Archive for August, 2008

In co-operation with the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival, Laurier Press is joining the effort to preserve Al Purdy’s house. The following article will be published in the festival program. The Eden Mills Writers’ Festival takes place on Sunday, Sept. 7th. Come on out and hear some great readings and make a donation to preserve a piece of Canadian literary history.

Al Purdy was a great Canadian poet, who wrote more than 40 books of poetry before his death in 2000. He is so revered that in May of this year, a bronze statue of him was erected in Toronto. Unfortunately, the house in Prince Edward County, from which he wrote many of his poems, was due to be sold, his widow, Eurithe, unable to maintain it. Afraid it would face demolition should she sell it, she proposed the idea of turning it into a writers’ retreat. At first there was little interest, but with a prominent article in The Globe & Mail, a new campaign has sprung up. Headed by Jean Baird, the Purdys’ long-time friend, the group is trying to raise money to preserve the house.

You can help save Al Purdy’s house by making a donation at the table set up on Publisher’s Way during the festival. Thanks to Wilfrid Laurier University Press, those who make a minimum donation will receive a copy of The More Easily Kept Illusions: The Poetry of Al Purdy, edited by Robert Budde. Please consider making a donation to preserve an important part of Canada’s literary history. For more information see Save Al Purdy’s House on Facebook or at http://savealshouse.wordpress.com/.

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I’m on holidays for the last couple of weeks of August so I hope these posts will tide you over until September when you can expect some great new titles. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
In honour of our award-winning book Watermelon Syrup, by Annie Jacobsen, Jane Finlay-Young, and Di Brandt, I invite you to check out the Watermelon Festival in Straffordville, Ontario in beautiful Elgin County on August 23rd, 2008. Here is a description of the day from their website:

The last Saturday in August prior to the Labour Day Weekend holds the annual Watermelon Fest. Typically, a parade opens the event at the Straffordville School beginning at 10am and ending at the Community Centre where the festivities begin. The event may include a classic car display and tractor exhibit, craft and bake sales, live entertainment, BBQ, games and contests including a watermelon seed-spitting contest, and a family dance at 7pm. This is a daylong event with something for the whole family to take part in.

If you do attend and purchase or sample some watermelon syrup, I’d love to hear about it.

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We are pleased to announce the publication of Asian Canadian Writing Beyond Autoethnography, edited by Eleanor Ty and Christl Verduyn.

Asian Canadian Writing Beyond Autoethnography explores some of the latest developments in the literary and cultural practices of Canadians of Asian heritage. While earlier work by ethnic, multicultural, or minority writers in Canada was often concerned with immigration, the moment of arrival, issues of assimilation, and conflicts between generations, literary and cultural production in the new millennium no longer focuses solely on the conflict between the Old World and the New or the clashes between culture of origin and adopted culture. No longer are minority authors identifying simply with their ethnic or racial cultural background in opposition to dominant culture.

Eleanor Ty is the Chair of the Department of English and Film at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Christl Verduyn teaches Canadian Studies and English at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.

The book features a gorgeous cover designed by Blakeley Words+Pictures, using art from Gloria Kagawa. Text design is by Catharine Bonas-Taylor.

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The following review of Home Words: Discourses of Children’s Literature in Canada, edited by Mavis Reimer, appeared in the most recent edition of CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. It’s an excellent review in an important publication, so if you haven’t already checked out the book, be sure to do so soon.

“In 1972, Margaret Atwood published an analysis of Canadian literature titled Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature. Because Canadians take their literature seriously, Atwood’s book became a best seller in Canada. Reimer’s anthology of essays on Canadian children’s literature is reminiscent of Atwood’s volume, not only in its exploration of the themes of Canadian identity and what is unique about “Canlit” (in this case for kids) but also in the seriousness the contributors bring to the project. Grounded in postcolonial theory, which is deployed in an insightful, accessible manner, these essays explore issues of exile, immigration, homelessness, land use, and the impact of imperialism. Coverage includes picture books, Robinsonades, books by and about aboriginals in both Canada and Australia, and Québécois literature for children (two chapters are in French). Most of the contributors, including the editor, are at the University of Winnipeg, but other Canadian universities and institutions in Australia and France are also represented. The essays are uniformly astute and well researched; the illustrations (many in color), index, and bibliography are excellent. A fine volume for those interested in children’s literature, Canadian literature, and postcolonialism, this volume joins Elizabeth Galway’s From Nursery Rhymes to Nationhood (CH, Sep’08, 46-0135).” Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty. — E. R. Baer, Gustavus Adolphus College

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