Greater Moncton readers will have the opportunity to meet one of Canada’s up-and-coming authors, Neil Smith, during the Frye Festival’s Community Read event.
The author will discuss Bang Crunch, a book of short stories, on Sunday April 19th at 3pm in the Capitol Theater Lobby. The Community Read, not originally featured in the program, promises to be a key Festival event that will attract many book lovers. Entrance is free!
“We encourage everyone to come and discover Neil Smith, who is on his way to becoming one of Canada’s great authors. He is also completely bilingual, making him the perfect fit for this unique community event,” says Frye Festival Executive Director, Stefanie Wheaton.
Those who want to read some of Smith’s work before the event can go to www.frye.ca for the title story, Bang Crunch. A reading guide featuring information on the author and the characters as well as discussion topics is also available on the site.
With Community Read, the Frye Festival aims to rally both linguistic communities in the region around one author and one book. The event was launched in November 2007 when famed Canadian author Yann Martel came to town. The experience was repeated in 2008 with Bones to Ashes author Kathy Reichs.
Bang Crunch was published in Canada, USA, Britain, France, Germany and India. It was a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (best first book) and the Hugh MacLennan Prize. The Quebec Writers’ Federation awarded Bang Crunch its best first book award (for the English version) and its best translation award (for the French version). The French translation (called Big Bang) was also nominated for the Governor General’s Award. The Globe and Mail, Le Devoir and The Washington Post all chose Bang Crunch as a best book of the year.
Neil lives in Montreal where he’s working on a novel about the afterlife called Heaven Is a Place Where Nothing Ever Happens. During his stay in Moncton, Neil Smith will also meet with French and English students on Monday, April 20 at Moncton City Hall.
For more information on the Frye Festival’s 10th edition, taking place from April 17 to 26, go to www.frye.ca.
