My favourite weekend of the whole year is coming up, beginning Aug. 14. It's the time when I get to meet some of the most talented people in Canada at the annual Festival of the Written Arts.
Over the years I've had an opportunity to hear and talk to some of the finest authors in the world. They've ranged from brave journalists to quirky mystery writers to folksy storytellers.
A top year for me was 2006 when I got to speak to Kim Bolan from the Vancouver Sun. Bolan's book Loss of Faith: How Air-India Bombers Got Away With Murder about the Air India crash and the dismal aftermath was published that year. Her vast knowledge of one of the sorriest episodes in Canada's history is amazing. And her courage in repeatedly telling the story in spite of numerous threats inspires me. In a world where journalists are sometimes held in contempt, Bolan gives the profession a good name. And she continues to boldly go where no scribe has gone before. Now she's writing about the Hells Angels and the gang wars in Vancouver - gutsy territory indeed.
Another fun part of 2006 for me was meeting Joy Fielding. A bestseller in both Canada and the United States, Fielding manages to twist ordinary occurrences to bring out the maximum creep value. I don't recommend her books if you're home alone and it's a windy night - unless, of course, insomnia is a state you relish. This year I'm looking forward to hearing Elizabeth Hay. I worked at a radio and television station in Dawson Creek for many years, and boy, could I ever relate to some of the characters in her latest book, Late Nights on Air. Our on-air studio had a bullet lodged in its wall, plus the newsroom was the original log cabin the station was built around, so I know that no matter how farfetched fiction gets, reality is even weirder. And indeed Hay's background with the CBC in the North explains why her work is so authentic in tone. If you don't already have a ticket to her show, you're out of luck - her event is sold out.
Another performer/author who's garnered my attention for this year is poet Shane Koyczan. Any poet who can bring people to their feet applauding wildly has to be a must-see. My prediction is the big guy will bring the house down. And there are tickets available for his gig, so take a chance and expand your mind. We'll learn together.
A highlight for me this year will be Mike McCardell. Another journalist who rises above the pack, McCardell has a rare gift that allows him to see the unseen in every story.
His 2007 book, The Blue Flames That Keep Us Warm, does just that. His homey vignettes of the human condition inspire me. Too many times we get caught up in the negativity of life. McCardell has a way of making us look beyond our own noses. And wonder of wonders, there are still tickets available to hear this marvellous man. So act now if you want to hear one of B.C.'s best-known TV presenters.
Only five more bedtime stories to go until the big day is here. I can hardly wait.
