tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75038583438345903022012-02-01T14:29:45.601-05:00Publishing Thunder Bay's WritersJoan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.comBlogger5241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-90453113687674188742012-02-01T14:26:00.001-05:002012-02-01T14:29:45.610-05:00

Hello Joan.  We have wonderful news! A publication date for THE BEAUTIFUL MYSTERY in the United States and Canada. It will be in stores and on sale on August 28th! I hope you’re as excited as I am! The cover hasn’t yet been chosen but I am happy to say that the book is now available for preorder at many online retailers and of course you can stop into your local bookshop, too!, which is a

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-16173725603381173362012-01-30T23:46:00.002-05:002012-01-30T23:56:10.355-05:00

Daniel Griffin What a nice gift, a book of short stories for a short story lover.  Daniel Griffin is a new talent and one to watch.  He has set his writing pulse in synch with family life and produced insightful stories that zing on the page. Some of the stories have appeared in my favourite Can Lit mags such as Prairie Fire and the New Quarterly.  In the first story Promise,  Doug goes to

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-72264620558908737692012-01-29T22:04:00.000-05:002012-01-29T22:04:51.744-05:00

So who says the publishing industry is struggling.  Romance novels have come a long, very long, way since the first Harlequins and many women enjoy them.  I had a friend who bought Harliquin's by the yard and read one every night in the bathtub.  She was a little ashamed of her addiction but now, with your handy e reader, you can access them at home.  No need to secretly stock up in the second

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-30787788476686378182012-01-27T22:37:00.000-05:002012-01-27T22:37:25.268-05:00

Hello Joan, Here is a great opportunity for NOWW (Northwestern Ontario Writers' Workshop) members. Please see below for an interesting opportunity to participate in an online course with NOWW's 2012 fiction judge, Matthew J. Trafford. And stay tuned to the NOWW website (nowwwriters.org) for the official contest rules and entry forms, judge's bios, and more!  The Grounded Fantastic with

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-34112070208309339752012-01-26T21:45:00.003-05:002012-01-26T21:53:32.044-05:00

What a grand parade of crooks, nut bars, visionaries, humanists, eccentrics,  nerds, mad artists, cranks, wild money makers, hard workers, radicals, musicians, ghosts, hermits, intellectuals, adventurers, and superhumans have careened down the streets of the Lakehead over the years.  A local writers' group, Superior Scribes,  have memorialized twenty-two such Thunder Bayers in their book Movers

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-11734291673006246602012-01-21T13:33:00.000-05:002012-01-21T13:33:16.782-05:00

Dear Friends of the Northern Woman's Bookstore: You're invited to join the official book launch for "Movers and Mavericks of Thunder Bay," to be held: Tuesday, January 24 at Mary J. L. Black Library - 901 Edward Street South, Thunder Bay 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. "Movers and Mavericks of Thunder Bay" is a collection of stories about the powerful doers, and the independent thinkers from

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-7314804545217754182012-01-18T21:29:00.008-05:002012-01-18T21:53:38.304-05:00

Good news at last.  After a delay due to family illness, local author Jacqueline D'Acre will launch her latest book at Brodie Library on February 1 at 7 pm. Jacqueline D’Acre was born and raised in Fort William, the oldest of eight Cryderman children. (She is the sister of race car driver Joel Cryderman and Della Cryderman, horse trainer.) In 1977 she moved to San Francisco where she

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-60815234053924248852012-01-12T22:37:00.000-05:002012-01-12T22:37:45.100-05:00

NOWW is thrilled to invite you to A Midwinter Readingwith Thunder Bay’s own Michael Christie, author of the Writers’ Trust-nominated and Giller-longlisted short fiction collection The Beggar’s Garden. The evening will also feature readings from local authors Daniel Klein and Rebekah Skochinski. January 24, 2012, 7pm Brodie Fireside Room, Thunder BayFor further information:

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-18626802277056923762012-01-11T21:19:00.000-05:002012-01-11T21:19:12.257-05:00

Under the Red Star celebrates 100 years of turbulent history of the Finn Hall in Thunder Bay.  After I watched this rivetting documentary, I was close to tears in admiration for the people who built the building, also called the Finnish Labour Temple, and those who took part of its incredible history. In 1910, 300,000 Finns had immigrated to North America and most settled around the Great Lakes.

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-11509322853675582672012-01-11T19:06:00.000-05:002012-01-11T19:06:18.634-05:00

A posting from the Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop announces two events with two eminent authors.  Dear Joan Earlier this week, we announced a Q&A session with Nino Ricci and Alastair McLeod, to be held on January 28, 2012 at 10am at the Mary JL Black library. This event has been organized by NOWW, the Thunder Bay Public Library, and the Windsor Printmakers' Forum. Nino RicciThe

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-5431627579788563572012-01-10T22:12:00.000-05:002012-01-10T22:12:32.615-05:00

Temptation by Cynthia ColosimoShe put the cup of tea down and eyed the apple. Round and bright, the colour spread from top to bottom, shading at the slightly tapered lower end, a bright green spot where a leaf had sheltered the skin from the light of the sun. Should it be flawed, or perfect in its redness? She chose perfect and turned it round so the green spot was hidden from view. With one deft

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-6118219964895153342012-01-06T18:39:00.002-05:002012-01-06T18:39:48.620-05:00

1) Commit in the deepest possible way to the integrity of the project. This is the only starting point and the only end point that will give a writer any real satisfaction. Also, it is the only thing that will s...ustain the writer through the difficulties of actually getting the project done. There is nothing else. 2) Draft with exuberant and staggering hubris. Revise with obsessive and

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-59160984482141811352011-12-27T20:44:00.000-05:002011-12-27T20:44:45.943-05:00

The Toronto Star listed the most borrowed books from Toronto libraries. Four of them appeared on my most fav 2011 book list.  The Paris Wife was an intersting book about Ernest Hemmignway's first wife.  A good list to take to our own library here. Fiction■ Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan  ■ The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje ■ The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt  ■ The Sense of an Ending by

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-66652238950168058682011-12-23T21:32:00.001-05:002011-12-23T21:34:53.505-05:00

Once more by popular demand, or at least some demand, the origins of Christianity are brought to light. The Sharpest Knife in the Drawer By Joan Baril  She was fifteen years old and she was pregnant. What was she going to say to her parents? She’d have to tell them but how to pitch the message? And not only her parents. Once the elders of the village found out, there might be real trouble.

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-47807899425473323912011-12-23T00:24:00.000-05:002011-12-23T00:24:12.790-05:00

Hi Joan:  better late than never... our gift ideas are up on our web site.  take what you want from it, or would you rather I do a different list for you?  have just read the most amazing book... I'm  still stunned... it's one of the Canada reads pics... Something Fierce by Carmen Aguirre.  You must read it.  The publisher is rushing the paperback edition out.. so it should be available in a

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-76755663833686128792011-12-21T12:16:00.001-05:002011-12-21T12:20:48.810-05:00

Trying to Blog with a new knee.  A bend in the bionic.  The joint starts jumping and not in a good way either.  Fingers fly, sending typos flitting here and there,  Blogger swears and not for the first time.  Then you find, deep in the unread e mails,  a note from award-winning writer and illustrator, Duncan Weller.  Oh no!  Late but here it is.  Sorry Duncan.  Wish I could go and see the show

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-5201965133895152722011-12-18T08:54:00.001-05:002011-12-18T09:26:48.928-05:00

Dear Joan Join us Friday, January 27 at 7:30 pm and listen to readings from acclaimed authors Nino Ricci and Alistair MacLeod.Wow.  Thanks Art Gallery.  Wow again.  Nino Ricci coming to Thunder Bay in January.

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-36966130774402049822011-12-07T08:13:00.000-05:002011-12-07T08:13:08.923-05:00

Paul Shaffer – We’ll be Here for the Rest of Our Lives.  I enjoyed this memoir very much.  The tone is peppy all the way, rocking along like high energy music. You can almost dance to this book Under the Northern Lights: My Memoires of Life in the Finnish Community of Northern Ontario by Nelma Siilanpaa.  Good memoir with an excellent introduction outlining the various political ramifications

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-13387104112399967352011-12-06T13:28:00.002-05:002011-12-06T13:34:04.450-05:00

When I leave the library, I usually have two cloth bags bulging with books.  Some of these will get replaced in the bag after I have read to page three.  Those rejects are not on this list.  But sometimes I am lured along, and later wonder, what was I thinking?  This happened seven times this year.  Here is my personal disappointment list. The Sentamentalists by Joanna Skinrud I said it all on

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-74785616879913135062011-12-05T21:48:00.002-05:002011-12-05T21:55:24.234-05:00

As usual I read close to 90 books this year. One day I’ll make the hundred mark.  So much good fiction appeared this year, I could not read all I purchased.  Still pending are: The Antagonist by Lynn Coady, Infrared by Nancy Huston, Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee, Bride of New France by Suzanne Desrochers and The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst, one of my favourite writers. Since I

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-80355471319009394762011-12-02T20:45:00.000-05:002011-12-02T20:45:24.001-05:00

E-Writer in Residence final workshop Join Elizabeth Ruth for a short workshop on The Writing Life Where: Everywhere, by conference call When: Wednesday, December 7th at 8:00-9:00pm Eastern / 7:00-8:00pm Central This is a workshop for writers who have competed a book length project, (poetry, stories, novels) and are interested in tips on how to polish it for sending out, how to approach

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-91694218401500676922011-11-28T22:38:00.001-05:002011-11-29T17:39:04.298-05:00

One of the best coffee table books ever published in Thunder Bay.  Full of colour plates and lots of interesting facts, A Picasso in the North Country: The Wild Journey of Canadian Artist Norval Morrisseau,  by local author James Stevens, would make a great Christmas gift.  The book is available at The Anishinable Art Gallery, 1500 James St S or Northern Woman's Book Store at 65 Court Street S or

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-48978922466804859202011-11-24T00:56:00.003-05:002011-12-01T17:59:14.386-05:00

By Joan Baril  No more books in the suitcase.  No pile of books in the back seat when I am travelling. Only the Kobo in my purse, ready for the coffee shop, the quick lunch on the go, the wait in line at the border.   I got my Kobo Touch for my birthday and down loaded some of the latest Can Lit as well as Throw Like a Girl, short stories by Jean Thompson and Stories in an Almost Classical Mode

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-55742346257207627432011-11-21T20:53:00.000-05:002011-11-21T20:53:14.532-05:00

Congratulations to Margie Taylor for her delightful new book. 60 IS THE NEW 20: A boomer’s guide to aging with grace, dignity, and what’s left of your self-respect. Many of us knew Margie when she was 20… she grew up in Westfort, worked at CBC Thunder Bay in the 1970’s and again later, (she now lives in Guelph) and when I read her work I hear her voice.. her humour and her insight and energy. A

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-6202100643062526262011-11-21T15:45:00.000-05:002011-11-21T15:45:59.803-05:00

BUCK-A-BAG USED BOOK SALE Saturday, December 3, 2011 10 am - 3 pm Victoriaville Mall - Village Green Buy a whole bag of books for only a buck! Standard grocery bags will be priced at $1 per bag. Larger bags will be priced at $2 or more depending on the size. The tables will be re-stocked throughout the day. Stop by for a great bargain! www.tbpl.ca

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-39409270374205857732011-11-14T21:19:00.003-05:002011-11-21T22:34:45.917-05:00

Submissions wanted. A note from Taslim Alani about the zine The Nexus. Hey Joan! The Nexus is up and running! We're looking for submissions for our first edition, which will be about Take Back the Night. Tell us what this event means to you, what you think about it, or anything else! You can submit your work in any form you would like--art, poetry, short stories, prose, or anything else!

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-25499663610948073842011-11-08T20:39:00.003-05:002011-11-08T20:43:45.632-05:00

Thunder Bay's Marion Agnew hits the jackpot with a sizzling and provocative short story published in the latest edition of Prairie Fire. Cass is a member of AA, a street smart woman with a big heart. We walk with her as she tries to make sense of her life.  A tough, interesting story.  Agnew writes swift, strong prose that captures the reader.  Available at Chapters and Northern Women's Bookstore

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-81390091811663800312011-11-06T21:25:00.003-05:002011-11-07T21:22:18.083-05:00

What a way to travel!  Load up your Kobo with your picks from the long lists of the Giller and the GG's and you never have to search for the elusive bookshops of the USA The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt A Western marvelous romp, tender and clever and very funny.  The plot is excellent all through but the ending must be one of the funniest in Can Lit.  The brothers find gold, lose it, get

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-85502909328413495652011-11-05T09:19:00.001-04:002011-11-05T09:22:20.841-04:00

You may not belong to a reading group.  You may not even live in Thunder Bay.  But still the list of books bought by librarian Helen Cimone for the book bags is always an intersting one to spark interest in a book you might not have considered.  Here is the latest list.  I have read the Cellist of Sarajevo and Fingersmith and would add  a personal recommendation for both.  But wait, there's

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-10111028364824713382011-10-28T20:19:00.001-04:002011-10-28T20:19:43.963-04:00

presents The Art and Craft of Story A workshop with Amy Jones Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, Learn about some techniques that will help you shape your ideas into stories. This will be an interactive workshop. Tuesday, November 8, 2011 7 p.m. Waverley Library Auditorium 285 Red River Road

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-61815826324071554972011-10-26T14:34:00.001-04:002011-10-26T14:36:01.067-04:00

Lee MaracleBriarpatch is now accepting submissions of original, bold, and boundary-pushing writing in the categories of short fiction and creative non-fiction (memoir, personal essay, literary journalism). With award-winning author Lee Maracle as our judge and $600 in cash prizes to give away, this opportunity is not to be missed! In addition to a chance to win and be published in

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-22670784682365070712011-10-22T00:34:00.000-04:002011-10-22T00:34:20.795-04:00

It is a wonderful thing when a person writes about his or her life.  Michael Oswald who has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder writes us about his life. My Name is Micheal Oswald. I’m 29 years old I live at home with my long time foster mother and father. I am involved in many activities, have many friends and live a very productive life. In so many

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-349784933917128272011-10-14T13:40:00.000-04:002011-10-14T13:40:07.687-04:00

A letter from Rick Brignall: Writer Rick BrignallHi Joan, Just sending along a rundown of the Saturday, October 22 daytime program for the Word on the Water lit fest in Kenora. Most of this info is also found on our website, www.wordonthewater.ca  People looking for Kenora accommodations can visit our sponsor, www.stayinkenora.com. From the website you can choose from many of the hotels/

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-15165738014706739112011-10-12T20:36:00.001-04:002011-10-12T20:38:10.607-04:00

NOWW presents...Stories for ChildrenWith readings from:Bonnie Tittaferrante Holly Haggerty Heather McLeodOctober 18, 7pmBrodie Fireside Room, Thunder Bay For further information:www.nowwwriters.org ~ admin@nowwwriters.org ~ Amy @ 708-5652Heather McLeiod

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-54485252447434865612011-10-11T14:19:00.002-04:002011-10-11T14:28:30.719-04:00

Susan Musgrave, poet This year I have included the Governor General's  short list for poetry (which includes the great Susan Musgrave), children's books, drama,  non-fiction as well as fiction (including the superb Marina Endicott.)  Congratulations to all the finalists.  The winners of the Governor General Awards will be announced Tuesday, November 15 at 10 am at the Enwave Theatre at

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-41762997107498555432011-10-10T17:29:00.001-04:002011-10-10T17:46:42.594-04:00

Doesn't this sound like a great book?  read onEye Lake  by Tristan Hughes Coach House Books ($17.95; 200 pages) Review by Deborah de Bakker Eye Lake, Tristan Hughes’s new novel, arises straight out of the landscape and history of Atikokan, which Hughes calls Crooked River. In the 1940s a massive engineering project drained 125 billion gallons of water out of Steep Rock Lake to create an

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-81346716474386087932011-10-07T13:11:00.000-04:002011-10-07T13:11:24.965-04:00

The Department of English at Lakehead University invites you to a Master Class with Giller Prize-winning novelist Johanna Skibsrud.The Master Class will take place on Monday, Oct. 17 at 1:30 pm in RC 1001 and will be followed by a reception in the same room. Admission is FREE, but in order to attend you must RSVP to this invitation at english@lakeheadu.ca by Tuesday, October 11. Giller

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-65902191827379824762011-10-07T01:08:00.001-04:002011-10-07T01:09:25.548-04:00

Word on the Water Literary festival is going to be spectacular!!  I am amazed at the Sunday(October 23)  set-up.  The festival offers a great opportunity to get one- on-one feed-back from professional writers.  I have been to many writing conferences, but this is the first one I have seen with so many workshops of this kind.  Unbelievable!  It is worth driving to Kenora for this alone. These

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-39956921959969723472011-10-04T01:51:00.001-04:002011-10-04T22:55:47.163-04:00

After dealing out a most prestigious long list, the Giller folks will announce the short list tomorrow October 4, 2011.  Right now I am reading  A Good Man by Guy Vanderhaeghe and I say he deserves to be on it. A day later and here it is!  The Giller Short List. The Free World by David Bezmozgis. The Antagonist by Lynn Coady. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt. Half-Blood Blues by Esi

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-61273895079952378852011-10-02T13:13:00.001-04:002011-10-02T19:54:26.582-04:00

NOWW is pleased to announce two exciting events in October to kick off our e-Writer in Residence program. Reading/Meet and Greet with Elizabeth Ruth, the 2011 e-Writer in Residence Waverley Library Auditorium, Thunder Bay, ON Thursday, October 13, 7-9 pmElizabeth RuthWorkshop: Building Character and Creating Conflict: discover key elements in successful fiction writing Confederation College,

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-79497814666719525412011-10-02T13:08:00.000-04:002011-10-02T13:08:54.723-04:00

Your book club can now pick up a bag of these new titles at the library and reserve them too.. I have read The Help, Mistress of Nothing and State of Wonder and all three were very good.  Scroll to the end to get the contact numbers of the wonderful Helen Cimone the Book Bag lady The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman The Help by Kathryn

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-25419462848057657262011-09-28T21:00:00.000-04:002011-09-28T21:00:32.424-04:00

Join us for the launch of our 2011 e-Writer in Residence program with a reading and workshop with Elizabeth Ruth, our e-Writer in Residence! The reading, featuring Ruth and a selection of local writers, will take place on the evening of Thursday, October 13th. The workshop with Ruth will be on the afternoon of Saturday, October 15th. Exact times and locations TBA. Help us kick off this

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-62483150396588232002011-09-28T20:56:00.000-04:002011-09-28T20:56:48.566-04:00

The Writers' Trust of Canada launched its literary awards in 1997, with a fiction and non-fiction prize. While Rogers has sponsored the fiction prize for its entire 14 years, the non-fiction prize has had several different sponsors.  In 2011, the prize brought on a new sponsor and was relaunched as the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, upping the winner's purse to $60,000. A

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-55678120530326897442011-09-28T09:10:00.003-04:002011-09-29T09:25:46.117-04:00

You are invited... The Northern Woman's Bookstore invites you to an evening with Kim Anderson. Kim will be reading from her newest publication, "Life Stages and Native Women: Memory, Teachings, and Story Medicine"at the Northern Woman's Bookstore (65 S. Court) on Tuesday, October 4th. Doors open at 7:00, and the event begins at 7:30 pm. Everyone is welcome. Kim Anderson is a Cree/Metis

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-92040431827304363002011-09-27T22:44:00.000-04:002011-09-27T22:44:00.625-04:00

What is Word on the Water? It is a weekend long literary festival that attracts like-minded people from across Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba. The weekend includes book readings, author panel discussions, workshops, youth activities, and a book fair. The weekend starts with a Friday night First Nations Gala called Writing in Four Directions and it will star members of the Aboriginal

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-89083161824124249232011-09-19T21:00:00.003-04:002011-09-19T21:10:38.370-04:00

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS19th Annual Short Prose Competitionfor Developing Writers$2,500 PRIZE The Writers’ Union of Canada is pleased to announce that submissions are being accepted until November 3, 2011 for the 19th Annual Short Prose Competition for Developing Writers. The winning entry will be the best Canadian work of up to 2,500 words in the English language, fiction or non-fiction,

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-51018598163754358492011-09-17T14:41:00.000-04:002011-09-17T14:41:58.815-04:00

Presented in partnership with: Northern Woman's Bookstore and Thunder Bay Public Library  International Festival of AuthorsSunday, October 16 @ 7 p.m. Prince Arthur Hotel & Suites - Provincial Room  On Sunday, October 16, 2011, the International Festival of Authors (IFOA) Ontario touring program will be making a stop in Thunder Bay! Join us for readings by James Bartleman, Johanna

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-30987101798423170082011-09-14T12:36:00.001-04:002011-09-14T12:46:31.958-04:00

Welcome Elizabeth Ruth to an e-Thunder Bay. At last, after almost a year of effort, the Northwestern Ontario Writers' Workshop, or NOWW, the largest writers' group in Thunder Bay has arranged for an e-writer in residence, Elizabeth Ruth. Their announcement follows: Writer in Residence for Northwestern OntarioNOWW is pleased to announce our Writer in Residence with an E-twist. From now until

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-24174623576388704752011-09-12T17:39:00.004-04:002011-09-12T19:38:13.729-04:00

Below is the Giller 2011 long list for those book nuts who read the entire list every year. Some top notch writers grace this fine list among them: David Bezmozgis who makes prose sing. His short story, Natasha, is a classic. Lynn Coady, who has visited the Thunder Bay Sleeping Giant Writers Festival can always be counted on for a good story as can Clarke Blaise, one of Canada's best short story

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-44694648744740371082011-09-07T20:13:00.003-04:002011-09-12T13:39:19.591-04:00

Megan Findlay, an Ottawa writer, visited Thunder Bay for the writers festival and recently wrote me about it. Dear Joan, I'm sorry to hear there is not Sleeping Giant Writers' Festival this year! Was it lack of interest? Being there meant so much to me at the time. And seeing you again. I still have fond memories of that whole weekend, and of watching The Last Station and eating a real

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-56670769713943273542011-09-05T12:27:00.005-04:002011-09-05T23:06:29.426-04:00

by Joan BarilA long time ago, in another lifetime, I was a military wife living at Camp Valcartier military base outside Quebec City.  My biggest problem in a francophone milieu was the difficulty finding reading material in English but my sanity was saved by a fellow military wife, Margaret Wylie, who told me about a private Anglophone library in Quebec City called The Literary and Historical

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-61119563666651263992011-08-31T22:10:00.000-04:002011-08-31T22:10:52.432-04:00

Lindon Macintyre says about Marina Endicott's new novel, Little Shadows, I don't want to diminish the accomplishment of this book by using tired adjectives of description (brilliant, compelling, rich, dramatic, sexy) or understate the power of the characters (funny, strong, tragic, brave and, yes, sexy) — so I'll simplify: the best book I've read in a long, long time; it deserves to be a

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-20863065896820892232011-08-31T21:40:00.000-04:002011-08-31T21:40:52.338-04:00

Local author Bonnie Tittaferrante writing as Bonnie Ferrante Will be launching her first two novels Dawn's End (fantasy romance)  and Dawn's End: Poisoned (dark fantasy) Recommended for ages 16 and up Thursday, September 22 at 7:00 pm at Waverley Library Readings – Prizes - Cake Bring a friend or two and come celebrate

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-55181421686481088432011-08-30T22:59:00.001-04:002011-09-01T10:41:58.283-04:00

for Sara and Kate Tinkle, tinkle, chimed the tune. Children listened hour by hour. Tinkle, tinkle in high room Silver notes escaped in shower. Wooden box was wound again. Key and spring would never falter: Tinkle, tinkle,antique strain Secret soundboard couldn't alter. Father soon regretted fact Cedar gift was bought at all, Daughters found in same no lack Cased in orchestra so small. Then

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-2603910451209184802011-08-24T18:19:00.002-04:002011-08-24T18:23:32.430-04:00

Note the civility, warmth and caring shown in this masterpiece of a letter.  Already the last paragraph is being quoted everywhere.  The best writing of the week and the saddest.  Unfortunately, the stupid and the insensitive added a public voice, but we'll leave them for later. Jack Layton's last letter to Canadians August 20, 2011 Toronto, Ontario Dear Friends, Tens of thousands of

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-49470712392057740052011-08-19T00:30:00.003-04:002011-08-19T00:39:07.998-04:00

Hello Joan, We have 3 new Book Club in a Bag titles which were generously donated. Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis donated by The Chic Lit Book Club The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson donated by The Chapter One Book Club The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas donated by The Hockey Moms' Book Club The Girl Who Played with Fire A great big Thank You! to these clubs for the wonderful

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-88743465039599604422011-08-18T10:34:00.001-04:002011-08-18T10:41:48.241-04:00

(from Ricci's web site at ninoricci.com.  PS His bio on Trudeau is great) Almost three years after Nino Ricci’s novel The Origin of Species was first published, its webpage has finally garnered its first reader comment. “I am at a point in this book where I am not sure I want to finish reading it,” wrote Linda Anderson Stewart, going on to describe the book as “one of the most depressing ” she

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-6329193269587160722011-08-10T18:14:00.001-04:002011-08-13T11:36:24.078-04:00

Sinister initials, PTSD. They stand for post traumatic stress disorder, a place where your survival mechanisms are thrown in reverse and you attack those closest to you who wish you well. Based on the story of Thunder Bay native John McNabb, the book describes his struggle through the war zone of Kandahar, to his diagnosis of PTSD and subsequent struggle towards health.  The book, published by

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-16458001180899454332011-08-10T09:15:00.002-04:002011-08-10T14:40:32.332-04:00

No Sleeping Giant writers' festival in Thunder Bay this year, alas, but all is not lost.  In Kenora, just a northern hop and skip away, the 2011 Word on the Water Literary Festival takes place October 21, 22, 23, A great festival with a facebook page at  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Word-on-the-Water/153711018002556 A little farther down the road, Winnipeg hosts a week long lit bash called

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-50826865640557606132011-08-01T09:38:00.004-04:002011-08-02T13:30:01.243-04:00

A momentous trip.  Thunder Bay's Charles Wilkins rows across the Atlantic as one of the crew of the Big Blue, a boat built for the trip.  And he lives to tell a tale that is harrowing, cringe inducing and of course, being Wilkins, funny as hell.  Read on....The Big Blue By Charles Wilkins It was to be an expedition like no other—a run across the Atlantic from Morocco to Barbados, aboard an

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-16778341532206934482011-07-26T01:05:00.000-04:002011-07-26T01:05:56.150-04:00

          I wish I had a           Word or Two           To sum it up           For you. Blue skies           Blue lakes Poppies and magnolias in the spring Tulips parading through the yard. And in the fall, The maples kaleidiscoping Near the wall A paint pot dumped upon the earth And between the leaves A laughing child.

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-37457384306943266552011-07-25T08:46:00.000-04:002011-07-25T08:46:32.114-04:00

Exclusive to NOWW members: Be part of the integrated art project Liar Liar Liar, Liar features artists from 3 different disciplines - visual art, writing & music. NOWW members may submit fiction or non-fiction based upon the theme of lies. You might refer to a public scandal, write an essay on the evils of deceit, pen a personal recollection, or spin a devious yarn. Deadline for

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-34764593179920133862011-07-19T18:09:00.000-04:002011-07-19T18:09:12.351-04:00

NOWW is looking for new editors for our magazine. And as we change editors, we are also open to fresh approaches for the publication, including different formats and changes in style. The editors will be in charge of soliciting and editing copy. They will also be responsible for the layout and design of the magazine, and for arranging printing. There will be three issues per year, in September,

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-58493252904621669972011-07-16T00:41:00.008-04:002011-08-13T11:36:56.936-04:00

by Joan BarilIf it had not been for Ruth, I would never have  jumped on board the Hogwarts' Express. It was 1997 and the members of the No Stress Book Club were discussing our recent reading. Ruth, who had just returned from a Florida vacation said, "I hate to admit it but I really enjoyed a children's book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Best beach reading ever." I did a mental head

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-34384100605294849412011-07-14T00:01:00.000-04:002011-07-14T00:01:17.583-04:00

Thunder Bay writer Glen Ponka adds to the graphic book pantheon. I tried some of his links and found some great stuff. Hey Joan. I see you have some Canadian comics on your site. I highly suggest Michel Rabagliati.There are several of his books in the library. He writes/draws touching, funny, honest stories that are semi-autobiographical. Also very Canadian. Bio http://

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-19564575343918077352011-07-10T01:15:00.008-04:002011-08-01T21:18:13.969-04:00

by Joan BarilIn my dear old Hippie days I used to read comics: R. Crumb’s Mr. Natural, Gilbert Sheldon’s  Furry Freak Brothers  and Rand Holmes’ Harold Hedd sagas which I found in the Georgia Straight, Vancouver’s alternative newspaper.  Rand Holmes, creator of the Harold Hedd Comix In the 80’s, a Japanese friend introduced me to a recently translated  historical,  Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot  Gen

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-56388669692882702442011-07-08T01:59:00.007-04:002011-08-20T21:29:33.986-04:00

Thunder Bay poet Martin Hicks' latest book, In the Realm of Fantasy, presents a panorama of medieval and modern characters ranging from the bored chamber maid to  the above-it-all village idiot.  But it is Hicks' dark sense of fun which  turns this collection into a compilation of wonder and wonderful. Working inside classical forms, Hicks' sly word play, puns, video-game rhythms, double

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-63091868357013303312011-06-30T10:03:00.000-04:002011-06-30T10:03:49.118-04:00

City of ThunderBay Public Art Program CALL TO WRITERS & STORYTELLERS "Writings & Stories" Canadian storytellers, writers / authors and copyright owners (of applicablewritten work) are invited to submit proposals for traditional stories and/orwritten works that will be integrated into six locations at Marina Parkat Prince Arthur’s Landing. It is expected that the submissions will reflectthe

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-68128217542647851152011-06-22T23:36:00.002-04:002011-06-23T10:07:39.320-04:00

It was standing room only at the Northern Woman's Bookstore tonight for the launch of Strength and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples in Canada. A long title for a most beautiful book. Editor Rachel A Mishenene spoke about her education as a young Aboriginal child made invisible by the dominant culture in the classroom. She talked about her deepening understanding

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-13181308729350339342011-06-22T10:21:00.001-04:002011-06-22T10:26:07.465-04:00

Here comes Dawn's End by Thunder Bay's Bonnie Ferrante.  E publisher Noble Young Adult is the place to find erotic romance novels that will titillate both your libido and your mind.  (whew!) Noble Romance Publishing presents exciting tales from some of today's most talented erotic romance authors such as..... Betrayed by her fiancé, Nicole Newman has put her love life on hold. She loses herself

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-59256612098316474112011-06-20T12:38:00.000-04:002011-06-20T12:38:19.112-04:00

A letter from the founder of the Northern Woman's Bookstore. Hi Joan:  A few scattered thoughts for easy summer reading: Two biographies I like: A LEGACY OF LOVE: Remembering Muriel Duckworth, Her Later Years is a gentle telling of this remarkable woman's enduring spirit and her continued advocacy for peace, feminism and social justice even in her elder years, (Muriel died at age 100 in 2009).

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-32122440044420657412011-06-18T22:51:00.000-04:002011-06-18T22:51:48.646-04:00

Thunder Bay needs an e-writer in residence to give workshops and critique manuscripts. If you know of anyone who would be willing to apply for the position, pass on the info below.  Unfortunately, we had just welcomed Michael Rooey to the job last winter but he passed away soon after.  Everyone was happy Chandra Mayor accepted the position but shortly after she had to resign for personal reasons.

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-48551425898400387492011-06-17T14:05:00.004-04:002011-06-17T14:33:36.449-04:00

If you read Joe Fiorito's memoir, The Closer We Are to Dying, a book which I believe is the best memoir ever written about Thunder Bay, you may remember the story of the family pet, a dog called Trixie, a dog who could smile.  Joe's father sold Trixie to a travelling vaudeville dog act.  The loss  shocked and grieved little Joe.  It is a comic story but one with a deep underlay of sadness,

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-49717687753372170792011-06-16T21:31:00.001-04:002011-06-16T21:32:21.195-04:00

AT LAST  - IN PAPERBACK Charles Wilkins’ acclaimed memoir  In the Land of Long Fingernails: A Gravediggers Memoir. To mark the occasion, Charles will be signing books at Chapters, Thunder Bay , 797 Memorial Ave. Saturday, June 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. Named to the Globe and Mail’s top 100 books of 2009 Finalist for The Stephen Leacock Award, the Trillium Literary Award and the Toronto Book Award “

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-7469758613548930872011-06-16T21:13:00.000-04:002011-06-16T21:13:27.144-04:00

Strengh and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples in Canada.  What a title!  A timely title that says it all.  Please join Rachel Mishenene and Jody Porter as they launch an excellent new book! Rachel Mishenene is the co-editor of Strength and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples in Canada. The book will be launched on: Wednesday,

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-1605055999369597792011-06-14T22:40:00.002-04:002011-06-15T09:02:44.176-04:00

Summer in the north, hot, busy, short and brilliantly coloured. What to read? Something light and easy like a good friendship. Suggestions have been pouring in. Sault Ste Marie writer Peggy Lauzon suggests the whole Harry Potter series before the final movie comes out in July . She also sent in a great list. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradly, The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-55348243271817226292011-06-13T22:12:00.000-04:002011-06-13T22:12:59.628-04:00

 An archaeologist sets out to turn the academic world on its ear. Kennet Forbes, teacher at Thunder Bay University, volunteers to find his missing colleague. He finds himself embroiled in violence, murder, and mystery. Forbes, former high-profile newsman, rediscovers the wilds north of Lake Superior. In the process he awakens his own demons. Sounds pretty good, right.  This is the blurb for

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-60325947769803731842011-06-13T12:39:00.003-04:002011-06-13T16:55:33.683-04:00

What to read this summer? I have just finished four great books in a row.  Must be my lucky month because I often set aside books if they do not grab me.  But my fab four are: 1. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Scientist braves the Amazon jungle to find out what happened to her colleague who has been reported dead. 2. Life Class by Pat Barker A 1914 love story. Two artists meet and one goes to

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-78905870421345450122011-06-10T22:19:00.001-04:002011-06-10T22:20:52.841-04:00

While I was at the Pride Week readings last Tuesday (May 10, 2011), I took the opportunity to talk to Margaret Phillips of the Northern Woman's Bookstore and ask about a book called A Change of Plans. "Sold the last copy today," said Margaret. "Rats!"  I had just about finished Ann Patchett's wonderful and fantastical novel, State of Wonder, the story of a scientist who heads up the Amazon to

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-11958302561985138082011-06-10T13:55:00.001-04:002011-06-10T13:56:30.300-04:00

You're invited to help celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Mary J.L. Black Branch Library! All events are FREE! Registration / tickets required as noted. The Mary J.L. Black Grand Opening Week Program was delivered to all homes on June 5, 2011. You may access a copy online. Click Here GRAND OPENING WEEK EVENTS - click for list Saturday June 11  10:30 a.m. Grand Opening Ceremony 11:30 a.m

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-26785536955164931062011-06-09T09:24:00.003-04:002011-06-09T09:27:47.096-04:00

Thursday, June 16, 2011 6:30 PM Mary J.L. Black Library Community Program Room Joe Fiorito, a native of Fort William, is a city columnist for the Toronto Star newspaper. He won Canada’s National Newspaper Award for Columns in 1995. He is the author of five books, including a best-selling memoir, “The Closer We Are To Dying,” which was also chosen as the first selection of Thunder Bay Reads. His

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-1465401903956131112011-06-08T22:57:00.003-04:002011-06-11T19:17:33.360-04:00

Ivan E. Coyote (centre) with Joan Baril and Margaret Philips of the Northern Woman's BookstoreLast night, Ivan E, Coyote told three stories.  She is in a car with four slam poets heading to a high school reading in Surry B.C.  One poet, the one with bad breath, suggests they read love poems to the students because it is Valentine's Day.  Ivan E. Coyote, gender bender, cross dresser, lesbian,

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-76362196098913182502011-06-06T18:43:00.001-04:002011-06-06T18:48:10.743-04:00

NOWW writing workshops coming to DRYDEN Attention NOWW members! If you are in or near Dryden, or feeling like a beautiful long drive through our gorgeous country, come to the Dryden Public Library on Saturday June 18th for two free writing workshops given by NOWW members Mike Laverty and Jenny Morrow. The workshops will focus on writing, with lots of prompts, with a discussion near the end about

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-75869096292788487302011-06-05T16:44:00.000-04:002011-06-05T16:44:02.600-04:00

Emmerson Street Press Beautiful Books & Literature 30 Emmerson Ave. Thunder Bay, ON P7A 4Z2 807-252-0879 vincent@emmersonstreetpress.com We are pleased to announce that Emmerson Street Press, a small literary publishing house, has opened in Thunder Bay.  Our vision is to create beautiful books and literature.  All our books are handmade and the works we publish aim to reflect beauty in one

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-45332263673824135232011-06-03T08:29:00.000-04:002011-06-03T08:29:54.151-04:00

Louise Penny, former Thunder Bayer wins the Arthur Ellis crime writing prize for her latest Bury Your Dead.  The Crime Writers of Canada award celebrates crime writing excellence. Stevie Cameron won for her non fiction work for On the Farm her second book abouit serial killer Robert Picton. The winners were announced in Victoria yesterday at the annual banquet of Crime Writers of Canada.

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-32700718721653261222011-06-02T10:27:00.004-04:002011-06-02T10:28:41.358-04:00

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Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-34649725058039018552011-06-01T19:18:00.000-04:002011-06-01T19:18:14.696-04:00

Hello everyone, We have opened a new website, Northern Woman's Bookstore. It is a work in progress as we hope to include a lot more information on books, history, past events, and other areas that we have been involved with.  Eventually, we will have lists of all the books we carry, plus information on other materials, such as the cards we sell, links to our friends and partners, and so on. We

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-37007871859955265192011-05-30T22:22:00.000-04:002011-05-30T22:22:24.846-04:00

The new book of poems by Martin B. Hicks, In the Realm of Fantasy: Poems Mainly Narrative, combines traditional poetic forms with contemporary context. Rife with Hick’s clever illustrations, word play, puns, cryptograms, running comments, puzzles and other intricacies, the poet has also added a how-to essay on the writing of poetry. In the Realm of Fantasy anything can happen and frequently

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-46998302212906296542011-05-28T22:23:00.000-04:002011-05-28T22:23:04.629-04:00

In early June you will find The Northern Woman's Bookstore selling books at two events during Thunder Pride Week, June 5 - 12, 2011. The first event is Ivan E. Coyote's reading at The Learning Cafe on June 7th, 2011 from 7 pm-10 pm. It's an event we've organized along with Pride Central and the Gender Issues Centre at Lakehead University. The Learning Cafe night is a celebration of queer

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-62143918711834789912011-05-26T23:04:00.001-04:002011-05-26T23:06:14.643-04:00

Sioux Lookout's Barb Matousek and Wendy MacDonald take the Sheila Burnford Award NOWW is pleased to announce the winners of the 13th Annual Writing Contest. First, second and third place prizes were awarded in three categories, and were given out at NOWW’s Literary Awards Party and Fundraising Event on Saturday, May 21, 2011. First place for poetry was awarded to Roy Blomstrom, with his group

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-52750887881614971682011-05-21T18:53:00.004-04:002011-05-21T19:21:58.782-04:00

The CBC's Cross Country Book Shelf is up and running with Thunder Bay's Daniel Klein carrying the torch for Northern Ontario.Follow the link( http://www.cbc.ca/books/crosscountrybookshelf )to Ontario and vote in one of Daniel's picks for the book which best exemplifies this region.  Daniel put forward the following three books: The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford, Walk to New York by

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-48143621823731178392011-05-16T23:08:00.001-04:002011-05-16T23:09:38.556-04:00

New in Thunder Bay, a publishing house!  Emerson Street Press.  Hot from their web site comes the following information about their first book, Take No Prisoners by Mark Achtenberg Mark is extremely well versed in teaching scriptwriting and uses this experience, along with his expertise in film history, to create an entertaining and useful book for anyone who is interested in the craft of

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-56150275181800925432011-05-12T12:21:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:36:24.291-04:00

The Northwestern Ontario Writers Workshop is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011 Elizabeth Kouhi Award and the Sheila Burnford Builders Award for outstanding contributions to the literature of Northwestern Ontario. The Elizabeth Kouhi Award, named in honour of Thunder Bay poet Elizabeth Kouhi, is awarded each year to a writer whose body of work has a significant history of

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-45781501551959293632011-05-11T23:37:00.000-04:002011-05-13T16:36:23.051-04:00

Award winning Anguti's Amulet, illustrated by Thunder Bay's Cynthia Colosimo continues to pick up rave reviews. This was sent from the PEI Guardian. "Anguti's Amulet" is a collective creation by The Central Coast of Labrador Archaeology Partnership, translated (from Inuktitut to English or vice versa?) by Sophie Tuglavina, and illustrated by Cynthia Colosimo, distributed by Flanker in St. John's

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-43994894303077576322011-05-10T09:03:00.000-04:002011-05-10T09:03:46.723-04:00

Just a reminder to everyone that the Core Samples launch is this Wednesday night at 7pm. Hope to see everyone there! Poetry is alive and well in Northwestern Ontario. A local poetry group will launch a brand new collection of poems titled Core Samples on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at the Prince Arthur Hotel in the Dawson room at 7:00 PM. There will be readings, book signings and light

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-32078554974638429532011-05-04T10:02:00.000-04:002011-05-04T10:02:15.112-04:00

Chandra Mayor, our e writer in residence, has resigned for personal reasons. Once more NOWW will be searching for someone to fill the position.  Chandra had barely begun work as our e writer in residence.  She was a great choice for the post. Chandra is a writer, teacher and a poet who has won many awards including the Carol Sheilds Book Award.  Her web site gives good advice to writers. ON THE

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-19384040408982413702011-05-02T19:56:00.003-04:002011-05-02T20:27:16.484-04:00

Louise Penny writes to say that her latest mystery, Bury Your Dead, has won the Agatha for the best novel.  Big congratualations Lousie and many thanks for a great read. Dear Joan Hope you're enjoying the spring! We sure are. At last. BURY YOUR DEAD has just won the Agatha for Best Novel at this year's Malice domestic. The only series to ever win 4 Agathas. I am so thrilled. And SO deeply

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-81815152881490891992011-04-26T15:33:00.000-04:002011-04-26T15:33:01.133-04:00

Hello Everyone As you all may already know, we will be moving to the new location of the Mary J.L. Black Library very soon. The current location of the Mary Black library will close permanently at 5pm on April 29, 2011.  If all goes as planned, we expect to open the new location on May 9, 2011.  Beginning Wednesday, April 27, I will be unable to take any new Book Club in a Bag bookings, as we

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-57328619795259089162011-04-20T13:35:00.001-04:002011-04-20T13:38:19.841-04:00

I Want to Be Left BehindBy Joan Baril In Florida, a billboard warned the end of the world would occur next month. It said, THE END TIMES!! MAY 12, 2011. ARE YOUR READY? I was surprised. I thought we had another year. A couple of years ago, I attended a writers’ convention at a state park in rural Georgia. Any participant could offer a workshop by listing the topic on a flip chart. I gave my

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7503858343834590302.post-81678707442754707412011-04-18T14:49:00.001-04:002011-04-18T14:54:34.990-04:00

The Annual Literary Awards NOWW is proud to host the annual Literary Awards Party and Fundraising event on Saturday, May 21, 2011 from 7 to 10:30 p.m.at the Current River Community Center, 450 Dewe Street, Thunder Bay.  Come celebrate the winner of the Elizabeth Kouhi award for excellence in writing, the winner of the Sheila Burnford award for building writing and literature in the region, the

Joan Barilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10296515910763045250noreply@blogger.com0