| Best-selling author Nancy Huston will return to her hometown of Calgary to attend a conference in her honour on May 20 and 21.
The conference will be held at Moot Court in the East Arts Building at Mount Royal College. Entitled "Transcultural Dialogues," this bilingual colloquium will feature Canadian and international scholars discussing the cultural significance of this award-winning, Paris-based writer’s work.
Houston is the author of 19 books of fiction and non-fiction. She won the Governor General’s Award for her book Plainsong and her latest novel, An Adoration, received rave reviews. Huston is known for exploring themes of alienation, dislocation and cultural clashes. The cost for the conference is $50 for the general public and $25 for students. It is jointly presented by Mount Royal College and the Alliance Française. Huston will also give a free public reading from her latest manuscript on May 21 at 7 p.m. at the Alliance Française, which is located in the Memorial Park Library. For more information on either the conference or the reading, call 440-6797 or e-mail dpatterson@mtroyal.ca. Or go to www.mtroyal.ca/arts/events/nancyhuston
Filling Station magazine has a couple of big events coming up. On May 13, the magazine will present flywheel, a reading featuring a number of local writers including J. Alary, Brea Burton, Jay Gamble, Jocelyn Grossé, Jill Hartman, Cara Hedley and Stuart Ian McKay. This event will be at McNally Robinson at 7 p.m.
Then, on May 29, filling Station, in partnership with The New Gallery, will present Blow-Out, a cultural fundraiser in celebration of the magazine’s 30th issue which will also be the gallery’s annual fundraiser. The event is being held at the Carpenters Union Hall (301 10th St. N.W.) and will feature readings by Claire Harris, Yasmin Ladha, Suzette Mayr and Fred Stenson as well as a whole slew of short readings by other local Calgary writers. The fundraiser will also feature music by a number of local artists as well as a silent auction and art sale. The event is free between 2 and 6 p.m. for the auction and sale viewing plus a jam session. For the evening activities, which begin at 7 p.m., admission is $10 at the door. The readings begin at 7:30 p.m. and the bands take the stage at 10 p.m.
Remember, this is Asian Heritage Month and McNally Robinson is hosting readings to help celebrate the occasion every Wednesday in May. On May 19, Sikeena Karmali, Marty Chan and Yasmin Ladha will be reading. On May 26, Weyman Chan, Rajinderpal S. Pal and Ashok Mathur will present selections from their work. Both events begin at 7 p.m.
Over at Pages, meanwhile, Gisele Villeneuve is launching her acclaimed novel Visiting Elizabeth on Thursday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. The event is hosted by Aritha Van Herk.
A quick note: the Canadian Authors’ Association is forming a Calgary branch. If you want to know more , e-mail caacalgary@shaw.ca.
Finally, knowing that folk musicians are some of the best poets around, don’t forget that early bird tickets for the 25th-anniversary edition of the Calgary Folk Music Festival are now on sale. This year’s festival also features, for the first time, a series of collaborations between poets, spoken word artists and musicians called Writer’s Flock. Check out www.calgaryfolkfest.com and see the folk festival story in this week’s issue for more details. |
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