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Freehand Books, Canada's Newest Literary Publisher
Freehand Books, Canada's newest literary publisher, will publish its inaugural list in September 2008. Located in Calgary as an imprint of Broadview Press, Freehand is overseen by author Melanie Little. Freehand will publish fiction, literary non-fiction and poetry by Canadian writers, and intends to keep its list small and highly selective, bringing careful editorial attention to each title. Freehand is delighted to be publishing the novel Good to a Fault by local writer Marina Endicott as one of its first four titles this fall, a highly anticipated follow-up to her acclaimed debut Open Arms (shortlisted for the Amazon-Books in Canada First Novel Award).
The Gossip
The Uxbridge, Ontario home where Lucy Maud Montgomery penned many of the books in her Anne of Green Gables series has been appointed a national historic site.
Anne of Green Gables while living in her home province of Prince Edward Island. Three years after it was published, she married and moved to Leaskdale Manse in Uxbridge, Ontario where she wrote 11 of the 20 books she published during her lifetime. The Township of Uxbridge bought the property 15 years ago and is restoring it to its original 1886 glory. This year Anne would be 100 years old!
New Current Affairs and Books Show with Shelagh Rogers Set for CBC Radio
A new current affairs program and a books show featuring popular CBC host Shelagh Rogers is the latest addition to the CBC Radio lineup. The yet-to-be-named program will feature Rogers interviewing writers and issues affecting the literary landscape in Canada. Though details are still being ironed out, "it most certainly will feature Shelagh in conversations with Canadian authors, out at some literary events across the country and talking about Canadian books," said CBC Radio Programming Director Chris Boyce. Watch for the program coming this fall on CBC.
The Queen has Knighted Salman Rushdie
About a year after it was first announced, and caused ripples of protest across the Muslim world, the Queen knighted Booker Prize-winning novelist Salman Rushdie in London.
"This is, as I say, an honour not for any specific book but for a very long career in writing, and I'm happy to see that recognized," - Salman Rushdie after the ceremony
Literary press wins big at the Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts, Administered by the Ontario Arts Council
Coach House Books won the 2008 Premier's Award for Excellence in the Arts in the category of arts organization. Coach House Books was nominated among other respected art organizations that include the Guelph Jazz Festival, Hot Docs, the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, the Ojibwe Cultural Foundation and Réseau Ontario.
Site Updates
Watch for site updates over the next couple of months as Festival events are finalized.
A full schedule for this year's events will be available online this September.
