Events

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 9:30–10:30 am / Islandview Room

1. War & Peace

Noah Richler & Michael Riordon
In Conversation

In What We Talk About When We Talk About War, Noah Richler explores how Canada’s view of itself has changed from a nation of peacekeepers to a country at war. In Our Way to Fight, Michael Riordon tells stories of non–violent peace activists on both sides of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. How is war portrayed by governments and the media? What is it that stirs citizens to stop fighting and work for peace? Moderated by Jamie Swift.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door
High–school students: $5.00/$8.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 9:30–10:30 am / Bellevue South

2. Words Out Loud

Lara Bozabalian
Workshop

Spoken word poet and slam artist Lara Bozabalian leads this dynamic hands–on writing workshop in new forms of poetic expression. Working individually and in small groups, students learn the basic concepts and strategies of spoken word and performance poetry through writing exercises, demonstrations, conversation, critique—and readings! An English teacher with the York Region District School Board, Lara expertly guides young writers from the page to the stage.

Note: For high–school students and teachers only. No limit to the number of participants.

High–school students: $5.00/$8.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 10:45–11:45 am / Islandview Room

3. Life Lessons

Adwoa Badoe & Y.S. Lee
Readings & Conversation

African storyteller Adwoa Badoe introduces her first young–adult novel, Between Sisters. Local author Y.S. Lee presents the second in her YA mystery series, The Agency: The Body at the Tower. In these two spellbinding novels, teenage protagonists—an orphan in Victorian England sentenced to be hanged and a high–school dropout moving through the wilds of the urban jungle in Ghana—are saved from desperate circumstances, then bend the rules to rise above their fates and fashion lives of their own. Moderated by Susan Olding.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door
High–school students: $5.00/$8.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 10:45–11:45 am / Bellevue South

4. Technology & Wonder

Wayne Grady & Robert J. Sawyer
In Conversation

Robert J. Sawyer, who submitted his first story to a sci–fi magazine when he was in grade ten, is now one of the most influential sci–fi writers in the English language, the only Canadian to win the world’s three top science–fiction awards. In Wonder, the third in Sawyer’s WWW trilogy, a 16–year–old–girl guides the evolution of the Web into consciousness. Sawyer talks about technology, artificial intelligence, and the future of ideas with Wayne Grady, Canada’s pre–eminent science writer and author of Technology, a thought–provoking discourse on the human reliance on machines.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door
High–school students: $5.00/$8.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 1:00–2:00 pm / Islandview Room

5. Native Sons and Daughters

James Bartleman with Daniel David Moses
Readings & Conversation

James Bartleman, former lieutenant–governor of Ontario, diplomat, and author explores the longlasting effects of residential schools in his debut novel, As Long as the Rivers Flow. Raised a Chippewa, Bartleman eloquently traces the impact of prejudice and racism through generations on and off First Nations reserves with poet, playwright, and essayist, Daniel David Moses, co–editor of the Oxford Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door
High–school students: $5.00/$8.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 1:00–2:30 pm / Martello Room

6. Writing Another’s Life

Merrily Weisbord
Writers Studio

New Yorker writer and author Janet Malcolm says writing another’s life is like being a confidence man, “preying on people’s vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse.” Is this true? In this master class, Merrily Weisbord, author of the acclaimed biography/memoir, The Love Queen of Malabar: Memoir of a Friendship with Kamala Das, discusses strategies for getting close to a subject, the dilemma of conflicting loyalties to the subject and the book, and the legal and moral challenges in choosing what—and what not—to make public about someone else’s life. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 2:30–4:00 pm / Bellevue South

7. Barclay & Blunt

Linwood Barclay & Giles Blunt
Readings & Conversation

Stephen King called one of Linwood Barclay’s novels “the best thriller I’ve read in five years.” The thrills, chills, and praise continue for The Accident, in which a get–rich–quick scheme goes horribly wrong. In Giles Blunt’s Crime Machine, the fifth in the riveting John Cardinal series, the action revolves around the death of Russian tourists in Algonquin Park, the northern Ontario landscape Blunt has made his own. At summer homes and in quiet suburbs, mysterious deaths lead into twisted mazes of secret lawlessness, corruption, and heart–stopping suspense, both domestic and political. Moderated by Eric Friesen.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 2:30-4:00 pm / Martello Room

8. Writing the Future

Robert J. Sawyer
Writers Studio

Science fiction is often called “the literature of ideas,” and with good reason: a fresh central idea is often the defining characteristic of a good science–fiction novel. Join bestselling author Robert J. Sawyer for an interactive master class on how to devise and develop a high concept for your own science–fiction novel by finding the theme that will give rise to your plot and characters and enthrall your readers. Sawyer’s Aurora Award–winning novel FlashForward had its theme summarized in the opening narration of every episode of the ABC TV series based on it: “On October 6, the planet blacked out for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. The whole world saw the future.” Come prepared to distil your own ideas to something equally succinct and exciting, so that you can focus on what your story is really about. For adults and youth aged 15 and older. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door
High–school students $10.00/$14.00 at the door

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 6:30-7:30 pm / Grand Theatre, Davies Lounge

9. Opening Night Reception

Join Festival authors, sponsors, book lovers, and publishing dignitaries for this gala kick–off to Kingston WritersFest, celebrated in a poem written for the occasion by Kingston’s Poet Laureate, Eric Folsom. Meet the writers you love to read. Refreshments served. Cash bar.

Price includes Opening Night Reception and International Marquee. Tickets to Reception NOT sold separately; must be purchased by September 15, 2011.

General Admission: $50.00

Thursday, September 22, 2011 / 8:00-9:30 pm / Grand Theatre, Regina Rosen Auditorium

10. International Marquee

J.M. Coetzee & Paul Auster
Readings & Conversation

J.M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize winner, two–time Booker winner, and author of, among others, Disgrace, Elizabeth Costello, Diary of a Bad Year, and the fictional autobiography Summertime, will read from recent work and engage in an onstage conversation with eminent American writer Paul Auster, author of critically acclaimed novels, screenplays, memoirs, and poetry collections. Among his many works are The New York Trilogy, The Invention of Solitude, and most recently, Sunset Park. Join these two profoundly engaging writers as they explore “the miraculous strangeness of being alive.” Presentation of student writing awards. Reserved seating.

General Admission: $25.00

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 10:00–11:00 am / Bellevue South

11. Daughters of the Revolution

Laurie Lewis & Merrily Weisbord
In Conversation

In her fascinating debut memoir, Little Comrades, Laurie Lewis tells the story of growing up in a devotedly left–wing, dysfunctional family in the Canadian West during the Depression, then moving to New York on the cusp of the McCarthy era. She’ll talk memory, family, and politics with Merrily Weisbord, also the daughter of fervent Communists and author of The Strangest Dream: Canadian Communism, the Spy Trials, and the Cold War.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 10:00–11:30 am / Martello Room

12. What Do Publishers Want?

Sarah MacLachlan
Writers Studio

Who gets published and why? Sarah MacLachlan, publisher at House of Anansi Press, which recently released such award–winners as Kathleen Winter’s novel Annabel, Eric Siblin’s memoir The Cello Suites, Ken Babstock’s collection of poems Methodist Hatchet, Wade Davis’s nonfiction classic, The Wayfinders, and Ian Hamilton’s debut mystery The Water Rat of Wanchai, gives the straight goods on what a publishing house looks for in a manuscript. What happens to your precious tome when it lands at a publisher’s office? How is the decision made to offer a contract to a writer? Does it matter if you don’t have an agent? Get the answers to all your questions from the head of one of Canada’ most respected and honoured publishing houses. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 11:30 am–1:00 pm / Islandview Room

13. Book Lovers Lunch

Ben McNally
A Food Event

Ben McNally, owner of Toronto’s Ben McNally Books and a bookseller for more than 40 years, offers Kingston book lovers his famous “Preview Picks”–personal tips on the best new books of the season from publishing houses big and small. Bring your book club and choose the writers you most want to read this year. Ticket price includes lunch. Cash bar.

Taxes & 15% gratuity included. Tickets must be purchased by September 15, 2011.

General Admission: $37.00

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 1:00–2:30 pm / Bellevue South

14. Family Ties

Peter Behrens & Frances Itani
Readings & Conversation

Amazon hailed Peter Behrens’s GG–winning The Law of Dreams as one of the best books of the decade. He returns with The O’Briens, which follows the same family, two generations later, as they spread across the continent throughout the twentieth century. In Requiem, acclaimed novelist Frances Itani tells the story of visual artist Bin Okuma as he travels the country in search of the father whose fateful decision almost destroyed his family. Evocative and compelling, these family sagas explore how the past carries forward and the ways in which love, loss, and redemption shape ordinary lives. Moderated by Eric Friesen.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 1:00–2:30 pm / Martello Room

15. Writing Suspense

Andrew Pyper
Writers Studio

Perhaps no element in writing effective fiction is more overlooked than plot, and no tool to construct a gripping story more dismissed than the outline. Why? Too often, plot is wrongly seen as a rudimentary matter of this–happens–then–this. Outlines are spurned as tedious, anti–creative fussing. The truth is that plotting, through the use of a graphic outline, can be not only useful and save writers from taking wrong turns, but can also be the most purely creative aspect of the novel–writing project. In this master class, Andrew Pyper will show you how outlines can help build stories that grab readers and refuse to let go, and how they are the single most effective way of preventing a potentially great idea from being abandoned somewhere between pages 10 and 110. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 1:30–2:30 pm / St. Lawrence College, Davies Hall

16. The New Consumer Republic

Bruce Philp
Illustrated Talk

**Sorry! This event has been postponed. It will be rescheduled in October.**

Branding works for consumers as much as for corporations, says Bruce Philp, the marketer behind the ING Direct (“Save Your Money!”) branding triumph and author of Consumer Republic: Using Brands to Get What You Want, Make Corporations Behave, and Maybe Even Save the World. Philp’s eye–opening, counterintuitive, and pragmatic lessons, delivered with humour and backed by real–world experience, are essential for innovative thinkers everywhere, in the boardroom and on the street. Consumers are changing—they’re choosing socially conscious products and telling the world through social media when they’re happy and when they’re not. In this inspiring presentation, Philp challenges shoppers to vote with their wallets and marketers to strengthen their character so they can face their customers eye to eye.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 3:00–4:30 pm / Islandview Room

17. In Praise of Older Women

Lorna Crozier, Molly Peacock, Merrily Weisbord
Readings & Conversations

Lorna Crozier’s new collection of poems, Small Mechanics, explores the failing mechanics of the body as it ages, the fine–tuning of what a life becomes when parents and old friends pass. Molly Peacock’s The Paper Garden is a superbly personal biography of Mrs. Delany, who began her life’s work—the invention of collage—at the age of 72. Merrily Weisbord’s The Love Queen of Malabar traces the bloom of friendship through the final decade in the life of India’s great poet, Kamala Das. These three thoughtful (and youthful) writers discuss women, aging, and the creative impulse. Moderated by Merilyn Simonds.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 3:00–4:30 pm / Martello Room

18. Writing Collage

Diane Schoemperlen
Writers Studio

If a single picture is worth a thousand words, then how many pictures is one word worth? Flexing your literary and visual imaginations at the same time can open avenues of creativity you didn’t know you had, while adding multiple new dimensions to your work. Collage is the perfect art form for anyone who loves language and for anyone who thinks they can’t draw a straight line. In this master class, award–winning experimental fiction writer Diane Schoemperlen will share her inspiration and techniques for combining text and collage in a variety of ways. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 5:00–6:30 pm / Bellevue South

19. With Brush and Pen

Anita Rau Badami, Lorna Goodison, Diane Schoemperlen
Readings & Conversation

Lorna Goodison began her creative life in Jamaica as a painter, but while she was studying at the School of the Art Students League in New York, poetry “took her over like a tyrant.” Anita Rau Badami, who has just released her fourth novel, Tell It to the Trees, has a parallel life as a visual artist. Diane Schoemperlen won the Governor General’s Award for her collection of stories, Forms of Devotion, illustrated with her own collages. How is the visual imagination different from the literary muse? When aren’t words enough? Moderated by Jan Allen.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 7:00–8:30 pm / Islandview Room

20. Shame, Truth, and Reconciliation

Roméo Dallaire & Antjie Krog
In Conversation

Roméo Dallaire, decorated general, senator and author of They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children and Shake Hands with the Devil, speaks with renowned South African poet/journalist Antjie Krog, author of Country of My Skull and Begging to Be Black, about racial genocide in the wake of African colonialism and reconciliation in the face of violence and unthinkable human–rights violations. These two authors take up the question: how can we work our way back to a society in which all are equally human? Moderated by Noah Richler, author of What We Talk About When We Talk About War.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Friday, September 23, 2011 / 9:00–10:30 pm / Bellevue South

21. Nightcap: Big Ideas

Kenneth J. Harvey, David Adams Richards, Robert J. Sawyer, Timothy Taylor
Readings

In his new novel, Reinventing the Rose, Kenneth J. Harvey considers the “property” claims on an unborn embryo; David Adams Richards’ protagonist in Incidents in the Life of Markus Paul wrestles with racism on both sides of the colour bar; Robert J. Sawyer hypothesizes the evolution of a new form of intelligence in Wonder, the third in his sci–fi trilogy; and Timothy Taylor tackles the cult of celebrity, our insatiable thirst for image, and the role of sacrifice in our culture in The Blue Light Project. Join these provocative novelists as they explore pressing, contemporary ideas through unforgettable narrative. Moderated by Lorna Crozier.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 9:30–10:30 pm / Islandview Room

22. Literary Gardens

Molly Peacock & Merilyn Simonds
In Conversation

So many fine writers have also been avid gardeners—Elizabeth Smart, Colette, Germaine Greer, Vita Sackville–West—that it’s tempting to look for the fertile link that unites the pen and the spade, the soul with the soil. Does controlling nature lead to a riot of words? Poet and memoirist Molly Peacock, author of The Paper Garden: Mrs. Delany Begins Her Life’s Work at 72, discusses culture and horticulture and writers inspired by their gardens with novelist and essayist Merilyn Simonds, author of The Holding and A New Leaf: Growing With My Garden.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 11:00 am–12:30 pm / Bellevue South

23. Literary Debuts

Laurie Lewis, Martha Schabas, Alexi Zentner
Readings & Conversation

Martha Schabas’ first novel, Various Positions, was published while she was still an MA student at Queen’s University. Alexi Zentner, the debut author of Touch, became a Knopf Canada “New Face of Fiction” when he was already the father of two young girls. Laurie Lewis published her first book, a memoir, at the age of 80. These three first–timers read from their debut books and discuss what it means to be a new name on the CanLit scene. Moderated by Barbara Bell.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 11:00 am–12:30 pm / Martello Room

24. Creative Writing for Teens

Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang
Writers Studio

You’re a teenager and you love to write, but how do you know if you’re any good? How does a young writer get published? Can writing be a career? In this master class, Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang covers the essentials of process and technique in both poetry and fiction for youth aged 15 and older. She’ll help you learn to read like writer, find mentors within your community, navigate the intimidating world of publishing and give you tips on what to expect from a career in creative writing. For youth aged 15 to 19. Limited enrolment.

High–school students: $10.00/$14.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 1:00 – 2:00 pm / Bellevue South

25. Author! Author!

Anita Rau Badami with Bill Richardson
In Conversation

Anita Rau Badami’s first novel, Tamarind Mem, brought her immediate acclaim and thousands of readers. Her second, The Hero’s Walk, won the Regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and was longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Prize and the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her third, Can You Hear the Nightbird Call?, was also longlisted for the IMPAC Prize. This fall she releases Tell It to the Trees, a mysterious, heart–rending story set in an Indian household in a small town in northern BC. Join Anita, winner of the Marian Engel Award, for a fascinating conversation with CBC’s incomparable Bill Richardson.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 1:00 – 2:30 pm / Martello Room

26. Writing History

Ken McGoogan
Writers Studio

Historical narrative includes both the personal (autobiography, memoir, travel) and the impersonal (biography, history, true crime). It draws on techniques and approaches associated with fiction, journalism, and academic writing. In this master class, Ken McGoogan, who has worked as a journalist and published 10 books in a variety of genres, contends that nothing is more fun than writing history. Author of Fatal Passage, Lady Franklin’s Revenge, and How the Scots Invented Canada, McGoogan draws on a lifetime of experience to provide information and tips on choosing a subject, getting into archives, pursuing leads, visiting relevant sites, researching online, and organizing material. He’ll answer your questions and get you writing briefly, too, so bring the tools of your trade. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 2:30 – 3:30 pm / Islandview Room

27. La Belle (Province) and Whistles

Trevor Ferguson & David Gossage
Performance

In River City, his third crime thriller following City of Ice and Ice Lake, Trevor Ferguson (writing as John Farrow) bounds through 450 years of Montreal history with a masterful plot driven by the illusive and bloody Jacques Cartier dagger. A playwright as well as novelist, with plays opening in Montreal and Off Broadway, Trevor presents this dramatic reading in concert with David Gossage, a renowned flute and whistle virtuoso who performs throughout Canada and Europe with the Celtic Mindwarp. In a unique performance, author and musician work together to move the story forward through beauty and tragedy, folklore and terror, humour and adventure. Not to be missed!

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 2:30 – 4:00 pm / Martello Room

28. Pop–Culture Poetry (& Prose)

Jeanette Lynes
Writers Studio

What is pop culture? Can pop culture enhance a piece of writing without detracting from the “timelessness” of art? Do pop culture elements lock a work within a frame that is too “time specific” or “event specific” to be universal? In this master class, poet and novelist Jeanette Lynes (It’s Hard Being Queen, The Factory Voice) will explore the writerly challenges related to drawing on popular culture for inspiration. Participants should come prepared to consider the following question: If you were a pop–culture icon, who would you be, what would you want to tell the world, and what literary form would best convey this “message”? Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 4:00 – 5:00 pm / Bellevue South

29. Thrillers!

Andrew Pyper & Timothy Taylor
In Conversation

Set in the near future, Timothy Taylor’s The Blue Light Project follows a four–day hostage–taking in a television studio full of kids. Packed with bombs, bloodthirsty mobs, ballistic knives, and a superhero protagonist named Rabbit, the novel explores big ideas in the guise of a gripping thriller. Andrew Pyper’s The Guardians is a classic haunted–house story with a twist of secrets at its foundation. Pyper and Taylor read from their novels and discuss the current appetite for a literary adrenalin rush.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 4:00 – 5:30 pm / Martello Room

30. How to Start a Writing Group

Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang
Writers Studio

There’s a myth of the genius, lone–wolf writer who discovers everything on his or her own. In reality, writing within a supportive and intelligent community helps to keep the creative energy flowing and sharpen your eye for technique. In this master class, Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang, founder of several writing groups, will guide you in starting and building a strong writing group, managing group dynamics, developing a technical vocabulary to provide critical feedback, and effectively applying the critiques you receive. By the end of the class, you’ll know how to create and maintain your own writing group, and come away more confident of your place within the writing community. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 5:30 – 6:30 pm / Bellevue North

31. Uncommon Magic

Book Launch

Come join the current members of the Ban Righ Writers Group for readings to celebrate the launch of Uncommon Magic: Thirty Years of Writing from the Ban Righ Writers Group, published by UpStart Press in honour of Kingston’s longest–running writing group, started by Bronwen Wallace in 1981. Light refreshments.

FREE event. No ticket required.

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 7:00 – 8:30 pm / Bellevue South

32. Great Scots!

Richard Gwyn, Vincent Lam, Ken McGoogan
In Conversation

According to Ken McGoogan, author of How the Scots Invented Canada, no matter how you approach the history of Canada—through exploration, politics, business, education or literature—you’ll find a Scot in a leading role. Richard Gwyn, whose highly praised chronicle of the life of Sir John A. Macdonald continues with Nation Maker, and Vincent Lam, biographer of “the father of medicare,” Tommy Douglas, exuberantly advance the case. Break out your kilt and join our piper for this lively exchange between three outstanding biographers.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Saturday, September 24, 2011 / 9:00 – 11:00 pm / Islandview Room

33. Saturday Night SpeakEasy

Performance

Join host Bill Richardson for a night of stories told within the original musical landscape of our house band, the jazz combo Trio Without Words, led by local saxophone virtuoso Jonathan Stewart. Literary performances by Dave Bidini, Lorna Crozier, Amanda Jernigan, Jeanette Lynes, Andrew Pyper, Madeleine Thien, Merrily Weisbord, and Alexi Zentner. Cash bar. Doors open at 8:30 pm.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 10:00 – 10:45 am / Islandview Room

34. Chicken, Pig, Cow

Ruth Ohi
Reading with Illustration

Author and illustrator Ruth Ohi, creator of the internationally award–winning Chicken, Pig, Cow series, introduces a new adventure for her barnyard buddies in Chicken, Pig, Cow and the Class Pet. In a delightful session designed for young children, she combines storytelling and drawing to show how stories are built from words and pictures. And she’ll get the kids drawing, too! Ruth is Writer–in–Residence for the Toronto District School Board. Suitable for ages 4 to 6. Children admitted free when accompanied by an adult. No limit to the number of children per adult.

Adult Admission: $10.00/$14.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 11:00 am – 12 noon / Bellevue South

35. Zorgamazoo

Robert Paul Weston
Reading

In rollicking verse worthy of Dr. Seuss, with a dark wit reminiscent of Roald Dahl, Zorgamazoo tells the fantastic story of Katrina Katrell, who flees her home and travels through secret underground tunnels, hidden cities, and even to the moon in her attempt to save the world from a nefarious plot to rid it of all whimsy and magic. Join multi–award–winning writer Robert Paul Weston as he recreates the distinct voices of his many characters in this brilliant performance of his work, suitable for ages 7 to 70 and beyond. Children admitted free when accompanied by an adult. No limit to the number of children per adult.

Adult Admission: $10.00/$14.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 11:00 – 11:45 am / Bellevue North

36. Dogs Don’t Eat Jam

Book Launch

Bring your kids and join local author Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang for a reading from her hot–off–the–press picture book, Dogs Don’t Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know, a story about sisters in which the older girl shares the wisdom and accumulated knowledge of her four years on earth with her newborn sibling. This event includes a book–making session in which kids can write their autobiography or an advice book. Young children welcome!

FREE event. No ticket required.

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 12 noon – 1:30 pm / Islandview Room

37. New Voices in Verse

Amanda Jernigan, Michael Lista, Sandra Ridley, Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang
Readings & Conversation

Meet four of Canada’s most important emerging poets—a group unified by their youth and by the accomplishment of their first books, yet differentiated by voice, language, and content. Years in preparation, Amanda Jernigan’s first collection, Groundwork, has been described as “epic in ambition and scope.” Michael Lista’s Bloom works brilliantly as a kind of Ulyssean novel–in–verse about ill–fated Manhattan–Project physicist Louis Slotin. Sandra Ridley’s Post–Apothecary explores illness and healing, and the doctor–patient connection, through poems of gorgeously narcotic intensity and strangeness. Kingston poet Sarah Yi–Mei Tsiang’s debut collection, Sweet Devilry, is a tender yet unsentimental exploration of motherhood and familial love, “a book to treasure,” according to Helen Humphreys. This event is moderated by celebrated poet Lorna Crozier, so count on probing questions and a lively conversation.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 1:30 – 3:00 pm / Bellevue South

38. Kingston Reads: Battle of the Books

Debate

Local luminaries defend the 10 books nominated for this year’s Ontario Library Association’s Evergreen Award. Wayne Grady roars for The Tiger; Therese Greenwood spins through Death Spiral; lawyer Mary Ann Higgs swoons for A Man in Uniform; Joanne Page rings the praises of Annabel; Michelle Scott finds the answer in Still Missing; Jamie Swift embraces Amphibian; Dr. Ellen Tsai is on call for Night Shift; Gerald Tulchinsky packs his bags with Far to Go; Vikram Varma leads us all the way down Dahanu Road; and Martha Whitehead makes space for Room. Join the ringside fun in this no–word–play–barred, spine–tingling battle in which defenders joust to win over the audience to their chosen book. Audience members get first crack at casting their ballots in the contest that continues throughout the month at all KFPL branches, local bookstores and online at www.kfpl.ca. Sponsored by the Kingston Frontenac Public Library and moderated once again by the unflappable Eric Friesen.

FREE event. No ticket required.

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 1:30 – 3:00 pm / Martello Room

39. Writing for Young Readers

Robert Paul Weston
Writers Studio

Youth novels are currently the most successful area of publishing. If you want to develop a career as a writer, there’s no better place to be. This is hardly a new trend. Even established writers have focused their talents on the young reader: Oliver Twist, Brighton Rock, Catcher in the Rye, Romeo & Juliet, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this master class, novelist Robert Paul Weston, author of Zorgamazoo (for readers 7+) and Dust City (12+), will guide you through the unique challenges of writing for youth, with specific reference to various elements of fiction: narrative structure, characterization, suspense, and crafting metaphorical language. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 1:30 – 2:30 pm / Agnes Etherington Art Centre

40. Hot Art

Joshua Knelman
Illustrated Talk

Joshua Knelman, author of Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the Secret World of Stolen Art, spent four years immersed in the mysterious and swiftly widening world of international art theft, travelling from Cairo to New York, London, Montreal, and Los Angeles, befriending thieves and police detectives, trying to unravel who is behind the heists and why there is such demand for “hot” art. The Thomas Crown Affair has nothing on this fast–paced true crime story, complete with compelling portraits of the cops and criminals who work one of the largest black markets in the world, devoting their lives to fine art. In this illustrated talk, Knelman reveals who took what and why and where it ended up.

General Admission: $12.50/$16.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 3:00 – 5:00 pm / Islandview Room

41. Afternoon Delight: Tea and Literary Treats

Elizabeth Hay, Cynthia Holz, Helen Humphreys, Madeleine Thien
Readings; A Food Event

Enjoy high tea with four of this year’s most notable authors. Giller winner Elizabeth Hay reads from Alone in the Classroom, a delicately unfolding tale that sends ripples from the past deep into the present. Helen Humphreys offers The Reinvention of Love, a story of literary ambition and betrayal played out in Napoleonic Paris between Victor Hugo, his wife Adèle, and her lover Charles Sainte–Beuve. In Dogs at the Perimeter, Madeleine Thien reveals the terrors of the Cambodian Khmer Rouge in a powerfully intimate portrait of loss and reclamation. And Cynthia Holz brings Benevolence, a story of altruism—or is it? Treats and sweets for every taste. Moderated by Merilyn Simonds. Taxes & 15% gratuity included. Tickets must be purchased by September 15, 2011.

General Admission: $27.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 3:00 – 4:30 pm / Martello Room

42. OneTwoThreeFour: Songwriting

Dave Bidini
Writers Studio

Called “the Godfather of IndieRock” by CBC Radio, author/musician Dave Bidini leads this master class dedicated to the exploration (and evisceration) of the modern song form. In his presentation, the founder of the Rheostatics and author of Writing Gordon Lightfoot will dissect some of his own more notable compositions as well as discuss what makes a song good or completely forgettable. Time permitting, he will lead the class in the composition of a piece of music. Topics: chord structure, melodic choices, varying rhythms, arrangements, and musical honesty. For adults and youth aged 15 and older. Limited enrolment.

General Admission: $25.00/$30.00 at the door
High–school students: $10.00/$14.00 at the door

Sunday, September 25, 2011 / 6:00 – 9:00 pm / The Harbour Restaurant, at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour Site, 53 Yonge St, Kingston

43. Readings in Honour of J.M. Coetzee

Readings

Writers from South Africa and Canada come together to read from their work in this tribute to J.M. Coetzee. A unique opportunity to hear South African poet/novelist Yvette Christiansë, author of Unconfessed, shortlisted for the IMPAC Award; poet/journalist Antjie Krog, described as the Pablo Neruda of Afrikaans and author of the internationally renowned narrative of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Country of My Skull; novelist Anne Landsman, author of The Devil’s Chimney and The Rowing Lesson, winner of the Sunday Times Fiction Prize; poet/novelist Rozena Maart, whose novel The Writing Circle is being made into a feature film; Njabulo Ndebele, former President of the Congress of South African Writers and author of the novel, The Cry of Winnie Mandela; the experimental creative nonfiction/fiction writer Jonny Steinberg, author of Little Liberia; esteemed South African editor and writer Ivan Vladislaviċ, author of Portrait with Keys, winner of the Alan Paton Award for Nonfiction; Cree and Salish storyteller Lee Maracle; and Kingston writers, playwright Daniel David Moses and novelist/poet Steven Heighton. Presented in cooperation with the Queen’s University Department of English and hosted by Professor Rosemary Jolly.

Tickets available at the door ONLY. Cash ONLY.

Please note: The venue has changed from an earlier listing. This event will take place at the Harbour Restaurant, Portsmouth Olympic Harbour.

General Admission: $10.00 at the door