Saturday at THIN AIR…

Today is the last day of THIN AIR 2011 – where has the time gone?!

If you’re a writer who wants to know how to improve your work, make sure you take our Writing Craft seminar from 10:00 a.m. – noon at Millennium Library. Writer and poet Steven Ross Smith will guide us through the various ways writers can enrich their work, from taking seminars, to participating in workshops and visiting retreats and conferences.

If you want to get a little scared in the afternoon, visit Park Theatre for A Pint of Bitter Murder with Alison Preston and David Annandale (3:00 – 4:30 p.m.).

Our final Mainstage presentation at Manitoba Theatre for Young People will feature the first-ever Manitoba Reads debate. Four ardent readers will defend the title they have chosen, and at the end, one book will emerge as the winner.

To make things even more exciting, two of the authors featured at THIN AIR 2011 – Wayne Tefs and David Alexander Robertson – have made the final four!

Celebrate our wildly wordy week – and our fifteenth year of great words – at the After Words Jazz Club at Aqua Books. Master jazzers, Steve Kirby & Kristopher Ulrich, join forces with this community’s poets to create an absolutely unique Birthday Party. Bring a poem!

For all the details, visit thinairwinnipeg.ca. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @WPGTHINAIR, because we’ll be live-tweeting from most events!

Everything you need to know…

We’ve created a post dedicated to outlining each of the events offered at THIN AIR 2011 (in case you want to start planning which ones you’ll attend now)!

AFTERNOON BOOK CHATS (free)

Monday through Friday, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
The Atrium
McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park

The Afternoon Book Chats are the perfect excuse for a coffee break! The Atrium at McNally Robinson Booksellers takes on a café ambiance for this series of relaxed conversations about writing.

BIG IDEAS (free)
Monday through Friday, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Carol Shields Auditorium
Millennium Library, 251 Donald St

Experience your brain on steroids! End your afternoon with writers who are tackling some of the big ideas of our place and time—and who are open to hearing your thoughts as well. The Carol Shields Auditorium is just off the overhead walkway at the Millennium Library.

THE NOONER (free)
Monday through Friday, 12:15 – 12:45 pm
Carol Shields Auditorium
Millennium Library, 251 Donald St

The Nooner is a quick literary hit to charge you up for the rest of your workday. Unplug from the office for half an hour and join us at the Millennium Library—the Carol Shields Auditorium is just off the overhead walkway. Donations welcome.

THE RURAL TOUR (free)
Every year, THIN AIR reaches out to readers in communities beyond the city limits.

THE WRITING CRAFT
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – noon
Carol Shields Auditorium
Millennium Library, 251 Donald

Each year, THIN AIR includes opportunities for writers to further develop their skills. This year’s topic? Connecting with writers who’ll take you to the next level.

THE CAMPUS PROGRAM (free)
The campuses throw open their doors this week, welcoming writers and audiences to connect around new words and ideas. All events are free and open to the public—catch as many as you can!

This year, writers will perform at Brandon University, Canadian Mennonite University, the University of Manitoba, the University of Winnipeg and Red River College.

THE MAINSTAGE
Monday through Saturday, 8:00 p.m.
Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Shaw Performing Arts Centre, The Forks

Join us each evening at the Shaw Performing Arts Center at The Forks for a showcase of great new writing. McNally Robinson Booksellers has an on-stage bookstore featuring THIN AIR writers. We offer bar service, and to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary, we’ll have birthday cake every night too!

Tickets are $12 ($10 for students/seniors), available at the door. A THIN AIR Festival Pass is a bargain: you get access to all ticketed events for only $35. Knock off another $5 if you have a THIN AIR Club Card. Passes are available at McNally Robinson or at www.thinairwinnipeg.ca.

The Manitoba Reads final four

The votes are in, the selections have been made, and the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, McNally Robinson Booksellers and CBC Manitoba Scene are proud to announce the four finalists of the first-ever Manitoba Reads.

Based on the popular Canada Reads model, voters chose between 16 books written by Manitoba authors. At the end of the voting period, four judges each selected one of the remaining eight titles as their top pick.

Now, they judges prepare to debate the books down to a single title on September 24 at the closing Mainstage show of THIN AIR 2011. The debate will then be broadcast the following morning on CBC’s Weekend Morning Show.

“This is so exciting,” said Charlene Diehl, director of THIN AIR. “The top four books truly represent the talented authors Manitoba has to offer. And, to make things even more exciting, two of the top four authors will be presenting at THIN AIR 2011!”

 Here is the breakdown of each judge and the title he or she has selected to debate:

Judge: Alison Gillmor

Title: Reading by Lightning by Joan Thomas

Judge: Vincent Ho

The Life of Helen Betty Osborne by David Alexander Robertson

Judge: Paul Jordan

Bandit by Wayne Tefs

Judge: Niigon Sinclair

Where Nests the Water Hen by Gabrielle Roy

For more information about Manitoba Reads, visit www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/books.

Manitoba Reads top eight have been chosen

It took one month and 1700 votes from people in 17 countries, but the results are in!

Of the original 16 titles on the Manitoba Reads roster, only eight remain. Those titles are:

• Catherine Hunter - The Dead of Midnight
• Chandra Mayor - All the Pretty Girls
• David Robertson - The Life of Helen Betty Osborne
• Gabrielle Roy - Where Nests the Water Hen
• Wayne Tefs - Bandit
• Daria Salamon - The Prairie Bridesmaid
• Carol Shields - Republic of Love
• Joan Thomas - Reading by Lightning

Now, four panelists will each choose one of the eight remaining titles and prepare to defend their choice at the final THIN AIR 2011 Mainstage on September 24. It's an event you definitely don't want to miss, so be sure to keep checking our website for details about ticket information.

Thank you to everyone who voted for Manitoba Reads, and we can't wait to see what will happen next!

Manitoba is filled with talented writers

We’re hooking up with CBC Manitoba & McNally Robinson Booksellers to produce the very first Manitoba Reads, a friendly-but-fierce contest to choose a book for all of us to read.

The long list of 16 titles is now online. You can vote once a day for your favourite book. On July 30, the top 8 books go on to the next level. Our four book advocates will each choose one of those finalists, then debate them down to a single title on September 24 at the closing Mainstage show of THIN AIR 2011.

Voting ends July 29!