|
|
By Barbara Bell
A fitness freak, I’m not. A book fanatic, yes. This fixation naturally suggests unhealthily long hours in a sedentary state. Books and physical activity seem mutually exclusive, and I’ve learned from sad experience that reading and any kind of sport — even walking — can be dangerous to your health.
I’ve discovered, however, that there is a time and place where literature and exercise go hand in hand. To my own surprise, I’ve found a satisfying way to do both at once: plan and execute a writers’ festival.
As producer for Kingston WritersFest, I oversee the physical festival — rooms, chairs, lights, sound, staging, set pieces; tickets, signs and flowers; catering for food events and the authors’ Hospitality Suite. Whatever can be hauled around, turned on or off, connected or disconnected — anything that can malfunction, fall over or be consumed — is mine to deal with. To prevent mishaps and to support the work of our volunteers, more often than not I need to be in three places at once.
There’s only one of me, though, so I have to jog, to sprint and even, at times, to run. This is my third year producing the festival, and I am preparing myself mentally, if not physically, for an endurance test. Last year, I was curious to know how far I would actually travel in the four days of the festival. Just for a lark, I bought a pedometer to monitor myself. Instead of cringing at the footsteps I was taking, I would celebrate them. Embrace them. It would be "festival as fitness program."
Read Barbara Bell's full article, "Festival and Fitness: Staying in Shape with Kingston WritersFest on Open Book: Ontario.
Barbara Bell is an award-winning actor, a playwright, director and producer, as well as a freelance editor. She is producer of Kingston WritersFest and is presently co-producing the short film Pretty Pieces, set to shoot in Kingston in October. Barbara has also hosted two seasons of a television book club — Page Turners — for TVCogeco in Kingston. In her spare time she likes to breathe.
Kingston WritersFest is proving to be one of the top literary festivals in Canada. This year, the festival ran from September 22-25, and attendance topped 4,000, with an audience that included local, national and international guest. Open Book editors Grace O'Connell and Clelia Scala travelled to the Limestone City to take in the weekend's festivities. We saw many wonderful readings and had dozens of marvelous conversations. We'd like to share with you a few of the festival highlights.
September 22: Opening Night Reception and Paul Auster and J.M. Coetzee
On the evening of Thursday, September 22, the beautifully refurbished Grand Theatre on Princess Street in Kingston was packed with book lovers ready to celebrate the first day of Kingston WritersFest and to see two literary luminaries, Paul Auster and J.M. Coetzee, in conversation. As the crowd gathered for the opening night reception, the room hushed, and we were welcomed by the festival's Artistic Director, Merilyn Simonds. We were then treated to a very punny speech by Wayne Grady, which was followed by a poem written for the occasion by Kingston's Poet Laureate, Eric Folsom.
By 8 p.m., we had all found our seats in the theatre space for the sold-out Mainstage Event. We were again warmly welcomed by Simonds, who then announced the three finalists of the So You Think You Can Write High School Writing Contest. Congratulations to finalists Hannah Ascough, Javen Wilson and Miriam Rutledge!
For the Mainstage Event, Auster and Coetzee presented, for the first time ever, a reading from their epistolary collaboration. Their letters ranged in topic from observations about male friendship ("The best and most fulfilling friendships are based on mutual admiration," asserted Auster), to food and tradition, to the naming of characters, to fan mail (Coetzee has a fan who writes him 30-page letters). Especially touching was an exchange toward the end of the evening in which the two writers spoke specifically of their friendship. When the lights went up, many members of the audience gave a standing ovation. But how do two writers do an encore? The book-signing line grew quickly and stretched out the door. — Clelia Scala
Friday, September 23: Book Lovers Lunch with Ben McNally
Toronto bookseller Ben McNally treated the well-fed crowd to a rapid-fire overview of the season's best books in his 25 Books in 25 Minutes presentation. Amazing not only for the quality of the books but the breadth of McNally's reading, the list covered the best of the season's fiction and non-fiction. Special praise was reserved for Michael Ondaatje's new novel The Cat's Table. Since McNally is dedicated to bringing new work to readers, he mentioned he wouldn't normally include a book already so widely publicized, but that he felt he had to highlight Ondaatje's "best book since The English Patient."
Other notables included The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht and what is arguably the season's breakout book, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
The following Q&A touched on several subjects, including the always-lively paper vs. electronic debate. While McNally focused on the importance of reading, regardless of the platform, he also noted, "the book remains the most sustainable technology."
A sunny afternoon on the sixth floor (despite a forecast of rain), the crowd had a great view of beautiful Wolfe Island and the LaSalle Causeway — but no one had eyes for anything but McNally's enticing list. — Grace O'Connell
Friday, September 23: Shame, Truth, and Reconciliation: Roméo Dallaire & Antjie Krog
The crowd was large for "Shame, Truth, and Reconciliation", a conversation with Roméo Dellaire and Antjie Krog, which was moderated by Noah Richler. Bracing for what promised and proved to be an important but emotionally difficult conversation, some members of the audience passed boxes of Kleenex through the rows as they waited for the event to start.
A poet, translator and journalist, Krog spoke, among other things, of harrowing accounts she had heard while reporting on South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and she read from her book, Country of My Skull. At one point, Dellaire said that writing and researching his two books, Shake Hands with the Devil and They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children, was like "going to hell and trying to describe it to others."
During the question period, an audience member asked what he personally could do to help prevent genocide. Dellare responded with three points: (1) Join or create a NGO. (2) Every young person should have underneath his or her bed a pair of boots with the soil of a developing country on them. (3) "We're nowhere near prevention," Dellare said, "we're not even competent at conflict resolution." — Clelia Scala
Saturday, September 24: Literary Debuts with Laurie Lewis, Martha Schabas and Alexi Zentner
Representing three different points of entry to the writer's life, the three debut authors on the panel opened the session by treating the crowd to a reading, all with the poise of old hands. The following discussion focused on the question, posed by moderator and festival producer Barbara Bell, "is it ever too early or too late to begin as a writer?"
Covering everything from MFA programs to how late is too late to stay at the bar, the three writers were united in their assertion that talent and work ethic trump any detail found on a driver's license when it comes to predicting literary success. Alexi Zentner got an appreciative laugh from the packed room with his summation that "there's no too early or too late if you're willing to put your ass in the chair and do the work."
Laurie Lewis entertained the crowd with stories of her young life in New York amongst the writers who made up her author mother's social group, including Dorothy Parker, and Martha Schabas received a spontaneous flurry of applause while speaking about the patriarchal assumptions interrogated in her novel, Various Positions.
Zentner summed up the feeling of the room, noting that focus on the writing above all else is most important. "There's a difference," he said, "between wanting to write and wanting to be a writer." — Grace O'Connell
Saturday, September 24: Thrillers with Andrew Pyper and Timothy Taylor
The main topic of discussion here was genre-bending; both Andrew Pyper and Timothy Taylor occupy the no man's land of the literary pageturner — as Taylor put it, "skating at the margin".
The authors had the crowd hooked while they joked and traded opinions about how to make a book interesting without straying into the realm of formulaic writing. "Are we bending genres," Taylor asked, "Or are we just doing what literature should do?"
The discussion also addressed the crisis of declining readership amongst young boys and asked the question of whether the excitement of genre writing, combined with the quality of literary fiction, could be one possible solution to draw boys back to books. "It's about broadening expectations of what a serious novel is," said Pyper.
If the readings that opened the session were anything to judge by, both authors have managed to strike the perfect balance they were discussing — even the brief sections read were instantly gripping. Another very well-attended event, Thrillers boasted several festival authors in the audience, including Diane Schoemperlen, Martha Schabas and Vincent Lam, as well as Wayne Grady, who introduced Pyper and Taylor. — Grace O'Connell
Saturday, September 24: Chatting with Andrew Pyper and Diane Schoemperlen
I had the chance to sit briefly with guest authors Andrew Pyper and Diane Schoemperlen and chat about the success and excitement of Kingston WritersFest.
Schoemperlen, a longtime resident of Kingston and part of the vibrant Kingston literary scene, noted the positive environment for local authors: "It is a real community, not just a number of writers who live in the same city." Regarding the festival, she said it has been enthusiastically embraced by the community and is now an anticipated event each year. Said Schoemperlen: "I always end up feeling inspired; it's a good shot in the arm."
Pyper, new to the city, had some time to explore Kingston around the festival, and appreciated its qualities from the point of view of a writer whose books utilize elements of suspense. "It feels like a very haunted place, in the best sense. There's a gothic quality to it." Impressed by the festival, Pyper praised the organizers, saying "It's a testimony to a lot of hard work... What determines a festival's success is the people."
Both writers agreed that the festival is growing at an amazing rate and is a great experience for the writers. Schoemperlen ended by joking, "Next year they're going to have to hold it at the K-Rock Centre." — Grace O'Connell
Children's Lit Sunday at Kingston WritersFest: Ruth Ohi, Sarah Tsiang and Robert Paul Weston
Kingston WritersFest 2011 was a celebration for book lovers of all ages. Adults and teens enjoyed readings, workshops and conversations with some of their favourite writers, and the festival planners made sure that even the youngest readers (and listeners) got the thrill of meeting some of their most beloved authors. On the final day of the festival, Ruth Ohi, Sarah Tsiang and Robert Paul Weston awed children with readings, illustrations and hands-on creative fun.
In large sun-lit room on top of the Holiday Inn, little voices chattered eagerly in anticipation as they waited for Ruth Ohi to start her talk. Ohi is the author and illustrator of over 20 books, including the beloved Chicken, Pig, Cow series. She has an abundance of delightful energy, and the children were dazzled.
Ohi started her presentation by showing her audience the first book that she had ever illustrated — a Dr. Suess book, which as a child she'd "improved" with an illustration of a princess being eaten by a monster and by adding a chimney to a house.
Ohi explained how she got into illustration — she went to the Ontario College of Art, and before she graduated she sent off illustrations to Annick Press, which soon hired her to illustrate a book. She explained the many stages of book production — from writing to editing to printing — and her account was fascinating, to the children and to the adults. Equally fascinating was Ohi's demonstration that you can draw almost anything by using a circle as a starting point. Shortly after, the kids all sat down with crayons and paper, and Ohi exclaimed just as loudly over a two-year-old's squiggles as she did over an eight-year-old's representational drawing.
After the event, Ohi explained why she talks about the making of books with groups of young children. "It increases excitement about books," she said. And to Ohi, getting kids excited is key. "It's not about being the best artist." Instead, it's about the process. A current Toronto District School Board writer in residence, Ohi is a pro at engaging children, and she speaks regularly to classes.
Equally inspiring as Ohi's excitement over working with children is her enthusiasm for Canadian children's book publishing. She feels fortunate to be a children's author in Canada: it's a relatively small but "great world" that offers a "supportive environment." She's been with Annick Press for 25 years and is delighted by the press's standards. While she has considerable creative freedom, she knows that her editor will let her know when she needs to rework a story. Ohi's own standards are also impressive; she won't write a book that she can't relate to, and she spends many months lovingly working on each of the books we've all become so familiar with.
The creativity continued in Kingston writer Sarah Tsiang's launch for her latest children's book, Dogs Don't Eat Jam and Other Things Big Kids Know (Annick Press), a story about the wisdom that a four-year-old offers to her younger sibling. The room was filled with happy children munching on delicious jam-filled cookies and busily making their own books.
After stopping by Tsiang's launch, I visited the book room to say hello to Oscar Malan, the owner of Kingston's celebrated independent bookstore, Novel Idea, and his wife, Joanna Malan. It's always a pleasure to see the Malans, and they were delighted by the success of Kingston WritersFest. As we spoke, I flipped through a copy of Robert Paul Weston's Zorgamazoo and was told that I should really try to catch Weston reading from it because his performance is impressive. Alas, I missed out on the reading, but I did manage to catch up with the popular children's author later in the day.
A Queen's University graduate with a degree in film and sociology, Weston was familiar with Kingston, and he and his wife Machiko were enjoying their brief visit to the city. We settled into the hospitality suite as the couple grabbed a bite to eat between events (Weston was giving a workshop in the afternoon on "Writing for Young Readers"), and he told me about how he came to write his first award-winning book, Zorgamazoo. He had been working on his MA in CreativeWriting at the University of British Columbia and was invited to participate in the program's reading series. Though the focus of his MA was short stories and film, he decided to test out the children's book in verse he'd been writing. The reception was very favourable, and he decided to shift his focus.
Weston's ability to write books that children want to read is likely attributable in part to his ability to see things through his readers' eyes. Writing for kids, he says, is difficult because you can't fool kids; they want books with satisfying plots and won't be distracted by tricks of language.
Given the success Weston had with Zorgamazoo, I asked Weston why he decided to write his second book, Dust City, in prose rather than verse. "When I finished Zorgamazoo I was extremely proud," he told me, "but I was also exhausted and a little worried. I thought that if someone actually published my book, there was a good chance I might end up becoming The Rhyming Novel Guy. While I love form verse for kids, it's not the only thing I like writing. So I started toying with ideas that were as far from Zorgamazoo as I could imagine. Hence, Dust City, a book about corruption, murder, addiction, urban decay. Serious stuff. As I wrote it, though, I realized that in some ways Dust City had a lot in common with Zorgamazoo. There’s the lost promise of enchantment; a father and son with a strained relationship; an underlying conspiracy; there’s even the mysterious disappearance of a bunch of otherworldly creatures. I suppose every writer has their motifs!"
Thank you to the authors for four fabulous days of readings and discussions and thank you to the festival organizers for welcoming Open Book: Ontario to a fantastic series of events. — Clelia Scala
In Other Worlds
Margaret Atwood, Corey Redekop, moderated by Merilyn Simonds
Put Margaret Atwood, Corey Redekop, and Madeline Ashby on the stage together and you’re asking for it. When told it was his turn to read, Corey joked, “Aw, I was hoping she’d read first. Then I could say, ‘Yeah, Atwood opened for me.’”
Moderated by Merilyn Simonds, the Thursday afternoon session was as funny and thought-provoking as it was gruesome. In the zombie and post-apocalyptic universes these authors’ characters inhabit, blood and guts are commonplace, but so are newly imagined technologies and philosophies of being. Just in case the conversation got a little too serious, Margaret Atwood could be counted on to liven things up, as when she pulled a fan’s gift, a voodoo doll of herself, out of her bag and held it up to speak in the microphone!
Many attendees cringed at the gore in some of the passages that were read, but by the end of the conversation the room was filled with converted fans to the dystopian worlds these authors brought to life (and death!) on the stage.
Author! Author!: Joseph Boyden with Shelagh Rogers
The Islandview Room filled quickly in anticipation of the event. The orange scarves flashed by as chairs were brought in, benches slid into the place to fill the room to capacity. Even the bookstore was filled with benches. What a turnout!
Everyone was comfortable and seated as the lights went down and award-winning author Joseph Boyden and CBC radio personality Shelagh Rogers took the stage. For the next hour the crowd sat rapt.
“Canadians think 1867 happened and Canada was birthed out like a calf,” the author explained, but The Orenda, written about First Nations and European first contact in the 17th century, is meant to show how far back Canadian history really extends. And how complex that history is.
Author and interviewer went back and forth, sometimes into the darker elements of the book, but also into the practicalities of writing the 17th-century. “You fall out of a canoe in a black robe…you’re going down. They should have worn Speedos,” Boyden laughed.
In the end, Shelagh Rogers was curious about the word orenda, which is often translated as the spirit in all things. “Does history have an orenda?” she asked. Boyden answered, “I think history IS the orenda in so many ways.”
The crowd raced to the bookstore to grab copies of the book and the hallways were filled with audience members hotly debating the conversation they’d just heard. It was an electric event, like many at KWF, that only begins with the words that are spoken on the stage.
Workshop: Wayne Grady, Writing Family into Fiction
Early Saturday morning, a serious group, pens and notebooks poised, gathered to hear Wayne Grady, author of Emancipation Day, discuss the process and potential pitfalls of including family (and others the author may know) in fiction. Rather than a lecture on genealogy and writing, the experience was truly a collaborative one with questions, suggestion, exercises, and conversations among the participants and the instructor.
After years researching and writing his own family history, Grady was ready for every question and made each attendee feel it was a mentoring session as much as a class. The excitement among the crowd was for getting home and getting started. Inspiring writers across genres is part of what makes KWF workshops an invaluable part of the festival experience.
Workshop: Writing for the Screen with Andrew Kaufman
In a late Saturday afternoon workshop, a group of all ages gathered, ostensibly to learn how to write a screenplay. What screenwriter and author Andrew Kaufman did in the process of fulfilling that expectation was change the way everyone in the room watches television and movies. In two hours, he deconstructed scripts of all types and delivered in his urgent, brilliant way the keys to start writing successfully for the screen.
“I would pay again to stay for two more hours,” one woman said to her friend as she left. From the conversations that spilled into the hall after, she wasn’t the only one.
Short Fiction Debuts
Moderator Diane Schoemperlen took to the stage on Sunday morning with Colette Maitland (Keeping the Peace) and Nancy Jo Cullen ( Canary), both publishing their first books of short fiction this year. All three women are mothers and the subject of balancing writing with familial responsibilities came up often. Each writer shared her writing schedule and even how the writing continues within when the computer is off. “When I’m doing other things, I’m telling myself what I need to work through in the story,” Colette said.
Diane Schoemperlen had the audience laughing with her “hot flash fan” as the three authors celebrated the fact that these two debuts were by women over fifty. They closed by encouraging writers to use the years they may bring to their work to inform it and mold it, not as a reason to give up the dream of writing.
And as the festival came to a close it seemed a fitting reminder that writing and reading are lifelong endeavours. From baby board books and teen fiction to poetry, unforgettable nonfiction and memoirs of long and fascinating lives (don’t miss Laurie Lewis’ Love, and all that jazz), Kingston Writersfest once again delivered an experience for all readers, all ages, in all genres. If the written word intrigues you in any form, you will find food for your soul at Kingston Writersfest.
And if next year seems too far away, visit the Devour Book Club to get your local literary fix!