Westport Arts Council announces lineup for third annual Writers Reading
The Westport Arts Council’s third annual Writers Reading at the Westport United Church, 1:00 to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, September 19, 2010 features Ed Broadbent, Trevor Cole, Helen Humphreys and Roy MacSkimming.
Trevor Cole: www.trevorcole.com
Helen Humphreys: www.hhumphreys.com
Roy MacSkimming: www.roymacskimming.com
Ed Broadbent, PC, PhD, CC, is a social democrat and political scientist. He is a former Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Following graduate studies at the London School of Economics, he obtained a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Toronto in 1965, after which he joined York University’s political science department. He entered politics as an NDP Member of Parliament in 1968, and was elected leader of his party in 1975, a position he held until his retirement in 1989. He made a brief return to Parliament as the Member for Ottawa Centre in 2004-2006. In 1990, he became the founding President of the International Center for Human Rights and Democratic Development (now Rights and Democracy). He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993 and a Companion in 2001. He has lectured at, and/or been a Fellow of, many universities including McGill, Harvard and Oxford, and is currently a Queen's University Skelton-Clark Fellow. Professor Broadbent is the author of The Threat to Democratic Citizenship, among other publications. He lives in Ottawa.
Trevor Cole is the author of three novels: Norman Bray In the Performance of His Life, The Fearsome Particles, and his soon to be released third novel, Practical Jean. Both Norman Bray (2004) and The Fearsome Particles (2006) were short-listed for the Governor General’s Award for Literature, and long-listed for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, a rare double achievement. Norman Bray was also short-listed for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (Canada and Caribbean), and, along with The Fearsome Particles, has been adapted for radio and optioned for film. In addition to his novels, Trevor is a veteran magazine journalist and editor. He worked for 12 years in senior editing positions with the Globe and Mail, following which he spent three years as a senior writer for Report on Business Magazine. He has received numerous awards for his journalism, including his features in Toronto Life, and his satirical columns in Canadian Business. Trevor lives and writes in Hamilton.
Helen Humphreys is the acclaimed author of five novels, four books of poetry and one work of creative non-fiction. Her first novel, Leaving Earth (1997), won the 1998 City of Toronto Book Award and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her second novel, Afterimage (2000), won the 2000 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Her third novel, The Lost Garden (2002), was a 2003 Canada Reads selection, a national bestseller, and was also a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Wild Dogs (2004) won the 2005 Lambda Prize for fiction, has been optioned for film, and was produced as a stage play at CanStage in Toronto in the fall of 2008. Coventry (2008) was a #1 national bestseller, was chosen as one of the top 100 books of the year by the Globe & Mail, and was chosen one of the top ten books of the year by both the Ottawa Citizen and NOW Magazine. Helen’s non-fiction work, The Frozen Thames (2007), was a #1 national bestseller. Her collections of poetry include Gods and Other Mortals (1986); Nuns Looking Anxious, Listening to Radios (1990); and, The Perils of Geography (1995). Her latest collection, Anthem (1999), won the 2000 Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry. Her work has been published in many languages. Helen was born in Kingston-on-Thames, England, and now lives in Kingston.
Roy MacSkimming is the author of four novels and three works of non-fiction. His latest novel, Laurier in Love, due for release on September 18, follows hard on the heels of Roy’s notable success with his novel, Macdonald, in which he recounts the final days of Laurier’s great predecessor, Sir John A. Macdonald. The Globe and Mail described Macdonald as “an engaging novel handled with imagination, sympathy and verve, making a hugely enjoyable read.” Political historian Peter C. Newman, called it “a singularly well-crafted novel that deserves top place among the books on Canadian history that matter.” MacSkimming’s non-fiction work The Perilous Trade was a National Business Book Award finalist and a Globe and Mail book of the year. He has written two other critically praised novels, Out of Love (1993) and Formentera (1972), both translated into French. Roy has been a book publisher, books editor at The Toronto Star, and policy director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. He lives in the country near Perth.
Tickets are $20, including refreshments, available from Murphy's Barber Shop, 5 Church St. (273-2145), at The Cove, 2 Bedford St. (273-3636 or 1-888-COVE-INN), or at the door, if available.
Additional author information available at their respective websites:
CONTACT: If you would like more information about this event please contact Norman Peterson, Westport Arts Council, at npeterson@rideau.net. www.westportartscouncil.ca
