You Haven’t Changed a Bit Launch at Audreys

The You Haven’t Changed a Bit launch last night at Audreys Bookstore attracted more than 50 enthusiastic short story lovers. Friends, family, and colleagues came out in support of Astrid Blodgett, who read her award-winning story, “Ice Break,” that was chosen for the Journey Prize Stories in 2012.

As ever, the wonderful owners and staff at Audreys were gracious hosts, providing a space full of books, chairs, and even a microphone for Astrid to make sure that everybody would hear her softer voice. The fun continued after the reading, with people enjoying wine and cheese and chocolate while Astrid signed book after book after book.

Richard Van Camp wasn’t able to make it to the launch last night, but he has finished reading the book and sent some enthusiastic words our way:

“Astrid Blodgett explores lives in flashpoint and innocence meeting regret forever in “You Haven’t Changed a Bit” (University of Alberta Press).  My favourite stories are ‘New Summer Dresses’ and ‘Ice Break.’ What a read. Congratulations, Astrid, on a collection I’ll be thinking of for a very long time. “

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Canadian Writers Abroad

Our Director, Linda Cameron, met Debra Martens at the reception at Canada House before the London Book Fair in April. Debra manages a blog, Canadian Writers Abroad, and was hoping to promote more Canadian writers who have lived or are currently living abroad.

Canadian Writers Abroad began as a blog about my research on the topic and has evolved into a more collaborative site or e-zine for and about Canadian writers who are working or have worked outside of Canada. The site has three purposes: to promote, to share, and to record. Through interviews, profiles and reviews, the work of wandering writers is promoted. Through Letters From and mini interviews, writers share their more immediate experiences of leaving Canada. Finally, the site serves as an archive, with such things as photographs of places where writers lived abroad — a digital version of London’s blue plaques. In 2012 the site’s overall theme was to link current events to writers who had lived abroad. In 2013 the theme is to look at how writers write about place. CWA also posts poetry to punctuate the seasons.

Here is a sample of what you can find on her site:

2013 theme of place: Place and the Blues;  book review sample: Christmas on Toy; 2012 theme of current events and literature (by Canadian writers who lived abroad): The Future Margaret Laurence Wanted; the About page, which includes an invitation to writers.

“Dear Sir” in the Media

The University of Alberta Press recently published Lawrence Hill’s lecture, Dear Sir, I Intend to Burn Your Book, which he delivered in 2012 as part of the Henry Kreisel Lecture Series. The title—and the topic—attracted the attention of the Canadian media.

On April 6, the Ottawa Citizen published an excerpt from the book. On April 16, Jian Ghomeshi interviewed Lawrence Hill on Q, which was followed by a review by Randy Boyagoda in the National Post and an interview with Donna Bailey Nurse in the Toronto Star.

Lawrence Hill will be participating in a discussion organized by PEN Canada on May 16 at Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum. Please join him, Carol Duncan and Randy Boyagoda if you can.

New President and CEO of Glenbow Museum

Congratulations Donna! 

Glenbow Announces New President and Chief Executive Officer

Calgary, AB (May 8, 2013) – The Board of Governors of Glenbow Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Donna Livingstone to the role of full-time President and Chief Executive Officer of Glenbow Museum, effective immediately.

“The community support and participation and the interest from local, national and international candidates was very impressive,” said Jack Thrasher, Chair of the Glenbow’s Board of Governors.

Over the past six months, as Interim President of Glenbow, Donna has opened the doors to new opportunities and partnerships in the community, undertaken a review of all collections and operations, managed a significant reduction in the operating deficit, and strengthened the senior leadership team. She took on the Interim President role at Glenbow on November 6, 2012, while on secondment from the University of Calgary where she was Director of Cultural and Community Programs and Director of the University of Calgary Press within Libraries and Cultural Resources.

Donna has a long history in successful leadership roles with arts and cultural organizations in western Canada, and is well regarded in the communities that Glenbow serves. She previously worked at Glenbow from 1995 – 98 as Vice President, Program and Exhibit Development and served as a Governor from 2008 – 2012. She holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Lancaster and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria. Donna has published extensively on western cultural history, and serves with several provincial and national cultural associations.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to refresh Glenbow as a place of significance in the arts and culture community,” Donna says. “We are already seeing great response to such exhibitions as No Roads Here: Corb Lund’s Alberta and Made in Calgary. It shows us what amazing results can come from inviting the community to participate with us.”

“The Board would like to thank Donna for her inspiring and effective work-to-date as Interim President and looks forward to working with her in revitalizing Glenbow as a cultural cornerstone in the Province,” says Jack Thrasher. “We are also very grateful for the support of the University of Calgary in allowing her to take on the interim role during a critical time of change for our organization.”

Love Reading? Join the National Reading Campaign!

Please consider to support the National Reading Campaign. Read about their five new initiatives for this year.

Five years ago, the members of the NRC began with a simple idea: that there’s immense value in reading in all forms. We have now developed the National Reading Plan, and are in the early stages of its implementation. We need your support now more than ever.

Our first order of business is to finance the campaign. We know your organization feels as strongly about the power of the written word as we do, and we need your help.  We’re asking you to customize the attached individual donation request with your and/or your organization’s signature and contact information, and to send it out to everyone you know. Encourage your members to donate. We need every reader in the country to step up and make the National Reading Campaign a reality.

This year, we are focusing on the following programs:

• Joy of Reading in Schools: While reading scores have increased in elementary schools, children’s enjoyment of reading has gone down. The National Reading Campaign calls on the Ministry of Education, teachers, teacher librarians, parents, and others concerned with how we teach reading in schools, to enter into a dialogue on how best to ensure that our school systems and families nurture and reinforce  children’s love of reading..

• Join Us: CanLit for New Canadians: We are creating a series of resource documents on Canadian literature for libraries and settlement service organizations to use in their programs for new Canadians. Canadian literature not only offers people a way to develop high language skills, but is also a pleasurable and exciting way to learn about the country.

• Aboriginal Policy Initiative: The NRC is facilitating a series of three aboriginal reading policy round tables over the next three years. The round tables will bring together key leaders in the field to create an effective program to promote access to reading on reserves for children and youth, and to create a much-needed common agenda  among stakeholders to champion reading and reading policies for Aboriginal children.

• Canadian Children’s Book Reviews: An independent weekly kids’ book review column in dailies & weeklies across the country to provide avid readers with access to new book ideas, and to inspire non- readers to join the fun. We will also distribute the column to schools, libraries, and community centres for use c in their programs.

•  “What did you read today?” is a three-year campaign to raise an awareness of reading’s importance, and to encourage governments at all levels to take policy steps to make Canada a nation of readers. In the fall of 2013, we will launch an advertising campaign including print, television, radio, and online ads.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 416-347-4031, or by email at sarah@nationalreadingcampaign.ca.

Literary Cocktails 2013

It was wonderful to have many fans and friends out to celebrate with us on April 23. Literary Cocktails is the signature event of the University of Alberta Press. Once again, it took place in collaboration with the Edmonton Poetry Festival.

Literary Cocktails is the perfect occasion to launch UAP’s new fiction titles in a festive spirit — although we are still waiting for Spring! There was something for everyone: popular culture delivered by Kimmy Beach [The Last Temptation of Bond], dramatic prose from Astrid Blodgett [You Haven't Changed a Bit], and aboriginal history via Paul Zits’s poetry [Massacre Street].

Even though the sky was grey and gloomy, we had a lovely time, led by our MC, Patricia Demers, Distinguished University Professor in the Department of English and Film Studies here at the University of Alberta. We recently published her latest book, Travels and Tales of Miriam Green Ellis.

A wonderful dimension was added by our musician-colleagues, Jerome Martin (piano) and Ted Bishop (guitar). The event was a huge success, and we hope to see all of you again next year!

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Petroleum History Society’s Book of the Year: We Gambled Everything

Arne Nielsen’s memoir, We Gambled Everything: The Life and Times of an Oilman, has received the prestigious Book of the Year award by the Petroleum History Society. Arne received a congratulatory letter and an invitation to the awards ceremony on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 27 as a part of the PHS’s Annual Meeting at the Petroleum Club in downtown Calgary.

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Arne’s book has been on the Calgary Herald‘s Best seller list three times since its publication in November, 2011 and is available in EPUB and Kindle format.

There will be a book launch at the Calgary Petroleum Club (319 – 5th Street SW, Calgary) in the Trophy Lounge at 4:40 pm on Thursday, May 23rd.