Fredericton Library Goes Electric

Fredericton Library Goes Electric

Bread ‘n Molasses editor, Kellie Underhill, will participate in a “Read an eBook Week” event being held at the Fredericton Public Library on Wednesday, March 9th.

“Electronic publishing is really catching on,” Underhill says. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to help educate people about the many advantages and possibilities involved in online publications like Bread ‘n Molasses and blogs.”

The Fredericton library is celebrating the week with discussions, readings by local eAuthors, and a free hands-on computer workshop introducing participants to the world of eBooks and how to publish online.

Underhill is participating in a New Brunswick eAuthors Reading sponsored by the library on Wednesday, March 9th.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the library, with a discussion of eBooks, eZines, blogs and other forms of electronic publishing and the impact of eBooks on the future of reading.

Readings by Underhill, Joe Blades, Biff Mitchell, and Nela Rio will follow the discussion.

A Miramichier, Underhill is also the editor of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick’s quarterly newsletter, NB Ink and writes fiction in her spare time.

Joe Blades is an artist whose poetry collections include River Suite (Insomniac Press) and Casemate Poems (Widows & Orphans). He is also Publisher of Fredericton-based Broken Jaw Press.

Biff Mitchell, of Fredericton, is the author of several novels including Heavy Load (eBookAd) and The War Bug (Double Dragon). He is also the international spokesperson for Read an eBook Week 2005.

Also of Fredericton, Nela Rio is an Argentine-Canadian author and artist who has published numerous books and eBooks including The Space of Light / El espacio de la luz (Broken Jaw Press).

“eBooks are gaining popularity around the world but are still relatively unknown in Fredericton. Our two evenings of events will help to change that,” says Leslie Cockburn of the Fredericton Public Library.

On Friday March 11th at 7 p.m. in the library’s computer lab, Biff Mitchell will host a virtual tour and workshop on the world of eBooks. The tour will explore websites that offer free eBooks, websites of authors and publishers and websites for readers. Mitchell will also demonstrate step-by-step how to create, publish, distribute and market eBooks.

Publishing eBooks isnt just for writers,” Mitchell says. A family could publish a summer vacation photos and stories eBook on the family website to be downloaded by friends around the world. A group of students could publish an eBook as a fund-raising project and sell it online.”

Both events are free to attend. The tour/workshop is limited to 16 participants, so pre-registration is required. To register, or for further information, please telephone the Fredericton Public Library at (506) 460-2800.

Read an eBook Week, which takes place annually during the second week of March, was started by Canadian author Rita Toews.