Upcoming in the UNB Reading Series: Wayne Johnston & Poetry Weekend

The University of New Brunswick would like to invite you to hear a reading by the critically acclaimed writer, Wayne Johnston. His latest novel, The Son of a Certain Woman, was published just last month and has already been long listed for the Giller Prize. It is the story of Percy Joyce, born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, in the fifties, who is an outsider from childhood, set apart by a congenital disfigurement. Soon on the cusp of teenagehood, Percy is filled with longing for what he can’t have, his disturbingly alluring mother, Penelope, whose sex appeal nearly leaps off the page. Everyone in St. John’s lusts after her—including her sister-in-law, Medina; their paying boarder, the local chemistry teacher, Pops MacDougal; and . . . Percy. The Son of a Certain Woman brilliantly mixes sorrow and laughter as it builds toward an unforgettable ending.

Wayne Johnston has an MA in English and Creative Writing from UNB and holds a UNB honorary doctorate. He is also the author of The Story of Bobby O'Malley, which won the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel award. Subsequent books consistently received critical praise, including The Divine Ryans, which was adapted to the silver screen, and Baltimore's Mansion, which won the most prestigious prize for creative non-fiction awarded in Canada - the Charles Taylor Prize. Both The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and The Navigator of New York spent extended periods of time on bestseller lists in Canada and Colony was identified by The Globe & Mail as one of the 100 most important Canadian books ever produced (including both fiction and non-fiction).

His reading will be held on Thursday, October 3 at 8:00 pm in Memorial Hall on the UNB Fredericton Campus. Admission is free and all are welcome to attend.

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The University of New Brunswick would like to invite you to the tenth Poetry Weekend.  This festival is legendary for its warmth and friendliness, and a few crazy parties. This is your chance to meet and talk with the best Canadian poets: Governor-General's Award and Griffin Prize winners. Join them for lunch and talk to them after readings. These are the kinds of events you talk about with your grandchildren.

The event will be Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6. Readings will be at 11am, 2pm, and 8pm both days and held in Memorial Hall on the UNB Fredericton Campus. Saturday’s 2pm reading will take place in Gallery 78. Readings will be given by Shane Neilson, Steven Price, Julie Bruck, Susan Glickman, David Seymour, Adam Dickinson, Carmelita McGrath, Lynn Davies, Jan Conn, Peter Richardson, Maurice Mierau, Sue Sinclair, and many more.

All readings are free of admission and all are welcome to attend.