Literary Events in Edmonton

There's a lot going on in E-town and EPL is happy to be a part of it. In addition to the awesome programs we initiate and deliver in our branches, we are also proud supporters and sponsors of many extraordinary literary events that happen throughout the year.

Calling all Alberta authors...

The Edmonton Public Library's Alberta Readers' Choice Award is back for another thrilling year. Last year, with our change in eligibility criteria, we saw five terrific books and their Alberta-based authors duke it out for the $10,000 prize. In the end it was an extremely close race and Wayne Arthurson took home the award for his mystery novel, Fall From Grace.

It's time once again for Alberta authors to submit your books for the 2013 Alberta Readers' Choice Award!

Submit yours before December 31, 2012.

Click here for all the details.

LitFest is the only nonfiction festival in Canada. It brings together some of the best-selling, award-winning and emerging authors of books, magazine and film content. It also supports Edmonton as a local incubator for nonfiction literary talent.

LitFest 2012 runs October 17-28, with a pre-festival showcase on September 28 and 29. Below are events being held at the Stanley A. Milner Library. For a complete listing of events at all venues, visit http://litfestalberta.org/home.aspx.

Date / Time	Event Description
Fri. Oct. 19 2pm	Narrative Construction in Literary Nonfiction Stanley A. Milner Library Noah Richler Noah Richler uses his 14 years experience as BBC radio documentarian and a subsequent decade of writing books and magazine articles to reflect on appropriate storytelling techniques in today's era
Fri. Oct. 19 7pm	Strange Bedfellows Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre Terry Glavin, Paul Wells and Paula Simons There has always been an uneasy dance between media and politicians, each wanting access and control. Paul Wells, political editor at Macleans, and Terry Glavin, columnist with the Ottawa Citizen, join the Edmonton Journal’s Paula Simons for a funny and caustic discussion.
Sat. Oct. 20 10am	Days of Whine and Roses Stanley A. Milner Library Paul Wells Paul Wells, political editor at Maclean's and author of The Harper Decade, discusses ways to elevate a blog and personal commentary into the realm of journalism. In a generation in which everyone has a soapbox, what actually sets a columnist apart? What are the obligations of a responsible commentator?
Sat. Oct. 20 1pm	Northwords Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre Noah Richler and host Myrna Kostash In 2011, CBC’s Shelagh Rogers lead five authors (Joseph Boyden, Noah Richler, Alissa York, Sarah Leavitt and Rabindranath Maharaj) on an expedition into the majestic Torngat Mountains of northern Labrador. The resulting documentary, Northwords, combines spectacular cinematography and telling personal reflections by the writers. Richler joins us for the screening, and will be available for a Q&A to follow.
Sat. Oct. 20 7pm	Shadows of Afghanistan Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre Terry Glavin, Noah Richler, Paul Wells and Janice Williamson; host Sheila Pratt Canada has had troops in Afghanistan since Dec 19, 2001. Through the efforts of Afghan Canadians, journalists, soldiers and international development workers, this conflict and our role in it has reshaped Canadian society, calling into question our self-image as peace-keepers. Four authors examine the impact of the war on all of us.
Fri. Oct. 26 7pm	Borderlines Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre Carmen Aguirre, Marcello di Cintio and Boderlines Writers' Circle; host Jacqueline Dumas Carmen Aguirre won Canada Reads with Something Fierce, a startling look at coming of age as a Chilean revolutionary. Marcello di Cintio’s book Walls examines the impact of walls intended to separate nations, to separate cultures. Edmonton’s new writers group Borderlines celebrates the work of authors crossing over into work in English. Together, these authors provide compelling perspectives on cultural barriers, and how they are overcome.
Sun. Oct. 28 3pm	Fauna Stanley A. Milner Library Jerry Haigh, Andrew Nikiforuk and Candace Savage Large animal veterinarian shares stories from two decades of work in northern Saskatchewan. Andrew Nikiforuk provides an update on the fight against the Northern Pine Beetle. Candace Savage provides a loving overview of challenges facing prairie ecosystems. Together, they discuss ways in which we share space with other creatures – and what we have to learn from our neighbours.

For a complete listing of events at all venues, visit http://litfestalberta.org/home.aspx.

EPL is a proud sponsor of the Edmonton Poetry Festival hosting several events during this week-long festival from April 25 to May 1, 2011.

Schedule of Events at Stanley A. Milner Library (Downtown)

Date	Event
Tuesday, April 26	Poetry Central - 11:30am to 1:30pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Foyer Poetry Central is the heart of the festival in the heart of the city. It’s for poets, passersby, and anybody who identifies with any other label (or not). Youth Showcase - 7:00pm to 9:00pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre Come and hear the next generation of performance poets. This showcase reveals the talents of a group of young poets that has been learning the ropes in a series of workshops with some of Edmonton’s top performers, including Cadence Weapon and members of the Edmonton slam team, Mary Pinkoski, Chris Krueger, and Ben Chu. Come and cheer them on. Launch to the Moon - 8:00pm to 10:00pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre Here’s a super-hot presentation by two of North America’s best-known names in spoken word: Sheri-D Wilson and Regie Cabico. They’re launching the brand-new Spoken Word Workbook: inspiration from poets who teach, which will be the Go-To resource for Spoken Word Poetry.
Wednesday, April 27	Poetry Central - 11:30am to 1:30pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Foyer Poetry Central is the heart of the festival in the heart of the city. It’s for poets, passersby, and anybody who identifies with any other label (or not).
Thursday, April 28	Poetry Central - 11:30am to 1:30pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Foyer Poetry Central is the heart of the festival in the heart of the city. It’s for poets, passersby, and anybody who identifies with any other label (or not). Video Virality - 7:00pm to 9:00pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Theatre The poetry video opens up whole new ways to combine words and images and connect them to audiences. This session will feature Tanya Davis, whose “How to be alone” video has logged more than 2.5 million hits, and Edmonton’s own Kath MacLean.
Friday, April 29	Poetry Central - 11:30am to 1:30pm Stanley A. Milner Library - Foyer Poetry Central is the heart of the festival in the heart of the city. It’s for poets, passersby, and anybody who identifies with any other label (or not).
Saturday, April 30	Words Out Loud: Find Your Own Performance Style - 9:30am to 11:30am Stanley A. Milner Library *This workshop is now full* Performance workshop with master performer John Leppard. “Spoken word is not an all-or-nothing thing,” says workshop leader John Leppard. “There are gradations and progressions. This workshop will help you figure out what spoken word techniques are and how to tailor them for yourself.” Writing Under the Influence - 9:30am to 12:15pm (Session 1) Stanley A. Milner Library Writing Under the Influence This poetry workshop will explore the intoxication that comes from drinking the wine of a different tavern. Fall under the spell of Sufi poetry, create spontaneous work and perform in the moment. Moving through the senses to the sixth sense, this workshop will also include a short introduction to the dance of the Whirling Dervish. Requirements: Passion, Patience, Paper, Pencil, relaxed clothing and good socks. Writing Under the Influence - 1:30am to 4:15pm (Session 2) Stanley A. Milner Library Turning Point Performance Examine a personal transition point and transform it into artistic expression. Through guided meditation and writing exercises, produce a polished piece of poetry, get tips on the music of language and present the work in a non-competitive “Alphabet SLAM.” Requirements: Passion, Patience, Paper, Pencil, Mind, Body and Voice. Writing Under the Influence (both sessions) is presented by the Canadian Authors Association in collaboration with the Edmonton Poetry Festival. Workshop fee for each session is $20 for members of the CAA and the Edmonton Poetry Festival Society, or $35 for non-members. Advance registration is required. Register for this workshop here.

Festival History

The Edmonton Poetry Festival kicked off in 2006, with the help of Edmonton’s then-poet-laureate Alice Major and an organizing committee representing a wide range of poetry groups in the city. TELUS came on board as the founding sponsor. Victoria School for the Arts held its hugely successful poetry day, with dozens of local poets in classrooms and the Parliamentary Poet Laureate, Pauline Michel in the school theatre.

A passle of other poets laureate descended on the festival, including Dolores Bell of Washington, D.C., Louise Halfe of Saskatchewan and Lorri Neilen Glenn of Halifax. There was Concrete Poetry — poems chalked all over Sir Winston Churchill Square — and the Roar’s big pub crawl. And there was the first ever Blinks poetry event — sixty poets, 30 seconds each — organized by the Stroll of Poets Society.

The 2007 festival got even bigger, thanks to a funding boost from Edmonton’s Cultural Capital Program. TELUS continued its support. That allowed us to stage a symposium, bringing in people like U.S. slam poet, Jack McCarthy. The school program exapnded to seven schools, Poets Blinked, Roared and did Stand-up Poetry on street corners.

For more information and details about the festival schedule, visit www.edmontonpoetryfestival.com

Listen to EPL's Amanda Bird on CBC RadioActive talk about:

• 2013 Overview

• Prairies/North Top 10

Each year, Canada Reads celebrates five Canadian books for three months online, on the air and at public events. It all leads up to a week-long show on CBC Radio hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. In this annual title fight, five celebrity panelists defend their favourite work of Canadian fiction. One by one, books are voted off the list, until one panelist triumphs with THE book for Canada to read.

This year, the country has been divided into five regions with Canadians recommending the novel they want to represent the place they call home. Each region will ultimately be represented by one book in the debates.

Canada Reads Regional Top 10s

Find them at EPL, then read 'em and vote! Vote for your favourite book in each region to help it make the Top 5! Polls close at 11:59pm ET on November 12.

Prairies & North

B.C. & Yukon

Ontario

Quebec

Atlantic