Ishmael Beah, author of Long Way Gone, reads at the University of Calgary on March 16

Since 1996, Sustainable Calgary has been at the forefront of our city’s sustainability movement, championing a wide variety of causes from alternative energy to affordable housing. One of its latest ventures is a refreshingly quirky approach to sustainability: the Sustainable Calgary Book Club.

Launched in January, the club meets monthly to discuss pre-selected books that explore sustainability-related themes: oil, food and urban planning. “It was difficult to create the list, because there are so many fantastic books about sustainability,” says Jane Cawthorne, the club’s facilitator. “We tried to choose books that offer solutions, that don’t just say, ‘Here’s an insurmountable problem,’ but that go forward and offer possible action.”

This month’s pick is The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan. “The dilemma is, as omnivores, if we can eat anything, how do we decide what to eat?” says Cawthorne. “Pollan explores the natural history of four meals, looking at where our food comes from and how sustainable it is. He’s very non-judgmental: the book talks about veganism, but it also investigates a meat-eating diet, and a particular farm where the production of meat is actually necessary for the continued health of the soil and land.”

The club doesn’t require any pre-registration or fees — in fact, you don’t even need to have read the book in advance, though it certainly helps. All of the club’s chosen titles are available for sale at McNally Robinson, or for loan at the Calgary Public Library. “People are very friendly,” says Cawthorne. “You don’t need to arrive with well thought-out, intelligent comments. Every time, it becomes a great discussion about people’s everyday lives and what the book has meant to them.”

For Cawthorne, the club is a welcoming environment to discuss issues that affect our everyday lives. “I read a lot of non-fiction and, boy, people don’t want to talk about it,” she laughs. “You can feel like such a bore: ‘I just read this fascinating book by Michael Pollan about food, let me bend your ear about it for 10 minutes!’ Suddenly, they’re looking over your shoulder for someone else to talk to.”

The club’s next meeting is at McNally Robinson (120 8 Ave. S.W.) on March 16, 2:30 p.m., and its schedule for the year can be found at www.sustainablecalgary.ca.

Sustainability fever has infected the University of Calgary as well, as the Environment and Representation Research Group presents “An Eco-Colloquium.” Faculty members, including Kirstin Bouwsema, Joanna Dawson, Jenny Kerber, Davida Monk, Harry Vandervlist and Jason Wiens present papers, lectures and short videos surrounding environmental academia. Join them in Social Sciences 1015 (U of C) on March 14, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

It’s Calgary’s home for fantasy, sci-fi and all things genre, and now the Imaginative Fiction Writers Association presents a public reading of its members’ work. Check ’em out at Pages Books (1135 Kensington Rd. N.W.) on March 15, 7 p.m.

At 13 years old, Ishmael Beah became a child soldier in Sierra Leone, where he fought until his emancipation by UNICEF at age 16. Now an adult, Beah’s book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, looks back at his horrifying wartime experiences and his time in a rehabilitation centre. Beah speaks at the MacEwan Ballroom (U of C) on March 16, 7 p.m.

Are you just aching to create a competitive advantage for yourself? Look no further than your workplace companion, Creating Competitive Advantage by Jaynie L. Smith. Learn step-by-step exercises to stay ahead at McNally Robinson on March 17, 5:30 p.m.

If you think endings are a bitch to write, you’re not alone. The Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society presents “Beginning, Middle, Arrrg!,” an open discussion on techniques to end your story. Share your tips at the Alexandra Writers’ Centre (922 9 Ave. S.E.) on March 17, 7 p.m., $5 for non-members.

The U of C’s Creative Writing Faculty has pumped out its fair share of successful writers in the past several years, and a troupe of them unite this week for a celebratory reading. Check out Angie Abdou, derek beaulieu, Brea Burton, ryan fitzpatrick, Diane Guichon, Jill Hartman, Cara Hedley, William Neil Scott, Natalie Zina Walschots and Andrew Wedderburn at the Evans Room (Rozsa Centre, U of C) on March 17, 7 p.m.

Shake off those Monday blues with a dose of Shakespearean bliss. This week, Dr. James Black turns his gaze to Cymbeline with an intriguingly titled lecture: “Alphabet Soup and Posthumous Love.” Head to Monday Night Shakespeare in the Boris Roubakine Recital Hall (Craigie Hall, U of C) on March 17, 7:30 p.m.

On Monday, you met the U of C's talented writing graduates. Now, meet their teachers. The annual English Faculty Reading features work by Christian Bök, Robert Majzels, Clem Martini and Aritha Van Herk, who perform in Cassio A (MacEwan Student Centre, University of Calgary) on March 18, 7:30 p.m.

From Walter to Elizabeth, the new book by S. Sora Fraser, follows a German man, born between the wars, as he serves in the German Armed Forces in the Second World War and stumbles through post-war existence. Fraser reads at McNally Robinson on March 18, 5:30 p.m.

Calgary’s newest open mic poetry night keeps on truckin’. Passion Pitch Poetry returns for another triumphant evening of wordplay. This month’s featured guest is James Dangerous, who warms up the stage for any eager poets ready to take the mic for a spin. Head down to the Oolong Tea House (110 10 St. N.W.) on March 19, 8 p.m. to catch (and possibly create) the excitement.

Craig Boyko returns to Calgary this week for the launch of his debut short story collection, Blackouts. With his trademark wit, Boyko explores immortality, arcade games, ESP and Stalinist Russia. Join this exciting new Canadian writer at McNally Robinson on March 20, 7 p.m.