FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1998 All Rights Reserved.
| WORDFEST PanCanadian WordFest, 1998. So many events. What to do. Here are some highlights - but remember (say if you have kids or follow children's books), there are all kinds of other special events. These are brief, subjective highlights, so get the WordFest brochure and plan the weekend. Quick, word-association test. I say "books, authors." You say: "imagination, passion." Good answer. How does anyone get through the writing of a novel or play or book of poems without tons of both? WordFest's Kick-Off Cabaret celebrates the aural expression of passion and imagination, bringing together local musical treasures Amos Garrett and Ron Casat, and national literary treasures Spider and Jeanne Robinson. Just as Robinson's put Garrett in his books, so you should mark down this event in your book. It's on Thursday, October 15 at 9 p.m. at the Uptown Stage and Screen, and it's licensed. You know what that means. Get there a couple of hours early for the Literary Luminaries reading at 7 p.m. Since her mysterious book launch in the Palliser's penthouse, many Calgarians have been reading and talking about Aritha van Herk's new novel, Restlessness. Hear her read at this event. Tomson Highway reads from Kiss of the Fur Queen, his already acclaimed debut novel. Essayist, novelist and editor Alberto Ruy-Sanchez is here from Mexico, where his novel Mogador (Los nombres del aire) won a national best novel prize. And Guy Gavriel Kay travels back to a re-imagined Byzantine Empire with readings from his new novel, Sailing to Sarantium. Don't miss Friday's Literary Luminaries reading either. All the writers -Neil Bissoondath, Greg Hollingshead, Linda Jaivin, Bill Richardson, Shyam Selvadurai and Rudy Weibe - have attention-getting new books out. Two are at the interesting stage where they're following up big preceding successes: Hollingshead had great success with Roaring Girl, as did Selvadurai with his novel Funny Boy. But there isn't a writer here I'm not curious about on some level. After that, stick around the Uptown till 9:30 p.m. for the Poetry Bash with Karen Connelly, Louise Bak, Nicole Markotic and Rajinderpal S. Pal. The bash is a great chance to see just two from the great lineup of Mexican writers at this year's festival - David Huerta and Coral Bracho give Calgary readers a chance to hear what poetry's sounding like in Mexico these days, and should add a new dimension to the evening. Saturday afternoon sees the Stage to Story panel discussion, with Andre Alexis, Tomson Highway, Carmen Boullosa and Pete McCormack. All four authors have made the shift from writing for the stage to writing novels. At these author panels, writers exchange anecdotes, ideas, arguments and jokes on an issue important to their career. You can probably join in with questions, too. Last year's discussion between Michael Turner, Roddy Doyle, Paul Quarrington and Quincy Troupe offered some of the most informal and funny moments in the whole event. Saturday, October 17, 1 p.m. at the Uptown. Sex and Subversion. Altered Realities. Sounds like these sessions are about sex and drugs. But really it's sex and speculative fiction. Guy Gavriel Kay, with Jeanne and Spider Robinson, appear at the Uptown, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. At 4 p.m. it's erotica-talk time, with poet (and sexuality counselor) Louise Bak, Eat Me author Linda Jaivin, Doomed Bridegroom author Myrna Kostash, and Suzette Mayr, whose novel The Widows puts the boots to ideas of aging female obsolescence. Bring your mom. Oh, there's no room for Banff in here. No wonder Sheila Copps thinks the place is too big. WordFest goes to Banff from 7 p.m. Saturday through Sunday afternoon, so look at that schedule, too. Ticket info? Call TicketMaster at 777-0000 or the Banff Centre Box Office at 403-762-6301. Group, school bookings or festival passes can be purchased through the PanCanadian WordFest office at 294-7462. |