One of the delights of an Ottawa springtime is the Ottawa International Writers Festival, which begins this Wednesday. You can go
crazy trying to hit up all of the events, from the literary to the political,
to the memoir to the science talks. I tend to focus on the literary and primarily
the fiction because we’d have a paucity
of fiction events here in Ottawa, were it not for the festival. This is a great
opportunity to hear new and established writers, chat them up, get copies of
their books and hang about with fellow bibliophiles.
Here are three events I’m jumping up and down in my
seat about:
I think I’ve been to every one of these and they
always hold surprises. I discover new music and hear songs I haven’t heard by some of my favourite
musicians. The format is interesting. Alan usually has some sort of theme and
picks singer/songwriters that fit within the theme. There’s a lot of
conversation and clips from interviews. This year the theme is Random Play with
musical guests: CRAIG FINN of THE HOLD STEADY,
ELLIOTT BROOD, ROSE COUSINS, BONJAY and ISKWE.
I have been a fan of Michael’s since I first read
Cumberland, his novel set in Cornwall, Ontario, several years ago. I also
enjoyed his second novel, Progress, and am looking forward to his memoir, My
Body is Yours. Michael is a talented writer of both fiction and poetry and also
a filmmaker
I just read Raziel Reid’s When Everything Feels Like
the Movies this past winter and I found it to be heart-breaking, compelling and
humorous.
Glenn Nuotio is one of my favourite people and I love
his music.
I also feel that discussions surrounding gender
identity, prejudice based on gender and sexual orientation are
vital and I’m glad that these are being addressed at the festival through these
fine works.
April 25, 6:30pm The Time to Make It Shorter with
Mark Anthony Jarman, Steven Hayward, Heather O'Neill and Guy Vanderhaeghe
With all due respect to all of the writers at this
event, the person I am most looking
forward to is Heather O’Neill. I have just devoured her second book, The Girl
Who was Saturday Night; last winter I enjoyed Lullabies for Little Criminals,
and have just started her short story collection, Daydreams of Angels. I love
her writing, her characters, her descriptions of Montreal and her fancifulness.
I like the fact that she writes about people who are treated as the dregs of
society, petty criminals, drug dealers, fat old Russians, aging former Quebec
musical icons, patients in mental hospitals, feral cats.
The Ottawa International Writers Festival Spring
Edition takes place at Christ Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks Street from April 22
to April 28, 2015 and includes poetry, fiction, memoir, history, politics,
science, music, food, laughter, mayhem, sweet smiles, awkward pauses, CBC
hosts, Carleton and U of O students, workshops, glamourous outfits, Sean Wilson
in a baseball cap and surprises…
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