First Frye Academy ‘Battle of the Books’

The public is invited to attend the first battle of the books of the 2010 Frye Academy Award, on Tuesday, January 26, at 6:30 pm at the Aberdeen Cultural Centre café in Moncton. Thrown in the ring: Hadassa by Myriam Beaudoin and The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland. A panel of young readers will discuss these Canadian books in a debate setting. The Frye Academy Award is a component of the Frye Festival’s School/ Youth Program.

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 17th 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 25th. 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 26th 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.