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.”

Read more »

Tweet This Share on Facebook

J.J. Steinfeld Reading in Moncton

J.J. Steinfeld (Photo by Brenda Whiteway)

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) and the Canada Council for the Arts are pleased to announce that PEI novelist, poet, and playwright J.J. Steinfeld will be reading at the La Teraz Gallery on 154 Church Street, in Moncton.

The reading will take place at 8 pm, at the front of the gallery. J.J. will be driving over that long expanse of raised concrete just to be with us, so please come out and hear this wonderfully entertaining writer, and in the meantime get the chance to hang out with a great gang of writers and admirers of writers in a beautiful gallery.

J. J. Steinfeld is a fiction writer, poet, and playwright who lives on Prince Edward Island. He has published two novels, Our Hero in the Cradle of Confederation and Word Burials, nine short story collections, and two poetry collections, An Affection for Precipices and Misshapenness, along with two short-fiction chapbooks, Curiosity to Satisfy and Fear to Placate and Not a Second More, Not a Second Less, and two poetry chapbooks, Existence Is a Hoax, a Woman in Fishnet Stockings Told Me When I Was Twenty and Where War Finds You. Read more »

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Reminder: Musicians & Artists apply for Fête de la musique

To all the musicians out there, the deadline to apply in order to participate in the Fête de la musique in Moncton (Moncton’s Music Celebration) is in a little less than a week. Artists wishing to perform are invited to do so through the website: www.musicnb.org and before Saturday May 15, 2010.

On June 21^st, South East New Brunswick will celebrate la Fête de la musique (Music Celebration Day)! This is an open invitation to local musicians to register and take part in the celebration.

Musicians of all genres are invited to take part voluntarily in the event whose success increases each year. This year, the majority of musical performances will take place at the Tidal Bore Park, on the edge of the Petitcodiac River and at City Hall.

An international celebration!

La Fête de la musique is a genuinely popular, bilingual and free event. It mixes all genres and is open to all audiences with the aim to popularize musical practices and to familiarize youths and adults from all walks of life to all musical expressions.

La Fête de la musique of Moncton, coordinated by Mamadou Konte, is an initiative of Consulate general of France in Moncton in collaboration with Music NB, the Fédération des jeunes francophones du N.-B., the Centre d’accueil et d’intégration des immigrant.e.s du Moncton métropolitain, l’Alliance française de Moncton, the city of Moncton, Branch Graphic Design, Carol Doucet Communications, and CapAcadie.com.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Country Music Star Travis Tritt in Moncton in July

Travis Tritt

Country Music Star Travis Tritt will give a concert in Moncton this July 20^th! This must-see show for all country music lovers will take place at the brand new Casino New Brunswick located at 2570 Mountain Road in Moncton. Tickets on sale at www.casinonb.ca.

Over the course of his 15-year career, this Georgian native has delighted fans and disarmed critics by exploring his deep love of hardcore country, flashing an ability and affinity for bluegrass, revealing unexpected sensitivity as a balladeer, winning respect as a formidable songwriter and, most emphatically, drawing widespread recognition as one of the greatest vocalists this genre has ever known.

The Travis Tritt concert in Moncton is produced by Martin-Denis Productions. The show will start at 8:30 pm and doors open at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $47.50 (plus tax and box office fees) and $58.50 (plus tax and box office fees).

Details on the show at www.casinonb.ca while information on the artist can be found at www.travistritt.com.

Tweet This Share on Facebook

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 »

Tweet This Share on Facebook

Law of Attraction Seminar

Tweet This Share on Facebook

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 »

Tweet This Share on Facebook

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 »

Tweet This Share on Facebook

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 »

Tweet This Share on Facebook

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.

Tweet This Share on Facebook