24 Hour Write-In

The Freddy Words writing group will be hosting a 24-hour Write-In starting at noon on Saturday, August 14, 2010 at the Fredericton Inn. The cost of the Write-In is $20 if paid by August 7 or $30 after that. Proceeds from the event will go to support National Novel Writing Month.

National Novel Writing Month (http://www.nanowrimo.org) is a challenge to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. In that spirit, we are encouraging participants to set personal goals for the 24-Hour Write-In. There will be writing games and other activities going on throughout the event to keep participants motivated. There will also be a meet n’ greet social event Friday night, August 13.

The Fredericton Inn is conveniently located near many food outlets. You can find out more about the hotel from their web site: http://www.frederictoninn.nb.ca/.  A few couches for out-of-town participants are available with members of Freddy Words. These are provided on a first-come first-serve basis.

To register, please email freddywords@gmail.com with your name and whether you would like to be billeted with one of our members. We can accept payment by PayPal or cheque (Canadian cheques only, please), and we accept Canadian cash at the door. We will respond to confirm you are on our list, and your spot will be secure once we receive your payment.

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Full Schedule Festival acadien de Caraquet

Grosses têtes

Daily
Visual arts exhibition Mordre la lumière self – portrait
Bernard Jean Art Gallery – Caraquet Cultural Centre

Tuesday, August 3, 2010
11 am – noon: Songwriting workshop for children with Mario Chenart
TPA rehearsal hall – Caraquet Cultural Centre – Tickets: $10

8 pm: Jazz with Steve Amirault followed by Hot guitars Mario Chenart & John McGale
Caraquet Cultural Centre – Adults: $16/Students and seniors 65+: $12 (+ box office charge and hall improvement fee)

(more…)

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Where Acadian culture celebrates!

Blessings of the float

Until August 15^th, Caraquet is the place to be! Many cultural events celebrating French-speaking culture, from Acadie and beyond, are on the program: concerts featuring Acadian music, rock, Cajun style, Québec artists, rap and electro-pop, classical, jazz, a special theatre play celebrating Haiti, and much more. There is something for everyone at the 48^th edition of the Festival acadien de Caraquet!

The Festival acadien de Caraquet is proud to showcase many talented artists from here and beyond. On August 4^th, the public will have the chance to see great Quebec singer-songwriter, Richard Desjardins, whose respected work has been critically acclaimed from all over. Acadian Peninsula born Jean-François Breau, now a well-known artist in la Francophonie, will present a show with the charming Marie-Ève Janvier, his partner on stage as well as in life, on August 5^th. An evening of country music with Mike Parker and Denis Landry will take place on August 6^th and on August 7^th people will dancing with Nova Scotia act Blou and Quebec singer Alain François. Legendary Acadian singer, Angèle Arsenault, will be bringing her positive energy and joie-de-vivre onstage on August 8^th. (more…)

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Vote to Give Northrop Frye a Permanent Presence in Moncton!

Mayor George LeBlanc chats with Northrop Frye at the site of the future public art display.

The Frye Festival needs your help to win $25,000 to create a bronze life-sized sculpture of Northrop Frye sitting on a park bench reading a book outside the Moncton Public Library. As part of a national competition presented by Pepsi Canada, the Festival has submitted a proposal to win the funds to create an enduring reminder of our community’s most famous son.

Vote to Refresh Moncton! Beginning on Thursday, July 1^st and running until Tuesday, August 31, 2010, everyone is invited to visit the website www.refresheverything.ca daily and vote for “Feed your imagination” in the Arts and Culture section. The winner will be chosen exclusively on the number of votes it receives, so vote daily and get your friends and family to do the same!

Public art plays a vital role in creating a liveable and beautiful city and enhances the quality of life of all its citizens. That is why Mayor George LeBlanc is all over this project: “The City of Moncton believes whole-heartedly in the value and importance of public art. A sculpture like this one would celebrate our most famous son’s legacy while helping to create a more visually rich downtown core.”

(more…)

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New Heart Valve Procedure Offers Hope to High Risk Patients

Patients with a serious heart valve condition, known as aortic stenosis, who previously could not get treatment in the province of New Brunswick, are now being offered a lifesaving, minimally invasive surgery at the New Brunswick Heart Centre (NBHC), Donald J. Peters , President and CEO of Horizon Health Network announced.

Dr. Vernon Paddock, medical director of the New Brunswick Heart Centre, said that many patients with narrowed aortic valves – a life-threatening ailment – are not physically able to undertake open heart surgery. Some of those people will now benefit from the TAVI system.

“Before the new TAVI system was adopted, if a patient with a narrowed aortic valve, known as aortic stenosis, was not able to undergo open heart surgery, they had few options in New Brunswick,” Dr. Paddock said. “Now, we are able to offer a safe, effective and minimally invasive procedure that restores their heart function.”

During the TAVI procedure, rather than opening the chest to replace a narrowed or faulty aortic valve, a catheter is threaded through an artery in the groin and a new valve is advanced into the aorta through the femoral artery and set in place using an inflatable balloon. The new valve essentially takes over for the old, narrowed valve. With the new implant in place allowing normal blood flow, the person’s heart function can return to normal.

The Department of Health is providing $228,000 to fund the delivery of the new procedure, Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI).

“The investment will further support the delivery of leading-edge treatments for provincial patients at the New Brunswick Heart Centre,” said Health Minister Mary Schryer. “The availability of this new procedure in New Brunswick will provide treatment closer to home for patients and improve their quality of life.”

In addition to the funding for the new TAVI procedure, The Department of Health is providing an additional $1.5 million to the New Brunswick Heart Centre in 2010-2011.  The funding is being made available to improve access to cardiac surgery services, through the expansion of operation room times, additional intensive care beds and additional nursing and support staff.

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Communicating For Cash Workshop

To All Atlantic Region Writers: A Weekend Full of Workshops

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), Atlantic Region, is excited to offer Communicating for Cash, a weekend workshop filled with sessions to show you how to make money from your writing and lots of opportunities to network and socialize with other professional writers.

Workshop topics and leaders are Getting Work with the Federal Government with Marion Soubliere, Marketing Your Freelance Writing Services Using Traditional and Social Media Marketing Tools and Optimizing Your Website for
the Best Possible Search Engine Results with freelance writer and trainer Paul Lima, Getting Published Using Online Print-On-Demand with award winning author, speaker and publisher Julie V. Watson, Whose Story is it Anyway? with author Johanna Bertin and A Package with Punch: How to Make a Successful Non-fiction Submission with Goose Lane Editions managing editor Akou Connell.

Communicating for Cash takes place July 9 to 11 at Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB. Registration fee $175 for PWAC and CFU members and $225 for non-members.

Anyone interested in more information, or who would like to register, can visit http://pwacatlantic.ca/. Be sure to join our facebook page Communicating for Cash PWAC Atlantic Writers Workshop for the latest updates.

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La Sagouine Charms Toronto!

La Sagouine (Photo by: Dolores Breau)

La Sagouine, a play featuring one of Acadia’s most famous characters, was recently featured at Toronto’s Pleaides Theatre and enjoyed great success. Penned by Antonine Maillet, La Sagouine is portrayed by Viola Léger who embodies completely this 72 year old shrewd Acadian washerwoman. She presented a series of monologues in front of a Toronto audience asking for more. Theatre critics were full of praise and described La Sagouine as a “national treasure”. The play was presented in English for two weeks at the end of May and in French from May 31^st to June 5^th. The last time La Sagouine was played in Toronto was in 1979.

Many cultural critics gave a perfect score to Viola Léger in the role that has made her a well-known figure on the Canadian theatre scene. Praises were also given to the team surrounding Léger: Director John Van Bureck, set designer Yannick Larrivée, and lighting director Robert Thompson.

“La Sagouine is a cultural and artistic treasure,” simply states The Globe and Mail. Cultural critic Christopher Hoile of Toronto’s Eye Weekly states: “La Sagouine is simply essential viewing. (…) There really are no words to describe the quiet brilliance of Léger’s performance. You simply cannot imagine anyone else so fully and so compassionately embodying such an immensely rich character.” Robert Crew of the Toronto Star says: “It is, in fact, one of the little gems of Canadian theatre — gritty, honest and utterly true to life. I’ve never seen La Sagouine in French and my feeling is that it would add an extra dimension to what is already a warm, wise and wonderful piece of theatre.” Critics praised the universality and realism of the monologues and gave notice to a solid direction and the glorious lighting. (more…)

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Pegine’s Motivational Times

Pegine

Be Bold – Have Faith
by Pegine Echevarria

To be BOLD you have to have faith:

Faith is built on experiences, perception of self and optimism about your future. Faith is driven by what you tell yourself about yourself. For instance, if you focus, even for a short time, on your missteps or negative experiences your faith in yourself, your abilities and the concept that you have the power to receive what you desire will be limited.

This article will describe strategies to build your faith in these four areas to be bold in your life. (more…)

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Maritime Writers’ Workshops

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional writer – the Maritime Writers’ Workshops is for you! Since 1975, the Maritime Writers’ Workshops (MWW) has delivered high caliber instruction to those seeking an intensive workshop experience. Over those 30 plus years, hundreds of people have participated, made new friends, and learned critical skills on the development of their writing – all in a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. So go ahead, flex your writing muscles, and join us at the MWW!

The MWW offers participants the opportunity to pick and choose from a series of one-day workshops, all in a unique and supportive community of writers who share a commitment to excellence.

There are one-day workshops in everything from “How to Get Started” to Life Writing, and fiction and screen writing to “How to Get Published”.

Workshop Schedule
Monday, July 5 – Getting Started – Jo-Anne Elder
Tuesday, July 6 – Unleashing the Splendor Within: An Adventure in Life Writing (CCOM 4061) – Eve Mills Nash
Wednesday, July 7 – Creativity to Craft: A First Fiction Workshop – Carla Gunn
Thursday, July 8 – Screen Writing – Lex Gigeroff
Friday, July 9 – How to Get Published (CCOM 1913) – Biff Mitchell

Time: All workshops run from 9 am to 4 pm (not including lunch).
Location: McCord Hall, 7 Bailey Drive, UNB Campus, Fredericton

Cost: $115 per workshop (+ Hst) or $460 for the week (5 workshops for the price of 4!)

For more information: Call Alison Howells at (506)452-6360 or email ahowells@unb.ca.
Register now at (506)453-4646!

See: http://www.cel.unb.ca/pers_cult/writers/index.php

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Celebrate Upper Miramichi and Doaktown – Two Schools, One Spirit 2010 Reunion

Upper Miramichi Regional High School and Doaktown Consolidated High School will be handing out diplomas for the last time this June graduation season.  September will mark a new beginning for the students in these communities as they unite for the first time at the Central NB Academy.

To pay tribute to the closing schools and the students, teachers, and other key people who played an important part of growing up in these communities, a reunion weekend is planned for August 27-29.  This fun-filled weekend dubbed “Two Schools, One Spirit” features a number of activities including a meet and greet, Teacher’s Tea, and last tours of the closing schools.  The headline event The Last Dance will give former students an opportunity to relive the excitement of prom night.  A full schedule of events is located at www.uppermiramichi.ca.

(more…)

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