| The kid is 10 years old. He has a lemonade stand with his best friend, Mullen. Mullen lives across the street from a houseful of sketchy Russians, who have a curling team that never loses. Mullen’s neighbour is Deke Howitz, who’s saving up to buy a surplus Soviet submarine from a guy in Uzbekistan for only $400,000, which is a really good price, but he can’t get a bank loan. They live in Marvin, Alberta, a town that does not exist – except in Andrew Wedderburn’s debut novel from Coach House Press, The Milk Chicken Bomb.
The book represents six years of work and a lifetime of ambition. "Ever since I first read a book, I wanted one," says Wedderburn. "I didn’t know how it was done, but I wanted one of those things to have my name on it." In 2001, he took a manuscript class at the University of Calgary with Aritha van Herk. "Leading up to the class, I had nothing but bad ideas," he remembers. "The week before class started, I wrote this paragraph about kids and a garden hose. I thought, ‘Kids can do anything! There are no rules!’ Then it turned out there was a whole different set of rules that made for a difficult six years to get the book done, but that initial freedom was really exciting."
"There’s lots of slapstick in the novel," adds Wedderburn. "Curling accidents, gambling problems, fireworks fights, people falling into vats of boiling animal fat, journeys to the centre of the Earth, giant ant people – everything a book can be!" Underlying the various encounters and anecdotes is the kid’s ongoing quest to find out: what is the milk chicken bomb? "It’s too awful for anyone to tell him what it is," says Wedderburn. "All he knows is that it’s the worst thing in the world."
Rather than launching at a bookstore or café, Wedderburn went the rockstar route and booked Broken City. For the launch, he’s gathered together three other local writers, including fellow Coach House authors Chris Ewart, Julia Williams and Jason Christie. Topping off the evening are performances by local rock bands, including Wedderburn’s own Hot Little Rocket.
To join in on the action, head to Broken City on April 20. The readings start at 8:00 p.m., the bands kick off at 10:00 p.m. And if you can’t make it, or if you can’t get enough, Wedderburn will also be at McNally Robinson on May 17.
It’s now the final weekend of the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival. First up, the festival presents its first all-French event, Bilingual Tongues: Francophonetic, with performances by Fortner Anderson, Tchitala Nyota Kamba, D. Kimm, Geneviève Letarte, Geneviève Robichaud and Gisèle Villeneuve. Check it out on April 19, 8:00 p.m., at the Auburn Saloon.
Every year it’s a festival favourite, and this year it’s been kicked up a notch. Big Bang Poetry and Music returns, with four heavy-hitting poets and three brand-new spoken word CDs. There’s Dwayne Morgan, Kris Demeanor with The Guilt and the Shame: Tales of the Canadian West, Sheri-D Wilson with Re:Cord and Raine Maida (of Our Lady Peace) with Love Hope Hero. This not-to-be-missed event hits the Knox United Church on April 20 at 8:00 p.m.
Even outside of the festival, it’s a busy literary weekend. Alissa York presents her new novel, Effigy, on April 19, 7:00 p.m., at McNally Robinson. That same night, it’s Single Onion #51, featuring Danielle French, Kirk Miles, Kenneth Radu and Rhett Soveran at 7:00 p.m. in the Triangle Gallery.
Amir Hussain’s new book, Oil & Water: Two Faiths, One God, looks at the key differences and similarities between Christianity and Islam. He presents his work on April 20, 2:00 p.m., at McNally Robinson.
Every year, the U of C’s Faculty of Humanities presents a lecture on the current Nobel Laureate in Literature. This year, writer-in-residence Jaspreet Singh will speak about Orham Pamuk, whose artistic evocations of Istanbul have echoed across the globe. The lecture is on April 23 at 7:30 p.m., in the Rozsa Centre (University of Calgary).
Colin Angus completed the first human-powered circumnavigation of the planet – the least you can do is check out his slideshow. The author of Beyond the Horizon is in town on April 23, 7:30 p.m., at the Central Library with stories of voyage and adventure.
The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association (AMPA) works tirelessly all year to support Alberta’s magazine industry. But as hard as they like to work, they party harder. In celebration of Alberta’s creative writing, they’ve brought together three diverse writers – Emily Carr, Robert Majzels and Christopher Wiseman – for an energetic evening of readings, discussion and wine. Join them on April 24, 7:30 p.m., at Pages Books.
Addicted to coffee? Here’s your chance to spice up that morning latté! Coffee connoisseur Susan Zimmer returns with I Love Coffee, a collection of over 100 coffee-related recipes. Join her for some java at McNally Robinson on April 25 at 7:00 p.m. |
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