VIWF Program Guide 2010

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LOVE LOST AND FOUND SANDRA BIRDSELL, KATE PULLINGER, JANE URQUHART, RACHEL WYATT

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10:30 AM REVUE STAGE $17

KATHERINE GOVIER, DAVID MITCHELL

ELEANOR CATTON, PAUL HARDING, PASCALE QUIVIGER, MIGUEL SYJUCO HOST: AISLINN HUNTER

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10:30 AM PTC STUDIO $17

Great books often have their genesis in accidental moments. David Mitchell got off at the wrong tram stop in Nagasaki and stumbled upon a cluster of warehouses from an earlier century. That site proved to be central to his new novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet. When her moment struck, Katherine Govier was at the Freer Museum in Washington, DC, at a discussion of 19th-century Japanese woodcut master Hokusai. The results are spectacular and riveting historical novels that showcase the talents of these two hugely successful and beloved authors. This is a rare chance to see Mitchell and Govier up close and personal.

Often the formally innovative novel is not reader friendly. Walking the tightrope between new forms of fiction and keeping your reader intrigued is an acrobatic skill. Four novelists who have successfully walked that wire are together this morning. Paul Harding’s debut novel, Tinkers, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2010, has been described as “a story told as a series of ruminative images.” Eleanor Catton and Pascale Quiviger write in a style that is both multi-layered and surprising. Miguel Syjuco won the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2008 for his debut novel, Ilustrado. No clowns this morning, but a gathering of literary acrobats that will rival the Cirque du Soleil.

CRIME, NOT PUNISHMENT LINWOOD BARCLAY, GAIL BOWEN, QUINTIN JARDINE, CHEVY STEVENS

LET THE RECORD SHOW DENISE CHONG, MYRNA KOSTASH, KATHY PAGE, MICHAEL WINTER

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10:30 AM WATERFRONT THEATRE $17

10:30 AM PERFORMANCE WORKS $17

Kate Pullinger’s The Mistress of Nothing, winner of the Governor General’s Award in 2009, explores the subject of love complicated by duty and caste. Rachel Wyatt’s novel features a woman who writes admiring letters to film star Omar Sharif, whom she has never met and likely never will. Sandra Birdsell describes a marriage that once seemed secure, but now is falling apart. Multiple award-winning novelist Jane Urquhart is no stranger to the subject of love in its many guises. There’s no guarantee of “happily ever after,” but it will be well worth it to hear these four master storytellers talk about the emotion that drives us all.

JAPANNING

BUILDING A BRIDGE

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Whether an author is writing fiction or non-fiction, research will play a part in their preparation. The choice is then whether to remain faithful to the details or to use those facts as a springboard for the imagination. Two non-fiction and two fiction writers talk about their research methods and the possibilities of being restricted by the “truth”. In the course of research, Kathy Page explored protocols for genetic testing, and Michael Winter combed court transcripts of the murder trial on which he based his novel. Denise Chong verified weather records to ensure accuracy in her book, while Myrna Kostash closely studied Byzantium and Greek Orthodoxy. Research can take a writer to myriad sources—but when does a writer put accuracy aside and put imagination to work?

AMERICAN SPLENDOUR ANTHONY DOERR, PAUL HARDING, YIYUN LI, MARISA SILVER, WELLS TOWER

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2 PM REVUE STAGE $17

2 PM PERFORMANCE WORKS $17

Because it can take readers through twists and turns of plot and secrets, crime fiction is a welcome and intriguing escape for many. Linwood Barclay, Gail Bowen and Quintin Jardine are old hands at this genre, and sure to be familiar with audiences. Chevy Stevens has just published her first crime novel, but her publisher has already bought the next two—books she has yet to write. Whether you’re captivated by the main detective character, the loops and bends of plot, the distinct setting or the emotional ride, it’s certainly no punishment to spend an afternoon with these fine authors of crime fiction.

Step aside, Fitzgerald and Hemingway! Here they come. This afternoon we introduce you to the next generation of American writers taking the literary world by storm. Paul Harding has just won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Yiyun Li and Wells Tower were named as two of The New Yorker’s 20 Best American Authors Under 40. Anthony Doerr was named by Granta as one of the 21 Best Young American Authors and Marisa Silver has been included in The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories. We are delighted to present these American voices from whom you will hear a lot more in the coming years.

This event is sponsored by The Vancouver Sun. This event is sponsored by Simon & Schuster Canada.


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