UNB Reading Series: Michael Crummey Reads on November 25! And more!

The University of New Brunswick invites you to a public reading by award-winning Newfoundland author, Michael Crummey! Join us on Tuesday, November 25th, 2014 at 8:00pm in Tilley Hall 102 (Bailey Auditorium) on the UNB Fredericton campus.

Michael Crummey is an accomplished author who grew up in Wabush, Labrador. He has published several books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, including Hard Light, River Thieves, and Galore. His most recent novel, Sweetland, was shortlisted for the 2014 Governor General’s Literary Award; it tells the story of Moses Sweetland—a resident of a small island off the coast of Newfoundland that shares his family name — who fakes his own death in order to avoid forced resettlement by the Newfoundland government. Sweetland is described in the National Post as having a “focus on a contemporary story, imbuing it with the force and weight of history and myth.”

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Catching up on some local news . . . Fiddlehead fiction editor Mark Jarman, who has a new book forthcoming with Goose Lane Editions in 2015, recently read excerpts at two Goose Lane 60th anniversary parties in Fredericton and Toronto. You can read a roundup of the Toronto celebration at Descant's blog! And you can check out some of his work at Numéro Cinq.

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And Qwerty, UNB's graduate student magazine, is launching its issue 32, on Thursday, November 26th at 7pm in Fredericton's Wilser's Room, 366 Queen Street.

Our Autumn Issue is Out!

The Fiddlehead no. 261 (Autumn 2014)

The Fiddlehead's autumn issue is now on its journey to subscribers' mailboxes and available at newsstands across the country. Visit our website now for a glimpse at the table of contents and a few excerpts from the issue.

As you can see by our cover image, we're celebrating Alistair MacLeod. We've republished "The Vastness of the Dark," his second-ever published story, which appeared in The Fiddlehead back in 1971. It is republished with the permission of Penguin Random House.

In this issue you will find tributes to Alistair MacLeod from editor Ross Leckie, fiction co-editor Mark Anthony Jarman, and friends Douglas Gibson and D.R. MacDonald. You will also find the best poetry and fiction we could find: Stephanie Yorke, Brian Bartlett, Richard Cumyn, Catherine Graham, and Kerry-Lee Powell to name only a few!

Congratulations to another of our contributors to this issue, Michael Prior, who has just won The Walrus poetry prize!

In other contributor news, congratulations to Anne Compton, most recently featured in our Summer Poetry issue (no. 260). Anne has just been awarded New Brunswick's 2014 Lieutenant-Governor's Award for High Achievement in English Language Literary Arts.

One Month Left to Submit to The Fiddlehead's 24th Annual Contest

We don't want to scare you (although it is almost Halloween!), but there is just over one month left to submit to The Fiddlehead's 24th Annual Contest. Full details are on our website, but here are the important ones:

The contest deadline is December 1, 2014 (postmarked).

There are two categories, short fiction and poetry.

The winning entries in each category take home $2000 + publication payment ($40/page).

There are two honourable mentions in each category — each win $250 each + publication payment ($40/page).

The total of all prizes equals $5000!

The winning entries will be published in next Spring's issue, no. 263.

You receive a subscription to The Fiddlehead just for entering!

The fiction judge is Craig Davidson.

The poetry judges are Jeremy Dodds, Danny Jacobs, and Sina Queyras.

Happy Halloween!

Two more readings in Fredericton this week: Qwerty Reads and Greg Bechtel

On Thursday, October 23, Qwerty, the UNB graduate student literary journal, hosts this year's first edition of QWERTY READS. We will be featuring the talent of UNB's English and Creative writing program, along with the book launch of Claire Kelly's poetry collection, Ur-Moth.

Come to the Wilser's Room of The Capital Complex at 7PM to enjoy the cash bar and plenty of time to socialize throughout the night. Here are this month's readers:

Reid Lodge
Michael Meagher
Clair Kelly

Invite your friends! We hope to see you all at the event.

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The University of New Brunswick invites you to a free public reading by UNB alumnus Greg Bechtel! We hope you will join us on Friday, October 24th, at 8:00pm at the Alumni Lounge in UNB Fredericton’s Alumni Memorial Building.

Greg Bechtel graduated from UNB in 2004 with an MA in English (Creative Writing) and is very excited to return to Fredericton to read from his first book, Boundary Problems, which was published earlier this year by Freehand Books. UNB professor Mark Jarman describes Bechtel’s book as “a chaotic collection with comic touches, a paranoid Pynchonesque mix-tape of hosers and hipster cafes, office jobs and summer camp confessions, lit theory and online porn. Boundary problems? No problem for Greg Bechtel; his debut is wild, sly, and magnetic.” We look forward to seeing you at this reading!

Readings in Fredericton this Week: Brian Bartlett, Ann Eriksson, and Gary Geddes

Brain Bartlett reads at UNB on Tuesday evening, and Ann Eriksson and Gary Geddes read at Westminster Books on Wednesday evening.

The University of New Brunswick invites you to a public reading by award-winning poet Brian Bartlett! Join us on Tuesday, October 14th, at 8:00pm at the Alumni Lounge in UNB Fredericton’s Alumni Memorial Building.

Brian Bartlett is currently a Professor of English at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, but grew up in New Brunswick and completed his first degree at UNB. He is the author of seven collections and five chapbooks of poetry, and is also the editor of several other works of prose and poetry. Bartlett’s newest book, Ringing Here and There: A Nature Calendar, is his first published book of prose; it presents a full year of daily journals speaking to the human connection to the natural world.

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British Columbia-based authors Ann Eriksson and Gary Geddes are embarking on a cross-Canada book tour this fall, covering over twenty-five stops from B.C. to the Maritimes in two months. Join the authors for an evening of fiction and poetry in Fredericton, as they read at Westminster Books (445 King Street) on Wednesday, October 15 at 7pm. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Both members of this impressive husband-and-wife team have released new books this year. Eriksson’s High Clear Bell of Morning (Douglas & McIntyre, $22.95) is an elegant, affecting novel about a family struggling to cope when the daughter, Ruby, develops schizophrenia. The book also draws on environmental themes through the character of Ruby’s father, a marine biologist studying the mysterious death of a killer whale on our west coast. Geddes’ What Does a House Want? (Red Hen Press, $19.95) is a collection of selected poems from his highly acclaimed poetic career.

Ann Eriksson is the author of three previous novels: Decomposing Maggie (Turnstone, 2003), In the Hands of Anubis (Brindle & Glass, 2009) and Falling From Grace (Brindle & Glass, 2011), which was awarded a silver medal in the 2011 Independent Publishers Book Awards. Eriksson is a biologist and a founding director of the Thetis Island Nature Conservancy. For more info, go to: www.anneriksson.ca.

Gary Geddes has written and edited more than forty books of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, drama, criticism, translation, and anthologies, and won a dozen national and international literary awards, including the Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Americas Region), and the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence.

This reading event is made possible with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. For more information, contact Westminster Books at 506-454-1442 or info@westminsterbooks.com.

Fiddlehead Contributors, Clea Young and Michelle Butler Hallett, Enjoy Success

Clea Young

Congratulations to Clea Young, who is one of the finalists for this year's Journey Prize! Clea's story, "Juvenile," appeared in last year's Summer Fiction issue, no. 256.

The Journey Prize anthology, which also features "Downturn" by Fiddlehead contributor Jeremy Lanaway, is now available in book stores and online. The two other finalists are Tyler Keevil (The New Orphic Review) and Lori McNulty (Descant). The winner will be announced on November 4. Good luck Clea!

Another anthology just released featuring a Fiddlehead contributor is the Best American Mystery Stories 2014. Michelle Butler Hallett's story "Bush-Hammer Finish," which appeared in last fall's no. 257, is featured along with works by Annie Proulx, Joseph Heller, and Russell Banks. Humber College has a great story on their website.

Upcoming Events: UNB Poetry Weekend & WFNB WordTravels

The University of New Brunswick invites you to our annual celebration of Canadian poetry, Poetry Weekend! Join us on Saturday and Sunday, October 4th and 5th, at 11am, 2pm, and 8pm at UNB Fredericton’s Memorial Hall for a series of readings by Canadian poets and authors. Featured guests this year include: Don McKay, Stevie Howell, James Arthur, Robin Richardson, Linda Besner, Rob Winger, Travis Lane, David Seymour, Jeffery Donaldson, as well as many others!

Poetry weekend is presented by the Canada Council for the Arts, the League of Canadian Poets, the Writers’ Union of Canada, the UNB Department of English, the UNB Bookstore, The Fiddlehead, Icehouse (Goose Lane) Poetry, Biblioasis, and the Porcupine’s Quill.

Admission to Poetry Weekend is free and anyone is welcome to attend. We look forward to having you join us at one of our most exciting events of the year!

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Writer's Federation of New Brunswick presents inaugural WordTravels in Florenceville-Bristol featuring Nancy Bauer, John Barton

September 22 event features workshops, art exhibit, poetry, theatre, music & more

Nancy Bauer, author, founding member and honourary president of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB), will join Malahat Review editor John Barton as guest presenters at the inaugural WordTravels in northern Carleton County, Saturday, September 27, which will also feature an art exhibit by Aunty Political, book launch, readings and music. WordTravels is a new outreach initiative of WFNB, to provide writers in non-urban communities with learning and networking opportunities, with Canada Council assistance.  

The September 27 event leads off a series of events that will take place throughout the Province and will pair authors from outside and within NB to share and showcase Canada’s rich literary tradition and talent. A second full-day get-together will take place in Shediac on October 2, as Barton, former writer in residence at the Saskatoon Public Library and at the University of New Brunswick, continues his New Brunswick tour in support of the Province’s writing community. For the first two events, the featured NB authors are Ann Brennan, author of The Real Klondike Kate, The Hawthorn Bush, as well as several collections of poetry, and poet Rose Deprés, a literary mentor and creator. She is also an accredited translator, musician, spokesperson, dancer, actress, artistic and literary director as well as a teacher and yoga instructor. 

Cost for each workshop is $20 and can be paid at the door. For more information and to pre-register, email WFNB’s executive director Warren Maddox, at info@wfnb.ca or telephone (506) 260-3564.