This year’s STARFest got underway with a few bangs as festival director Heather Dolman smiled at the sold-out crowd for Elinor Florence on Tuesday evening.
This year’s STARFest got underway with a few bangs as festival director Heather Dolman smiled at the sold-out crowd for Elinor Florence on Tuesday evening. “It was wonderful,” Dolman said, reflecting on how some of the 14 Readers’ Festival events will go off differently than planned. Esi Edugyan was meant to be the fast followup on Wednesday but had to reschedule due to an overlapping engagement for her Giller nomination. Instead, host Jesse Lipscombe will sit with her on the stage on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 27, at the St. Albert United Church on Green Grove Drive. That means that she shuffles above Eden Robinson as the grand finale act, as many have anticipated her appearance since she had to cancel during last year’s festival. Robinson, still set for Nov. 9, will instead move to the United Church just like Edugyan is doing. And that’s not the only shift to the schedule. Patrick deWitt, previously on the calendar for Oct. 21 at the library, will instead take the stage at the Arden Theatre. This is the second of two preview features on STARFest, the first of which was published on Oct. 3. Visit www.starfest.ca for full details on all events.
Emma Hooper
Thursday, Oct. 18
Edmonton-born Emma Hooper has had an interesting career, or set of careers. In addition to being a British university academic and an acclaimed musician who has performed with Peter Gabriel, she is also a Giller-nominated writer with her new novel
Our Homesick Songs. So, how many people is she really? “Sadly, there’s just one of me. But I’ve got a lot of pretty believable disguise-hats,” she joked. Being up for Canada’s highest literary prize is always a good thing though she might be used to the kudos at this point. Her first novel,
Etta and Otto and Russell and James, was a shortlisted finalist for the amazon.ca First Novel Award three years ago. Having to talk about her work is one thing but to have the prizes being mentioned in the same breath is kind of intense, she says. “You never really know, when you publish a thing, if anyone really notices. This proved they did, which is amazing, but also brings on a kind of ‘Oh, wow, they’ve seen me, don’t mess up now’ feeling. Mostly it’s just great though. Really, really nice like a really big bouquet of surprise flowers when you thought that, maybe, everyone forgot your birthday.” Her new book is described as a lyrical, charming and mystical story of a family on the edge of extinction involving a fishing village where the fish have disappeared. One wonders if the author is preoccupied with the end of the world, or simply knows how to run with a strong theme. “I never really thought of it as quite as dramatic as the end of the world. It’s more like the smaller signals and stories that trickle us in that direction. I am preoccupied with the anthropocene era that we’ve recently entered, and what it actually means, or might mean for us and for our planet.” Hooper is thrilled to come to the St. Albert stage, where she will be hosted by writer, poet and
Glass Buffalo editor Matthew Stepanic.
Maureen Jennings
Saturday, Oct. 20
If you haven’t heard of
The Murdoch Mysteries then you must be that one person. Author Maureen Jennings wrote the books before they became the TV series (now in its 11th season if you need to catch up) and she’s back with the eighth book in the literary series,
Let the Darkness Bury the Dead. Her world of Victorian Toronto where artful detective William Murdoch tackles some tough crimes is enough entertainment for any avid fan or newcomer to the flock. Jennings will be in conversation with Edmonton mystery writer Janice MacDonald.
Patrick deWitt
Sunday, Oct. 21
Patrick deWitt must seem like the man of the moment. He has a new book called
French Exit that is on the Giller longlist, just like his last novel,
Under Major Domo Minor, was a few years ago. Most people will probably recognize him better as the father of
The Sisters Brothers, which was not only shortlisted for the Giller but also the Man Booker Prize though it did win the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour and the Governor General’s Award for English fiction. A new film adaptation starring Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly has recently made the rounds at various film festivals and is set for wide release sometime this month. He will be in conversation with St. Albert’s poet laureate Zach Polis.
Cait Flanders
Wednesday, Oct. 24
If you’re looking for thrifty tips then look no further. Cait Flanders wrote the book on the subject … literally.
The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store is all about her struggle to spend less, save more money and live more simply. That simple life doesn’t seem to apply to her book’s 26-word title. She will be in conversation with regional writer in residence Michael Hingston.
STARFest Gets Spooky
Saturday, Oct. 27
Crime and speculative fiction novelist SG Wong hosts a Halloween-themed panel of writers for a talk about what it takes to survive in the world of paranormal, mystery and sci-fi genres. Joining her will be E.C. Bell, Rhonda Parrish and Chadwick Ginther. “She’s leading them in a conversation about balancing spooks and frights in their works against facts, the research, and other craft considerations. It sounds like a lot of fun to me,” Dolman said.
Tom Wilson
Sunday, Oct. 28
We all know Tom Wilson as a musician with bands including Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Junkhouse, and Lee Harvey Osmond. Notable trivia point: he’s also a painter. But Wilson has a really intriguing life history and he now shares it with readers.
Beautiful Scars: Steeltown Secrets, Mohawk Skywalkers and The Road Home is all about his heritage and what family means to him. Nobody writes like he does, and nobody should miss him write about his own life. He will be in conversation with Seven Music Fest producer Barry Bailey. In true Tom Wilson style, the singer will also entertain the Arden Theatre audience with a few tunes well belted out.
Eden Robinson
Friday, Nov. 9
STARFest audiences were hoping to catch Eden Robinson last year, but circumstances prevented her appearance until now. The Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations author is excited to settle this account finally. Her new novel,
Trickster Drift, was just released earlier this month. It’s the second in the trilogy after last year’s Giller-shortlisted
Son of a Trickster captured readers’ attention. This new book continues the story of former drug addict Jared Martin who moved to Vancouver for school but a change of scenery doesn’t necessarily mean avoiding the circumstances of one’s past. He finds that his troubles have followed him in this continuing dark and humorous saga. One can be assured that her visit to Alberta will indeed be welcome, but it will just be a visit. “I can never live in a sunny place,” she said, referring to her preference for Vancouver’s seaside climate. “I’m a B.C. mushroom.” She is having a very busy fall. While she is on tour to promote this most recent book, she has already started the final title in the trilogy. Apart from that, one of her earlier works is getting the silver screen treatment. The supernatural mystery
Monkey Beach is being adapted into a feature film, the production of which is nearing completion. “It’s wonderful that it’s happening now. I’m actually going to be an extra in the Halloween scene. I’m a brush with death,” the jovial writer laughed. She won the Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award for a mid-career writer and is one of Canada’s first female Indigenous writers to gain international attention, which makes her an important role model for aspiring authors, to mention young and old people alike. There are many reasons she is one of our most important writers. She will be in conversation with Richard Van Camp, the former regional writer in residence and acclaimed author of
The Lesser Blessed.
