Program Guide in pdf - Vancouver International Writers Festival

44
QUINTIN JARDINE
UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 33, 54
Quintin Jardine worked as a journalist, government
information offi cer, political spin-doctor and media relations
consultant before he turned
his hand to writing crime fi ction. He has written two
acclaimed, bestselling series of detective novels: one
featuring “Britain’s toughest cop”. Bob Skinner, and the other chronicling the
adventures of unwilling detective Oz Blackstone. His latest novel, A Rush of
Blood, is the 20th in the Skinner series.
M.T. KELLY
ONTARIO, EVENTS 41, 44
M.T. Kelly’s most popular and critically acclaimed novel, A
Dream Like Mine, won a Governor General’s Award and was
fi lmed in 1989 as Clearcut. His other fi ction includes I Do
Remember the Fall, The More Loving One and The Ruined
Season. He has also published two poetry collections—
the acclaimed collection Country You Can’t Walk In, and his latest, Downriver.
MYRNA KOSTASH
ALBERTA, EVENTS 42, 52
Myrna Kostash’s creative non-fi ction continues to defi ne
and push the limits of the genre. Since the publication of All
of Baba’s Children in 1977, she has been a strong voice in
depicting the Ukrainian-Canadian experience in the West and
its roots in European history. Her award-winning memoirs,
essays and other writings, along with her avid participation in the literary
community, have garnered Kostash popular and critical acclaim at home and
abroad. Her new book is Prodigal Daughter: A Journey to Byzantium.
ALICE KUIPERS
SASKATCHEWAN, EVENTS 15, 25
Alice Kuipers is the author of Life on the Refrigerator Door.
Sold in 28 countries, it was the winner of the Saskatchewan
First Book Award, the Sheffi eld Libraries Choice Award and
the Grand Prix De Viarmes. Her new book for young adult
readers, The Worst Thing She Ever Did, tells the story of
Sophie, a teenage girl dealing with a tragedy in her past while navigating the
diffi culties of high school.
SASHA LANGFORD
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 6, 10, 27
Sasha Langford was just 18 years old when she was one of
fi ve poets selected to represent Vancouver at the 2008 CBC
Poetry Face-Off. Since then, she has served as a Canadian
representative at the 2009 Women of the World Poetry Slam
in Detroit, and recently won a coveted spot on the Vancouver
Poetry Slam Team. A trained improviser and musician, Langford uses her
passion for storytelling to offer moving and humorous character narratives by
way of performance poetry.
SARAH LEAVITT
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 40
Sarah Leavitt writes creative non-fi ction and social
commentary, both in prose and graphic form. She wrote
a monthly column for Xtra West from 2005 to 2008 and
has published comics, fi ction and non-fi ction in numerous
Canadian magazines as well as a number of anthologies,
including Nobodys Mother and Beyond Forgetting: Poetry and Prose About
Alzheimers Disease. Leavitt has also written short documentaries for Defi nitely
Not the Opera on CBC Radio. In May 2007, she graduated from the MFA
program in Creative Writing at UBC.
© LAURIE FLETCHER © TERI SNELGROVE
ANDREA LEVY
UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 8, 19, 67
Andrea Levy’s four previous novels are Every light in the
house burnin’, Never Far from Nowhere, Fruit of the Lemon
and Small Island, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction in
2004, the Whitbread Novel Award and Whitbread Book of
the Year in 2005, the Orange Prize Best of the Best, and the
Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. Her new novel is The Long Song. She lives in
London, England.
MARC LEVY
FRANCE, EVENTS 9, 39
Marc Levy’s eight books have been translated into 41
languages and are bestsellers around the world. If Only It
Were True, his fi rst novel, was made into the movie Just
Like Heaven. His novel, The Children of Freedom, has been
on bestseller lists in France since its original publication; it
was also a bestseller in Québec. His latest novel to be translated into English
is, All Those Things We Never Said.
Marc Levy’s appearance is made possible by the Consulate General of France in Vancouver.
CHERYL L’HIRONDELLE
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 6
Cheryl L’Hirondelle is an artist and musician whose projects
span a wide array of disciplines. Originally from Alberta,
L’Hirondelle’s mixed-blood heritage (Métis/Cree, non-status/
treaty, French, German, Polish) informs her creative practice,
which investigates the junciton of a Cree worldview in
contemporary time and space. Her latest recording, a fi vesong
EP entitled Giveaway, is a sample from the Vancouver version of her audiomapping
songwriting project, Songlines. A full album is scheduled for completion
in 2011.