| Weighty, balanced WordFest lineup announced
WordFest 2002 was officially launched this Wednesday, and it's truly the sumo wrestler of WordFests to date: weighty and carefully balanced.
This year's event runs from October 16 to 20 and offers a mix of writers in the news, like Nino Ricci reading from his novel Testament, along with local and Alberta authors like Larissa Lai and Marilyn Dumont, plus a long list of international writers that may be new discoveries for many Calgary readers.
As well, a few WordFest traditions continue: Mexican authors including Monica Lavin will read, and the crowd-pleasing Poetry Bash will feature the dynamic Christian Bok, Peter Goldsworthy in his poet guise, Victoria's Lorna Crozier, Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, Paulette Jiles and Ireland's Micheal O'Siadhail.
Western Canadian writers share the stage with international writers at this year's Opening Night Gala, which takes place Wednesday, October 16 at 7 p.m.. And the evening's readers are... Calgary's Will Ferguson, who has made an international impression with his novel Generica (re-titled HappinessTM for foreign consumption); Guy Vanderhaeghe, the 1996 Governor-General's Award winner for The Englishman's Boy; U.K.-born Torontonian Camilla Gibb (that's Dr. Camilla Gibb, in fact – she holds an Oxford Ph.D. in social anthropology), whose new novel The Petty Details of So-and-so's Life follows her debut Mouthing the Words; and Australian novelist and poet Peter Goldsworthy, author of Maestro and Honk If You Are Jesus, and reportedly a humorous performer of his own work (he'll have fun meeting Ricci).
This year's main evening readings offer truly heavyweight slates of authors: the Thursday, October 17 evening reading features the above-mentioned Ricci as well as C.C. Humphreys, Bharati Mukherjee, Pedro Angel Palou, Sarah Waters and Louise Young. The Friday, October 18 Showcase includes Neil Bissoondath and Wayne Johnston, Australian travel and non-fiction writer Cassandra Pybus, Milton Acorn Prize-winning poet Paulette Dubé, B.C.'s Aislinn Hunter and Quebec's Guillaume Vigneault.
There's a theatrical mind at work behind some of this year's events – I'm thinking in particular of the decision to pair up Mavericks author Aritha van Herk with former Reform Party leader Preston Manning, at the Uptown at 1 p.m. on Saturday, October 19. Ferguson will preside, MC or referee. The popular Louis de Bernieres (Captain Corelli's Mandolin) visits Calgary once again this fall, and along with David Malouf, whose Remembering Babylon and Conversations at Curlow Creek made a huge impact in the ’90s, is part of a well-chosen lineup of readers for the Banff events.
There's a great deal more to report on, with the Book Rapport events for kids, daytime sessions, whole groups of authors not yet mentioned here – but it will all be available at www.wordfest.com/ authors_and_events_2002.htm.
And, of course, many reviews and profiles of WordFest authors will appear here, or near here, soon. (If you've noticed the absence of "PanCanadian" from the festival's title, that's because oil company mergers saw the transformation of the event's stalwart sponsor into continuing sponsor EnCana.) |
