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!
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
September 24, 2011
September 23, 2011
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!
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!
September 22, 2011
Morning tea with Jennifer Still
As the publicist for THIN AIR, one of the perks of the job is the ability to spend time with each writer participating in the festival. When I finished Girlwood – the second book of poetry published by Winnipeg writer Jennifer Still – I immediately wanted to meet her and ask her about her beautiful writing. I emailed her, we started to correspond, and a few weeks later we were sitting inside The Frenchway Café on Corydon Avenue enjoying tea and each other’s company.
The first question I needed to have answered was when and how Still became a writer. It’s a question I ask every writer I meet, and not an easy one to answer.
“When I really think about when I started writing, I realize I’ve written all my life,” Still explained. “I’ve always had the impulse to document my experiences, my feelings, and my perceptions.”
But even though Still has written her entire life, she didn’t truly feel she was a writer until she took a risk and began sharing her material with other people.
“I gave my poems to someone else to read, and that’s a totally different experience,” she said. “So I feel that I became a writer in the serious sense when I started to risk.”
Poetry is a truly beautiful form of literary expression, one that affects every person in a unique way. It is always interesting to ask a writer how he or she began writing poetry, and I wanted to know what made Still choose this particular medium.
“It’s not a conscious choice – to be a poet – but I’ve always been drawn to the musicality of language,” Still explained. “As a young girl, I wasn’t raised in a religious family. We were meant to find what we believed in and poetry has a spiritual quality to me – that deep sense of meaning.”
Still loves reading short stories – and has written in prose throughout her career – but she finds that poetry is the medium to which she always returns.
“I find everything opens up for me when I go back to verse,” she explained. “I feel there is so much potential, and it’s so wild!”
Girlwood, which was published by Brick Books in 2011, is Still’s newest collection, yet she began working on it ten years ago.
“I started – in some ways – writing this book before my first books was published,” she said. “I think this is the book I was wanting to write when my first book came out, but I didn’t have the skills yet to know how to say it this way.”
Still explained that she is constantly writing, and she carries a pocket book and pen in her purse at all times.
“There are poems everywhere, and the key is finding them and getting them down on paper,” she explained. “It’s important always to be listening and taking in the world. It’s a beautiful thing to always be curious about the world, and I love that the most about writing.”
When asked what advice she would give to someone trying to become a poet, Still’s advice was simple.
“Read a lot of poetry that you love,” she said. “Everyone always says ‘read further afield.’ I think you should start reading with what you connect with and what you would like to write. Read anything that fires you up and makes you want to write.”
Last night, I watched Still perform from Girlwood on the THIN AIR 2011 Mainstage at Manitoba Theatre for Young People. She wore a beautiful gold dress, and captivated the audience with her carefully crafted words. I felt a personal attachment to the performance, because I had already read her collection and had an opportunity to discuss it with her before the presentation.
I can’t wait to read Still’s next collection – which she has already begun working on – and I hope that we have a chance to sit down for tea again soon.
Jennifer Still is the author of two books of poetry, Saltations (Thistledown, 2005), and Girlwood (Brick, 2011). After an interlude in Saskatoon, she has returned to Winnipeg, where she grew up on Girdwood Crescent.
- Amanda Hope (THIN AIR publicist!)
The first question I needed to have answered was when and how Still became a writer. It’s a question I ask every writer I meet, and not an easy one to answer.
“When I really think about when I started writing, I realize I’ve written all my life,” Still explained. “I’ve always had the impulse to document my experiences, my feelings, and my perceptions.”
But even though Still has written her entire life, she didn’t truly feel she was a writer until she took a risk and began sharing her material with other people.
“I gave my poems to someone else to read, and that’s a totally different experience,” she said. “So I feel that I became a writer in the serious sense when I started to risk.”
Poetry is a truly beautiful form of literary expression, one that affects every person in a unique way. It is always interesting to ask a writer how he or she began writing poetry, and I wanted to know what made Still choose this particular medium.
“It’s not a conscious choice – to be a poet – but I’ve always been drawn to the musicality of language,” Still explained. “As a young girl, I wasn’t raised in a religious family. We were meant to find what we believed in and poetry has a spiritual quality to me – that deep sense of meaning.”
Still loves reading short stories – and has written in prose throughout her career – but she finds that poetry is the medium to which she always returns.
“I find everything opens up for me when I go back to verse,” she explained. “I feel there is so much potential, and it’s so wild!”
A gorgeous shot of Jennifer Still..
Girlwood, which was published by Brick Books in 2011, is Still’s newest collection, yet she began working on it ten years ago.
“I started – in some ways – writing this book before my first books was published,” she said. “I think this is the book I was wanting to write when my first book came out, but I didn’t have the skills yet to know how to say it this way.”
Still explained that she is constantly writing, and she carries a pocket book and pen in her purse at all times.
“There are poems everywhere, and the key is finding them and getting them down on paper,” she explained. “It’s important always to be listening and taking in the world. It’s a beautiful thing to always be curious about the world, and I love that the most about writing.”
When asked what advice she would give to someone trying to become a poet, Still’s advice was simple.
“Read a lot of poetry that you love,” she said. “Everyone always says ‘read further afield.’ I think you should start reading with what you connect with and what you would like to write. Read anything that fires you up and makes you want to write.”
Last night, I watched Still perform from Girlwood on the THIN AIR 2011 Mainstage at Manitoba Theatre for Young People. She wore a beautiful gold dress, and captivated the audience with her carefully crafted words. I felt a personal attachment to the performance, because I had already read her collection and had an opportunity to discuss it with her before the presentation.
I can’t wait to read Still’s next collection – which she has already begun working on – and I hope that we have a chance to sit down for tea again soon.
Jennifer Still is the author of two books of poetry, Saltations (Thistledown, 2005), and Girlwood (Brick, 2011). After an interlude in Saskatoon, she has returned to Winnipeg, where she grew up on Girdwood Crescent.
- Amanda Hope (THIN AIR publicist!)
Thursday at THIN AIR…
Today is all about languages – English, French, Spanish, Low German and Shetlandic…
At The Nooner (Millennium Library, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.), Scottish author Christine De Luca will read from her debut novel, And then forever. She’s travelled all the way from Scotland to be a part of THIN AIR 2011. Catch her at noon, and again this evening on the Mainstage.
The Afternoon Book Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.) will feature Di Brandt and David Homel, writers who discuss life and how to get the most from it.
During our Big Ideas session (Millennium Library, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.), Myrl Coulter will discuss the heartbreak associated with giving her first child up for adoption. Though not specifically about languages, her memoir – The House with the Broken Two – is beautifully written, thoughtfully crafted, and an eye-opener about the difficulties of adoption.
In around the edges, campus readings by Glen Downie (Red River, 11:00 – noon) and Clark Blaise (UW, 4:00 – 5:15 pm), and in the Foyer des écrivains stream, a discussion about translation with local writer-translator Charles Leblanc and Haitian-Canadian novelist Dany Laferrière.
At the end of a full day of events, our Mainstage presentation will be filled with the rich sounds of all the different languages we’ve gathered together. Christine De Luca reads poems in English and Shetlandic. Di Brandt’s poems ring out in English, French, Low German, and Spanish. Francophone powerhouse Dany Laferrière teams up with his English translator David Homel.
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!
At The Nooner (Millennium Library, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.), Scottish author Christine De Luca will read from her debut novel, And then forever. She’s travelled all the way from Scotland to be a part of THIN AIR 2011. Catch her at noon, and again this evening on the Mainstage.
The Afternoon Book Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.) will feature Di Brandt and David Homel, writers who discuss life and how to get the most from it.
During our Big Ideas session (Millennium Library, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.), Myrl Coulter will discuss the heartbreak associated with giving her first child up for adoption. Though not specifically about languages, her memoir – The House with the Broken Two – is beautifully written, thoughtfully crafted, and an eye-opener about the difficulties of adoption.
In around the edges, campus readings by Glen Downie (Red River, 11:00 – noon) and Clark Blaise (UW, 4:00 – 5:15 pm), and in the Foyer des écrivains stream, a discussion about translation with local writer-translator Charles Leblanc and Haitian-Canadian novelist Dany Laferrière.
At the end of a full day of events, our Mainstage presentation will be filled with the rich sounds of all the different languages we’ve gathered together. Christine De Luca reads poems in English and Shetlandic. Di Brandt’s poems ring out in English, French, Low German, and Spanish. Francophone powerhouse Dany Laferrière teams up with his English translator David Homel.
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!
September 21, 2011
Wednesday at THIN AIR…
Our day of poetry kicks off today with a line-up of poets you don’t want to miss…
At The Nooner (Millennium Library, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.), poet Glen Downie shares the sharp wit of his most recent poetry collection, Local News.
At the Afternoon Books Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.), Gabe Foreman and Sandra Ridley team up to discuss the humour, the wisdom and the fun that can be found in poetry.
Finally, our evening Mainstage presentation – aptly-titled Poetry Bash! – will feature poets from both Winnipeg and around the country.
Across the bridge at the CCFM, La plume et le pinceau teams up poets and visual artists – en français – in a rowdy evening of improv art-making.
Winnipeg loves its poets. If you’re part of that club yet, this is definitely the day to try new things!
For additional festival details, visit thinairwinnipeg.ca. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @WPGTHINAIR, because we’ll be live-tweeting from most events!
At The Nooner (Millennium Library, 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.), poet Glen Downie shares the sharp wit of his most recent poetry collection, Local News.
At the Afternoon Books Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.), Gabe Foreman and Sandra Ridley team up to discuss the humour, the wisdom and the fun that can be found in poetry.
Finally, our evening Mainstage presentation – aptly-titled Poetry Bash! – will feature poets from both Winnipeg and around the country.
Across the bridge at the CCFM, La plume et le pinceau teams up poets and visual artists – en français – in a rowdy evening of improv art-making.
Winnipeg loves its poets. If you’re part of that club yet, this is definitely the day to try new things!
For additional festival details, visit thinairwinnipeg.ca. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @WPGTHINAIR, because we’ll be live-tweeting from most events!
The Sacred Feminine
On Sunday morning my mother took my two children to church. Too young for Sunday school, as a baby and a toddler there were mostly there to look cute and play. Raised in the church myself I love that they’re going to become familiar with the concept and eventually learn the religion of our mainstream culture.
Having left the church as a teen, I’m anxious about them becoming too wrapped up in the details of the Bible instead of harnessing the essence of God and growing spiritually.
I put the anxiety to rest knowing that at home and in life I will organically teach them about the Sacred Feminine that I have since come to feel connected to as my comforting Higher Power. (Plus it’s a few kid free hours, I’m not going to protest.)
While my children were at church with their Granny, I was sitting in the forest at Assiniboine Park with Kim Anderson’s book and my ThinAir note pad I was inspired to write, as I connected to the earth, the best place where I find the Sacred Feminine.
This is my church.
Cool breeze, grey skies.
Autumn leaves bed the floor of the river bank
Shafts of sunlight through the cloud cover then filter to my seat,
Amongst the dying fauna.
Small leaves rain down and the chill is on my neck
Welcome is the mud on my jeans and shoes,
Evidence of my encounter with Her.
The vibrant browns & greens of the summer’s shadow are perfect in their scattered chaos
I breathe in beauty
The flowing wall paper of the murky river
Moves past the thin trees
An optical feast for eyes accustomed to digital screens
The quiet soaking through my ears, who deserve the rest from the endless noise and demands.
Drawing this energy in I already feel rejuvenated.
Mother Nature brings new life to the goddess within
Empowered I am ready for the week ahead.
Squirrels and chickadees sing praises for me
For my voice is flowing through ink in a pen.
This is my church.
I love the community Kim Anderson describes in her book Life Stages and Native Women Memory, Teachings and Story Medicine. The reverence to women as part of the Sacred Feminine, living off the land, connecting to nature, using plants and story to heal and teach and protect. Everyone in this culture has a purpose. Most fascinating to me was the philosophy of each person having a specific role based on their age and gender which I am so eager to read, in hopes that I can find pieces to apply to myself and my children as we age together.
Yesterday at the Millennium Library this scholar and author tells us of scared traditions surrounding milestones in a woman’s life and I hope that such rituals return to our young women someday. She told us of the way the family would seclude their daughters for their first moon time and subsequent menstruations, and explained how it was for the good of the community. I laughed a little inside, thinking of a friend who earlier that day that had confessed she was extra mean today and that PMS was indeed to blame, but that wasn’t the reason for isolation that Kim was talking about.
The young girls were left in solitude not out of shameful, unclean or mood swinging reasons, as we would assume. It was so the women and the community could harness the power that this event manifested. The power could be used for creating quilts or beading and sometimes used to heal, but productivity and shared benefit were the intention. I smiled again, thinking of how this friend directed her power through anger and used it in a beneficial way when directed at the right target.
Kim’s book asks in the forward, Who dreams of being an old woman? I do. I look forward to age and the wisdom it brings. I dream of having women and children of all ages to impart my wisdom too, to use stories of my life and the experiences of my mother and her mother, my aunt, cousins and daughter to draw this wisdom from.
After her reading and Q & A, I asked Kim to sign my copy of her book and she signed it with thanks for my participation in sharing stories of the Sacred Feminine. I am so proud to have been a part of this event and the new path it's inspired in my life. Thank you Kim for your role in this.
-Leah Edmonds, Guest Blogger
Having left the church as a teen, I’m anxious about them becoming too wrapped up in the details of the Bible instead of harnessing the essence of God and growing spiritually.
I put the anxiety to rest knowing that at home and in life I will organically teach them about the Sacred Feminine that I have since come to feel connected to as my comforting Higher Power. (Plus it’s a few kid free hours, I’m not going to protest.)
While my children were at church with their Granny, I was sitting in the forest at Assiniboine Park with Kim Anderson’s book and my ThinAir note pad I was inspired to write, as I connected to the earth, the best place where I find the Sacred Feminine.
This is my church.
Cool breeze, grey skies.
Autumn leaves bed the floor of the river bank
Shafts of sunlight through the cloud cover then filter to my seat,
Amongst the dying fauna.
Small leaves rain down and the chill is on my neck
Welcome is the mud on my jeans and shoes,
Evidence of my encounter with Her.
The vibrant browns & greens of the summer’s shadow are perfect in their scattered chaos
I breathe in beauty
The flowing wall paper of the murky river
Moves past the thin trees
An optical feast for eyes accustomed to digital screens
The quiet soaking through my ears, who deserve the rest from the endless noise and demands.
Drawing this energy in I already feel rejuvenated.
Mother Nature brings new life to the goddess within
Empowered I am ready for the week ahead.
Squirrels and chickadees sing praises for me
For my voice is flowing through ink in a pen.
This is my church.
I love the community Kim Anderson describes in her book Life Stages and Native Women Memory, Teachings and Story Medicine. The reverence to women as part of the Sacred Feminine, living off the land, connecting to nature, using plants and story to heal and teach and protect. Everyone in this culture has a purpose. Most fascinating to me was the philosophy of each person having a specific role based on their age and gender which I am so eager to read, in hopes that I can find pieces to apply to myself and my children as we age together.
Yesterday at the Millennium Library this scholar and author tells us of scared traditions surrounding milestones in a woman’s life and I hope that such rituals return to our young women someday. She told us of the way the family would seclude their daughters for their first moon time and subsequent menstruations, and explained how it was for the good of the community. I laughed a little inside, thinking of a friend who earlier that day that had confessed she was extra mean today and that PMS was indeed to blame, but that wasn’t the reason for isolation that Kim was talking about.
The young girls were left in solitude not out of shameful, unclean or mood swinging reasons, as we would assume. It was so the women and the community could harness the power that this event manifested. The power could be used for creating quilts or beading and sometimes used to heal, but productivity and shared benefit were the intention. I smiled again, thinking of how this friend directed her power through anger and used it in a beneficial way when directed at the right target.
Kim’s book asks in the forward, Who dreams of being an old woman? I do. I look forward to age and the wisdom it brings. I dream of having women and children of all ages to impart my wisdom too, to use stories of my life and the experiences of my mother and her mother, my aunt, cousins and daughter to draw this wisdom from.
After her reading and Q & A, I asked Kim to sign my copy of her book and she signed it with thanks for my participation in sharing stories of the Sacred Feminine. I am so proud to have been a part of this event and the new path it's inspired in my life. Thank you Kim for your role in this.
-Leah Edmonds, Guest Blogger
September 20, 2011
Tuesday at THIN AIR…
So you couldn’t make it to a THIN AIR event yesterday? No worries! There is a spectacular line-up of writers every day this week, and Tuesday is no exception!
Be sure to head over to Red River College’s Exchange District Campus to see Lynn Coady work her magic in front of students, staff and anyone else who stops by (11:00 a.m. – noon). Or, later this afternoon, visit Margaret Macpherson at the University of Manitoba’s St. John’s College where she reads from her new novel, Body Trade (5:30 – 6:30 p.m.).
The Carol Shields Auditorium at the Millennium Library welcomes Winnipeg-born poet Ron Charach at The Nooner (12:15 – 12:45).
At the Afternoon Books Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.), playwright Marty Chan and novelist Dimitri Nasrallah will team up to talk about the opportunities and frustrations a new country offers.
Later this afternoon, Big Ideas features Kim Anderson sharing her research into the cultural contributions of aboriginal women (Millennium Library, 4:30 – 5:30).
If you can hear in French, meet Simone Chaput and Lise Gaboury-Diallo, our featured guests at this year’s Soirée Francophile (Alliance Française, 19 h).
And finally, don’t miss the evening Mainstage presentation where tonight’s five writers – Charach, Chan, and Nisrallah, along with Sheila McClarty and WD Valgardson – consider the roots that shape who we are.
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!
Be sure to head over to Red River College’s Exchange District Campus to see Lynn Coady work her magic in front of students, staff and anyone else who stops by (11:00 a.m. – noon). Or, later this afternoon, visit Margaret Macpherson at the University of Manitoba’s St. John’s College where she reads from her new novel, Body Trade (5:30 – 6:30 p.m.).
The Carol Shields Auditorium at the Millennium Library welcomes Winnipeg-born poet Ron Charach at The Nooner (12:15 – 12:45).
At the Afternoon Books Chat (McNally Robinson, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.), playwright Marty Chan and novelist Dimitri Nasrallah will team up to talk about the opportunities and frustrations a new country offers.
Later this afternoon, Big Ideas features Kim Anderson sharing her research into the cultural contributions of aboriginal women (Millennium Library, 4:30 – 5:30).
If you can hear in French, meet Simone Chaput and Lise Gaboury-Diallo, our featured guests at this year’s Soirée Francophile (Alliance Française, 19 h).
And finally, don’t miss the evening Mainstage presentation where tonight’s five writers – Charach, Chan, and Nisrallah, along with Sheila McClarty and WD Valgardson – consider the roots that shape who we are.
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!
September 19, 2011
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.
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!
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!
September 17, 2011
Sunday at THIN AIR…
After a year of reading, planning and attending to a million tiny details, Winnipeg’s 15th writers festival will finally begin tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m.
The Opening Night performance will take place at Oodena Celebration Circle at The Forks. Oodena has been a gathering place for centuries, and it is the perfect place for festival-goers to come together and celebrate the power of words to create connections and build community.
A talented line-up of local writers will share new work on this special opening evening. It’s your chance to hear George Amabile, Rhéal Cenerini, Anita Daher, David Alexander Robertson and Sue Sorensen, all bringing to life their sense of this place.
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!
The Opening Night performance will take place at Oodena Celebration Circle at The Forks. Oodena has been a gathering place for centuries, and it is the perfect place for festival-goers to come together and celebrate the power of words to create connections and build community.
A talented line-up of local writers will share new work on this special opening evening. It’s your chance to hear George Amabile, Rhéal Cenerini, Anita Daher, David Alexander Robertson and Sue Sorensen, all bringing to life their sense of this place.
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!
September 14, 2011
A date with director Charlene Diehl
When did you start writing?
“I wrote some stories when I was a little kid, and a handful of poems when I was a late teen, but mostly I read and read and read. I actually fell in love with poetry when I was about 13. Even then, I loved the feel of mystery and potency in that kind of language.
Also, the musicality.
I didn't really start writing poems until I was partway through my Master's thesis on E.E. Cummings, when my advisor Dennis Cooley said, "Where are your poems? Nobody cares this much about poetry without having a drawerful at home!" In truth I didn't have a drawerful, but I continue to be grateful for that nudge.”
How did you decide what you wanted to write about?
“Oh man, I never really know what I'm going to write about! A lot of my writing these days is creative non-fiction -- mostly musings about writing, music and mothering. The pathways always surprise me, which is generally how I know if the pieces are working or not. The more planned they are, the deader they tend to be.
With larger projects, like poem suites, I'm often the last to figure out what I'm doing -- I watch them emerge rather than decide what I'm writing about. Usually I'm toying with an image or a writing challenge, but I'm also exploring something elusive -- one of those big meaning-of-life (or nature or love or power or death) questions.
Sometimes life hands you material too. When my baby died, I knew at some level that I would have to write about that experience. At first, that was a reporting-from-hell enterprise: with the lamentations collection, I was recovering my voice and my language, both of which had been shattered by that loss.
As I became stronger and healthier again, I began to realize that I could share my story with others as a way of extending some support to other bereaved people and those who care for them. My memoir, Out of Grief, Singing, was written over a long period, and I realized when I released it last year that I had also been extending a hand back to my own devastated self as well. Grief is one of the most human of experiences, yet in our culture it's also one that frightens people. If we all shy away from it, we don't have an opportunity to discover that grief can also generate great beauty & joy.”
How do you usually write?
“Have you met me?! I'm not sure "usually" applies on any front, least of all writing!
These days, I mostly write to deadline – and there are many of them. I lean toward late-night writing flurries, partly because I love the late hours of the day, partly because my life quiets down enough then to follow those inner voices.
My most treasured writing times are when my poet self gets all revved up by an idea or an image. Then writing just takes over and fills up every available crack of time for several days in a row. Those visitations are absolutely unpredictable and (sadly) infrequent.”
What advice could you provide to someone attempting to publish his or her first piece?
“Read a lot. Write a lot. Seek out every opportunity to get mentored -- take classes and workshops, and meet regularly with other writers who are more accomplished than you are and who will speak truthfully.
Attend readings. Learn everything you can from the word zone around you. Really understand that you will always be a beginner because the art form will always be unfolding ahead of you far faster than you can master it. (Thank heavens!)
Write until you no longer care a whole lot about getting published -- the experience of writing has to be far more crucial to you than the experience of being published. (It's kind of like looking for a date: if you stop pushing for that desired outcome and really put your energy into becoming strong and happy and self-sustaining, you're going to be a lot more appealing...)
Practically speaking, be reasonable about your expectations. Submit your work to places which publish similar material. Prepare your submission carefully, mail it off, take a couple of days to feel jittery and excited, then get back to your desk and start making something else.”
If you could meet one writer, who would it be and why?
“Only one?! Yikes! I'm going to say William Blake. My first experience of being profoundly rewritten by someone's work happened when I was plowing through one of Blake's epic long poems. I think of that experience as the advent of adulthood for me --he literally changed the way I think.
Every now and then I revisit a shorter long poem, The Marriage of Heaven & Hell, to be inspired by his creative fire, but also to be reminded that powerful writing engages our personal, social, political, and spiritual selves. Blake was wildly eccentric -- he indulged in many curious behaviors, including regular conversations with angels. If he were alive now, I suspect he'd be highly medicated, but that intensity and drama animate his writing, allow us to feel the pulse across a couple of centuries. I admire the courage it requires to be so fully alive, than capture it in poems and images.”
Charlene Diehl is the associate editor of dig! magazine and the director of THIN AIR, Winnipeg’s annual literary festival. Her last book is a memoir, Out of Grief, Singing.
“I wrote some stories when I was a little kid, and a handful of poems when I was a late teen, but mostly I read and read and read. I actually fell in love with poetry when I was about 13. Even then, I loved the feel of mystery and potency in that kind of language.
Also, the musicality.
I didn't really start writing poems until I was partway through my Master's thesis on E.E. Cummings, when my advisor Dennis Cooley said, "Where are your poems? Nobody cares this much about poetry without having a drawerful at home!" In truth I didn't have a drawerful, but I continue to be grateful for that nudge.”
How did you decide what you wanted to write about?
“Oh man, I never really know what I'm going to write about! A lot of my writing these days is creative non-fiction -- mostly musings about writing, music and mothering. The pathways always surprise me, which is generally how I know if the pieces are working or not. The more planned they are, the deader they tend to be.
With larger projects, like poem suites, I'm often the last to figure out what I'm doing -- I watch them emerge rather than decide what I'm writing about. Usually I'm toying with an image or a writing challenge, but I'm also exploring something elusive -- one of those big meaning-of-life (or nature or love or power or death) questions.
Sometimes life hands you material too. When my baby died, I knew at some level that I would have to write about that experience. At first, that was a reporting-from-hell enterprise: with the lamentations collection, I was recovering my voice and my language, both of which had been shattered by that loss.
As I became stronger and healthier again, I began to realize that I could share my story with others as a way of extending some support to other bereaved people and those who care for them. My memoir, Out of Grief, Singing, was written over a long period, and I realized when I released it last year that I had also been extending a hand back to my own devastated self as well. Grief is one of the most human of experiences, yet in our culture it's also one that frightens people. If we all shy away from it, we don't have an opportunity to discover that grief can also generate great beauty & joy.”
Probably my favourite picture of Charlene...
How do you usually write?
“Have you met me?! I'm not sure "usually" applies on any front, least of all writing!
These days, I mostly write to deadline – and there are many of them. I lean toward late-night writing flurries, partly because I love the late hours of the day, partly because my life quiets down enough then to follow those inner voices.
My most treasured writing times are when my poet self gets all revved up by an idea or an image. Then writing just takes over and fills up every available crack of time for several days in a row. Those visitations are absolutely unpredictable and (sadly) infrequent.”
What advice could you provide to someone attempting to publish his or her first piece?
“Read a lot. Write a lot. Seek out every opportunity to get mentored -- take classes and workshops, and meet regularly with other writers who are more accomplished than you are and who will speak truthfully.
Attend readings. Learn everything you can from the word zone around you. Really understand that you will always be a beginner because the art form will always be unfolding ahead of you far faster than you can master it. (Thank heavens!)
Write until you no longer care a whole lot about getting published -- the experience of writing has to be far more crucial to you than the experience of being published. (It's kind of like looking for a date: if you stop pushing for that desired outcome and really put your energy into becoming strong and happy and self-sustaining, you're going to be a lot more appealing...)
Practically speaking, be reasonable about your expectations. Submit your work to places which publish similar material. Prepare your submission carefully, mail it off, take a couple of days to feel jittery and excited, then get back to your desk and start making something else.”
If you could meet one writer, who would it be and why?
“Only one?! Yikes! I'm going to say William Blake. My first experience of being profoundly rewritten by someone's work happened when I was plowing through one of Blake's epic long poems. I think of that experience as the advent of adulthood for me --he literally changed the way I think.
Every now and then I revisit a shorter long poem, The Marriage of Heaven & Hell, to be inspired by his creative fire, but also to be reminded that powerful writing engages our personal, social, political, and spiritual selves. Blake was wildly eccentric -- he indulged in many curious behaviors, including regular conversations with angels. If he were alive now, I suspect he'd be highly medicated, but that intensity and drama animate his writing, allow us to feel the pulse across a couple of centuries. I admire the courage it requires to be so fully alive, than capture it in poems and images.”
Charlene Diehl is the associate editor of dig! magazine and the director of THIN AIR, Winnipeg’s annual literary festival. Her last book is a memoir, Out of Grief, Singing.
September 12, 2011
A chat with Sheila McClarty
We caught up with THIN AIR 2011 presenter Sheila McClarty, and asked her a few questions about writing. Here is what she had to say...
When did you start writing?
“I began writing with the goal of publication in my forties. However, as a teenager and young adult I wrote many stories and bad poetry, which I kept to myself. Secretly, I have wanted to be a writer as far back as I can remember.
One of my fondest memories was when a story of mine was chosen by my grade twelve English teacher to read to the class. I don’t recall too many details of the story except that it was about a young woman out deer hunting. Funny, but this recognition for my writing still makes me smile.”
How did you decide what you wanted to write about?
“Characters for my stories come from a variety of places. Often the gesture of a stranger in a public place such as a restaurant will spur my imagination of a character. Also reading other writers’ work provides inspiration for characters and or setting for my stories.
I rarely write to theme in my initial drafts; it is only after several rewrites that I begin to address theme. I often write the main idea into a single sentence and place it under the title. I find that this helps with the direction of the story and also focuses the details I choose to reveal about my characters.”
How do you usually write?
“My preference is to write first thing in the mornings, otherwise procrastination gets the better of me. I like to write for several hours and then take my dog for a walk. I find it difficult to be inside all day, and often take walks to ruminate over my characters and their situations.
Luckily I own an energetic Irish Setter that is more than pleased to accommodate these frequent outings and distracted enough to ignore my persistent mumbling to myself.
I prefer to write when I am home alone, and if the house becomes chaotic, I take my laptop to one of the local libraries. I tend to do my research in the evenings, and I find that this makes me want to write first thing in the mornings. All of this being said, there are many times that I become so involved in a story that I write during every free moment and late into the night.”
How do you feel about presenting your work at THIN AIR 2011?
“I am excited about presenting my work at Thin Air and humbled to be amongst such fine writers.”
What advice could you provide to someone attempting to publish his or her first piece?
“My advice would be to submit to a publication which features the genre and style of your own piece of writing. And then to continue on with your next story, and not wait for the fate of the submitted story. If the story returns with a rejection note with suggestions, I would read these very carefully to understand the editor’s point of view.
Once, I received critical feedback from one of the judges for a story that was a finalist in a national short story contest. Usually the judge’s comments are very complimentary, so at first I was taken aback, but after considerable thought, I realized that these comments were spot on and proved to be extremely helpful in the rewriting of that piece and future stories.”
If you could meet one writer, who would it be and why?
“There are so many writers that I admire, and it is very difficult to choose only one. Recently I read Alexander Macleod’s debut collection of short stories entitled, Light Lifting. Macleod’s writing is both elegant and muscular at the same time.
He manages to make the reader experience their own physicality pushed to the limit. I tend to read short story collections from start to finish, but with Light Lifting, I had to take a break between stories to catch my breath. I would love to meet Alexander Macleod and ask him, How do you manage to do this?”
Sheila McClarty graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master of Social Work degree. Her short stories have appeared in various magazines, including Grain, The Antigonish Review and The Fiddlehead. Her debut story collection, High Speed Crow (Oberon) won the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book at the 2011 Manitoba Book Awards. Thomas Trofimuk, in The Winnipeg Review, writes, "Listen, forget the tags Winnipeg writer, or Canadian writer; McClarty is just a damn find writer." She lives outside Oak Bank MB with her husband, two teenage children and a herd of horses.
When did you start writing?
“I began writing with the goal of publication in my forties. However, as a teenager and young adult I wrote many stories and bad poetry, which I kept to myself. Secretly, I have wanted to be a writer as far back as I can remember.
One of my fondest memories was when a story of mine was chosen by my grade twelve English teacher to read to the class. I don’t recall too many details of the story except that it was about a young woman out deer hunting. Funny, but this recognition for my writing still makes me smile.”
How did you decide what you wanted to write about?
“Characters for my stories come from a variety of places. Often the gesture of a stranger in a public place such as a restaurant will spur my imagination of a character. Also reading other writers’ work provides inspiration for characters and or setting for my stories.
I rarely write to theme in my initial drafts; it is only after several rewrites that I begin to address theme. I often write the main idea into a single sentence and place it under the title. I find that this helps with the direction of the story and also focuses the details I choose to reveal about my characters.”
How do you usually write?
“My preference is to write first thing in the mornings, otherwise procrastination gets the better of me. I like to write for several hours and then take my dog for a walk. I find it difficult to be inside all day, and often take walks to ruminate over my characters and their situations.
Luckily I own an energetic Irish Setter that is more than pleased to accommodate these frequent outings and distracted enough to ignore my persistent mumbling to myself.
I prefer to write when I am home alone, and if the house becomes chaotic, I take my laptop to one of the local libraries. I tend to do my research in the evenings, and I find that this makes me want to write first thing in the mornings. All of this being said, there are many times that I become so involved in a story that I write during every free moment and late into the night.”
How do you feel about presenting your work at THIN AIR 2011?
“I am excited about presenting my work at Thin Air and humbled to be amongst such fine writers.”
What advice could you provide to someone attempting to publish his or her first piece?
“My advice would be to submit to a publication which features the genre and style of your own piece of writing. And then to continue on with your next story, and not wait for the fate of the submitted story. If the story returns with a rejection note with suggestions, I would read these very carefully to understand the editor’s point of view.
Once, I received critical feedback from one of the judges for a story that was a finalist in a national short story contest. Usually the judge’s comments are very complimentary, so at first I was taken aback, but after considerable thought, I realized that these comments were spot on and proved to be extremely helpful in the rewriting of that piece and future stories.”
If you could meet one writer, who would it be and why?
“There are so many writers that I admire, and it is very difficult to choose only one. Recently I read Alexander Macleod’s debut collection of short stories entitled, Light Lifting. Macleod’s writing is both elegant and muscular at the same time.
He manages to make the reader experience their own physicality pushed to the limit. I tend to read short story collections from start to finish, but with Light Lifting, I had to take a break between stories to catch my breath. I would love to meet Alexander Macleod and ask him, How do you manage to do this?”
Here's Sheila! We can't wait to have her onstage at THIN AIR 2011...
Sheila McClarty graduated from the University of Toronto with a Master of Social Work degree. Her short stories have appeared in various magazines, including Grain, The Antigonish Review and The Fiddlehead. Her debut story collection, High Speed Crow (Oberon) won the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book at the 2011 Manitoba Book Awards. Thomas Trofimuk, in The Winnipeg Review, writes, "Listen, forget the tags Winnipeg writer, or Canadian writer; McClarty is just a damn find writer." She lives outside Oak Bank MB with her husband, two teenage children and a herd of horses.
David Homel’s ‘Mid-Way’
Have you ever felt a desire to walk away from your life? To simply step away from job, family and responsibilities?
David Homel’s new novel – Midway – tells the story of Ben Allan, a middle-aged college instructor who has recently won an award for an essay he wrote about an obscure medical syndrome. Dromomania primarily affected men in nineteenth-century Europe. The dromomaniac would leave his home without warning, wander across the continent in an almost zombie-like state, and wake up weeks later with no idea where he was and how he got there.
In the novel, the essay and its content forces Allan into a midlife crisis. He entertains the possibility of an affair with a young communications officer named Carla as his relationship with his wife deteriorates. He wants desperately to reach out to his television-addicted teenage son Tony, but doesn’t know how. And he is constantly trying to maintain a connection with his rapidly aging father, Morris.
With nothing in his life working out quite like it should, it makes sense that Allan feels compelled to walk away from it all…
Throughout the novel, Allan is literally stuck “mid-way” between the world he wants to live in and the one he feels he’s required to be a part of. It is very much a coming-of-age story spanning three generations and countless lives. Anyone who reads Midway will be able to easily relate to the characters in one way or another, and the novel is written in such a way that it will grab your attention and hold it until the final page.
Homel was born in Chicago in 1952. He lived in both Europe and Toronto before making Montreal his home around 1980. Midway is his sixth novel. He has also written two children’s books, one of which was co-authored with his wife. Homel has translated several French works that resulted in two Governor General’s Literary Awards for translation. He isn’t only a writer, but a journalist, filmmaker and translator, and he is one of nearly 40 writers that will be featured at THIN AIR 2011.
David Homel’s new novel – Midway – tells the story of Ben Allan, a middle-aged college instructor who has recently won an award for an essay he wrote about an obscure medical syndrome. Dromomania primarily affected men in nineteenth-century Europe. The dromomaniac would leave his home without warning, wander across the continent in an almost zombie-like state, and wake up weeks later with no idea where he was and how he got there.
In the novel, the essay and its content forces Allan into a midlife crisis. He entertains the possibility of an affair with a young communications officer named Carla as his relationship with his wife deteriorates. He wants desperately to reach out to his television-addicted teenage son Tony, but doesn’t know how. And he is constantly trying to maintain a connection with his rapidly aging father, Morris.
With nothing in his life working out quite like it should, it makes sense that Allan feels compelled to walk away from it all…
Throughout the novel, Allan is literally stuck “mid-way” between the world he wants to live in and the one he feels he’s required to be a part of. It is very much a coming-of-age story spanning three generations and countless lives. Anyone who reads Midway will be able to easily relate to the characters in one way or another, and the novel is written in such a way that it will grab your attention and hold it until the final page.
A pic of David Homel...
Homel was born in Chicago in 1952. He lived in both Europe and Toronto before making Montreal his home around 1980. Midway is his sixth novel. He has also written two children’s books, one of which was co-authored with his wife. Homel has translated several French works that resulted in two Governor General’s Literary Awards for translation. He isn’t only a writer, but a journalist, filmmaker and translator, and he is one of nearly 40 writers that will be featured at THIN AIR 2011.
September 11, 2011
Katherena Vermette – Winnipeg poet and THIN AIR staff member
In honour of our rapidly approaching festival, our blog is temporarily turning away from our writers and towards the people who make THIN AIR possible.
We would like to introduce Katherena Vermette, our Volunteer Coordinator and Marketing Assistant. When she’s not busy working at the office, this Winnipeg writer is busy with her own career as a poet. We asked her a few questions, and here is what she said…
When did you start writing?
“I honestly don't remember. I started arbitrarily scribbling words into scribblers very young. I do remember writing a rhyming poem - that I could still recite to you today - when I was ten. I really liked the rhyming poetry during my tweens.
Then, I discovered T.S. Eliot and E.E. Cummings, and dove into an angst filled poetic youth with a pair of used army boots, a sticker covered journal, and a shroud of thick black hair to hide behind. Yes, I was THAT girl in high school.”
How did you decide what you wanted to write about?
“I am completely self-absorbed so I have always written about ME, and all that I have seen and experienced. I was also subject to many shrinks throughout my childhood - THANKS MOM - so I got quite accustomed to talking, and in many cases writing, about my FEELINGS.
As I grew up, I started to look outside of my own skin more often (though some would argue not enough), and started writing about other people too. I love people. I am continuously fascinated with the CHARACTER of people. In my poetry, I think of myself as an observer, sometimes of myself, sometimes of others, and I write what I see. In my fiction, I take what I have seen and mix it up with stuff I create. The making up stuff is my favourite part.”
How do you usually write?
“On an ideal day, I wake up inspired and get right to writing and coffee. On a typical day, I wake up late, get my kids off to school and get distracted by work stuff. The writing has to put up with a when-I-can sort of schedule.”
What advice could you provide to someone attempting to publish his or her first piece?
“EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT and then POLISH POLISH POLISH POLISH and then get someone else to read it, give you honest feedback, and do it all over again. It never "just happens" and anyone who told you it does is LYING to you. Writing for yourself is great, satisfying, cathartic, emotional. Writing for other people is a job.”
If you could meet one writer, who would it be and why?
“Leonard Cohen… Because I'm a poet that's why.”
Katherena Vermette is a Metis writer of poetry and fiction. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and compilations, including the upcoming Manitoapow – Aboriginal Literary History of Manitoba (Highwater Press 2012). Vermette was the 2010-2011 Blogger in Residence for thewriterscollective.org and recently begun graduate work in the prestigious Master of Fine Arts - Creative Writing program at the University of British Columbia. A member of the Aboriginal Writers Collective of Manitoba since 2004, Vermette lives, works and plays in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
We would like to introduce Katherena Vermette, our Volunteer Coordinator and Marketing Assistant. When she’s not busy working at the office, this Winnipeg writer is busy with her own career as a poet. We asked her a few questions, and here is what she said…
When did you start writing?
“I honestly don't remember. I started arbitrarily scribbling words into scribblers very young. I do remember writing a rhyming poem - that I could still recite to you today - when I was ten. I really liked the rhyming poetry during my tweens.
Then, I discovered T.S. Eliot and E.E. Cummings, and dove into an angst filled poetic youth with a pair of used army boots, a sticker covered journal, and a shroud of thick black hair to hide behind. Yes, I was THAT girl in high school.”
How did you decide what you wanted to write about?
“I am completely self-absorbed so I have always written about ME, and all that I have seen and experienced. I was also subject to many shrinks throughout my childhood - THANKS MOM - so I got quite accustomed to talking, and in many cases writing, about my FEELINGS.
As I grew up, I started to look outside of my own skin more often (though some would argue not enough), and started writing about other people too. I love people. I am continuously fascinated with the CHARACTER of people. In my poetry, I think of myself as an observer, sometimes of myself, sometimes of others, and I write what I see. In my fiction, I take what I have seen and mix it up with stuff I create. The making up stuff is my favourite part.”
How do you usually write?
“On an ideal day, I wake up inspired and get right to writing and coffee. On a typical day, I wake up late, get my kids off to school and get distracted by work stuff. The writing has to put up with a when-I-can sort of schedule.”
What advice could you provide to someone attempting to publish his or her first piece?
“EDIT EDIT EDIT EDIT and then POLISH POLISH POLISH POLISH and then get someone else to read it, give you honest feedback, and do it all over again. It never "just happens" and anyone who told you it does is LYING to you. Writing for yourself is great, satisfying, cathartic, emotional. Writing for other people is a job.”
If you could meet one writer, who would it be and why?
“Leonard Cohen… Because I'm a poet that's why.”
Katherena Vermette is a Metis writer of poetry and fiction. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and compilations, including the upcoming Manitoapow – Aboriginal Literary History of Manitoba (Highwater Press 2012). Vermette was the 2010-2011 Blogger in Residence for thewriterscollective.org and recently begun graduate work in the prestigious Master of Fine Arts - Creative Writing program at the University of British Columbia. A member of the Aboriginal Writers Collective of Manitoba since 2004, Vermette lives, works and plays in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
September 07, 2011
Uncovering the secrets of ‘Foxy Lady’
A random Google search first introduced Winnipeg author Dave Kattenburg to Stuart Glass, a young B.C. adventurer killed by the Khmer Rouge on board his little yacht -- Foxy Lady -- in 1978.
“I thought – a Canadian had died… a Canadian yachtsman? That’s amazing,” said Kattenburg. “And all the stories were the same. There was just one tale about him. No information about who he was, or where he was from. Nothing…”
Kattenburg began researching Glass in an effort to uncover more information about the details surrounding the capture of Foxy Lady. Once he started, he couldn’t stop.
“I was intrigued,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. I wondered how it was possible that there was nothing known about him, and I saw it as a challenge.”
The easiest part of Kattenburg’s research was locating Glass’ family in Canada. He obtained a great deal of information from them, but realized much more would be needed to write a book.
Stuart Glass had met Englishwoman Susan Jessie Everard in 1972, the Glass family told Kattenburg, and she had been his best friend, partner and companion until 1977. It would be impossible to fill in the details of Glass’ life during that time without talking to Susan, and Kattenburg began a detailed quest to find the woman who would hold many of the answers.
He first found Susan’s sister, Margaret, an Anglican minister who agreed to put Kattenburg in contact with her younger sister. And then, finally, Susan called.
“I was so blown away when I found her,” Kattenburg said. “It was at that moment – when I heard her voice on the phone – that I realized this could actually become a book.”
A shot of Foxy Lady -- before disaster struck...
Talking to family and friends was only one part of Kattenburg’s research. In addition to flipping through phone directories and poking through archives, he visited Cambodia -- the home of Pol Pot and the feared Khmer Rouge regime -- twice.
In Cambodia, over the course of nearly four years, between 1.7 and 2.2 million Cambodians were killed by the Khmer Rouge. Tuol Sleng -- a prison, torture house and death camp -- was responsible for at least 12,000 of those deaths.
Included in these were New Zealander Kerry Hamill and Englishman John Dewhirst, Stuart Glass’ two mates on board Foxy Lady when she was captured in 1978. While Glass was killed aboard the yacht -- in a hail of Khmer Rouge gunfire -- Hamill and Dewhirst would suffer a worse fate. They were dragged off to Tuol Sleng prison (nicknamed S-21) in Phnom Penh, charged with being CIA spies, tortured for a few months and then killed.
Foxy Lady: Truth, Memory and the Death of Western Yachtsmen in Democratic Kampuchea tells the story of yachtsmen killed by the Khmer Rouge (there were nine in total), and chronicles the rise and fall of the brutal Democratic Kampuchean regime. The story also focuses on the Khmer Rouge’s chief executioner, S-21 chief Kaing Guek Eav, aka “Duch.”
For a complete synopsis of Foxy Lady, click here.
When asked what advice he would give to anyone attempting to write a non-fiction novel, Kattenburg replied that it is important to be persistent, especially when writing a book that involves digging up undisclosed information.
A photo of author and journalist Dave Kattenburg...
“If you’re patient and tenacious enough, eventually things reveal themselves,” Kattenburg explained. “And, I think you have to be a little crazy too…”
Did you know?
Recently, a film titled Brother Number One has been released in Australia and New Zealand. It examines the Foxy Lady story from a completely different perspective. It chronicles the journey of Rob Hamill – brother of murdered Foxy Lady skipper Kerry Hamill – as he travels to Cambodia to retrace the steps taken by his brother during his last months alive.
If you would like to watch the trailer, or learn more about the film, click here.
About the author…
Dave Kattenburg was born on Long Island in 1953. He holds bachelor and Ph.D. degrees in biology and health sciences, teaches university science courses and produces radio stories on global environment, development and social justice issues. Documentaries arising from his travels have appeared on CBC Radio, Radio Netherlands, Free Speech Radio and his own site www.greenplanetmonitor.net. David currently resides at the epicenter of North America, Winnipeg.
September 06, 2011
The Winnipeg International Writers Festival is proud to announce that four presenting authors at THIN AIR 2011 have made the Giller Long List. They include Lynn Coady (The Antagonist), Clark Blaise (The Meagre Tarmac), Guy Vanderhaeghe (A Good Man), and Dany Laferriere (The Return - translated by David Homel).
The winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize will recieve $50,000 in addition to the title, and we hope that it's one of our featured writers!
September 05, 2011
Thank you for your book sale support!
Our book sale was a huge success, and we want to thank each and every person who visited us at The Forks and purchased a book (or two, or three, or TEN) over the Labour Day weekend. It is because of people like you that we can do what we do every year, and we truly appreciate the support!
Our festival is only two weeks away, and now we're gearing up to finalize those last minute details. We'll see you soon at a THIN AIR 2011 venue near you, for what we know will be a fantastic 15th festival.
Our festival is only two weeks away, and now we're gearing up to finalize those last minute details. We'll see you soon at a THIN AIR 2011 venue near you, for what we know will be a fantastic 15th festival.
September 03, 2011
Our MEGA Book Sale is on now...
Today has already been a highly-productive first day at our book sale, and our event will be featured tonight on Global News at 6:00 p.m. Tune in and see what we've been up to, if you haven't been down to The Forks already.
There are still two days left and many more books to be sold!
There are still two days left and many more books to be sold!
August 30, 2011
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)!
The Atrium
McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park
BIG IDEAS (free)
Monday through Friday, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Carol Shields Auditorium
Millennium Library, 251 Donald St
THE NOONER (free)
Monday through Friday, 12:15 – 12:45 pm
Carol Shields Auditorium
Millennium Library, 251 Donald St
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
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!
THE MAINSTAGE
Monday through Saturday, 8:00 p.m.
Manitoba Theatre for Young People
Shaw Performing Arts Centre, The Forks
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.
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.
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.
Every year, THIN AIR reaches out to readers in communities beyond the city limits.
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 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.
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.
August 29, 2011
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.
Here is the breakdown of each judge and the title he or she has selected to debate:
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!”
Judge: Alison Gillmor
Title: Reading by Lightning by Joan ThomasJudge: Vincent Ho
The Life of Helen Betty Osborne by David Alexander RobertsonJudge: Paul Jordan
Bandit by Wayne TefsJudge: Niigon Sinclair
Where Nests the Water Hen by Gabrielle RoyFor more information about Manitoba Reads, visit www.cbc.ca/manitoba/scene/books.
August 25, 2011
Elizabeth Hay’s ‘Alone in the Classroom’
Have you ever read a novel that moves you so much you can’t decide if you want to smile or cry?
Elizabeth Hay’s most recent novel – Alone in the Classroom – is a tender and honest tale that takes place across three generations. It highlights issues that most people can relate to, including love, hate and jealousy. More importantly, the novel teaches readers that the actions we take will always affect the next generation.
A lovely shot of Elizabeth Hay. Memorize the face, people. Memorize the face.
About the novel…
Beginning in a small prairie school in 1929, a young schoolteacher – Connie Flood – attempts to help a struggling student. Observing them and darkening their lives is the principal, Parley Burns, whose strange behaviour culminates in an attack so disturbing its repercussions continue to the present day.
Connie’s niece, Anne, tells the story. Impelled by curiosity about her dynamic, adventurous aunt and her more conventional mother, she revisits Connie’s past and her mother’s broken childhood. In the process, she unravels the enigma of Parley Burns and the mysterious (and unrelated) deaths of two young girls.
Alone in the Classroom is meant to be read slowly. It is filled with detailed and often poetic language that makes settings, seasons and characters come alive. Throughout the novel, there are also references to classic literature – such as Tess of the D’Ubervilles and Pride & Prejudice – which make it even easier to picture events and people the way Hay wanted them to be seen.
If Alone in the Classroom is your first experience with a novel by Hay, you won’t be disappointed. The plot is both realistic and elaborate, a format that keeps the reader interested until the final pages.
About the author…
Elizabeth Hay is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. She has been a nominee for the Governor General's Award twice – for Small Change in 1997 and for Garbo Laughs in 2003 – and won the Giller Prize for her 2007 novel Late Nights on Air. In 2002, she received the Marian Engel Award, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada to an established female writer for her body of work — including novels, short fiction, and creative non-fiction.
Elizabeth Hay is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. She has been a nominee for the Governor General's Award twice – for Small Change in 1997 and for Garbo Laughs in 2003 – and won the Giller Prize for her 2007 novel Late Nights on Air. In 2002, she received the Marian Engel Award, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada to an established female writer for her body of work — including novels, short fiction, and creative non-fiction.
Come to her presentation at THIN AIR 2011 and learn more about this famous author…
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