“Northrop Frye is Moncton’s most famous son, and we want to celebrate his amazing legacy with the entire community,” says Dawn Arnold, Chair of the Frye Festival. “Frye wrote a lot about how literature helps us to train our imaginations, develop critical thinking skills and the power of literature to create a tolerant and civil society. In 2012, the Frye Festival will continue to feed imaginations will all our regular Festival fare, but we are also thrilled to add exciting projects to our program, like public art, a 24-hour playwriting competition and much more.”

The Frye Festival is pleased to announce the support of Canadian Heritage, as part its Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program, for Frye’s centennial celebrations. The program is designed specifically to increase opportunities for local artists and artisans to be involved in their community and for local groups to commemorate their local history and heritage.

Bronze sculpture of Northrop Frye
The Frye Festival has commissioned three local artists to create a life-size bronze sculpture of Northrop Frye. The commission was awarded to Darren Byers of Byers Harrison Studios Inc. who will be collaborating with artists Fred Harrison and Janet Fotheringham. The three have partnered to create the artwork, which will feature Northrop Frye sitting on a park bench with a book open on his lap. The sculpture will be installed in front of the Moncton Public Library (Downing St. entrance), and the Festival’s hope is to unveil the sculpture in time for Frye’s birthday in July.

Janet Fotheringham has extensive experience in molding and casting and has been doing life sculpture since 1996. Darren Byers has worked as a furniture maker for over 25 years and as a sculptor for the last 18 years, producing commissions and private work throughout North America and Fred Harrison has worked on many murals throughout Canada. In April 2011 Darren and Fred completed “The Workers Memorial” in Saint John, a larger than life size bronze monument to honour anyone who has suffered physical or mental injuries or who has died while on the job in the greater Saint John area. This will be the first time that all three artists have collaborated.

24-hour playwriting competition
The Frye Festival is inviting amateur and established playwrights to take part in a unique 24-hour competition. From 4 pm on Friday, April 20 to 4 pm on Saturday, April 21, individuals will have the chance to prove their writing skills as they write a one-act play about Northrop Frye and/or his ideas. Participants will be fed, caffeinated and encouraged, and will participate in the official language of their choice in one of two categories: student and other. Four winners (one for each language and each category) will walk away with $500. Plays will be judged by Governor General award-winning playwrights Catherine Banks and Herménégilde Chiasson, along with local celebrity and playwright Marshall Button.

The model for the Festival’s 24-hour playwriting competition is based on an established model by the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre, which has been organizing their event for 15 years.

Special issues of ellipse magazine
A special issue of ellipse magazine will be published to mark the 100th anniversary of Frye’s birth. Under the direction of Jo-Anne Elder, ellipse is mandated with promoting literary translation and intercultural awareness. The Special Edition will feature new writing by authors from the Maritimes and across Canada, all of which will honour this great thinker. An official launch reception will be held on Saturday, April 28 at 4 pm at Moncton City Hall.

Frye Centennial Talk and Conversation between Frye and McLuhan
Professor Ian Balfour of York University will present an original talk on Northrop Frye, the man and the ideas. However, before his presentation, two local actors will present a short, hilarious conversation between Northrop Frye and his contemporary, Marshall McLuhan.

The Frye Festival is also planning many more events and community projects, which will be unveiled throughout the year.

About Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye was one of Canada’s most prominent and celebrated public thinkers and a pioneer in literary criticism. He wrote extensively about symbols in literature and about structure, and his theories attracted international attention. He was considered one of the greatest scholars and thinkers of the 20th century, hailed as the “modern Aristotle” and the “Einstein of the Humanities” after his death. He is also “one of the top dozen most-cited intellectual writers of all time,” with the likes of Plato and Shakespeare.

Frye was born on July 14, 1912 in Sherbrooke, Québec. He was seven years old when he moved with his family to Moncton, New Brunswick, where he developed many of the ideas that he would go on to explore the rest of his life. In 1929 Frye won a typing contest and left Moncton to study at the University of Toronto, where he remained as student and teacher most of the rest of his life. Over the course of his life he wrote more than 20 books, lectured at more than 100 universities around the world, received 39 honorary degrees, won the Governor General’s Award for Literature, was a Companion of the Order of Canada, had a postage stamp created in his image and in 2010 the Northrop Frye School in Moncton was named in his honour.

About the Frye Festival
The Frye Festival is Atlantic Canada’s largest literary happening and Canada’s only bilingual international literary Festival. The 13th edition of the Festival will take place from April 23 to 29, 2012 in the Greater Moncton area. The complete list of authors will be unveiled February 20, 2012. More information about the Festival and its mission is available at www.frye.ca.

Upcoming Events
Pop & Frye with George Elliott Clarke
Monday, March 19, 2012, Navigator’s Pub, Moncton

Pop & Frye with Herménégilde Chiasson (La vieille femme près de la voie ferrée)
Wednesday, March 29, 2012, Théatre l’Escaouette, Moncton

Dr. Paul Goobie recently presented $5,000 to Danielle LeBlanc, Frye Festival Executive Director.

Dr. Paul Goobie recently presented a cheque for $5,000 to Danielle LeBlanc, Frye Festival Executive Director.

This contribution brings Dr. Goobie’s total donation over the years to more than $50,000.

The Frye Festival is Canada’s only bilingual, international literary festival and Atlantic Canada’s largest literary happening.

The Frye Festival will take place in Moncton April 23-29, 2012. For more information visit: www.frye.ca .

Public art plays a vital role in creating a liveable and beautiful city, and it enhances the quality of life of all its citizens. While public art is not usually something that Frye Festival is involved in, Chair Dawn Arnold is excited about the project: “We have wanted to give Northrop Frye an enduring presence in our community for many years, and we are finally able to make that happen by commissioning a bronze sculpture to mark his centenary! Paying tribute to this great thinker celebrates the power of imagination and also raises awareness of the importance of literacy in our society today.”

The sculpture will feature Northrop Frye sitting on a park bench and reading a book. The Festival’s hope is to unveil the sculpture in time for Frye’s birthday in July 2012. The Festival is accepting submissions until December 21, 2011. Details are available at www.frye.ca.

The Frye Festival is also currently seeking partners – corporate and individual – for this project. An official fundraising campaign will be launched after Christmas. All donors will be recognized publicly, and anyone interested in helping out is asked to contact the Frye Festival’s headquarters at 506-859-4389 or info@frye.ca.

About Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye was one of Canada’s most prominent and celebrated public thinkers and a pioneer in literary criticism. He wrote extensively about symbols in literature and about structure, and his theories attracted international attention. He was considered one of the greatest scholars and thinkers of the 20th century, hailed as the “modern Aristotle” and the “Einstein of the Humanities” after his death. He is also “one of the top dozen most-cited intellectual writers of all time,” with the likes of Plato and Shakespeare.

Frye was born on July 14, 1912 in Sherbrooke, Québec. He was seven years old when he moved with his family to Moncton, New Brunswick, where he developed many of the ideas that he would go on to explore the rest of his life. In 1929 Frye won a typing contest and left Moncton to study at the University of Toronto, where he remained as student and teacher most of the rest of his life. Over the course of his life, he wrote more than 20 books, lectured at more than 100 universities around the world, received 39 honorary degrees, won the Governor General’s Award for Literature, was named Companion of the Order of Canada, had a postage stamp created in his image, and, in 2010, the Northrop Frye School in Moncton was named in his honour.

About the Frye Festival
The Frye Festival is Atlantic Canada’s largest literary happening and Canada’s only bilingual international literary Festival. The 13th edition of the Festival will take place from April 23 to 29, 2012 in the Greater Moncton area, and work is already underway to invite some of the best authors in the world to Moncton. More information about the Festival and its mission is available at www.frye.ca.

Margaret Atwood (Photo by: George Whiteside)

The 2011 Frye Festival’s Evening Extravaganzas are not to be missed: it’s your opportunity to get up close and personal with some of contemporary literature’s biggest names and experience the uniqueness of the Frye Festival as we combine literature and music on stage. Soirée Frye (Thursday, April 28), An Evening with Jean-Christophe Rufin (Friday, April 29) and the Antonine Maillet-Northrop Frye Lecture with Margaret Atwood (Saturday, April 30) will be, for many festival-goers, the highlights of the 2011 Festival!

“The Frye Festival Evening Extravaganzas are always the setting for the creation of unique moments that will inspire, engage and feed imaginations,” says Dawn Arnold, Frye Festival Chair. “It’s not every day that Atlantic Canadians get to meet their favourite authors, and the Frye Festival is proud to create these special moments and memories.”

Soirée Frye
Considered to be the gala event of the Frye Festival, Soirée Frye offers great literature, music, awards and of course, a chance to meet the authors at the reception. On stage: a succession of readings by authors such as Margaret Atwood, Dyane Léger, Gilles Leroy and Shandi Mitchell; an awards presentation for the winners of the Great-West Life and London Life Writing Contest for New Brunswick high school students; and performances by singer-songwriters Marie-Jo Thério and Joe Grass, both originally from Moncton. The event will take place on Thursday, April 28 at 8 pm at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton. A community reception will follow in the lobby. Tickets are on sale at $20 and $10 for students. All authors will read in the language in which they write.

An evening with Jean-Christophe Rufin
A relaxed and intimate opportunity to get to know the person behind the book! On Friday, April 29, you are invited to take part in a conversation between Prix Goncourt recipient Jean-Christophe Rufin and radio literary journalist Jean Fugère. Doctor, activist, writer, and diplomat, Rufin is also known for his dedication to large organizations such as Doctors without Borders and Red Cross. In 2008, he was elected to the Académie française. He will share his views on writing and how his life experience influences his literary work on Friday, April 29, at 8 pm at the Empress Theatre. Tickets are on sale at $20. This event will take place in French.

Antonine Maillet-Northrop Frye Lecture
Canada’s most famous author, poet, essayist and public thinker, Margaret Atwood, will present a lecture entitled “Mythology and Me: The Late 1950s at Victoria College” as the 2011 Antonine Maillet – Northrop Frye Lecture. It’s a personal account of her undergraduate days at the University of Toronto, where she was a student of Northrop Frye. Hosted by Rhonda Whittaker, the event will take place on Saturday, April 30 at 8 pm at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton. The lecture will be followed by a reception as well as a book signing. Tickets on sale at $25 and $15 for students. The lecture will be given in English.

TICKETS
Tickets to various Frye Festival events are on sale at www.tickets.moncton.ca or by calling 506.857.4100. For more information about the 12th edition of the Frye Festival and to view the complete program, visit www.frye.ca.

Rick Nesbitt, Moncton Managing Partner, George LeBlanc, Partner, and Dawn Arnold, Festival Chair

The Frye Festival is thrilled to welcome aboard Silver Sponsors Cox & Palmer, the first legal firm to support the Festival at this significant level and this year’s official sponsor of the Volunteer Program.

“We believe it is important to support the communities in which we do business,” said Rick Nesbitt, Managing Partner of the Moncton office. “We’re happy to encourage citizens of the Greater Moncton area to get involved with the Frye Festival, to participate, to volunteer, and to enhance our shared cultural community. Together, we can have a profound impact on New Brunswick.”

The Frye Festival’s Volunteers
It takes a huge team to inspire thousands of kids and adults every year, and the Frye Festival would not exist without its volunteers. Every year more than 125 volunteers dedicate over 5,000 hours to the Festival. Volunteers do many jobs, including committee participation, logistics, ticket booth, and surveys, but one of the most important tasks is driving authors to school visits all over the province. This volunteer involvement is what makes the Festival’s extensive School-Youth Program thrive. Volunteers are absolutely crucial to the Festival’s success. If you are interested in volunteering, simply visit the Festival’s website (www.frye.ca), discover which opportunity best suits your interests, fill out the very short on-line application and someone will call you!

Cox & Palmer
Cox & Palmer is the product of a merger in 2007 of two distinguished Atlantic region firms, Cox Hanson O’Reilly Matheson and Patterson Palmer. Cox & Palmer has 175 lawyers across offices in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, St. John’s, and Summerside. For information visit: www.coxandpalmerlaw.com.

For further details on the 12th annual Frye Festival taking place from April 25 to May 1, 2011, or to register to volunteer, please visit www.frye.ca.

“The Frye Festival is proud to present multidisciplinary events that showcase creative writing in all its forms,” says Dawn Arnold, Festival chair. “By merging authors and musicians together on the same stages we create even more memorable events that provide word lovers an exceptionally unique and stimulating world-class opportunity to celebrate words.”

Electrifying evenings!
On April 28, Marie-Jo Thério will perform at Soirée Frye. A Moncton native, Marie-Jo is well known on the national and international francophone cultural scene and has just released her first album in English: Chasing Lydie. She will take the stage on the same night as the reigning queen of Canadian literature, Margaret Atwood, and authors Dyane Léger, Gilles Leroy, and Shandi Mitchell, who will read excerpts from their works. Joe Grass will also display his musical prowess sharing the stage with Marie-Jo for the first time ever in what promises to be an electric musical collaboration. Soirée Frye will take place at the Capitol Theatre at 8 pm. A reception will follow in the lobby. Tickets are on sale at $20 ($10 for students).

The same night, starting at 10:30 pm, the first 2011 Frye Festival Night Howl will welcome Moncton-born and Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist Joe Grass for a musical performance. Featured authors are Karen Connelly and Daniel Dugas. The event will take place at City Grill and is “Pay what you can” (PWYC).

On Friday, April 29, Canadian chanteuse Sylvia Tyson (also a guest author at the Festival!), formerly of the folk duo Ian and Sylvia, will perform during Beer and Books, which starts at 5 pm at City Grill. This event also features authors Christine Adjahi, Tammy Armstrong, Melvin Gallant, and Doug Harris and is PWYC.

Later in the evening, PEI band Haunted Hearts will captivate with its Alt-country and Americana songs and ballads during the Night Howl (City Grill, 10:30 pm). Authors Hélène Dorion and Doug Harris will also be reading. The event is PWYC.

Not to be missed on April 30, the always memorable Frye Jam combines music and words in a highly charged and jazzy atmosphere hosted by Les Païens and Joe Grass. This year, the musical guests are 2011 Juno-nominated Bernard Adamus, Moncton native Phil Flowers and young emerging artist Vivianne Roy. Authors Hélène Dorion, Daniel Dugas, Doug Harris, Mark Anthony Jarman, Susan Juby, Dyane Léger, and Shandi Mitchell will offer a performance in words to the musical soundtrack of the hosts Les Païens and Joe Grass. The evening takes place at City Grill starting at 10:30 pm and tickets are on sale at $10.

Tickets
All of the Festival events are open to the public and many are free or “Pay what you can” (PWYC). Tickets for some of the events can be purchased at www.tickets.moncton.ca up to 24 hours before the event. The remaining tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information, visit www.frye.ca.

2011 Frye Festival Musical Guests

Born in Moncton, Marie-Jo Thério has released four albums: Comme de la musique, La Maline, Les matins habitables, and Chasing Lydie, her first English album. Les matins habitables (2005) was awarded a “Gold album” and a “Felix”. Her most recent opus, Chasing Lydie, released in March 2011, brings the listener back to 1920s America on the footsteps of Lydie, artist and great-aunt of Marie-Jo. The album is available on CD and digital format as well as a limited double-vinyl release. Marie-Jo Thério will perform at Soirée Frye, on Thursday, April 28.

Joe Grass began his music career defying stylistic boundaries. His 2004 self-titled debut saw the Moncton native taking his songs to renowned festivals and venues across the country, armed with nothing but an acoustic lap-slide guitar and his unpredictable blues-influenced playing. In 2001, he moved to Montreal to work as a sideman, collaborator and producer, playing on records ranging in style from roots music and rock and roll to jazz and new improvised music. Gaining notoriety as a virtuous multi-instrumentalist, Grass has recorded and toured with Lhasa De Sela, Patrick Watson, Daniel Bélanger, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Plants and Animals, Katie Moore, and Stuart McLean’s “Vinyl Café” road show, to name a few. His new solo release, Deadlocks, is due out in April 2011. Joe Grass will be a part of Soirée Frye and Night Howl on Thursday, April 28, and will co-host the Frye Jam with Les Paiens on Saturday, April 30.

For 18 years, Sylvia Tyson was one half of the internationally renowned folk duo Ian and Sylvia, who shared a manager with such luminaries as Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Band and Janis Joplin. Their hits included “Four Strong Winds,” written by Ian, and (for the group We Five) “You Were on My Mind,” written by Sylvia. Sylvia has recorded 10 solo albums and since 2000 has been recording and performing with the group Quartette. She has also had a distinguished radio and television career, both in music and in documentaries. Sylvia Tyson is a member of the Order of Canada and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. She will perform songs from her repertoire at Beer and Books on April 29 at City Grill. Her first novel, Joyner’s Dream will be the subject of a book club the same day at the Moncton Public Library.

Haunted Hearts write a loose blend of music, most identified as Alt-Country or Americana, though a deeper look into their music reveals a much longer list of sounds, styles and influences. Formed in October 2008, the band is comprised of Dennis Ellsworth (songwriter, vocals, and guitar), Mike MacDougall (drums and percussion), Johnny Ross (piano and organ), Mark Geddes (bass and vocals) and Thomas Webb (pedal steel, guitar, and banjo). The songs ease and haunt with beauty, and might sound something like a cry from the dark side of the soul, an old time honky-tonk howler, a tear stained whiskey ballad, or straight ahead loose country groove. Haunted Hearts has two full length albums, Thank You, Goodnight (2009) and Howdy (2010). In January 2011, Haunted Hearts were big winners at the Music PEI Awards. The band will perform at City Grill during the Night Howl on Friday, April 29.

Bernard Adamus released his debut album, Brun, in the spring of 2009, which was nominated for a 2011 Juno. Born in Poland, this singer-songwriter has been calling Montreal home since he was three. Montreal is at the centre of his songs, bluesy odes to the city’s working-class neighborhoods: Hochelag, Centre-Sud, Rosemont. He is also inspired by old American blues, gospel music, country, and Quebec lyricism. He will play at Frye Jam on Saturday, April 30.

Les Païens have been part of Moncton’s musical scene for more than 15 years. Although thoroughly modern in their electric-eclectic sounds, they are steeped in the late 1960s/early-’70s jazz-rock fusion of Miles Davis (In a Silent Way, A Tribute Jack Johnson), the Mahavishnu Orchestra and modern sounds like Tortoise and Swiss trumpet player Erik Truffaz. A big, squalling rock attack meets deft jazz improvising… Along with Joe Grass, Les Païens will host Frye Jam, on Saturday, April 30, and they’ll accompany Gabriel Robichaud during Poet flyé Says Bye-Bye, on Sunday, May 1 at the Greater Moncton International Airport.

Under the heavy influence of American folk music, blues, and jazz, Moncton native Phil Flowers creates the perfect atmosphere for his fiercely imagist lyrics about social heartache, deception and candour. Influenced by legends such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and, at times, Hank Williams, Phil Flowers is not content with the status quo and challenges the conceptions of what a singer-songwriter should be. He will be a part of Frye Jam on Saturday, April 30.

At 19 years old, Vivianne Roy has already created her own musical universe and signature sound: a warm voice with colourful and personal lyrics mixed with catchy folk, jazz and blues melodies. Spontaneous and authentic, she owns the stage and enjoys interacting with the public. In the spring of 2010, she won the solo category of the provincial francophone high school musical contest Accros de la chanson and has been on her way up ever since. She takes the stage at Frye Jam on Saturday, April 30.

Schedule of Electrifying Evenings: Festival Frye 2011

Thursday, April 28
8 pm – Soirée Frye with Margaret Atwood, Dyane Léger, Gilles Leroy and Shandi Mitchell
Musical guests: Marie-Jo Thério and Joe Grass – Capitol Theatre – $20 ($10 students)

10:30 pm – Night Howl with Karen Connelly and Daniel Dugas. Musical Guest: Joe Grass – City Grill – PWYC

Friday, April 29
5 pm – Beer and Books with Christine Adjahi, Tammy Armstrong, Melvin Gallant and Doug Harris. Musical Guest: Sylvia Tyson. City Grill – PWYC

10:30 pm – Night Howl with Doug Harris, Hélène Dorion and musical guest: Haunted Hearts. City Grill – PWYC

Saturday, April 30
10:30 pm – Frye Jam with Hélène Dorion, Daniel Dugas, Doug Harris, Mark Anthony Jarman, Susan Juby, Dyane Léger, and Shandi Mitchell. The evening will be hosted by Les Païens and Joe Grass with musical guests Bernard Adamus, Phil Flowers, and Vivianne Roy. City Grill – $10

Sunday, May 1
11:00 am – Poet flyé Says Bye-Bye – Les Païens will accompany Gabriel Robichaud reading his poem flyé at the Greater Moncton International Airport.

Comedy writers of all genres will be eager to grab a pen and some paper during the next Frye Festival. Internationally known comedic writer Randy Pearlstein will be in town to offer a Writing for Comedy Workshop on Saturday April 30 from 12:30 pm to 3:45 pm. The event is part of the workshop series offered by the Frye Festival, Atlantic Canada’s largest literary happening, which will take place from April 25 to May 1 in the Greater Moncton region. Other workshops on the schedule include poetry and fiction, as well as writing workshops for kids.

“No matter what kind of comedy writing you do: fiction, screenplays, stand-up or sketch, this is the workshop for you!” says Dawn Arnold, Chair of the Frye Festival. “Comedy is a booming industry these days and we are happy to announce the support of Enterprise Greater Moncton for this event.” The Writing for Comedy Workshop will take place at the Dieppe Arts and Culture Centre on April 30.

Tickets for the comedy, fiction and poetry workshops are on sale at www.tickets.moncton.ca. Children’s workshops are free and will take place during KidsFest on Saturday, April 30, starting at 10:30 am.

Randy Pearlstein, Writing for Comedy workshop.

Writing for Comedy Workshop with Randy Pearlstein
Toronto native Randy Pearlstein will share numerous storytelling techniques that can be used with almost any form of comedy: screenplay, fiction, stand-up or theatre. Participants will write jokes and scenes together and see how they play when amended to fit your voice and current projects. This workshop is offered in English.

Pearlstein is a professor of film and television at Rutgers University in New Jersey. Currently, Randy lends his voice to Leonard on the animated series Ugly Americans (Comedy Network) and tours with his sketch group New Exc!tement (2010 Montreal Just For Laughs Festival). Other credits include Chappelle’s Show, Onion Sports Network, Michael and Michael Have Issues and co-writing the film Cabin Fever. Tickets for this event are $50 ($45 for PWAC members).

Fiction and Poetry Workshops
All poets (published and closet!) are invited to get creative with a poetry workshop with award-winning writer Tammy Armstrong. Her work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies in Canada, US, Europe, the UK and Algeria. She has published two novels and four poetry collections. Her newest poetry collection is The Scare in the Crow from Goose Lane Editions. She currently lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Tammy’s poetry workshop will be held on Thursday, April 28, from 10 am to 12 pm at the Moncton public Library. This workshop is offered in English.

On Friday, April 29, join author Hélène Dorion for a creative writing workshop in French at the Moncton Public Library. Born in Québec City, Dorion has published over 20 books of poetry, stories and essays. Her work has been widely translated and published in 15 countries, and garnered a number of honours and prestigious literary awards in Québec and abroad. The 90-minute workshop starts at 10:30 am. (This workshop will be in French.)

On Saturday April 30, join Mark Anthony Jarman for a fiction writing workshop from 10 am to 12 pm at the Riverview Public Library. Jarman is the author of 19 Knives, My White Planet, New Orleans Is Sinking, Dancing Nightly in the Tavern and the travel book Ireland’s Eye. His novel, Salvage King Ya!, is on Amazon.ca’s list of 50 Essential Canadian Books and is the number one book on Amazon’s list of best hockey fiction. Jarman teaches at the University of New Brunswick where he is fiction editor of The Fiddlehead.

For the kids
The Frye Festival always offers writing workshops for youngsters during KidsFest (Saturday, April 30, from 9:30 am to 12 pm). Children writer Helaine Becker will lead a workshop targeted to kids 10 to 12 years old in English, while storyteller Christine Adjahi will present a writing workshop for children aged 8 to 12 in French. Both workshops will be held at the Moncton Public Library. There is no need to register and both workshops are free!

Tickets
Tickets for all adult workshops are on sale at www.tickets.moncton.ca at the cost of $10 each, except for Randy Pearlstein’s Writing for Comedy Workshop, which is $50 ($45 for PWAC members).

For more information regarding the 12th edition of the Frye Festival and its program, visit www.frye.ca.

Margaret Atwood

The Frye Festival, Atlantic Canada’s largest literary event, unveiled its spectacular line-up today for the 2011 edition, which will be held from April 25 to May 1^st in Greater Moncton, NB. On the guest list, several prominent writers including the great Margaret Atwood, Charles Foran, Susan Juby, Kenneth Oppel, Shandi Mitchell, Karen Connelly, Jean-Christophe Rufin, and Gilles Leroy.

The 2011 Frye Festival features new events, returning favourites, evenings filled with words and music, afternoons of book clubs, various workshops and a new Poet flyé! Seven days of discoveries and wonderful encounters for the curious, creative, and imaginative of all ages!

“For the 12^th consecutive year, the Frye Festival offers everyone in our community the chance to come together, meet fascinating people, explore new ideas and celebrate our vibrant cultural community,” states Dawn Arnold, Chair of the Festival. “Thirty authors from across Canada and abroad will share their passion for words, stimulate our imaginations and demonstrate the importance of literacy in our world today. Thanks to our partners, volunteers and dedicated team, the Festival is shaping up to be our best ever.”

The line-up

Margaret Atwood is the author of more than forty works of fiction and poetry, essays and books for children, and has received top honours and awards in Canada, the United States, the U.K. and many other countries. Ms. Atwood will give the Antonine Maillet – Northrop Frye Lecture, which will take place on Saturday, April 30 at 8pm at the Capitol Theatre. She will also read at the Festival’s annual gala, Soirée Frye, which will be held Thursday, April 28 at 8pm at the Capitol Theatre. Tickets are $25 ($15 for students) and $20 ($10 for students) respectively.

A doctor, writer and diplomat, Jean-Christophe Rufin was elected to the Académie française in 2008. He is best known for his dedication to large humanitarian organizations (Doctors without Borders and Red Cross). Rufin draws on his experiences to write a rich body of essays, and novels such as L’Abyssin (winner of the Goncourt for a first novel in 1997), Rouge Brésil (Goncourt 2003), and Le Parfum d’Adam. Everyone will have the opportunity to spend An Evening with Jean-Christophe Rufin with host Jean Fugère on Friday, April 29. The author will take part in a roundtable the same day.

Karen Connelly is one of Canada’s most successful younger authors and has written nine books of best-selling non-fiction, fiction and poetry. Her latest novel Burmese Lessons is a love story and memoir of her time in Burma. Karen will be in conversation with Fereshteh Molavi, an Iranian author.

Charlie Foran is the author of ten books, including four novels and the recent biographies Mordecai: The Life and Times (for which he won the Charles Taylor Award for Non-Fiction) and Maurice Richard.  He will be the focus at “Hockey and Hops”, where he will discuss Canadian hockey icon Maurice “Rocket” Richard on Tuesday, April 26 at the City Grill in Moncton.

Susan Juby’s novels have been published all over the world. She is the author of the bestselling Alice MacLeod trilogy, which was adapted into a television series called Alice, I Think. Her latest novel is The Woefield Poultry Collective.

Gilles Leroy is a novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. He has published thirteen works of literature, including Alabama Song, winner of the 2007 Prix Goncourt. He will lead a book club on Wednesday, April 27, at L’Idylle in Dieppe. Tickets are $20 (includes hors d’oeuvre). He will also take part in a roundtable discussion on Thursday, April 28, at noon at Moncton City Hall, and he will read at Soirée Frye the same day.

Shandi Mitchell’s first novel, Under This Unbroken Sky, has sold in eleven countries and won the 2010 Commonwealth Prize. This excellent book on the Ukrainian immigrant experience to Canada during the Depression will be the focus of a book club.

Johanna Skibsrud is the author of two books of poetry, but it was her debut novel, The Sentimentalists, that shot her career to stardom when it won the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Meet her at an informal book club on Wednesday, April 27.

Sylvia Tyson is a musician, performer, singer-songwriter and broadcaster and during the 1970s was half of the popular folk duo Ian & Sylvia. Sylvia will be at the Festival to discuss her first novel, Joyner’s Dream, a sweeping story of a family’s dubious legacy: an abiding love of music coupled with a persistent knack for thieving.

Other participants include Christine Adjahi, a remarkable and passionate storyteller born in Benin; Tammy Armstrong a poet from NB, Doug Harris, the author of the You, Comma Idiot and Mark Anthony Jarman whose fiction tops Amazon’s list of best hockey fiction.

Meet some of children’s literature’s brightest stars!

Kids will be pleased to meet Geronimo Stilton, the famous mouse from Sourisia, the capital of Mouse Island! Geronimo Stilton has a Ph. D. in mouse literature rodentology and comparative archeomousic philosophy. He is also the editor in chef of the Rodent’s Gazette, the most read newspaper in Sourisia.

Kenneth Oppel is the author of the Silverwing series, which has sold over a million copies worldwide, and Airborn, which won the Governor General’s Award in 2004. His most recent novel is Half Brother.

Annie Groovie has written more than 42 books for children and her character Léon can be seen animated on TV. Students will have the chance to win the opportunity to have Kenneth or Annie visit their school for a day by entering a contest citing the Top 10 Reasons why their school deserves a visit from these superstars!

Martine Latulippe has written over thirty novels for young readers, including the popular Lorian Loubier, Julie, Mouk and Marie-P series. Helaine Becker has written over 40 books for children including the best-selling Looney Bay All-Stars series.

Events

Beer and Books is back for a second year, allowing audience members the opportunity to enjoy a beverage and hear readings by authors in a relaxing atmosphere on Friday, April 29. Also back this year: The Literary Lounge, which will happen on Saturday, April 30 at 4pm in the lobby of the Delta Beauséjour. Everyone is invited to meet the authors, chat, and have a book or two autographed!

Every year, the Festival offers workshops for anyone interested in learning more about the creative process. This year’s Writing for Comedy workshop with Randy Pearlstein (who has written for the Chappelle Show and Ugly Americans) promises to be a hit as he will focus on helping to incorporate comedy into any kind of writing you do: fiction, screenplays, stand-up or sketch. The Festival will also present fiction and poetry workshops, as well as workshops for children at KidsFest.

A new Poet flyé!

A new Poet flyé is joining the Frye team in 2011! Gabriel Robichaud is a young poet, actor, and musician, a graduating theatre student at the Université de Moncton and is currently working on his first poetry collection. He will take over from Jesse Robichaud, so be on the lookout for his “Frye Crown” and make sure you give him inspiration for his epic poem!

Festival goers can still expect popular activities such as Frye Jam, KidsFest, Prelude, Night Howls, the Saturday literary brunch, book clubs and conversations between authors. Several activities will take place on the second floor of City Grill, located on Westmorland Street in Moncton. All specific details will be available by early April at www.frye.ca.

A major literary “happening”!

The Frye Festival program now extends year-round with events such as Community Read, Pop & Frye and Frye Academy (a battle of the books for bilingual high school students). During the Festival, most authors will visit schools throughout the province as part of the Authors in Schools program, impacting more than 10,000 students.

All authors participate in Festival events in the language in which they write. Many events will be broadcast on YouTube and you can follow all the latest breaking Festival news on Facebook, Twitter (@FryeMoncton) and the Festival’s blog (http://fryefan.blogspot.com/).

Tickets for many events can be purchased at www.tickets.moncton.ca today, but there are Festival events for all budgets, with many free or “pay what you can”. For more information about the Festival visit www.frye.ca.

The Frye Academy Award that will be given to the author of the winning book.

It’s time to gear up for the second Frye Academy battle of the books of the 2010-2011 season. Participants will debate Les murs by Olivia Tapiero (VLB éditeur) and Pattern Recognition by William Gibson (Berkley Publishing – Penguin Group). The event will take place at 7 pm on February 16 and will be moderated by Renée Morel, a local filmmaker and avid reader. The battle grounds will be Timothy’s World Coffee located at 735 Main Street in Moncton—and admission is free!

Launched in 2009, the Frye Academy is a component of the Frye Festival’s School-Youth Program that brings together readers from several high schools in the Greater Moncton area. The 16-member student jury reads four shortlisted books by Canadian authors (two in English and two in French) and discusses them during the bilingual debates in order to vote on a winner.

The first public debate of the 2010-2011 season took place in December and the jury debated Tout bouge autour de moi by Dany Laferrière (Éditions Mémoire d’encrier) and Kit’s Law by Donna Morrissey (Penguin Canada). Kit’s Law won the match and is now a contender in the final round. The overall winner will be chosen after the second debate and its author will then be invited by the Festival to come to Moncton to meet with the young readers and receive the coveted Frye Academy Award!

The public is encouraged to read the books—or the reading guides posted on the Frye Festival website—and take part in the discussion and the debates. The Frye Academy debates will be recorded and made available online.

Further information on the Frye Academy Award and the Frye Festival is available at www.frye.ca.

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.”

The Frye Festival, Canada’s only bilingual international literary festival, exists to “feed the imaginations” of all members of our community. While public art is not usually something that the Festival is involved in, Chair Dawn Arnold is excited about the project. “We have often thought about how nice it would be to give Northrop Frye an enduring presence somewhere in our city, and what could be more perfect than outside the Moncton Public Library? When Northrop Frye lived in Moncton from 1919 to 1929, books were scarce. For me, paying tribute to this great thinker and giving him a place of honour in our community also raises awareness of the importance of literacy in our society today. What a great opportunity for all of us to be involved and engaged in creating a more beautiful downtown and celebrating imaginations. Vote every day — every vote counts!”

People from across Canada will be participating in the voting process and competition will be tight. By registering and logging on to the web site, each person can vote for “Feed your imagination” daily. The contest is being presented by Pepsi Canada, who will distribute $1,000,000 over one year.

If the Festival is successful in winning the money, they will mount a national competition to find a sculptor to create the art. The goal will be to have Margaret Atwood, Canada’s most famous living writer and a former student of Northrop Frye’s, unveil the sculpture during the 2011 Frye Festival (April 25-May 1, 2011).