| It’s still a few months away and the full lineup of authors won’t be unveiled until September 7, but this year’s WordFest is starting to generate a buzz. Some of the great names already announced to whet our appetites include C.C. Humphreys, Brian Brett, Jane Urquhart and Sheree Fitch. Just added is Canadian author Joseph Boyden, whose first novel is Three Day Road. The story is inspired by First World War Ojibwa sniper Francis Pegahmagabow, one of the most highly decorated soldiers in Canadian history, who saw some of the worst fighting of the war in Ypres and the Somme. WordFest runs from October 12 to 15 in Calgary and Banff, and tickets and passes are already on sale. Call 294-7462 or visit www.wordfest.com for more information.
Also coming up this fall is The Banff Centre’s 2005 Banff Mountain Book Festival, a fest-cum-competition that focuses on tales and photography of the outdoors. To enter the competition, your book must have been published after January 1, 2004, and the festival office needs to see seven copies of it before July 15, 2005. If the book was published after June 30 this year, the deadline is August 15. There are four categories for awards: Mountain Literature, Mountain Exposition, Mountain Image and Adventure Travel. If you’re not entering the competition, there’ll still be plenty of activities on hand to draw your attention, including guest speakers like Karsten Heuer, Arlene Blum, Helen Thayer, Jim Perrin and Andy Cave, seminars, signings and a book fair. The event runs from October 29 to November 6. For a competition entry form and more information, visit www.banffmountainfestivals.ca/2005/book/.
McNally Robinson is hosting a few events this Thursday, July 7, including the Alberta Writers Echo Meeting at 6:15 p.m. (should be wild) and a stroll through downtown led by Harry M. Sanders, author of Historic Walks Through Calgary, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at the bookstore. Sanders will be pointing out and discussing some of the city’s historic architecture. Earlier on Thursday, at noon, there’s a reading by Vera Goodman, author of The Reading Wings Approach, which deals with effective reading strategies (something that, if I may take another stab at Harry Potter and his War and Peace-sized goofiness, you may need to brush up on before tackling another of his tomes).
Later in the week, Doug Cuthand reads from his new book, Tapwe: Selected Columns, a collection of pieces that have appeared in various papers dealing with the contemporary life of Canada’s First Nations people. Cuthand’s writing is said to be honest with some lightheartedness to spare. You can catch him at McNally Robinson on Tuesday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
Given the heated debates around the future of Canada’s public health care system, Bold Experiment is a welcome book indeed. It focuses on Matthew Anderson, who started the wheels grinding on prepaid health care in North America prior to Tommy Douglas. To hear more about Anderson, head down to McNally Robinson on Wednesday, July 13 at 7 p.m.
July 14 is the second Thursday of the month, and that means it’s time for more from filling Station’s Flywheel Reading Series, which returns to McNally Robinson at 7 p.m. Hear some work from local rising stars, including Danielle Arsenault, Craig Boyko, Jani Krulc and Mat Mailandt. The evening’s literary shenanigans are hosted by Mark Hopkins. |
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