Our 2012 Literary Competition’s deadline is February 29th, coming up fast.

As you may know, last year we returned our competition to its original roots and purpose: to promote and encourage New Brunswick writers. It was a huge success and we received nearly 50% more submissions than the previous year, when it was open to entrants all across Canada.

We’re hoping for a similarly strong showing this year. So, have you been thinking of entering but have thought …

1) I have no chance, there are too many entries.

The categories receive, on average, 20 submissions each, some fewer (non-fiction, for example) and some more (individual poem). This isn’t a blind lottery: a well-written piece has a strong chance of winning, placing, or showing.

2) I entered last year, didn’t win.

Let me tell you a story: last year’s Richards Prize winner, Barry Grenon, had entered the same manuscript (“The Formosa Papers”) the year before, yet wasn’t even among the honourable mentions. Every year we change judges for this reason: tastes differ. One judge may, for example, favour story, while another may favour style.

3) No feedback.

This year we are promising feedback on the top 5 manuscripts in each category.

4) One entry isn’t important.

Right! That’s why you should send two, or three. Seriously, every entry received makes my heart glow.

5) If I win, I won’t be able to publish my story elsewhere.

Nonsense. If you win, you get prestige! We claim no rights to the manuscripts and many, including recent winners Beverly Akerman, Rob Taylor and Riel Nason, find publication soon afterward (or get a boost of confidence to send other work out). Check out our list of former winners: http://www.wfnb.ca/competitions/winners/

6) I will feel crushed if I don’t win.

Yeah, it hurts. But it’s important to share your work, build good habits and positive feelings around the submission process. I’ve found, over the years, that one acceptance/prize quickly washes away a dozen rejections.

7) There are so many contests, why should I choose this one?

Good question. Well, other than supporting your very own Writers’ Federation, if you do well you get to attend our Awards Banquet at WordsSpring, meet other writers, read from your work, get your photo in the newsletter, or the local paper. Now, winning a competition in Alberta, or Idaho might be nice, but chances are you won’t shake a single hand or hear a single voice or handclap …

Competition categories and rules are on our website: http://www.wfnb.ca/competitions/2012-competition-now-open/ .

Thank you for your attention, and best of luck.

Lee

Lee Thompson
Executive Director
Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick
P.O. Box 306, Moncton, NB E1C 8L4
506-459-7228
info@wfnb.ca
http://www.wfnb.ca

“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

Winners 2011 WFNB Writing Competition

The Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) is now accepting submissions to its 2012 Literary Competition with greater cash prizes to be won. The non-profit organization has increased its prize purse to $1,700 for top entries in the contest’s prose and poetry categories. The competition is open to all New Brunswickers and members of WFNB.

Top prizes include the Alfred G. Bailey Prize, which awards $400 for the first place poetry manuscript and The Richards Prize, named for David Adams Richards, which also has a $400 value, and is given to the winning submission in one of three categories: collection of short stories, a short novel, or substantial portion of a longer novel.

The Sheree Fitch Prize for poetry is open to young writers, up to age 18, and is worth $100, while a $200 prize is awarded for the winning entry in the children’s literature category. Submissions can be prose or verse and written for children, ages four to eight.

Prizes of $200 are also offered to writers for their work in each of the following categories: individual poems, short fiction and non-fiction.

Entries must be postmarked by February 29, 2012 and mailed to WFNB, PO Box 306 , Moncton , NB , E1C 8L4 . For more information, a complete list of contest rules and entry fees, visit www.wfnb.ca, telephone (506) 459-7228 or email wfnb@nb.aibn.com.

Now in its 26th year, WFNB is a non-profit advocacy and support organization brings together writers in all disciplines and at all levels of development to recognize, encourage and promote their work.

Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick
2012 Literary Competition

Individual poem / Short fiction / Creative Non-Fiction

Individual Poem 100 lines maximum
Short Fiction 4000 words maximum
Creative Non-Fiction 3000 words maximum
Entry fee: $20 WFNB members / $25 non-members
Prizes: 1st – $200 in each category

Children’s Literature

3,000 words maximum
Works in prose of verse written for children 4 – 8 years of age
Entry fee: $20 WFNB members / $25 non-members
Prizes 1st – $200

THE SHEREE FITCH PRIZE FOR POETRY

Poetry 100 lines maximum
Open to youth up to18 years of age as of February 29, 2012
No Entry Fee
Prizes: 1st – $100

THE DAVID ADAMS RICHARDS PRIZE – $400

For a collection of short stories, a short novel, or a substantial portion of a longer novel (between 15,000 and 30,000 words). Work must be unpublished although some individual stories may have been previously published.
Manuscript Entry Fee: $30 members / $35 non members

THE ALFRED G. BAILEY PRIZE – $400

For poetry manuscripts not previously published, in whole or in part, in book/chapbook form (individual poems published or accepted for publication in periodicals may be included).
Length – between 48 and 96 pages. Manuscript Entry Fee: $30 members / $35 non members

The competition is open to all New Brunswick residents as well as all members of WFNB. Previous winners may not enter in the category in which they won for one year.

DEADLINE: Postmarked by February 29, 2012

For complete contest rules see wfnb website www.wfnb.ca
Mail entries to: WFNB, PO Box 306, Moncton, NB E1C 8L4
Phone: (506)459-7228 email info@wfnb.ca

There are two age categories, junior (grades 7-9) and senior (grades 10-12).

First place poems in each category will receive a cash prize of $350, second place winners will receive $300 and third place winners will receive $250.

All winning poems will be published in the League of Canadian Poets’ e-zine, Re:verse at www.youngpoets.ca. All winners will receive Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Youth certificates and student membership in the League of Canadian Poets for one year.

Deadline: January 15, 2012.

Entry Guidelines

All submissions should be sent by email to readings@poets.ca with the subject Jessamy Stursberg Poetry Contest for Youth.
There are two age categories: Junior, grades 7 – 9 and Senior, grades 10 – 12
Poems must be previously unpublished and must be your own work.
Length of each poem submitted must not exceed 50 lines. Limit 2 poems per poet.
Each submission should include the poet’s name, address, and phone number, age, grade, name of school, and the titles of the poems entered.
Poems should not be sent as attachments, but as plain text files in the body of the message.
There is no entry fee.
Winners will be announced during National Young Poet’s Week in April and posted on the League’s websites www.poets.ca and www.youngpoets.ca. Announcements will be sent to the media, and the winners will be notified by mail and email.

Copyright remains with the poet. Winners will be asked for the first rights to publish their work. Should an entry be published elsewhere during the course of the contest, we ask that the entrant notify the League immediately. Revisions on any poem will not be accepted after it has been entered. All decisions of the jury are final. Contest is open to Canadian citizens and landed immigrants. Members of the League’s National Council, staff or the contest judges or their families are not eligible to enter these competitions.

* Incomplete submissions will not be considered, please read guidelines carefully.

Summer Video Camp
Instructor: E. Hearte
cost: $40
dates: July 11 – 15
times: 9am – 12pm
ages: 10 – 13

This summer, Struts Gallery & Faucet Arts Centre is offering a video camp for youth aged 10 – 13. You will get a chance to learn about video from a professional filmmaker and video artist. You will write your own scripts and storyboards, shoot and edit your own videos, and record and mix your own sound. All on professional video equipment!

Call or email Elli at Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre, (506) 536-1211 production@strutsgallery.ca

Little Armadillo Screen Printing
Learn how to silkscreen the Little Armadillo way! Silk-screening is a method of applying text or images to fabric or paper and is a commonly used technique when making your own t-shirts. It is easy and fun and makes great wearable artwork.

LOCATION: The Little Armadillo Printshop
COST: $20/day All ages
DATE: July 11th and 12th 2011
TIME: 1-4pm

Struts Kite Building Workshop
Lets go fly a kite! Knowing how to build your own kite out of recycled materials is very important since we live in one of the windiest locations in the world. Come down to the little Armadillo to learn how to make your own using materials found around the house.

LOCATION: The Little Armadillo Printshop
COST: $10 All ages
DATE: July 13th 2011
TIME: 1-4pm

Ok.Quoi?! Stop Motion Animation Circus
Have you ever wanted to create your own circus? Want to bring your own characters and creatures to life? If so, then sign-up for this summer’s Stop Motion Animation Circus with local artist Graeme Patterson.

LOCATION: The Little Armadillo Printshop
COST: $50 Ages 8-14
DATE: July 18th-22nd 2011
TIME: 1-4pm

Ok.Quoi?!/Sappyfest Kids Power Jam
This summer, Sappyfest and the Ok.Quoi Arts festival are offering an indie rock workshop for students aged 6 to 14. Students will work with professional musicians to make their own instruments, design t-shirts and album artwork, record an album and perform their songs on the Sappyfest mainstage tent on Bridge Street.

LOCATION: The Little Armadillo Printshop
COST: $50 Ages 6-14
DATE: July 25th-29th 2011
TIME: 9-12am

For more information on any of these events please contact Andrew Maize, Festival Programmer, Ok.Quoi?! Arts Festival, festival@strutsgallery.ca

Seven Lorne Street
Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre
http://strutsgallery.ca
506-536-1211

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.

Beth Powning’s bestselling novel The Hatbox Letters was long-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Award, and her memoir, Edge Seasons was a Globe and Mail Best Book. Shadow Child and Seeds of Another Summer were published in the US and Canada. Her latest novel is The Sea Captain’s Wife (Random House). She lives in New Brunswick.

Jacob Berkowitz is an author and performer who loves turning science into stories. He’s written books about fossil poop and aliens. He’s working on a book about how to smell better. He lives with wife Rosemary, and kids Max and Francesca in the Ottawa-Valley town of Almonte, ON.

Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer is the author most recently of the novel Perfecting (Goose Lane Editions). She also wrote The Nettle Spinner (Amazon.ca/Book in Canada First Novel Award finalist) and Way Up (Danuta Gleed 3rd, ReLit finalist). She is formerly the magazine editor for Bookninja.com. She teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto and online through The New York Times.

Kay Stone, a folklorist specializing in folk tales, has 30 years of experience as a storyteller. She has given performances and workshops in Canadian and U.S. schools, libraries, and universities; in art galleries and museums; and at storytelling festivals. Kay has written three academic books that include her original stories.

For more information contact: Rayanne Brennan, VP, Professional Writers Association of Canada, Moncton Chapter at rayanneb@rogers.com or visit www.monctonwriters.ca.

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.

This first of two public events surrounding the 2010 Frye Academy Award will be hosted by filmmaker and avid reader, Renée Morel, who will act as moderator for the debate. The public will be invited to take part in the discussion and comment on the books featured that night. The event will take place in English and in French in a dynamic atmosphere. All of the members of the jury are bilingual, passionate about reading, and have read the books in their original language of publication.

The second Battles of the Books is set for March 17^th and will feature graphic novel George Sprott (1894-1975) by Seth and Tarmac by Nicolas Dickner. The winning author will be chosen after the second debate when the jury works together to arrive at a consensus. The winner will be announced at the Frye Festival closing event on April 25^th. The author will then be invited to come to Moncton to meet with the young readers and the public.

The jury for this first edition of the Frye Academy Award is composed of eighteen young students from Harrison Trimble, Moncton High, and Bernice McNaughton in Moncton as well as from l’Odyssée in Moncton, Mathieu-Martin in Dieppe, and Mgr-Marcel-François-Richard in Saint-Louis-de-Kent.

All avid readers, both young and old, wishing to participate in the 2010 Frye Academy are invited to consult the reading guide available at http://www.frye.ca/docs/Guide-final.pdf and attend the January 26^th event. The Frye Academy Award debates will be recorded and made available on the Frye Festival web site (www.frye.ca).

The Frye Festival School / Youth Program
The Frye Festival School / Youth Program is composed of four elements: Bell Aliant Young Writers where students of all ages are invited to share their literary creations with the public; Great-West Life/ London Life Writing Contest for students at the high school level; TD Canada Trust Writers in the Schools, where guest authors of the Frye Festival visit classrooms all over the province, and various family oriented activities held during the Frye Festival.

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

The Festival’s opening ceremony will take place on Friday, April 17 at 11 am at Moncton City Hall and everyone is welcome. Senator Andrée Champagne will attend the launch and speak on behalf of the federal government, Department of Heritage.

Antonine Maillet

Later that evening, 10 years of the Frye Festival will be celebrated with acclaimed Canadian and Acadian authors John Ralston Saul and Antonine Maillet. These two pillars of literature will engage in a bilingual dialogue on Canada seen through the eyes of Acadia and vice versa. The evening starts at 8 pm at the Jeanne-de-Valois Auditorium on the U de M campus and will be followed by a reception.

Setting the stage for New Brunswick’s emerging writers
Every year, many great writers appear on the New Brunswick literary scene. On Monday April 20, Pat Leech, Riel Nason, Anne Levesque, Lison Beaulieu, and Paul Bossé will take the stage at Le Caveau for Prelude featuring emerging NB writers. Accompanied by experienced authors Gerard Beirne, from Ireland, and Acadian poet Serge Patrice Thibodeau, they will present some of their latest work.  The evening begins at 8 pm.

Miriam Toews

Great authors, inspiring events, wonderful discoveries
The Frye Festival always welcomes renowned authors from all over Canada and around the world and this year is no exception with Jane Urquhart (The Stone Carvers), Miriam Toews (The Flying Troutmans), and Wayne Johnston (The Custodian of Paradise). All three will be on stage for The Best of Canadian Lit, Friday, April 24 at the Empress Theater, 8 pm. The event will be hosted by The Globe and Mail’s book editor, Martin Levin.

Miriam Toews will take part in the roundtable Life as Material on Thursday, April 23 at noon at Moncton City Hall and she and Wayne Johnston will read at the Saturday Brunch and Books on April 25 at Kramer’s Corner, 9:30 am. Miriam Toews is also featured in the Frye Jam lineup. Fans are invited to take part in a book club with Jane Urquhart at the Moncton Public Library on Thursday, April 23 at 2 pm. She will also participate in the roundtable How “Real” is your Fiction? on Friday, April 24 at noon along with Wayne Johnston at Moncton City Hall.

Robert J. Sawyer

John Ralston Saul will present A Fair Country: Telling Truths about Canada, his latest book on Saturday, April 18, at noon, at Moncton City Hall. On Sunday, April 19, Neil Smith, one of Canada’s up-and-coming authors will discuss his book Bang Crunch for the Community Read event to be held at 3 pm in the Capitol Theater Lobby. Entrance is free!

Sci-Fi fans will not want to miss a presentation by Canada’s dean of Science-Fiction writing, Robert J. Sawyer. He will be at the Moncton Press Club on Saturday, April 25 at 2 pm. He just released the first book of a new World Wide Web trilogy: Wake.

Still have your teenage diary lying around, or perhaps some poetry written when you were sixteen? On Wednesday, April 22, the public and authors are invited to share any cringe-worthy, humorous or inspiring writing from their youth during the Réveille evening. The fun starts at 7 pm at the Moncton Press Club.

Gerard Beirne

Spend an evening with some great authors on Friday, April 24 for the Mostly Fiction event. Joel Thomas Hynes (Right Away Monday), Gerard Beirne (The Eskimo in the Net), Jean Barbe (Le travail de l’huître), and Marie Cadieux (Enfance et autres fissures) will offer readings at the bar Le Caveau starting at 4:30 pm.

A magical evening mixing music and readings by some of Canada’s prominent authors, the Soirée Frye will feature Don McKay, Jane Urquhart, Serge Patrice Thibodeau, and Alain M. Bergeron. Musical guests are David Miles and Joseph Edgar. The Soirée Frye will take place Thursday, April 23 at the Capitol Theatre at 8 pm and will be followed by a reception to meet the authors.

The Frye Festival celebrates well into the night with Night Howl events hosted by Moncton poet Paul Bossé. Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24, everyone is invited to Le Caveau starting at 10:30 pm – come to listen or pick up a mike to share your thoughts!

Wayne Johnston

On Saturday, April 25, the Frye Jam offers a mix of readings and music by some of the region’s best musicians in a more informal setting. Hosted by Les Païens, the event will take place from 10 pm to last call at the bar Le Caveau. Featured musical guests are: Oumou Soumaré, John Jerome and the Great 88, and Carey Beck.

The Antonine Maillet-Northrop Frye lecture will be presented by Monique LaRue (2002 Governor General’s Award) on Saturday, April 25 at noon at Moncton City Hall. The lecture is titled “Between Two Books: The Writer’s Time”.

Frye Festival Youth events
On Wednesday, April 22, the creative talent of the regions’ youth will be in the spotlight at Café Underground, featuring performances by high school students of their own poetry and prose. The evening will take place at the Empress Theater at 7 pm. Lisa LeBlanc, a young and promising singer songwriter from Rosaireville, will be the musical guest. Entrance is free.

Kids and their parents are invited to KidsFest on Saturday, April 25 at the Moncton Public Library. The morning will feature readings by authors, word games, writing workshops, theatre presentations, contests, Poetry Party Hats, a book swap, birthday cake and much more!. The first 500 kids will receive a free book. Entrance is free and the fun is guaranteed!

Jane Urquhart

Promoting the importance of reading and writing in schools across the province is one of the key elements of the Frye Festival’s School/Youth Program which will feature 140 schools visits this year alone (70 in French and 70 in English). Guest authors will visit schools all over south-eastern New Brunswick, Kent County, and the Acadian Peninsula.

Tickets for the 2009 Frye Festival can be purchased through the Greater Moncton ticket network at ticket.moncton.ca or by calling (506) 857-4100. For all the latest details on the Festival and its 10th edition visit www.frye.ca.