Friday at THIN AIR…

The last weekday of the festival will feature a line-up of writers you absolutely do not want to miss. Who knows when they’ll be back again, so now is your chance to visit events, listen to readings, and introduce yourself!

Our last Nooner (Millennium Library, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.) will feature award-winning author Guy Vanderhaeghe, who will share his recently published novel, A Good Man.

Vanderhaeghe’s performance will be followed by the last Afternoon Book Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.) where Miriam Toews and Rosemary Nixon will explore the power that women can produce when faced with dire circumstances.

At our final Big Ideas session (Millennium Library, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.), sports historian Richard Brignall will share some of the fascinating stories he’s gathered in Forgotten Heroes: Winnipeg’s Hockey Heritage. Even if you’re a hickey [WONDERFUL mis-type!] fan (and who isn’t in Winnipeg right now?), our lively history will surprise you.

The Friday night Mainstage showcases some real heavy-hitters: Clark Blaise, Waubgeshig Rice, Rosemary Nixon, David Homel, Miriam Toews and Guy Vanderhaeghe. Brace yourself—it’s going to be an incredible night. We’ll close off the evening with the draw for three THIN AIR raffle prizes, each valued at $300. Your last chance to get your tickets is tonight’s intermission.

After the Mainstage, swing by Aqua Books for the After Words Jazz Club (10:30 – 11:30 p.m.). Steven Ross Smith, a master poet and performer, teams up with bassist Steve Kirby and guitarist Kristopher Ulrich to create a never-to-be-repeated performance experience. Settle back with a glass of wine, and soak up the magic.

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!

Monday at THIN AIR…

It’s our first full-day of the festival and we hope that you’ll join us! Every weekday during festival week is jam-packed with a number of different events to choose from.

The Nooner (Millennium Library, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.) is a quick and free literary hit that can be enjoyed over the lunch hour.

The Afternoon Books Chats (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.) offer some stimulating company for your mid-afternoon coffee break zone. And yes… also free.

The Big Ideas series (Millennium Library, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.) gives you something to chew on before you head home for dinner. And, you guessed it… free, free, free!

Each weekday also includes both rural and campus tours, and ends with a Mainstage presentation featuring a collection of the day’s presenters.

So who do you want to see today?
Manitoba Reads finalist Wayne Tefs presents his latest novel, Bandit, at The Nooner and teams up with Elizabeth Hay for the Afternoon Book Chat. Wayne and Elizabeth are joined by Lynn Coady, Margaret Macpherson and Robert J Sawyer on the first evening Mainstage show at MTYP.

You might also want to check in with Winnipeg writer, Dave Kattenburg. He’ll kick off the Big Ideas sessions with a discussion about Foxy Lady, the true story of how several free-spirited adventurers – including one Canadian – fell victim to the Khmer Rouge in 1978.

Dave Kattenburg - go see him!

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!

Lynn Coady – author and amusing individual

It isn’t every day that a single novel can make you laugh, cry, scream, sigh and berate the characters, but Lynn Coady has a gift. Her most recent novel – The Antagonist – is a perfect example of a story that will force you to stop, think and throw your own life under the microscope.

Coady’s newest novel was the first I picked off a teetering stack when I started my new position at THIN AIR. It was initially the title that drew me in. The Antagonist. That can’t be good. I turned to the back cover and read what the novel was actually about, and here’s what it says:

Against his will and his nature, the hulking Gordon Rankin ("Rank") is cast as an enforcer, a goon -- by his classmates, his hockey coaches, and especially his own "tiny, angry" father, Gordon Senior. Rank gamely lives up to his role -- until tragedy strikes, using Rank as its blunt instrument. Escaping the only way he can, Rank disappears.

But almost twenty years later he discovers that an old, trusted friend -- the only person to whom he has ever confessed his sins -- has published a novel mirroring Rank's life. The betrayal cuts to the deepest heart of him, and Rank will finally have to confront the tragic true story from which he's spent his whole life running away.

With the deep compassion, deft touch, and irreverent humour that have made her one of Canada's best-loved novelists, Lynn Coady delves deeply into the ways we sanction and stoke male violence, giving us a large-hearted, often hilarious portrait of a man tearing himself apart in order to put himself back together.

Who wouldn’t be interested by that? Deciding I simply had to read Coady’s novel first, I turned on a light, flipped to the first page and was immersed in Rank’s world by the end of the first chapter. There is something in The Antagonist that I believe everyone can relate to, and Coady’s writing style is both quirky and engaging.

In case you don’t know much about her, Coady’s literary success with The Antagonist is no surprise. She has previously written four novels and numerous anthologies. Her first  novel – Strange Heaven – was published when she was 28 years old and went on to be nominated for the Governor General’s Award.


Even if she’s not busy working on a new novel, Coady is always writing. She writes for The Globe and Mail’s Group Therapy column, where she delivers the final word on relationships problems. Coady also maintains her own personal blog, which is both energetically written and hilarious.

If you’re interested in checking out her column, click here.

If you’re interested in Coady’s blog, click here. 

Look for The Antagonist in bookstores in the fall – published by House of Anansi – and be sure to visit Coady at THIN AIR 2011!