THIN AIR 2011

Highlights from last year's THIN AIR.

Backstage

Clark Blaise, Mainstage

Guy Vanderhaeghe, Nooner

Dany Laferrière, Programmation sur les campus

George Amabile, Oodena

David Homel, Mainstage

Jila Ghomeshi, Big Ideas

Oodena

Miriam Toews, Mainstage

Ron Charach, Nooner

Waubgeshig Rice, Mainstage

Steven Ross Smith, Steve Kirby, Kristopher Ulrich, Afterwords Jazz Club

Wayne Tefs, Festival Director Charlene Diehl, Elizabeth Hay, Afternoon Book Chat

Lining Up for Autographs

All Photographs by Leif Norman/leifnorman.net

Rosemary Nixon: Wish I Was There

 As my plane lands in Winnipeg on a sunny windy September afternoon, 2011 -- must be my church-going, Mennonite background – I want to burst into song. I’ve got the joy joy joy joy down in my heart… Any writer knows the toll writing a novel takes on one’s social life. Writing is a solitary business. But for this fabulous weekend at least, I will not only get to unveil my novel, Kalila, I will belong to a community of writers, some whom I’ve never met; others whom I’ve idolized for years. Minutes later, I’m whisked off by the festival’s fabulous personal taxi service. I drop my bags in my chic room, and head for the Writers’ Lounge.

How to describe my days at Thin Air? Intoxicating. Invigorating. Inspirational. Heart-bursting. The recurring astonishment: worlds that we writers spent so long narrating into existence -- those unruly characters who talked back, refused their places, blatently ignored our directions and marched off after their own ideas, the story lines we agonized over, slashed, recreated, and finally despairingly relinquished control of — exist, lift off the page before packed audiences of story lovers. Each event is defamiliarized, exhilarating, each particular cluster of writers that Charlene Diehl has put together on stage, sifts into a whole greater than the sum of its parts. I am fortunate enough to have the honour to participate in one of Charlene’s intimate book chats, to later share the main stage with esteemed writers. I run into old friends. And equally enriching, I get, time and again, be part of the rapt audience – palpable, that collective passion for story, love of language. The emotional musicality resonating within and between all - those - words. The energy fairly crackles. Which leads to the highlight of my weekend: a late evening at the Afterwords Jazz Club. Steve Kirby and Kristopher Ulrich spilling their rhythms in accompaniment to Steven Ross Smith who is literally throwing words around. A sound/poetry extravaganza. What a note to go out on.

Thin Air is a gift to readers and writers alike to discover, uncover, surrender to the mystery of words, and the myriad of ways the strangeness of truth can move us. I’m so envious of you all this year! Hope to see you again soon!  

THIN AIR 2012 From A to Z

THIN AIR 2012

from Award-Winning Authors to Zombies

A...Here's an interview with Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford. He's just published Canada, his first novel in six years. After his parents rob a bank in Montana, fifteen-year-old Dell Parsons struggles to remake himself in Saskatchewan. But Dell's search for grace and peace leads to more darkness in this resonant, eloquent work by an American master.

Richard Ford joins David Bergen, author of The Age of Hope, and the prairie images of Mike Grandmaison for Oh Canada, Oh Prairie, Mainstage, on Tuesday September 25, 8-10 pm , at MTYP (The Forks).


Z...And the trailer for the novel Husk by Corey Redekop, the story about an ordinary young man who turns into a zombie. (Probably NSFW)

Corey Redekop appears at Zombie Night in Brandon, Friday September 21, 7:30 pm, at the Evans Theatre, and at Forewords, with the Winnipeg Poetry Slam Team, Saturday, September 22, 8:00 pm, at Winnipeg Cultural City Hall.

More details in the THIN AIR 2012 Program Book, available now.

Nora Young talks Tech

It was hot outside on June 7th but very cool inside Winnipeg’s Park Theatre as the Winnipeg International Writers Festival brought together writing fans and music fans in the latest Thin Air event.
CBC’s Nora Young (Spark, ex-DNTO) talked about her new book The Virtual Self, an examination into the virtual information we generate about ourselves and how it affects our communities, our government, and our lives.

Young gave a quick introduction about adapting to new technology, starting with a vintage audio recording instructing people on how to use that new invention, the rotary dial telephone.
Then it was off to contemporary times, when people readily welcome the latest technology into their lives, sharing their most intimate and quotidian information, regulating their days, even photographing and posting their every meal online.

Young is interested in what these brave new tools can tell us, about not what we need as human beings but what we are as human beings.

In a Question and Answer session, Young and Thin Air Director Charlene Diehl talked about writing a book versus for the radio. (This is Young’s first book.) In response to a query from the audience, Young discussed about privacy concerns. This information we generate is publicly available, but what is innocent in one context can be creepy in another.

These are tools to harness what people are doing and talking about and experiencing, she concluded. It’s time to think about data ownership and having a public conversation about people having more control of their own data, becoming what she calls Data Citizens.

As a counterpoint to Young’s arguments, the evening also featured the Karl Kohut Electric Quartet, playing jazz with the help of new and old technologies.

Their set mixed an original or two with covers of standards, Herbie Hancock, and The Beatles. (Who knew that “Tomorrow Never Knows” would sound so great performed on a vocoder?)

As Diehl said after one of their numbers, there’s something sexy about robots singing love songs.

By Bruce Symaka, Publicist for THIN AIR 2012

1. Nora Young prepping.
2. Charlene Diehl pondering.
3. Nora speaking about her book and ideas.
4, 5, 6. The Karl Kohut Electric Quartet.

All pictures by Leif Norman (http://www.leifnorman.net/)

Richard Stursberg's "Tower of Babble"

Together with Douglas & McIntyre Publishers and McNally Robinson Booksellers, the Winnipeg International Writers festival presents Richard Stursberg, in conversation with Joanne Kelly, and signing and talking about his new book "The Tower of Babble: Sins, Secrets and Successes inside the CBC."

Thursday, May 10, 7:00pm

At McNally Robinson Booksellers, Grant Park in the Atrium

In 2004, CBC television had sunk to its lowest audience share in its history. That same year, Richard Stursberg, an avowed popularizer with a reputation for radical action, was appointed as the head of CBC’s Television services. In 2008 his role was expanded to head of all English services: television, online and radio. With incisive wit, Stursberg tells the story of the struggle that resulted—a struggle that lasted for six turbulent and controversial years.

The Tower of Babble tells the story of our most loved and reviled cultural institution during its most convulsive and far-reaching period of change. It is for those who think the CBC has lost its way, thosewho love where it is, and those who think it should not exist in the first place.

Richard Stursberg has been involved with media for most of his adult life. He has been Assistant Deputy Minister, Culture and Broadcasting at the federal department of Communications, President of the Canadian Cable Television association, Chairman of the Canadian Television Fund, Executive Director of Telefilm Canda (the national film financing agency), and Executive Vice President of English services at the CBC. Stursberg currently sits on the Board of the Canadian Film Centre.

He has been variously described as “brilliant”, “bad”, overbearing”, “charming”, “machiavellian” and“unpleasant”. Those who know him best agree with these assessments.

Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction

When our dear friend and talented publicist, writer Michael Van Rooy, passed away suddenly in January of 2011, we here at the Festival wanted to do something to recognize his contribution to the writing community. So when Aqua Books owner Kelly Hughes approached us with the idea of creating an award in Michael’s name, we were on board. The Michael Van Roy Award for Genre Fiction, jointly supported by Aqua Books, Prairie Fire Press, and the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, will be presented for the first time at this year’s Manitoba Book Awards, to be held April 28 at the CCFM.

The Manitoba Writers Guild has released the list of nominees:

Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction
· The Girl in the Wall by Alison Preston, Signature Editions
· The Imagination Manifesto: Book Three by GMB Chomichuk and John Toone, Alchemical Press
· The Thirteen by Susie Moloney, Random House Canada
· The Valedictorians by David Annandale, Ravenstone (an imprint of Turnstone Press)

On Thursday, April 19, some of these writers will be reading from their work at Aqua Books (274 Garry). This free event starts at 7pm. We invite everyone to attend and meet the writers.

The Book Awards celebration on April 28 is also free—it’s a great opportunity to celebrate all of the incredible writing and publishing happening here in Manitoba.

Good luck to all the nominees!

Thank you!

THIN AIR 2011 was a huge success, and plans are already underway for our festival in 2012.

Keep following our blog, and be sure to check the website often, as we will keep updating throughout the year!