| There’s a lot of uncertainty in a Calgary summer. Torrential downpours can turn into brilliant sunshine. A 15-minute drive can turn into a whole-day affair if you hit the wrong construction zone. But there’s one thing Calgarians can count on – rain or shine, the literary scene will keep churning out great events.
For starters, dANDelion magazine is pulling out all the stops for the launch of its latest issue. They’ve imported acclaimed poet Patrick Friesen and pianist Marilyn Lerner for a musical collaboration, joined by author Andrew Wedderburn and musician Jay Coda Walker. They’ll all be at the Cantos Music Foundation on June 14, 7 p.m.
Alternately, you could head a few blocks north to catch Peter W. Rainier with his latest novel, The Bogota Connection, in which a chance encounter cascades into violent political conflict. He’s at McNally Robinson on June 14, 7 p.m.
It’s not up to any single ant to keep its society running – the entire anthill must work together. That’s the basic concept of business consultant Stephen James Joyce’s new book, Teaching an Anthill to Fetch, a practical guide to collaboration in the workplace. Join him at McNally Robinson on June 15, 6 p.m.
Saturday is Father’s Day, and what better way to celebrate than to read stories of fatherhood? Kids three and up are invited to Father’s Day Storytime at McNally Robinson on June 16, 11:30 a.m.
Mavericks are getting a lot of play lately. Maverick in the Sky is the tale of First World War flying ace Freddie McCall, who took to the air at age 22 in a cloth-covered biplane. Shirlee Smith-Matheson tells his story at the W.R. Castell Central Library on June 16, noon.
It can be tricky for mom and fad keep up with parenting in the technological age. Does my kid really need a Blackberry? How much instant messaging is too much? In Parenting Children & Technology: Ban, Buckle or Balance?, Judy Arnall tackles these tricky questions. She reads at McNally Robinson on June 16, 2 p.m.
Ariel Quigley is a Desert Storm vet, a writing teacher – and a psychic detective. In her second adventure, The Lawyer Who Died Trying, Ariel must unravel the mystery of a prominent lawyer’s murder, all the while dealing with naughty limericks, Halloween parties and ghosts. Ariel’s authors, Susan Smily and Honora Finkelstein, come to the Crowfoot Library on June 18, 7 p.m.
Karen Dudley should get an award just for the title of her novel. C’mon – Ptarmageddon. That’s all kinds of awesome. When a ptarmigan researcher is violently murdered in the Yukon, amateur sleuth Robyn Demara is on the case. Find out more at McNally Robinson on June 19, 6 p.m.
Catherine Devyre lives a split existence, both as the happy daughter of adoptive parents and as an orphan searching for her biological history. In Serendipity Road, Devyre chronicles a search for heritage that takes her around the world. Join her at McNally Robinson on June 20, 6 p.m.
It’s hiking season and Andrew Nugara is ready to get you pumped for mountain adventure. Accompanied by a slideshow, he presents More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies at the Alexander Calhoun Library on June 20, 7 p.m.
As part of the Banff International Literary Translation Centre residency, Joseph Boyden’s celebrated novel, Three Day Road, is being translated into Cree. The book follows two Cree snipers through the perils of the First World War, and was nominated for a 2005 Governor General’s Award. Boyden reads from his work at The Banff Centre’s Rolston Recital Hall on June 20, 8 p.m.
Poet R.J. MacSween lived a colourful life – after a youth of hardship and poverty in the Maritimes, he was ordained a Roman Catholic priest and established Canada’s first creative writing course at St. Francis Xavier University. Stewart Donovan tells his story in The Forgotten World of R.J. MacSween: A Life, which he presents at McNally Robinson on June 21, 7 p.m.
Greg Gerrard has sold Pages Books on Kensington. The handpicked new team of Simone Lee and Ben Falconer are determined to maintain Pages’s history of excellence, and they’re eager to meet Calgary’s reading public. They’ll be available to chat at a special wine and cheese at Pages on June 21, 7 p.m. The friendly and reliable staff you’ve grown to love will stay at the store after the sale. |
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