Printer-friendly version--September 12, 2011.
9th annual literary festival presents a month of illustrious Canadian writers
Hudson – One of Canada’s most distinguished broadcast journalists and award-winning author Linden MacIntyre will be in Hudson, Quebec, on October 1st to open StoryFest 2011 – the annual literary festival organized by the Greenwood Centre for Living History.
The co-host of CBC Television’s the fifth estate and winner of nine Gemini Awards was awarded the Scotiabank Giller Prize for his novel, The Bishop’s Man. It follows the exploits of a Catholic priest who became successful at covering up potential church scandals.
Storyfest is delighted to have such an accomplished writer and public speaker to launch the annual celebration of Canadian authors that Greenwood began in 2002.
MacIntyre will be the guest of honour at Storyfest’s Books and Breakfast event at the Hudson Community Centre (394 Main Road) at 9 a.m. on Oct. 1st, where he will discuss and read from his novel, as well as sign copies of his book. At 1:30 p.m., MacIntyre will lead a Writer’s Workshop at Greenwood (254 Main Road, Hudson). Space for both events is limited.
Storyfest 2011 will also welcome Anthony De Sa on Oct. 4th (7:30pm at the Hudson Village Theatre). De Sa’s first novel Barnacle Love was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Toronto Book Award: he will speak about his upcoming novel, Carnival of Desire
Renowned poet Camilla Gibb, whose poetry collections include Mouthing the Words, The Petty Details of So-and-So’s Life, Sweetness in the Belly and most recently, The Beauty of Humanity Movement, will be in Hudson on Oct. 11th .(7:30pm at the Hudson Village Theatre).
Well-known former CFCF-TV/CTV Montreal television anchor Bill Haugland will join Storyfest 2011 for “Conversation and Coffee” at the Hudson Community Centre on Oct. 19th at 2pm. His first novel, Mobile 9, has been followed this year by The Bidding.
Wayne Johnston will appear Nov. 1st (7:30pm at the Hudson Village Theatre). His first book, The Story of Bobby O’Malley, won the WH Smith/Books in Canada First Novel award for the best first novel published in the English language in Canada that year. Later novels The Colony of Unrequited Dreams and The Navigator of New York spent extended periods of time on Canada’s bestseller lists. He will read from his newest book, A World Elsewhere.
Playwright Colleen Curran will make a special trip to Hudson on Oct. 25th, appearing at Hudson Village Theatre at 7:30pm. She will speak about her career as a writer. Hudson’s own Heather Markgraf, founder of the Hudson Village Theatre, will perform one of Colleen’s short plays.
Other StoryFest 2011 events include Joel Yanofsky, author of the highly acclaimed biography Mordecai & Me: An Appreciation of a Kind, sharing some of his insights about Mordecai Richler prior to the screening of Barney’s Version at the Hudson Village Theatre on Oct. 26th.at 7:30pm.
Another popular event, Storytelling, takes place at the old Mullan’s store (586 Main Road) on Oct. 16th at 2:00pm. This year’s topic focuses on how the Second World War affected Hudson residents.
A Poetry Invitational welcomes poets Cathy Chandler, Robert Priest and John Asfour at St. Mary’s Hall on Oct. 18th at 7:30pm. StoryFest’s month of activities throughout October has become one of the most-anticipated literary festivals in the country. To see the complete StoryFest 2011 schedule, please go to www.greenwoodstoryfest.com. Tickets are available online, or at Pure Art, 422 Main Road, Hudson.
This yearly autumn celebration of writers, readers and storytellers builds upon the original Greenwood Centre’s Gigantes Series, launched with the generous support of former senator Philippe Gigantes. Storyfest has flourished over the years, attracting many of the major literary luminaries in the country, including Joseph Boyden, Nino Ricci, Jane Urquhart and M.G.Vassanji, to name just a few.
The Greenwood Centre for Living History is a remarkable historic home and garden dating back to 1732; it is filled with a rare collection of artifacts and furnishings which reflect the lives of the unique inhabitants who called it home. It operates as a non-profit, volunteer based organization, and StoryFest is its most important fundraising event.
For more information, contact Audrey Wall, Executive Director of Greenwood, at (450) 458-5396, or Jane Havard, Co-Chair of StoryFest at 450-458-5469.
