A local author is in the running for a top award in Canadian fantasy fiction.
New West resident Eileen Kernaghan is shortlisted for a 2015 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. The honour comes in the Young Adult category for her book Sophie, In Shadow (published by Thistledown Press).
Her latest novel is set during the First World War and follows the life of an orphaned English girl, 16-year-old Sophie Pritchard, as she begins a new life in British India.
Check out www.eileenkernaghan.ca for more on the book and the author.
Kernaghan is shortlisted alongside Jonathan Auxier for The Night Gardener, Cecil Castellucci for Tin Star, Alyxandra Harvey for A Breath of Frost and Caitlin Sweet for The Door in the Mountain.
The winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 along with the Sunburst medallion.
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If you’ve ever harboured a secret dream to run away and join the circus, then this one’s for you.
Vancouver Circus School is presenting its annual year-end show, Bring Me a Dream.
The show is performed by students of its professional development program, the Junior and Senior Ring Masters.
The premise of the show? A slumber party.
“What starts out as an otherwise perfectly normal slumber party soon turns into extraordinary night, filled with plenty of unwitting mayhem,” a write-up about the show says. “Observe as they are taken into the deeper realms of their consciousness, fantastical places where the adventures are never twice the same! Though, they may not always enjoy where they go …”he same! Though, they may not always enjoy where they go...he same! Though, they may not always enjoy where they go...
Intrigued? The show is on Saturday, June 27 at the Anvil Centre Theatre, with two shows: a matinee at 3 p.m. and an evening show at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $42.50 regular or $25 for kids 13 and under. You can buy tickets through www.ticketsnw.ca.
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Mystery lovers, rejoice: There’s a new book in town to add to your summer reading list.
New West author Don Hauka is celebrating the launch of his latest novel Pizza 911, with a special event on June 25.
The novel is the third in his Mister Jinnah series – featuring the larger-than-life, politically incorrect crime reporter Hakeem Jinnah (a character not-so-loosely based on Hauka’s former reporting colleague, Salim Jiwa).
In this outing, Jinnah has grown tired of his life as a reporter for the fictional Vancouver Tribune. As a write-up about the novel tells us: “As the novel opens, Jinnah has had it. He’s leaving the Tribune and off to Africa as king of his own Burger Palace fast-food chain. That is, until a charred, dismembered body is discovered in a pizza oven. The lure of one last front-page byline is too much for Jinnah to resist – even if it turns out to be his own obituary.”
Intrigued? You can buy the book online and in local bookstores (you can find it at Black Bond Books at Royal City Centre and the Brighton Avenue Costco in Burnaby, among others). The launch is set for the library room at the Rivers Reach on Thursday, June 25 starting at 7 p.m. There will be a special reading by Dhirendra Miyanger, who played Jinnah in two TV movies in 2002 and 2003 – including Pizza 911, the TV movie on which this novel is based.
Check out more about the book at the Dundurn Press website, www.dundurn.com.
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Just a reminder to poetry lovers that Poetry in the Park is coming back for the summer season.
The Royal City Literary Arts Society hosts the poetry reading series at the Queen’s Park bandshell on Wednesday evenings through July and August.
Each reading night runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and features various poets from around the Lower Mainland, along with an open mike session.
In the event of rain, the readings move into the nearby Arts Council of New Westminster gallery.
It’s free – you can find the list of participating poets in the city’s Summer Active Living Guide (download at www.newwestpcr.ca or pick up at city facilities) or at www.rclas.com.
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While we’re on the subject of poetry, don’t forget about the WordPlay sessions. The free monthly drop-ins are offered by the Royal City Literary Arts Society to bring writers together, share writing prompts and get generating some first drafts.
Bring your own writing tools and paper.
The next session is Thursday, July 2 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Heritage Grill, 447 Columbia St., in the back room. Check out www.rclas.com.
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The Momentum Youth Arts Festival is looking for artists to get aboard.
The annual festival is coming up Oct. 23 to 25, and festival organizers are looking to connect and partner with other arts organizations or individuals looking to showcase their art.
“We invite you to present your ideas and any activities that could be showcased as part of the festival,” a write-up says. “We can provide marketing support, space to display your art, and professional technical services to support your contribution to the festival.”
The deadline to submit your ideas is July 10. Email (subject line Program Proposal) momentum.programming@gmail.com, including information about your organization, what you can contribute and all your available dates.
Check out www.momentumyouthfest.com for details.
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Do you write for kids? Have you ever had a hankering to try?
The New Westminster Public Library and Royal City Literary Arts Society are offering a Writing For Children 101 workshop on Tuesday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Jacquie Pearce will lead a session in the basics of writing and publishing children’s books: what works, what doesn’t, and resources to take you to the next step in your writing journey.
Register by calling 604-527-4667 or email listener@nwpl.ca.
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Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@newwestrecord.ca, or find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.
