Talk of the Town

The Canada Reads Wrap-Up Party

Fri. Feb. 20, 7:30-9:00 pm

With: Bill Richardson author and broadcaster; Zsuzsi Gartner, Aislinn Hunter, Timothy Taylor, and Nancy Lee

Presented in co-operation with the Vancouver International Writers Festival and CBC Radio. Generously supported by Raincoast Book Publishers.

Canada Reads Books

From Feb. 16th to 20th on CBC Radio’s Canada Reads, five prominent Canadians will each defend what they think is the one home-grown book for all of Canada to read. The contenders are:

• Barney’s Version, by Mordechai Richler
• The Love of a Good Woman, by Alice Munro
• Green Grass, Running Water, by Thomas King
• The Heart is An Involuntary Muscle, by Monique Proulx
• The Last Crossing, by Guy Vanderhaeghe

The winner will be chosen on Friday morning Feb. 20th. Book lovers and CBC radio fans won’t want to miss The Canada Reads Wrap-Up on Friday night. Bill Richardson and Zsuzsi Gartner of Canada Reads will be joined by Aislinn Hunter, Timothy Taylor and Nancy Lee to form an all-star literary panel moderated by Hal Wake. As a member of the audience, you will be invited to join in on a discussion of the Canada Reads books and the whole notion of literary contests.

There will be a draw for prizes including an autographed copy of a book by each of the panelists and the grand prize: a copy of each of the five nominated books.

And the UBC bookstore is offering a 10% discount on the Canada Reads books between Feb. 9th and Feb. 19th. So you can catch up on any of the books you haven’t read, at a great price. Store information below.

The Canada Reads Wrap-Up
Friday, February 20th, 7:30-9 pm
UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson St.

The discussion will take place at UBC’s Robson Square campus. Attendance is free of charge, but please pre-register at info.talkofthetown@ubc.ca or phone 604-822-5675.

UBC Bookstore
Locations and hours:
Main UBC Campus, 6200 University Boulevard: 9:30-5 weekdays, 11-5 Saturdays.
Robson Square, 800 Robson St.
10:30-5 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays;10:30-7:30 Wednesdays; and Saturdays from 11-4.

Panelists

Bill Richardson is the host of CBC Radio’s Richardson’s Roundup, host of the 2004 edition of CBC Raido’s Canada Reads and the author of 13 books, most recenlty Dear Sad Goat: A Roundup of Truly Canadian Tales and Letters. (http://www.cbc.ca/roundup/billsbooks.html)

Zsuzsi Gartner is the author of the short story collection, All the Anxious Girls on Earth, (Key Porter, 1999, Anchor/Random House, 2000), and has recently had fiction published in Toronto Life, Saturday Night, and the anthologies Write Turns (Raincoast) and Islands West (Oolichan).

Aislinn Hunter is the author of a novel Stay (Polestar 2002), a book of poetry Into the Early Hours (Polestar/Raincoast 2001) and a collection of short stories What’s Left Us (Polestar/Raincoast 2001). (http://www3.telus.net/aislinnhunter)

Timothy Taylor is the author a collection of short stories Silent Cruise (Vintage 2002) and a novel Stanley Park (Knopf 2001) which was the Vancouver Public Library’s 2003, One Book, One Vancouver selection.

Nancy Lee is the author of a collection stories Dead Girls (McClelland & Stewart 200 ) which won the 2003 VanCity book award. She was also a panelist for the 2003 edition of Canada Reads. (http://www.nancylee.ca)

Links & Readings

Links

Canada Reads at CBC Radio

The Canada Reads site has comprehensive information on the books and authors, including guides for readers and teachers.

Vancouver International Writers Festival

The Festival is the pre-eminent Vancouver showcase for writers from across Canada, around the world and from right here in B.C.