Brendan McLeod, winner of the International 3-Day Novel contest in 2006 for his book The Convictions of Leonard McKinley, and 2007 Festival favourite, offers up an open invitation in this week’s Writers’ Rooms.
http://www.writersfest.bc.ca/community/rooms
The Toronto Star asks the fiction editors of The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and The Walrus, what they consider when shaping their much-anticipated summer fiction issues.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Books/article/451243
The Georgia Straight offers up some suggestions for beach blanket reading.
http://www.straight.com/article-151958/book-picks-while-away-waterside-hour?rotator=1
In the name of fun, the Globe & Mail asks five well-versed experts to pick their top ten Canadian novels, a sort of re-visioning of the CanLit canon.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080701.wcanonadams01/BNStory/Entertainment/home
BOOKS & WRITERS
The Guardian calls Steven Galloway’s new novel, The Cellist of Sarajevo, the work of an “expert.”
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,2288056,00.html
The Globe & Mail reviews one of its own, a first novel by style editor Sheree-Lee Olson titled Sailor Girl.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080628.BKSAIL28/TPStory/Entertainment/Books
Beverly Stone’s debut novel, No Beautiful Shore, is set in a Newfoundland outport and “probes familiar shores with a unique and searching light,” say first fiction reviewer Jim Bartley.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080628.BKBART28/TPStory/Entertainment/Books
Both The New Yorker and the Georgia Straight review Toronto-born New Yorker Rivka Galchen’s debut novel Atmospheric Disturbances.
http://www.straight.com/article-151963/atmospheric-disturbances
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2008/06/23/080623crbo_books_wood
Each of the five stories in Rev. Uwem Akpan’s first story collection, Say You’re One of Them, is set in a different African country, and each is told from the point of view of a child subjected to poverty, dislocation or worse. Read a review and an interview with Akpan here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/books/03akpan.html?_r=1&ref=books&oref=slogin
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/books/27book.html?ref=books
One of New Zealand’s great writers, Janet Frame, died in 2004. Recently her literary trust has gone ahead with the posthumous publication of a novel, Towards Another Summer, which the author thought too personal to publish in her lifetime. Read a review here:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/generalfiction/0,,2288022,00.html
EVENTS
VPL SUMMER BOOK SALE
Lots of great fiction for your summer reading plus videos, books on tape, childrens, travel and multilingual items will be available. Admission ends 30 minutes before sale closes. All sales final. Prices $.55 to $2.25. Thursday, July 3 from 10:00 am-9:00 pm and Friday, July 4 from 10:00 am-6:00 pm. Alma VanDusen & Peter Kaye Rooms, Lower Level, Central Library, 350 West Georgia Street. For more information please contact Vancouver Public Library at 604-331-3603.
AWAKE IN ACTION
Join special guest Dr. Gabor Mate in a night of talking, meditation, and a signing of his newest book In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Thursday, July 3 at 6:30pm, by donation. Vancouver Shambhala Centre (3275 Heather). More information at li**@aw***********.org.
MEET THE AUTHOR
A program for teens. Want to get together with other teens and talk about a book with the writer? Meet local writers Meg Tilley and Julie Burtinshaw. Registration begins June 1. Saturday, July 5 and Saturday, July 12 at 11:00am. Free but registration required. Learning Centre, Level 3 Central Library 350 West Georgia Street. For more information please contact Children’s Library at 604-331-3663.
VANCOUVER COMICON
Special guests include Camilla d’Errico (Nightmares and Fairytales), Rusty Beach (Outnumbered), Jordyn Bochon (Radar Friends), Kelly Everaert (Jungle Tales, Eyes of the Zombie), and Robin Thompson (Champions of Hell, Hemp Island). Sunday, July 6 at 11:00am. Tickets $3 (children under 14 free). Heritage Hall (3102 Main).
MEMEWAR READINGS
Memewar magazine’s sixth-issue release party features readings by Christine Leclerc, Kim Minkus, Garry T. Morse, and Cecily Nicholson, plus guest readers from the Queensland Poetry Festival in Australia, Graham Nunn, and Julie Beveridge, with music by Kristopher Fulton and Red. Sunday, July 6 at 8:00pm. Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir).
LITERACY & BEYOND
Join hosts Vicki Gabereau, Rick Cluff, and senator Larry Campbell for an evening of West Coast cuisine, wine and live jazz. Monday, July 7 at 5:30pm. Tickets $150. Beyond Restaurant + Lounge (1015 Burrard). More information at www.literacyandbeyond.com/The_Event_.html.
TEEN ANGST
A celebration of inadvertently hilarious adolescent writing. Tuesday, July 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets $7 at the door (free entry if you bring something to read from your own embarrassing past). Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir). More information at www.teenangstpoetry.com/.
POETRY AROUND THE WORLD
Open-mike multilingual readings hosted by Lucia Gorea, with writing exercises given at the end of each event. Wednesday, July 9 at 6:30pm, free. Indigo Books and Music (900 Park Royal South, West Van.).
MARTIN MITCHINSON
Join author for talk and slide show presentation of The Darien Gap: Travels in the Rainforest of Panama ($26.95, Harbour). Thursday, July 10 at 7:30pm. G.A.P Adventures in Vancouver (109-1965 West 4th Avenue). Books sold by The Travel Bug.
Join 10 of Canada’s top experts on all aspects of crime writing and publishing. Saturday, July 12 from 9:30am-4:00pm. Fee: $75. For complete information and registration, visit www.ccsp.sfu.ca/pubworks/symposium+book.html.
SPATIAL POETICS VII
Premiere of an interdisciplinary event that celebrates the collaboration and innovation in the use of text, visuals, music, and performance by Asian Canadian artists. Features the work of Natalie Purschwitz & Kimberley Cooper, Vanessa Kwan & Diyan Achjadi and Madoka Hara & Lee Hutzulak. Opens Saturday, July 12. Performances at 7:30pm (Hunt and Gather, 225 Carrall Street) and 8:00pm (Nouvelle Nouvelle, 209 Abbott Street). Full details at www.powellstreetfestival.com or call 604.683.8240.
Upcoming
DENMAN ISLAND READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL
The 6th annual festival features Sharon Butala, Maggie de Vries, Jack Hodgins, Brian Payton and many more. July 17-20, 2008. Complete information at: www.denmanislandwritersfestival.com.
SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL OF THE WRITTEN ARTS
Tickets to the 26th Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts are on sale by telephone only (1-800-565-9631 or 604-885-9631). Complete details and the list of authors is on the Festival website www.writersfestival.ca. Note: some events have already sold out!
KOOTENAY BOOKWEEKEND
The 5th Annual Kootenay Bookweekend will be held in Nelson, B.C. on September 19, 20 & 21st. The celebrity author in attendance will be Jack Hodgins, Governor General’s Award winner and bestselling author. His book to be discussed is Broken Ground. The other selections for this year are: To All Appearances a Lady by Marilyn Bowering, The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullens and Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje. Come join other passionate page turners for this stimulating event. For more information visit our website at www.kootenaybookweekend.ca, email kb*@ko*****************.ca, or call Victoria at 250-352-6197.
Please email vi**@wr*********.ca if you would like to unsubscribe from this email list.
Produced by the Book News Collective: Hal Wake, Clea Young, Brenda Berck, Ann McDonell, and Sandra Millard.
Hal Wake
Artistic Director
* * * * * * * * * * *
2008 Festival – 21-26 October inclusive
Vancouver International Writers Festival
Suite 202, 1398 Cartwright Street
Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8
Canada
p: 604 681 6330 x102
f: 604 681 8400
e: hw***@wr*********.ca
w: www.writersfest.bc.ca