There has been a great deal of interest in Words Alive to date and a large number of inquiries as to the schedule of events. To find this timetable, please click here: Words Alive Schedule.
While we have made every attempt to provide as full and complete schedule as possible there may be some very minor alterations, so please check back often for any changes that may occur.
The times, dates and locations are shown for each event. The 10th Street Emporium address is 138 - 10th Street.
Any questions you might have can be emailed to wordsalivefestival@gmail.com.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Headline Authors announced
From November 8 to 10, the inaugural Words Alive will be launched in downtown Brandon venues. The first, highly anticipated guest is none other than Canada's dean of science fiction, Robert J. Sawyer. The following evening, award-winning novelist Sandra Birdsell will be on hand to read excerpts from her works. Finally, to conclude the first edition of Words Alive will be a region-wide book club event featuring Shelf Monkey and its author, Corey Redekop. As well, another highlight of the weekend will be the Super Series — workshops for the passionate writer, both published and unpublished.
The Super Series seminars will be led by two published authors. Writers with pieces in progress will have an opportunity to workshop their writing in a very small group and to benefit from constructive feedback and guidance. A lunch will be provided for registrants in this day-long series.
A new novelist who has been garnering much positive attention with his book Shelf Monkey, Corey Redekop has been writing for many years. The springboard for this novel was his output from the infamous 3-Day Novel Contest. Now published by ECW Press, Redekop will be on hand at the book club meeting to read and discuss his darkly comic novel. Uptown Magazine calls Shelf Monkey "…a savage and funny book, like Fahrenheit 451 meets Revenge of the Nerds, with a little Oprah's Book Club mixed in. It's a Fight Club for bookworms…" while Quill & Quire states that "the book's dark comedy and witty language play directly into its themes to make the satire sting… There's a lot to enjoy here."
Of Mennonite and Métis heritage, Sandra Birdsell has written three collections of short fiction, four novels, a novel for children, radio and theatre plays, as well as television and film scripts. Among her works are The Missing Child, Children of the Day, The Town That Floated Away, two books nominated for the Governor General Award, namely The Chrome Suite and The Two-Headed Calf, and The Russländer, which was a finalist for the Giller Prize. The jury for this prize said that "With her formidable gifts for psychological observation and her uncanny details of daily life a century ago, Birdsell weaves a place as important as any in our literature. By showing how power is often foisted upon us from an outside world, The Russländer illuminates, with an artistic glow of the first rank, the intimate certainty that evil will not dominate kindness, truth, or love."
Just last month, the much-lauded Robert J. Sawyer was in China to collect a Galaxy Award — China's top science fiction award — in the category of Most Popular Foreign Author. He has been writing since the 1970s, and since 1989, Sawyer has forged a career in writing, teaching and speaking about science fiction. His novels include the Neanderthal trilogy, Terminal Experiment, Calculating God and his latest, Rollback, and have appeared on bestsellers' lists in The Globe and Mail, The Calgary Herald, The Winnipeg Free Press, among others. Robert J. Sawyer has won all three of the world's top science-fiction awards for best novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He is one of only seven writers in history — and the only Canadian — to have won all three. Many of his works have been published in 13 other languages, including Chinese, Bulgarian, Polish, Italian and French. Maclean's newsmagazine says, "Sawyer, an articulate fountain of ideas, is the genre's northern star — in fact, one of the hottest SF writers anywhere. By any reckoning Sawyer is among the most successful Canadian authors ever."
• Robert J. Sawyer will be reading and meeting his fans on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
• Sandra Birdsell will take part in Words Alive and mingle with readers on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Words Alive book club, featuring Corey Redekop and his novel Shelf Monkey, will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.10.
All three authors will be appearing at the 10th St. Emporium Words Alive venue. There are only a very limited number of spots available in the Super Series. Book early to avoid disappointment. All passes, including regular weekend passes and Super Series passes, can be obtained at Pennywise Books, 1031 Rosser Ave.
The Super Series seminars will be led by two published authors. Writers with pieces in progress will have an opportunity to workshop their writing in a very small group and to benefit from constructive feedback and guidance. A lunch will be provided for registrants in this day-long series.
A new novelist who has been garnering much positive attention with his book Shelf Monkey, Corey Redekop has been writing for many years. The springboard for this novel was his output from the infamous 3-Day Novel Contest. Now published by ECW Press, Redekop will be on hand at the book club meeting to read and discuss his darkly comic novel. Uptown Magazine calls Shelf Monkey "…a savage and funny book, like Fahrenheit 451 meets Revenge of the Nerds, with a little Oprah's Book Club mixed in. It's a Fight Club for bookworms…" while Quill & Quire states that "the book's dark comedy and witty language play directly into its themes to make the satire sting… There's a lot to enjoy here."
Of Mennonite and Métis heritage, Sandra Birdsell has written three collections of short fiction, four novels, a novel for children, radio and theatre plays, as well as television and film scripts. Among her works are The Missing Child, Children of the Day, The Town That Floated Away, two books nominated for the Governor General Award, namely The Chrome Suite and The Two-Headed Calf, and The Russländer, which was a finalist for the Giller Prize. The jury for this prize said that "With her formidable gifts for psychological observation and her uncanny details of daily life a century ago, Birdsell weaves a place as important as any in our literature. By showing how power is often foisted upon us from an outside world, The Russländer illuminates, with an artistic glow of the first rank, the intimate certainty that evil will not dominate kindness, truth, or love."
Just last month, the much-lauded Robert J. Sawyer was in China to collect a Galaxy Award — China's top science fiction award — in the category of Most Popular Foreign Author. He has been writing since the 1970s, and since 1989, Sawyer has forged a career in writing, teaching and speaking about science fiction. His novels include the Neanderthal trilogy, Terminal Experiment, Calculating God and his latest, Rollback, and have appeared on bestsellers' lists in The Globe and Mail, The Calgary Herald, The Winnipeg Free Press, among others. Robert J. Sawyer has won all three of the world's top science-fiction awards for best novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He is one of only seven writers in history — and the only Canadian — to have won all three. Many of his works have been published in 13 other languages, including Chinese, Bulgarian, Polish, Italian and French. Maclean's newsmagazine says, "Sawyer, an articulate fountain of ideas, is the genre's northern star — in fact, one of the hottest SF writers anywhere. By any reckoning Sawyer is among the most successful Canadian authors ever."• Robert J. Sawyer will be reading and meeting his fans on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m.
• Sandra Birdsell will take part in Words Alive and mingle with readers on Friday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
• The Words Alive book club, featuring Corey Redekop and his novel Shelf Monkey, will begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Nov.10.
All three authors will be appearing at the 10th St. Emporium Words Alive venue. There are only a very limited number of spots available in the Super Series. Book early to avoid disappointment. All passes, including regular weekend passes and Super Series passes, can be obtained at Pennywise Books, 1031 Rosser Ave.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Enter our short story contest!
The “Words Alive” Short Story Writing Contest
The Words Alive book festival and the Brandon Sun have teamed up to present a short story writing contest. We’re looking for short works of never-before-published fiction — about 2,000 words — written by someone from Westman. Try your hand at any genre! Enter multiple times! The winner gets published — twice! Once in a Saturday edition of the Brandon Sun and once in the program of the 2007 Words Alive book festival.
Mail or drop off your manuscript to the Brandon Sun before the deadline: Friday, October 26 at 4 p.m. Remember to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
CONTEST RULES:
1. You may enter as often as you wish:
a) Mail each completed manuscript in a separate envelope to “Short Story Writing Contest,” c/o the Brandon Sun, 501 Rosser Avenue, Brandon, MB R7A 0K4 (open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.);
b) Manuscripts must be typed, at approximately 12-point font, double-spaced, singled-sided; and
c) Pages must be numbered.
2. Manuscripts must be accompanied by the following author information:
a) Name;
b) Address, including City/Town, and Postal Code;
c) Phone number; and
d) E-mail address, if available
3. Incomplete or pseudonymous entries are not be eligible to win. The Brandon Sun and Words Alive are not responsible for late, lost, destroyed or wrongly addressed mail in connection with the contest. Do not include any other correspondance in envelopes with entries.
4. Employees of the Brandon Sun, the Words Alive organization and their immediate families are ineligible to enter.
5. Any genre of fiction is eligible for entry. Manuscripts should be approximately 2,000 words in length. Entries that are substantially longer or shorter may be disqualified.
6. Entrants warrant that:
a) their short stories are original and unpublished works of fiction, and authored by a resident of the Brandon Sun readership area (Westman);
b) their short stories do not infringe upon any copyright, proprietary right or any other right of any kind; and
c) that the author has the unimpaired right to convey publication rights to the Brandon Sun and to the Words Alive book festival.
7. All entries must be received by contest closing date, Friday, October 26, 2007, at 4 p.m. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Selected entrants will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail.
8. Entrants, by entering this contest, consent to the use of their name and/or photograph, without compensation, for future publicity carried out by the Brandon Sun or Words Alive in connection with this contest.
9. Entrants retain copyright to their manuscripts. However, by entering this contest, all entrants grant to the Brandon Sun and to Words Alive a worldwide, perpetual, paid-up, non-exclusive licence to publish, republish or reproduce their manuscripts an unlimited number of times, in original or edited form, in all media and forms of reproduction and distribution now in existence or developed in the future.
10. Except for the winners, neither the Brandon Sun nor Words Alive will barter or share any entrant’s personal and/or private information with any other organization.
11. Winners may be selected on entertainment value as well as literary merit or any other quality or combination of qualities. Contest judges, as appointed by the Brandon Sun and/or Words Alive, will be the sole appraisers and will have the sole power to determine winning entries.
12. Winners will be published by the Brandon Sun on Saturday, November 3, 2007, with runners-up to appear in one or more issues of the Community News Edition near that date. The winning story will also appear in the program for the 2007 Words Alive book festival. Prior to publication, entries may be edited for taste, length, spelling and/or grammar.
13. Contest judges will make the final decision on any interpretation of these rules.
The Words Alive book festival and the Brandon Sun have teamed up to present a short story writing contest. We’re looking for short works of never-before-published fiction — about 2,000 words — written by someone from Westman. Try your hand at any genre! Enter multiple times! The winner gets published — twice! Once in a Saturday edition of the Brandon Sun and once in the program of the 2007 Words Alive book festival.
Mail or drop off your manuscript to the Brandon Sun before the deadline: Friday, October 26 at 4 p.m. Remember to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.
CONTEST RULES:
1. You may enter as often as you wish:
a) Mail each completed manuscript in a separate envelope to “Short Story Writing Contest,” c/o the Brandon Sun, 501 Rosser Avenue, Brandon, MB R7A 0K4 (open Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.);
b) Manuscripts must be typed, at approximately 12-point font, double-spaced, singled-sided; and
c) Pages must be numbered.
2. Manuscripts must be accompanied by the following author information:
a) Name;
b) Address, including City/Town, and Postal Code;
c) Phone number; and
d) E-mail address, if available
3. Incomplete or pseudonymous entries are not be eligible to win. The Brandon Sun and Words Alive are not responsible for late, lost, destroyed or wrongly addressed mail in connection with the contest. Do not include any other correspondance in envelopes with entries.
4. Employees of the Brandon Sun, the Words Alive organization and their immediate families are ineligible to enter.
5. Any genre of fiction is eligible for entry. Manuscripts should be approximately 2,000 words in length. Entries that are substantially longer or shorter may be disqualified.
6. Entrants warrant that:
a) their short stories are original and unpublished works of fiction, and authored by a resident of the Brandon Sun readership area (Westman);
b) their short stories do not infringe upon any copyright, proprietary right or any other right of any kind; and
c) that the author has the unimpaired right to convey publication rights to the Brandon Sun and to the Words Alive book festival.
7. All entries must be received by contest closing date, Friday, October 26, 2007, at 4 p.m. Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Selected entrants will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail.
8. Entrants, by entering this contest, consent to the use of their name and/or photograph, without compensation, for future publicity carried out by the Brandon Sun or Words Alive in connection with this contest.
9. Entrants retain copyright to their manuscripts. However, by entering this contest, all entrants grant to the Brandon Sun and to Words Alive a worldwide, perpetual, paid-up, non-exclusive licence to publish, republish or reproduce their manuscripts an unlimited number of times, in original or edited form, in all media and forms of reproduction and distribution now in existence or developed in the future.
10. Except for the winners, neither the Brandon Sun nor Words Alive will barter or share any entrant’s personal and/or private information with any other organization.
11. Winners may be selected on entertainment value as well as literary merit or any other quality or combination of qualities. Contest judges, as appointed by the Brandon Sun and/or Words Alive, will be the sole appraisers and will have the sole power to determine winning entries.
12. Winners will be published by the Brandon Sun on Saturday, November 3, 2007, with runners-up to appear in one or more issues of the Community News Edition near that date. The winning story will also appear in the program for the 2007 Words Alive book festival. Prior to publication, entries may be edited for taste, length, spelling and/or grammar.
13. Contest judges will make the final decision on any interpretation of these rules.
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