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.”

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Frye Festival Celebrates Outstanding Week & Announces Special May Event

Linden MacIntyre (right) in conversation with Maurice Basque (left).

The 2010 edition of the Frye Festival was filled with memorable events and generous authors who gave Greater Moncton the opportunity to bask in the world of words and books for the 11^th consecutive year. The Festival took place from April 19^th to the 25^th. The closing ceremony was held at The Greater Moncton International Airport on Sunday April 25^th.

“We were lucky to welcome authors who were extremely generous with their time and ideas and have helped us feed our imagination,” says Rachelle Dugas, Festival Interim Executive Director. The opening of the event was rocked by the cancellation of two authors from Europe due to disruptions in air traffic. “Unexpected circumstances happen in most cultural events and you have to be able to bounce back, which the Festival team has done remarkably well,” says Dugas. Read more »

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New This Year: Storytelling at Frye Festival!

Kay Stone (Photo by: Sam Baardman)

Stories, tall tales, and fables will have their place in the sun during this year’s Frye Festival in Moncton. On Tuesday, April 20^th, the public is invited to an evening of storytelling starting at 7 pm at the City Grill (2^nd floor). Storytellers will share stories of times past and extravagant and wonderful adventures. The evening will take place in English and in French and is “Pay What You Can”.

Kay Stone, André Lemelin, Nelson Michaud, Robert Richard, Anita Savoie, and Gilbert Sewell will all be on stage during the evening hosted by Acadian folklorist Ronald Labelle.

Kay Stone, a folklorist specializing in folk tales, has 30 years of experience as a storyteller. She has given performances and workshops in Canada and the U.S. Kay has written three books that include her original stories. André Lemelin strings his stories end to end, in the manner of our storytellers of old, with simplicity and generosity. Stories are interspersed with anecdotes and traditional tunes he plays on his harmonica. A humorous note weaves throughout. Read more »

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Reveille – open-mic stories, songs, poems from youth

Beth Powning

Question: What do you get when you ask adults to read no-holds-barred tales from their youth? Answer: Reveille – a fun-filled night that gives a forum to our early writings, as embarrassing as they may be. This evening of literary hilarity returns to the Frye Festival by popular demand on Wednesday, April 21.

Reveille is an event where members of the audience and special guests, including local celebrities and Frye Festival authors, share “works” they wrote as children and teenagers (e.g. angst-filled poetry,sorrowful diary entries, sappy songs) in an open mic format. The more cringe-worthy, the better!  The event gets underway at 7 p.m. at the Moncton Press Club.

A presentation of the Professional Writers Association of Canada – Moncton Chapter, Reveille’s goal is to give voice to the childhood writer. The event will be emceed by two Chapter members: Brian Cormier, public relations specialist and newspaper columnist and Lana Hansen, communications consultant.

Anyone can participate and admission is free. Spectators should come prepared to groan, laugh and cheer.

To date, four Frye Festival authors have volunteered to step up to the microphone and read writings from their childhood: Beth Powning, Jacob Berkowitz, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer and Kay Stone. Read more »

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Best in Canadian Literature for the 2010 Frye Festival

Author, Linden MacIntyre

Book lovers, fans of Canadian literature and those who want to discover new authors will be looking forward to the 2010 Frye Festival! A must see event, An Evening of Canadian Lit with Annabel Lyon, Linden MacIntyre, and Nino Ricci will take place Friday, April 23. The public is invited to discover great authors who have much to say. The evening will be hosted by author and journalist Noah Richler at the Jeanne-de-Valois auditorium on the Université de Moncton campus beginning at 8 pm. Ticket are $25 and should be purchased in advance.

The next night, Daniel Poliquin will have center stage for the Community Read event. One of Canada’s most acclaimed authors, Poliquin published A Secret Between Us (2006), an epic tale of a war-torn society in the midst of astonishing transformation. The event will take place in English and French at the Jeanne-de-Valois auditorium at 8 pm. A sample chapter and a reading guide are available on the Festival’s website: www.frye.ca. Tickets are $10 .

Not to be missed events!

Book club lovers will be spoiled during this 11^th edition of the Frye Festival. Author of The Cellist of Sarajevo Steven Galloway will meet fans for a discussion on Thursday, April 22 at 2 pm. Have you always wanted to meet and chat with Linden MacIntyre? Here is your chance: a book club featuring his novel The Bishop’s Man will take place on Friday, April 23 at 3 pm. Both events will be held at the Moncton Public Library and are $10. Tickets can only be purchased at the door. Read more »

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Discover the new Frye Festival workshops!

Peter Lanyon, Branding with Integrity workshop.

The Frye Festival offers two new workshops this year! Authors, artists, cultural organizations, and the general public are invited to learn more about How to Get Published and Branding with Integrity. Both workshops, presented in collaboration with Enterprise Greater Moncton, will be offered in English with simultaneous translation.

Also on the program for the 11^th edition of Canada’s only bilingual international literary festival: creative writing, poetry writing, and writing workshops for kids. People are invited to buy their tickets for workshops in advance since spaces fill up quickly. Workshops for kids are free. The 2010 Frye Festival will be held in Moncton from April 19^th to the 25^th.

The challenges of getting published

How to Get Published is presented by industry expert, Brian Henry. It’s open to all of those who dream of professionally publishing their work and do not necessarily know where to start. The workshop is geared towards professional writers, but all are welcomed, amateurs as well as the general public. Henry will cover topics such as finding an agent, getting your short stories published, finding a book publisher, writing a query letter, and how to get a publishers’ attention. Participants are invited to bring a draft of a presentation letter. This workshop will take place on Friday, April 23 on the second floor of the City Grill restaurant in Moncton from 9 am to 12:15 pm. Tickets are $55 and $50 for members of the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC).

Branding with Integrity

The arts community and cultural organizations will surely be interested in hearing what marketing guru, Peter Lanyon, has to say in his workshop Branding with Integrity. The presentation will focus on developing a winning brand to improve its commercial success, but  without losing its authenticity or its specificity. This conference is for artists of all disciplines interested in developing their cultural enterprise through the advice of a marketing expert of international renown. An artist himself, Peter Lanyon has worked in the advertising industry for more 30 years, co-founding two industry-leading Canadian agencies: Cossette Toronto and Lanyon Phillips Communications. In 2009, he wrote and published Life in the Lawn: a PoemGarden, a book and touring exhibition of short poems with paintings by renowned Acadian artist, Raymond Martin. This workshop will be held on the second floor of City Grill restaurant in Moncton, on Friday, April 23^rd from 2 pm to 3 pm. Tickets are $10.

Creative and Poetry Writing Workshops

All poets (published and closet!) are invited to get creative with the Frye Festival’s literary workshops. On Saturday, April 24^th, a great opportunity to get some writing tips from Canadian experimental poet, Christian Bök. He is the author of Eunoia (Coach House, 2001), a bestselling work of experimental literature, which has gone on to win the Griffin Prize for Poetic Excellence. The poetry workshop will take place on the first floor of Moncton’s City Hall.

On Thursday, April 22^nd, join creative writing professor, Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer for a fiction writing workshop. On the same day, France Cayouette will offer a French workshop on the Haiku. International bestselling author Steven Galloway will offer a fiction workshop on Friday, April 23^rd and New Brunswick poet, Robert Moore, will host a poetry workshop while Quebec author, Christiane Duchesne, will present a creative writing workshop in French. All these workshops are to be held at the Moncton Public Library.

And for the kids

The Frye Festival always offers writing workshops for youngsters during KidsFest (Saturday, April 24^th). Author Nancy Wilcox Richards will lead the workshop Publish your own book for kids 8 to 12 years old and poet Guy Marchamps will present a writing workshop for children aged 8 to 10, in French. Both workshops will be held at the Moncton Public Library. There is no need to register, both workshops are free.

People can buy their tickets for the various Frye Festival workshops at www.tickets.moncton.ca or by calling 506.857.4100. Workshops are $10, except for How to Get Published workshop, with Brian Henry, which is $55 and $50 for PWAC members.

For more information regarding the 11^th edition of the Frye Festival and its program:  www.frye.ca.

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Get Ready to Get Published!

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a published author? Then plan to attend the “How to Get Published” seminar on Friday, April 23 in Moncton during the Frye Festival. The seminar will cover everything from getting started to getting an agent, from getting your short pieces published to finding a book publisher, from writing a query letter to writing what the publishers want.

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years.  He teachers creative writing at Ryerson University and George Brown College and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo.  But his proudest boast is that he’s helped many of his students to get their first book published and to launch their careers as authors.

As a special option, participants are invited to bring a draft of a query letter they might use to interest an agent or publisher in their book.

The seminar will run from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and will be held at the City Grill, 2nd floor, 130 Westmorland Street in Moncton, NB. The fee is $55 for the general public, or $50 for Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) members. Participants are asked to register online for the seminar, and all Frye Festival events, through the Moncton Coliseum box office at tickets.moncton.ca.

The seminar is sponsored by Enterprise Greater Moncton, with the collaboration of PWAC’s Moncton Chapter and the Frye Festival.

PWAC’s Moncton Chapter is part of a non-profit support network that represents the interests of 600 writers in Canada’s magazine and newspaper industries. To learn more about the Moncton Chapter, its members and events visit www.monctonwriters.ca.

The Frye Festival brings the best local, national and international authors, poets, playwrights, graphic novelists, spoken word artists and storytellers to Moncton, New Brunswick for a bilingual celebration of words.  This year, the festival runs April 19 to 25.  Visit www.frye.ca.

Enterprise Greater Moncton is the leading community economic development agency for the cities of Dieppe, Moncton and the Town of Riverview, a point of contact for new and existing businesses. Visit http://www.greatermoncton.org/.

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The Perils of Writing Biographies

What are the perils of writing a biography? The public is invited to a discussion with renowned biographer Harvey Sawler from Charlottetown, PEI.  His talk The Perils of Writing Biographies will take place during the Pop & Frye series on Thursday, April 8^th at 7 pm, at Chapter’s in Dieppe. Admission is free and all are welcome! This discussion presented by the Frye Festival will be in English.

More than in any other art form, trust is essential when it comes to writing a biography; trust of the subject and of the reader. “When it comes to biographies, after all, things tend to get very, very personal”, explains Harvey Sawler who will explore the perils, the emotions, the highs, the lows, the rewards, and the anxieties associated with writing in biographical form, including short readings from several of his works.

A Canadian tourism expert and emerging writer, Harvey Sawler has recently published the biography of former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna (2009, Douglas & MacIntyre), but has also published, Last Canadian Beer: The Moosehead Story and Twenty-First Century Irvings. Sawler has thirty-seven years of private and public sector experience in strategic planning, community development, brand invention, tourism product development, marketing and management, arts and entertainment management, journalism, and creative writing.

The Pop & Frye series features regional experts offering free presentations and discussions on a variety of fun and innovative pop culture topics. The talks, which target a wide audience of young and old alike, are presented by the Frye Festival, Canada’s only bilingual, international literary Festival, held this year from April 19 to April 25 in Moncton, NB. For more information, please visit www.frye.ca.

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Upcoming Events for Writers

Writing Biographies

What are the perils of writing a biography? The public is invited to a discussion with renowned biographer Harvey Sawler from Charlottetown, PEI.  His talk The Perils of Writing Biographies will take place during the Pop & Frye series on Thursday, April 8^th at 7 pm, at Chapter’s in Dieppe. Admission is free and all are welcome! This discussion presented by the Frye Festival will be in English.

How to Get Published Seminar

Dream of becoming a published author? Then plan to attend the “How to Get Published” seminar Friday, April 23, 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., City Grill, 2nd floor, 130 Westmorland Street, Moncton. Sponsored by Enterprise Moncton, in collaboration with the Frye Festival and Moncton Chapter of the Professional Writers Association of Canada, the seminar will cover everything from finding a book publisher to writing what the publishers want. Workshop leader is Brian Henry, a book editor and creative writing instructor. Fee is $55. Register online through the Moncton Coliseum box office at tickets.moncton.ca.

Share writing from your youth

The Professional Writers Association of Canada’s Moncton Chapter invites everyone to its 2^nd annual Reveille, an event where members of the audience and special guests, including local celebrities and Frye Festival authors, share “works” from their youth (e.g. angst-filled poetry, embarrassing diary entries, sappy songs) in an open mic format. The more cringe-worthy, the better! The event will be held Wednesday, at the Moncton Press Club on Wednesday, April 21 at 7 p.m. Come prepared to groan, laugh and cheer. Reveille’s goal is to reawaken that inner child who wanted to be a writer. Anyone can participate and admission is free.

All events are part of the Frye Festival, Canada’s only bilingual, international literary Festival, which will held this year from April 19 to April 25 in Moncton, NB. For more information, please visit www.frye.ca.

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Frye Academy ‘Battle of the Books’

Two participants of the Frye Academy Awards, Sébastien Lord and Katie Robertson from l’Odyssée High School.

The second and final “Battle of the Books” of the 2010 Frye Academy Award will be fought on Wednesday, March 17^th, in Moncton. An evening of dynamic and interesting debate between 18 passionate young readers!

Participants will choose a winner between graphic novel George Sprott (1894-1975) by Seth and French novel Tarmac

by Nicolas Dickner. It’s an event not to miss at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre Café starting at 6:30 pm. The public is invited to take part in the bilingual discussion. Admission is free.

The Frye Academy Award is a component of the Frye Festival’s School-Youth Program. During the first debate on January 26^th, participants, who attend English and French high schools in the area, preferred Hadassa by Myriam Beaudoin over The Gum Thief, by Douglas Coupland even though the latter was the favourite contender at the beginning of the evening. “The students really got into the project and we are delighted by their enthusiasm and motivation, says Rachelle Dugas, interim Executive Director for the Frye Festival. Read more »

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