Alberta Culture Days starts on Friday with community groups and organizations offering a plethora of arts and culture events and activities for one and all to participate in and enjoy. When it comes to the annual festival weekend, local libraries, authors and literary groups have all the ‘write’ stuff.
The Morinville Community Library is bringing back a new fan favourite with a 24-hour Read-a-thon starting at 4 p.m. on Friday. The one it held in June last year was more than twice as long and more than twice the amount of effort to pull off.
“It was the 50th anniversary so we did 50 hours, which was enormous,” said programming co-ordinator Stacey Buga. “We didn’t go quite so overboard this time.”
She thought it would be a great way to celebrate the province-wide festival in a multicultural fashion. The readers’ list includes six published authors but for extra variety and culture, not all of the readers will speak in English, French or German, the three most common languages in the town’s demographic makeup.
“Our culture is so much more diverse than that now so I hope we can shine a spotlight on that.”
There will also be readers in German, Italian, Hindi, and Arabic readings so far, though the organizer is hopeful to sign up a Cree reader or a local elder for some Indigenous storytelling as well. Also in the works is a group reading of a single children’s book in several different languages.
“It’s going to be really cool. That’ll be our opening act.”
Buga herself will tackle an hour on the theme of children’s human rights. She will be reading The Orange Shirt Story, Phyllis (Jack) Webstad’s account of her childhood introduction to residential school. Orange Shirt Day is marked every Sept. 30 though this reading will take place 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29. She will also read some Shel Silverstein, and from Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani activist for women’s rights to education and the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The full schedule also includes Morinville Free Press journalist and author Cynthia Wandler, Darren M. Jorgensen (author of the Finding Max adult thriller trilogy), Morinville poet and Vacant Morality author Christopher Raine, and author Katja Desjarlais (author of the new paranormal romance Haunt Vault series), Kim Mills (author of The Way Home series) among others. Those who wish to sign up as readers for time slots that are still available can call the library at 780-939-3292.
To entice attendance, the library will bring in food from local, independent businesses and there will be plenty of coffee. It is located at 10125 100 Ave. in Morinville.
Words starting with a capital
Meanwhile south of St. Albert, Edmonton Public Libraries will be hosting their second annual Capital City Press Book Festival with its own weekend of free light ‘Lit’ activities including a fun spelling bee contest for adults to kick things off on Friday at 7 p.m. Local celebrities and some EPL staff members will compete against each other by spelling words that have a literary spin. Members of the public can put their name in a hat to be chosen to get into the game, too.“It’s going to be a really fun night. It’s a chance to win a prize but also bragging rights and a good, fun way to kick off the festival,” said Katherine Gibson, lead organizer of the Capital City Press initiative and the manager of EPL’s nice new Calder branch along 127 Street.
Among the competitors will be EPL’s own current writer in residence and renowned actor/playwright Darrin Hagen as well as local singer/songwriter Carrie Day. The event will be hosted by Julian Faid of Rapid Fire Theatre and will also have beer offerings from Edmonton’s Sea Change Brewing Co. for sale.
Beer and spelling?
"It’s a great mix,” Gibson enthused.
Capital City Press is an initiative that is described as a meeting place for authors to exchange ideas between themselves and also for authors to become better acquainted with the public at large through publicity and other events. The inaugural festival was held in May 2017 but was so popular that it was brought back, this time to coincide with the province-wide celebrations.
The festival itself will take place at the Whitemud Crossing branch, 4211 106 St. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, though people can expect it to be very similar in style and content. There will be a book fair area where more than two-dozen local indie and traditionally published authors and publishers will have their wares for sale. In addition to seeing Hagen and Day return for the fair, attendees can look for faces to go with other such recognizable authors’ names as wunderkind poet Billy-Ray Belcourt, award-winning author/journalist/broadcaster Minister Faust, St. Albert-raised author Jennifer Quist, and current writer in residence at the St. Albert Public Library Michael Hingston among numerous others. There will also be booths representing various publishing industry organizations such as Athabasca University Press, Monto Books, and the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.
The day will offer various panels and sessions with local authors discussing various topics of a literary or publishing nature including how to write about love and writing for children. Hingston will lead the charge on a panel about writing the truth. His journalism background as the former books editor at the Edmonton Journal should be credit enough for him to tackle the subject.
There’s lots to consider at these free events, Gibson says, even for people who aren’t big readers or literary insiders otherwise.
“If you’re interested in Edmonton, just come down and hear more. You don’t necessarily have to read a whole novel about it but come and listen to this interesting discussion about your city. I’m hoping that there is something for everyone at this type of festival. Come and support your neighbours. These are Edmonton and local area writers. Find out what’s going on in your city because it’s really quite awesome.”
