News & Views, March 2010


Welcome to News & Views, where we fill you in on the latest information on what’s happening in the world of books, close to home and across the globe. There’s lots to catch up on, as you can see. 

Coming Events

Be sure to check details of some exciting spring events -- including Conni Massing in March and Yann Martel in April.

Alberta Readers’ Choice Award 2010

Taking a page from the successful CBC Canada Reads book, Alberta has established its own reading debate, the Alberta Readers’ Choice Award, and I’m pleased to be on the jury to make the difficult decision of narrowing down the many excellent books to a short list of five and then it will be up to the public select the recipient of the $10,000 purse, sponsored by the Edmonton Public Library and the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.  Joining me on the jury are Senator and jazz great Tommy Banks; broadcaster and author Fil Fraser; Red Deer Mayor Morris Flewelling; and Calgary bookstore owner Simone Lee.

The five short-listed books are as follows:

  1. BulletBomb Canada and Other Unkind Remarks in the American Media, by former CBC Radio reporter Chantal Allan, published by AU Press

  2. BulletBuying Cigarettes for the Dog, a collection of short stories by Ontario's Stuart Ross, published by Freehand Book

  3. BulletFishing for Bacon, the debut novel from Calgary's Michael Davie, published by NeWest Press

  4. BulletThe Forgotten Explorer, an account of Samuel Prescott Fay's 1914 expedition to the Northern Rockies, published by Rocky Mountain Books

  5. BulletThe Frog Lake Reader, a re-examination of the Frog Lake Massacre of 1885, by Edmonton author Myrna Kostash, published by NeWest Pre

Following the public vote -- which commences on March 15th -- the inaugural winner of the Alberta Readers’ Choice Award will be revealed at the annual Alberta Book Publishing Awards gala in Edmonton in May.


Literary Saloon Focused on CBC Canada Reads 2010

And, speaking of CBC Canada Reads, Edmonton’s Literary Saloon -- the brain child of local writers Marina Endicott and Lynn Coady -- turned the focus of a recent session on the five contenders for this increasingly popular literary debate. Held on Thursday, February 11th at the ARTery (9535 Jasper Avenue), the Saloon put together a panel of five -- and yes, I was one of the five -- to “defend” one book each.  A fan of Wayson Choy’s forever, I am happy to have the chance to “sell” people on The Jade Peony, one of the five excellent books (below) on this year’s short list.  Other panelists at the Saloon were Jacqueline Janell of CBC, author Marina Endicott, Amanda Bird of Edmonton Public Schools and Rob Appleford from the U of A.

The Literary Saloon events are eclectic, entertaining and informative... all that for only $5.00.  And don’t forget, CBC has named a “resident blogger” for this year’s event.  So, for all you bloggers, you can join in the debate by contacting Flannery at her site. 

  1. BulletPerdita Felicien is defending Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

  2. BulletSamantha Nutt is defending The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy

  3. BulletRoland Pemberton aka Cadence Weapon is defending Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland

  4. BulletSimi Sara is defending Good to a Fault by Marina Endicott

  5. BulletMichel Vézina is defending Nikolski by Nicolas Dickner, translated by Lazer Lederhendler


MacEwan University and the Future of Story

I was pleased to be a part of an exciting venture at Grant MacEwan University a few weeks ago. At a time when the use of social media technologies is exploding, and traditional story forms are struggling to stay current, it is important to look at the future of storytelling and narrative. What Happens Next? The Future of Story is a two-day conference which will explore these issues.

I joined Richard Helm, book editor at the Edmonton Journal, Edmonton author Thomas Trofimuk (if you haven’t read his Waiting for Columbus you really must!) and Robyn Read of Freehand Books on a panel that focused on the future of the book.  Given recent bookstore closures and increasing hype surrounding various electronic readers, this is a question of continuing critical importance and I was pleased to involved.   


Laurie’s Bookmobile Starts Putting on the Miles


Many of you have heard me talk over the years about my desire to have a

travelling bookmobile so that I can make it easier for those living some distance from Edmonton to buy books for themselves, their friends and family.  Well, Laurie’s Bookmobile is now officially up and running so please check it out by

going to my page about Consulting Services!


2009 Governor Generals Awards

To the surprise of many readers, Kate Pullinger was selected as winner of the 2009 Governor-General’s Literary Award for fiction for her book The Mistress of Nothing.  The Cranbrook native now lives in London, England. Her book, published by McArthur & Company, is about the life of a Victorian-era maid.

Talk on the streets was that the GG would most likely go either to Alice Munro for another brilliant collection of stories, Too Much Happiness, or to Newfoundland native Michael Crummey for his remarkable modern-day folk tale Galore.  And Pullinger’s win has shut Annabel Lyon and The Golden Mean out of the two biggest Canadian literary prizes.

The non-fiction GG went to Toronto writer M.G. Vassanji for A Place Within: Rediscovering India (Doubleday Canada).


2009 Giller Goes to Well-known Journalist

Linden MacIntyre has been named the 2009 winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel The Bishop’s Man, published by Random House Canada. The announcement was made live on Bravo! and BookTelevision at a black-tie dinner and award ceremony on Tuesday, November 10th that drew nearly 500 members of the publishing, media and arts communities. 


Of the winning book, the jury remarked:  “The Bishop’s Man centres on a sensitive topic - the sexual abuses perpetrated by Catholic priests on the innocent children in their care. Father Duncan, the first person narrator, has been his bishop's dutiful enforcer, employed to check the excesses of priests and, crucially, to suppress the evidence. But as events veer out of control, he is forced into painful self-knowledge as family, community and friendship are torn apart under the strain of suspicion, obsession and guilt. A brave novel, conceived and written with impressive delicacy and understanding.”


The announcement earlier this year of the long-list was accompanied by considerable reaction, not only to the books selected but to the jury itself!  This year’s jury is an international one, an attempt of founder Jack Rabinovitch to broaden the horizons of the Prize he named after his late wife, Doris Giller. 


The three judges are Victoria Glendinning, the British critic and novelist, Russell Banks, noted American writer, and award-winning Canadian author Alistair MacLeod. Glendinning has caused quite a stir with her less than generous remarks about Canadian literature in the September 12th edition of the Financial Times. Canadian reaction to her remarks has been swift and blunt; for example, check out comments by Noah Richler  and Peter Scowen, communities editor with the Globe and Mail and the person responsible for the Globe Books website.

The list itself has also caused considerable reaction, with some curious inclusions and some clear omissions -- where, for example, are Michael Crummey’s breathtaking Galore or Waiting for Columbus, Thomas Trofimuk’s brilliant look at madness?

  1. ➡Margaret Atwood -- The Year of the Flood

  2. ➡Martha Baillie --The Incident Report

  3. ➡SHORT-LISTED -- Kim Echlin -- The Disappeared

  4. ➡Claire Holden Rothman -- The Heart Specialist

  5. ➡Paulette Jiles --The Colour of Lightning

  6. ➡Jeanette Lynes -- The Factory Voice

  7. ➡SHORT-LISTED  -- Annabel Lyon -- The Golden Mean

  8. ➡WINNER  -- Linden MacIntyre _-- The Bishop's Man

  9. ➡SHORT-LISTED  -- Colin McAdam -- Fall

  10. ➡SHORT-LISTED  -- Anne Michaels -- The Winter Vault

  11. ➡Shani Mootoo-- Valmiki's Daughter

  12. ➡Kate Pullinger -- The Mistress of Nothing




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