| Will Ferguson has never been the kind of author to sit around burning incense and waiting for the muse to descend. No, he always presents himself as a get-things-done kind of writer. And the things he’s been getting done for the past few years have led him from success to success – from Why I Hate Canadians to How to Be a Canadian and Generica (reissued as Happiness), critics have applauded, buyers have bought and readers have read.
See why they love Ferguson when he reads on Wednesday, October 8 at the W.R. Castell Central Library’s John Dutton Theatre at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
"Technology is the name we give to things that don’t work yet." I can’t recall who offered this sardonic definition, but it’s surprising how often it seems perfectly accurate. Kim Vincente’s new book, The Human Factor, looks at the effects of technology for both good and ill. Vincente is reading at Pages on Kensington on Tuesday, October 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Later in the week, former Calgarian J. Jill Robinson returns from Saskatoon with a new short-story collection entitled Residual Desire. Robinson is also reading at Pages, Friday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Perhaps you noticed that this short item about Robinson consists of unadulterated fact: who, what, when, where. It’s pure news and information. I could have said something about what a pleasant person Robinson always seemed to be, back when she was teaching part-time at the University of Calgary in the early ’90s. But for once, a single sentence in this column restrained itself from offering opinion or comment of any kind. When it comes to book events, this restraint may hardly be necessary or even desirable. But what if you’re trying to learn the truth about, for example, the war in Iraq? (In that case, you’re doomed – in my opinion you will never learn the truth about the Iraq war.)
In Barry Cooper’s opinion, the unadulterated truth is hard to find when it comes to any sort of journalism. As you’ll notice, the title of his new book, Hidden Agendas, does not ask whether journalists shape the news they report. The book’s subtitle is How Journalists Influence the News. The "how" is where all the action lies, in a world of celebrity journalists who report "news" that may come to you from a think-tank whose agenda is far from hidden (the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives or The Fraser Institute, for example) or from "reports" funded by less obvious opinion-makers (like the Donner Foundation). Cooper reads from Hidden Agendas at McNally Robinson Booksellers on Wednesday, October 8 at 7 p.m.
Also on Wednesday, the Alberta Playwrights’ Network helps celebrate the opening of the newly relocated Auburn Saloon with a cabaret of play readings. Edmonton playwright Marty Chan, award-winning author of Mom, Dad, I’m Living With a White Girl, hosts the event, which also features readings by Karen King and Sarah Mackie, among others. It begins at 8 p.m. in the Auburn’s new digs at the base of the Calgary Tower and admission is free. |
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