee-Bedard and Bernice Lever with host Franci Louann. Sunday, May 24 at 3:00pm. The Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster. More information at poeticjustice.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Linda King and Anatoly Molotkov (Portland) plus open mic. Thursday, May 28, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
Authors Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer discuss and sign on their new book, The Flour Peddler: A Global Journey into Local Food from Canada to South Sudan. Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm. Bolen Books, 11-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria. More information at caitlin-press.com.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
Upcoming
WRITERS ADVENTURE CAMP
Join award-winning authors in Whistler, BC for a fun and immersive weekend designed for both published and emerging writers. Deadline to register is May 22, 2015. Dates are June 6-7, 2015. Complete information at thepointartists.com.
OWEN LAUKKANEN
Best-selling thriller author presents his latest work, The Stolen Ones. Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
A Dram Come True
A Dram Come True, the VWF's signature scotch tasting fundraiser, captures the spirit of World Whisky Day (May 16) with a celebration of the pleasures of uisge beatha (the water of life).
A Dram Come True is Vancouver's best single malt scotch event-we've just confirmed that there will be 35 select and rare malts poured. Click here, https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-tasting-menu, for a sneak peek at the 2015 tasting menu.
Your ticket gets you full access to the single malt tasting, plus the Tinhorn Creek wine bar, chocolate pairing by Chocolate Arts and appetizers by Emelle's, in the elegant surroundings of Hycroft.
Tickets: $120
Preview Tasting Tickets (access to bars 45 minutes early): Add $40
7:30pm, June 5 at Hycroft
Details and to purchase tickets here, http://writersfest.bc.ca/events/dram-come-true.
Incite 2015
Three seasoned voices of CanLit: Guy Vanderhaeghe (Daddy Lenin and Other Stories), Mark Anthony Jarman (Knife Party at the Hotel Europa), and Joan Thomas (The Opening Sky). Details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite.
FREE!
7:30pm, May 20
Alice MacKay room, VPL Central Library
Click here for details: https://www.writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
AWARDS & LISTS
Margaret Atwood has been named a foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. "The academy is an honour society based in New York and founded in 1898, with members over the years ranging from James Baldwin and William Faulkner to Leonard Bernstein and Jasper Johns."
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/atwood-named-member-of-american-arts-academy-303035941.html
Canadian novelist Emily St. John Mandel has won the U.K.'s Arthur C. Clark Award for Science-fiction for her dystopian novel Station Eleven. The novel was also shortlisted for the PEN-Faulkner Award and longlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize.
http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2015/05/07/emily-st-john-mandel-wins-arthur-c-clarke-award-for-science-fiction/
Neel Mikherjee's The Lives of Others has been awarded the Encore Prize. "The 'ambition and depth' of the Booker-shortlisted novel secures £10,000 award for the best second novel of the year."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/12/neel-mukherjees-the-lives-of-others-wins-encore-prize
Paul Kingsnorth's crowdfunded novel, The Wake, has won Bookseller Magazine's Book of the Year award. The novel was written in an invented form of Old English.
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/12/paul-kingsnorth-crowdfunded-novel-the-wake-wins-book-of-the-year-award
YOUNG READERS
A new children's book is taking environmentalism to a whole new level—hand-stitched and made from acid-free paper, ecological ink and jacaranda seeds; after reading the story, kids can plant the book in soil and it will grow into a tree!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/plantable-book-tree_n_7244060.html
NEWS & FEATURES
A 52,438-word dissertation by a UBC Ph.D. candidate has made headlines for eschewing almost all punctuation. The student "wanted to make a point about aboriginal culture, colonialism, and 'the blind acceptance of English language conventions in academia.'"
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/ubc-student-writes-52438-word-architecture-dissertation-with-no-punctuation-not-everyone-loved-it
What's in a name? That's the question being explored in this new infographic, called 'A History of Pen Names!' "The image features several literary icons including Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer author Mark Twain, and Jane Eyre author Charlotte Brontë"
http://www.adweek.com/galleycat/the-pseudonyms-of-icons-infographic/103203
Does typeface still matter in our digital age? A new typeface used to take years to create, and now "thousands are available at the click of a drop-down menu. So why do most of us still rely on the old classics?"
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/they-came-in-with-william-caxtons-printing-press-but-typefaces-still-matter-in-the-digital-age-10230301.html
Is Twitter a useful platform for short fiction? Earnest Hemingway's famous six-word story "For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn" would have been "the perfect candidate for this year's #TwitterFiction Festival, where writers such as Margaret Atwood and Celeste Ng will practice crafting very brief tales online, beginning on May 11."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/07/twitter-fiction_n_7205686.html
What do Anthony Doerr, Joyce Carol Oates and Elissa Schapell all have in common? They've all published work in the same magazine! "It wasn't one of the usual literary outlets, like Tin House, The Paris Review or The New Yorker. It was Rhapsody, an in-flight magazine for United Airlines."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/04/business/media/rhapsody-the-in-flight-magazine-is-becoming-a-first-class-literary-journal.html
If you're living in the United States, here's a fact you might not know: "your local library is on the front lines against government surveillance!"
http://www.thenation.com/article/206561/librarians-versus-nsa
What do we want from writing? "It's time to rethink everything. Everything. What it means to write and what it means to write for a public—and which public."
http://flavorwire.com/517331/what-do-we-want-from-writing-money-a-career-recognition
BOOKS & WRITERS
Anne Enright's new novel, The Green Road, was partially written on the dramatic west coast of Ireland. "Over the years I had avoided what I call 'the landscape solution' in Irish prose...But there I was myself, getting fixed on the green road, and it seemed to me that this was something I should allow myself to write about now."
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/may/09/return-western-shore-anne-enright-yielding-irish-tradition
In David Gates' new collection, A Hand Reached Down to Guide Me, each character "has an arsenal just special enough to make the damage he or she wreaks distinctive." Most of the stories have already been published, but "their cumulative effect is still powerful."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/books/review-david-gates-delivers-more-havoc-in-a-hand-reached-down-to-guide-me.html
Look Who's Back, a German book that satirizes Hitler, has been an extraordinary success. It's "evidence of a generational shift, a sense that 70 years after the Nazis, it's time to use dark humor to address Germany's past."
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/books/look-whos-back-germans-reflect-on-the-success-of-a-satire-about-hitler.html
Tina Packer's Women of Will takes a "look at Shakespeare's feminine side," taking a detailed look at his literary heroines. Packer knows the territory well—she's the founding artistic director of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/books/review-women-of-will-by-tina-packer-a-look-at-shakespeares-feminine-side.html
In his new collection, Confidence, Russell Smith "plumbs the psyches of the seemingly superficial in frequently funny prose that exudes an understanding of their anxieties about ambition, class, stature and their own desirability." The book walks the fine line between satire and humanity, balancing "contempt and compassion."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/book-reviews/as-an-anthropologist-of-the-urbane-russell-smith-plumbs-the-psyches-of-the-seemingly-superficial-in-confidence/article24337359/
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SOUTHBANK WRITERS READING SERIES
Featuring Surrey-based poet Phinder Dulai, author of dream / arteries, Ragas from the Periphery, and Basmati Brown. Thursday, May 14 at 6:00pm, free. City Centre Library, Surrey. More information at surreylibraries.ca.
EE COOPER
Book signing and launch party for the author's latest YA book, Vanished. Sunday, May 17 at 2:00pm. Chapters/Indigo, 1025 Marine Drive, North Vancouver.
VAN SLAM
Featuring San Jose-based stand-up poet Mike McGee. Monday, May 18 at 7:00pm. Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Drive, Vancouver. More information at vancouverpoetryhouse.com.
W.P. KINSELLA
Author will read from his new book The Essential W.P. Kinsella. Tuesday, May 19 at 6:30pm. Hope Library, More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Kayla Czaga reads from her first poetry collection For Your Safety Please Hold On. Tuesday, May 19 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS AT SFU
Featuring Chelene Knight and Dina Del Bucchia. Wednesday, May 20 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NVCL LOCAL AUTHOR SERIES
Featuring Janie Chang, Carol M. Cram and Marie Sadro. Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00pm. 3rd floor program room, North Van City Library, 120 14th Street W., North Vancouver.
THE EXILES' GALLERY
Reading in honour of poet Elise Partridge. Featuring Jordan Abel, Caroline Adderson, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Elee Kraljii Gardiner, Aislinn Hunter, Gillian Jerome, Fiona Tinwei Lam, George McWhirter, Barbara Nickel, Christopher Patton, Miranda Pearson, Rob Taylor, and Rhea Tregebov. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00pm, free. Heartwood Cafe, 317 Broadway E., Vancouver. More information at heartwoodcc.ca.
MEET THE AUTHOR
BC Book Prize nominee, Brian Payton, discusses his novel The Wind is Not a River. Thursday, May 21 at 7:00 PM. Christianne's Lyceum. 3696 W. 8th Ave. $22 (includes refreshments). To reserve your space call 604.733.1356 or email lyceum@christiannehayward.com. More information at www.christiannehayward.com.
MEGA FAUNA
Launch of Cloudscape Comics' latest anthology. Friday, May 22 at 6:00pm, free. Cloudscape Studio, 5955 Ross, Vancouver. More information at cloudscapecomics.com.
SHAWN CURTIS STIBBARDS
Launch of the author's debut novel, The Video Watcher. Friday, May 22 at 7:00pm, free. Pulpfiction Books, 2422 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at biblioasis.com.
VANCOUVER COMIC ARTS FESTIVAL
Weekend-long celebration of comics, with readings, panels and workshops. May 23-24, 2015. Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. More information at vancaf.com.
DOUBLE BOOK LAUNCH
Featuring Meredith Quartermain (I, Bartleby) and Colin Browne (The Hatch). Saturday, May 23 at 2:00pm. Access Gallery, 222 East Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at talonbooks.com.
POETIC JUSTICE
Features Meagan Schlee-Bedard and Bernice Lever with host Franci Louann. Sunday, May 24 at 3:00pm. The Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., New Westminster. More information at poeticjustice.ca.
TWISTED POETS LITERARY SALON
Features Linda King and Anatoly Molotkov (Portland) plus open mic. Thursday, May 28, 7-9:30pm, at The Cottage Bistro, 4468 Main Street, Vancouver. Suggested donation at the door: $5. Sign up for open mic at 7pm. More information at www.pandorascollective.com.
THE FLOUR PEDDLER
Authors Chris Hergesheimer and Josh Hergesheimer discuss and sign on their new book, The Flour Peddler: A Global Journey into Local Food from Canada to South Sudan. Friday, May 29 at 7:00pm. Bolen Books, 11-1644 Hillside Ave., Victoria. More information at caitlin-press.com.
NEIL MCKINNON
Award winning author and Stephen Leacock Medal finalist will read from his latest novel, The Greatest Lover of Last Tuesday. Saturday, May 30 at 3:00pm. New Westminster Public Library, 716 6th Ave., New Westminster. Register at 604-527-4667 or listener@nwpl.ca.
Upcoming
WRITERS ADVENTURE CAMP
Join award-winning authors in Whistler, BC for a fun and immersive weekend designed for both published and emerging writers. Deadline to register is May 22, 2015. Dates are June 6-7, 2015. Complete information at thepointartists.com.
OWEN LAUKKANEN
Best-selling thriller author presents his latest work, The Stolen Ones. Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
MELIA MCCLURE
Author reads from her book The Delphi Room. Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
JANIE CHANG
Reading by the author from her new book Three Souls. Tuesday, June 9 at 7:00pm, Bob Prittie Metrotown. More information at bpl.bc.ca.
JOHN VAILLANT
Local, best-selling author reads from his latest book The Jaguar's Children. Wednesday, June 10 at 6:30pm. Carnegie Reading Room, 401 Main Street, Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
W. RUTH KOZAK
Canadian travel journalist and local author reads from her novel Shadow of the Lion. Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
AIR INDIA MEDITATIONS
Award winning poet Renee Saklikar and renowned composer John Oliver present the Vancouver premiere of Air India Meditations-a sequence of soundscapes interwoven with poems from Children of Air India, about the bombing of Air India Flight 182. Saturday, June 13 at 1:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
ELIZABETH RENZETTI
National columnist with The Globe and Mail, presents her debut novel, Based on A True Story. Monday, June 15 at 7:00pm. Vancouver Public Library, 350 W. Georgia St., Vancouver. More information at vpl.ca.
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
Author reads from her first collection of short fiction, What Can't Be Undone. Tuesday, June 16 at 7:00pm, White Rock Library. More information at fvrl.bc.ca.
SPOKEN INK
Melia McClure reads from her debut novel, The Delphi Room. Tuesday, June 16 at 8:00pm. La Fontana Caffe, 101-3701 East Hastings Street, Burnaby. More information at burnabywritersnews.blogspot.ca.
LUNCH POEMS @ SFU
Featuring Kevin Spenst and Louis Cabri. Wednesday, June 17 at 12:00 noon. Teck Gallery, SFU Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. More information at sfu.ca.
NOVEL NIGHTS
BC Book Prize winner Aislinn Hunter in discussion of her award-winning novel The World Before Us. Wednesday, June 17 at 7:00pm. Book Warehouse, 4118 Main Street. For further details please call 604 879-7737.
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