Today in (Manitoba) History - November 13, 1971
Cree woman Helen Betty Osborne is kidnapped and murdered while walking down the street in The Pas, Manitoba. It will be sixteen years before any of her white killers are convicted.
Tonight at Aqua Books at 7pm: The Life of Helen Betty Osborne. A launch of David Robertson’s new graphic novel.
GPOYW: Day Late (and not me) Edition
Acclaimed author Beatrice (Culleton) Mosionier is launching her new book tomorrow night at Aqua. Come Walk With Me is the memoir of the life of the author of the classic, In Search of April Raintree. Also there will be David Robertson, launching The Life of Helen Betty Osborne: The Graphic Novel, on the 38th anniversary of the murder of Betty (November 13, 1971). Here’s a nice profile on Beatrice in Uptown.
This is the poster for our new Film Writer-in-Residence, Kier-La Janisse. Kier-La (pronounced Kayla) is working on a book about women in horror films, and will be doing a series for us in January called Teenage Rampage: Delinquents on Page and Screen.
And what about this Saul Bass-inspired poster? Bril designer Julia Michaud (aka Instant Noodles) has outdone herself again.
I was totally going to let this guy off the hook, until this shows up on his blog:
“The limited attendance was made to feel skimpier by the huge mausoleum-like upstairs room (I mean, it has a stage and about a hundred seats in rows) the organizers chose to hold it in…if you’re coming in from out of town, request that the reading take place in some intimate nook among the books, as is pictured on their website.”
Um…we have likely the nicest events room in town (pictured above, avec moi), so I’m not sure what mausoleums look like where you come from. (Not sure which nooks we picture for readings on the website, unless it’s photos from our old location.)
This guy speaks the truth here when he says “it could have been better for a bunch of reasons, most of which I won’t go into here.” Well, let me go into them.
This was one of the worst readings I’ve ever had to attend (let alone host, God help me). The opening reader was lovely and respectful. After that it was every bad thing you imagine a reading might be. He (I won’t say his name - click on the link above if you really need to know) asked everyone in the audience what their name was (and didn’t recognize his own nephew). He played several bad songs from his 2002 CD. He tuned his guitar while we all sat there. He screwed up a song halfway through. And. Then. Started. Again. Anyone here ever perform (anything) in front of a crowd? Rule #1: No do-overs. Keep going, dolt. After his interminable music, he read his new book of poetry. It seemed like all of it. About forty minutes worth. (I won’t go into my objections to listening to middle-aged men read poems about sex.)
We work so hard to get people to come to readings here. I pray to God all of those people there were related to him. If they were actual customers, they’ll never come back.
Aqua U. presents a Pocket Book Mini Album Workshop with FreckledNest.com’s Leigh-Ann Keffer, this Saturday October 17 (10am-4pm, $44).
Writers EAT! after the THIN AIR 2009 workshop, Writing for Kids, by Governor General’s Award-winner Tim Wynne-Jones (left). Next to Tim (l-r) are, mystery author Terry Griggs, teen writer Perry Grosshans (his writing is teen, not him - although he looks it), former Aqua Books W-i-R Anita Daher, and writer Simone Hebert Allard.
George Elliott Clarke, at After Words tonight at 10:30pm at Aqua Books. Part of THIN AIR 2009, free.
Another very kind review of Kelly Hughes Live!, this one saying I’m better than Jay Leno. Thanks, Donald.
I just got blown off by Order of Canada recipient (seen here, left, in 2006 with the GG) Wanda Koop’s assistant. I wanted her to be a guest on Kelly Hughes Live!, and was told “as well as being quite busy with a number of projects right now, it is not the sort of thing she feels comfortable doing”. Hope she didn’t make the “that smells bad” face when she told him that.
Listen to An Evening With (fellow tumblr) Gillian Sze...
“Unfortunately, people don’t throw money at you for writing a sonnet.”
Listen to my reading/interview at Aqua Books here. Click 8.26.09 An Evening with Gillian Sze.
The Worst Mission Statement Ever...
I just booked a group that wanted to meet here in our meeting room. I looked them up online to see what they were all about. Following is the worst mission statement I’ve ever seen. (They couldn’t afford to rent our big room, because they blew their budget on five dollar words.) I still can’t figure out what they do…
Mission
Collaborating with partners of government, community-based organizations, communities and the private sector, we provide a community engagement and dialogue clearinghouse:
- To provide capacity training and resources to build individual and collective skills and knowledge in small and large-scale engagement and dialogue processes
- To facilitate customized community engagement and dialogue design and facilitation
- To convene community engagement and dialogue processes
- To collect and publish information and best practices of community engagement planning, strategic engagement, organizational renewal and public policy development.
