October 15, 2009

THIN AIR Aboriginal Writers Tour

The THIN AIR Aboriginal Writers Tour kicks off this weekend!!

Beatrice Mosionier, Jordan Wheeler and Michael Kusugak will be reading at schools and libraries in The Pas, Flin Flon and Thompson. Here are the details....

October 18, 2009 - The Pas Regional Library, 53 Edwards Avenue - 7:00pm

October 19, 2009 - Flin Flon Public Library, 58 Main Street - 7:00pm

October 20, 2009 - Thompson Public Library, 81 Thompson Drive N. - 7:30pm

October 14, 2009

Tim Wynne-Jones Shortlisted for the 2009 Governor General’s Award

Tim has been shortlisted for the 2009 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature – Text for The Uninvited (from Candlewick Press, distributed by Random House)!

Just a few weeks ago Tim was here at the THIN AIR 2009 Winnipeg International Writers Festival promoting The Uninvited and his Rex Zero series. He even taught a Professional Development course at Aqua Books for a lucky few writers!

In addition Tim was on the Mainstage for It’s About Love, Actually and performed on three School Stages (two of which were sold out). 

This is the third time Tim has participated in the Winnipeg International Writers Festival (the first two times being in 2000 and 2004).

Winners of the $25,000 Governor General’s Award will be announced on Tuesday, November 17, in Montreal. The awards themselves will be given out by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor General of Canada, on Thursday, November 26 at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. 

Other finalists also shortlisted for the award include Shelley Hrdlitschka, Sharon Jennings, Caroline Pignat, and Robin Stevenson.

October 8, 2009

Andrew Davidson Wins The Sunburst Award

The Sunburst Award Committee is pleased to announce that the winner of its 2009 adult award is The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson.

Andrew was featured at the 2008 THIN AIR festival.

The Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is a prized and juried award presented annually. The award consists of a cash prize of $1,000 and a hand-crafted medallion which incorporates a "Sunburst" logo, designed by Marcel Gagné.

October 8, 2009

Joan Thomas has won the Amazon.ca First Novel Awared for Reading By Lightning

Winnipeg author Joan Thomas has won the $7,500.00 Amazon.ca First Novel award for her book Reading By Lightning.

In 2008 she was featured at the THIN AIR festival.

Thomas also won the 2008 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in the Canada and Caribbean Region earlier this year. The book, published by Goose Lane Editions, follows a family living in Manitoba in the 1930s. Her second novel, Curiosity, will be published by McClelland & Stewart in 2010.

Reading By Lightning is also this On the Same Page Book for Manitoba, http://www.onthesamepage.ca/index.php.

October 8, 2009

Congratulations to Elizabeth Bachinsky!

Vancouver author Elizabeth Bachinsky has just been named a finalist for the prestigious Kobzar Literary Award for her poetry collection God of Missed Connections.
Presented biennially, the $25,000 Kobzar Literary Award recognizes a Canadian writer who best presents a Ukrainian Canadian theme with literary merit through poetry, play, screenplay, musical, fiction, non-fiction or young people's literature.
Elizabeth was one of the authors at the 2009 THIN AIR Festival where she wowed audiences with her wit and charm.

Another author shortlisted for the award is Randall Maggs for Night Work: The Sawchuk Poems. He was featured at the 2008 THIN AIR Festival.

The winner will be announced at an award ceremony in Toronto on March 4, 2010.

October 7, 2009

THIN AIR 2009 Raffle Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the THIN AIR 2009 Raffle (lisc. #MGCC4079-RF). The draw was held on Saturday, October 26 after the Mainstage Event. The winners are as follows:

Bertrand Leveille - $200 Gift certificate for EQ3 Furniture
Kristin Sumner - Selection of THIN AIR 2009 Featured Books
Raymonde Gerardy - Forks Family Fun Pack