| What do Cuba Gooding Jr., Will Ferguson and freedom of expression have in common?
In 2001, while he was in Calgary filming Snow Dogs, Cuba Gooding Jr. was looking for something exciting to do on a slow Thursday night. Like Woodstock or the Kennedy assassination, accounts of the actual event vary. But in the end, what matters is that Mr. Jr. found himself at Kaos Jazz & Blues Bistro at the tail end of the annual Writers Guild of Alberta and Calgary Freedom to Read Week committee fund-raiser.
Then in 2002, the annual event once again had a surprise finish, as Will Ferguson hopped on stage as a special guest author and gave a reading that had the crowd rolling in the aisles with laughter. Actually, there wasn’t room to roll in the aisles – and that’s why the annual fund-raiser is moving to a new location. This year’s event will be held on Thursday, February 27 at the Prairie Ink Café at McNally Robinson Booksellers (120 - 8 Ave. S.W.).
Whether there will be a surprise ending remains to be seen. But even without surprise appearances by Oscar-winning actors or best-selling Canadian authors, the lineup of four local authors, each with something unique to say on the subject of freedom of expression, should be enough to entice you.
The authors reading at this year’s event are philosopher Trudy Govier (A Delicate Balance: What Philosophy Can Tell Us About Terrorism); freelance writer Gordon Neufeld (Heartbreak and Rage: A Cult Survivor's Memoir); publisher Lee Shedden (A Century of Grant MacEwan); and poet Sheri-D Wilson (Between Lovers).
In addition to the readings, the event will feature the presentation of the 2003 Freedom of Expression Award. This year’s recipient will be Lynn Foster, who will be accepting the award on behalf of the entire planning committee of last June’s G6B People’s Summit, which was held at the University of Calgary prior to the G8.
Tickets for this event are available in advance at McNally Robinson or at the door. You can also reserve a ticket by contacting Jason at 265-2226 or e-mailing writers@telusplanet.net.
After the fund-raiser, you can head over to see Governor General’s Award-winning poet Lorna Crozier reading on the Single Onion stage (Dean Stanton's Studio, 2010 - 11 St. S.E. – the white brick building). Crozier will be reading from her latest book Apocrypha of Light. Also on the bill are emerging local poets Frances Kruk and Andre Rodgrigues, and local musician Rodney Guitarsplat. Admission is free and start time is 8 p.m.
Finally, if you want a preview of what an event at McNally Robinson looks like, pop down tonight, Thursday, February 20 at 7 p.m. for the second annual CBC Radio "Poetry Face-Off". Five local poets – Rajinderpal S. Pal, Kirk Miles, Patricia Robertson, Kimmy Beach and Ian Samuels – will compete for the chance to go on to the National Finals. Last year’s face-off, won by Sheri-D Wilson, was a blast. Music will be provided by Kris Demeanor and admission is free.
On the same night, another option for the literary minded is "Three Blind Mice …see how they read" featuring Chris Ewart, Andre Rodrigues and Jeremy Leipert at 8 p.m. at the Cafe Mediterranean (1009 - 1 St. S.W.). For more information, call Chris at 283-6258. |
