I’m very excited about the upcoming short story season at Salt Spring Island Public Library, and delighted, but also somewhat nervous at the prospect of reading alongside Caroline Adderson, who is a mistress of the form. There will be two excellent readers a night, reading an entire story each, on four Saturdays in April. Details below.Short, Sharp, Sweet: a Celebration of the Short Story
The Salt Spring Island Public Library in conjunction with Salt Spring Books and funded by The Writer’s Union of Canada National Public Readings Program under the Canada Council for the Arts presents “Short, Sharp, Sweet: a Celebration of the Short Story.” This second in a series of literary events will be held in the Library Program Room on Saturday evenings in April at 7:00 p.m.
The island is privileged to host this prestigious group of authors and short fiction writers from Salt Spring, Victoria and Vancouver.
April 06: Gillian Campbell, John Vigna
Gillian Campbell is a resident of Salt Spring Island and short fiction writer who has published in numerous literary journals including Grain Magazine, Creekstones: Words & Images, The New Quarterly and The Antigonish Review. She has a masters in library science and for many years has worked as a children’s librarian. Her first novel “The Apple House” was published last year and is set in 1970s Quebec.
John Vigna was born in Calgary and studied at UBC. Vigna is the author of the short story collection “Bullhead” and his work is also found in a number of literary publications including Event, The Dalhousie Review and “Cabin Fever: the Best New Canadian Non-Fiction”. He is the recipient of the Dave Greber Award for Freelance Writers, and a winner of the sub-Terrain Lush Triumphant fiction contest. Vigna lives in Vancouver and teaches at Douglas College and the University of the Fraser Valley.
April 13: Kathy Page, Caroline Adderson
Kathy Page has published seven novels including “The Story of My Face”, which was short-listed for the Orange Prize in 2002, “Alphabet”, a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award in 2005, and “The Find,” short-listed for the Relit Novel Award in 2011. Page’s story “The Second Spring after Liberation” was awarded the Bridport Prize for Short Fiction in 1994 and her short fiction has been anthologized, translated and broadcast on BBC Radio. Early stories are collected in “As in Music,” and Page is currently working on a collection of linked stories. Originally from London, Page now makes her home on Salt Spring Island.
Caroline Adderson was born in Edmonton and studied at UBC. She is the author of three novels, the latest of which, “The Sky is Falling” was short listed for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin award. Her two short fiction collections “Bad Imaginings” and “Pleased to Meet You” were listed for the Governor General’s and Giller Prizes respectively. The winner of two Ethel Wilson Fiction Prizes, three CBC Literary Awards, and the 2006 Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement, Adderson now lives in Vancouver.
April 20: John Gould, Shaena Lambert
John Gould is the author of the novel “Seven Good Reasons Not to Be Good” and of two collections of very short stories. His short story collection “Kilter: 55 Fictions” was a finalist for the Giller Prize and a Globe and Mail Best Book. His fiction has appeared in literary periodicals across Canada, and has been adapted for short films. Gould has written freelance nonfiction, and as an arts administrator he created and coordinated writing programs for the BC Festival of the Arts and the Victoria School of Writing. Gould currently teaches in the Department of Writing at the University of Victoria, where he also serves on the editorial board of the Malahat Review.
Shaena Lambert is a well-recognized novelist and short story writer. Her first book of stories, “The Falling Woman”, was a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year, and her first novel, “Radiance”, was a finalist for the Rogers Writer’s Trust Fiction Prize in 2007 and the Ethel Wilson Prize in 2008. Lambert’s stories have been chosen three years running for “Best Canadian Stories”. Lambert was born and raised in Vancouver and studied creative writing at the UBC. She teaches writing through the Vancouver Manuscript Intensive and at Simon Fraser University. Her book of stories “Oh, My Darling” will be published by Harper Collins Canada this fall.
April 27: Bill Gaston, Dede Gaston
Bill Gaston is a Canadian novelist, playwright and short story writer. He currently teaches at the University of Victoria. The author of thirteen books, Gaston won a CBC Literary Award for Fiction in 1999 and in 2003 was the inaugural recipient of the Timothy Findley Prize for a Canadian writer in mid-career. His short fiction collections are “Deep Cove Stories”, “North of Jesus’ Beans”, the critically acclaimed “Sex Is Red”, “Mount Appetite” (nominated for the Giller Prize and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize) and “Gargoyles” (shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award and winner of the Victoria Butler Prize and Relit Award). His latest novel, “The World”, has been shortlisted for the 2013 Ethel Wilson Prize.
Dede Crane-Gaston, a ballet dancer by profession, was in her early forties when she began writing, and has been publishing ever since. Crane’s first book, “Sympathy”, was shortlisted for the Victoria Butler Book Prize and her first published story, “Seers”, was shortlisted for the CBC Literary Award. Dede is the author of the acclaimed short story collection “The Cult of Quick Repair”, and the YA novels “Poster Boy” and “The 25 Pains of Kennedy Baines”. She lives, writes and teaches in Victoria. Dede’s new book “Every Happy Family”, a novel in stories will be published April 1st.
For more information, please contact: Karen Hudson, Librarian
Salt Spring Island Public Library
250-537-4666, ext. 225
http://saltspring.bclibrary.ca/