Author Matthew Fox on his reading habits and why he threw this highly acclaimed book across the room
What book would your readers be shocked to find in your collection?
To find the answers to this question and more, visit the Toronto Star’s website above for Matthew Fox’s interview with Jean Marc Ah-Sen!
Talking about climate change is a challenge in a world of political polarization and increasing anxiety. Four authors discuss their approach to the question: How do we talk about climate change?
We hear about the growing threat of climate change regularly in our day-to-day lives, be it forest fires, flooding, or oddly warm winters. At the same time, our systems are slow to change, with political polarization adding tension to an already complicated topic. For many, the situation can seem hopeless.
Artists are using their craft and creativity to tackle this challenging topic. On Wednesday, June 5th, four notable writers of various backgrounds and styles met online to engage in a conversation with each other and their audience to answer today’s pressing question: How do we talk about climate change?
Talking Climate is a free event open to all. Audience members need to register to receive the webinar login details. A recording of the event will be posted following the event.
Talking Climate will feature:
TALKING CLIMATE
June 5, 2024 at 7PM Central Time
*This event will take place as a zoom webinar, which will be streamed following the event.
August is Women in Translation Month, an annual celebration of women writers from around the world writing in languages other than English. It’s also a chance to recognize the women who work to translate works from other languages into English in order to share those voices. This month, we want to share some words from Arielle Aaronson, translator of the recent translation of Marie-Renée Lavoie’s middle grade novel, The Curious Misadventures of Kitty the Cat. Here she explains a little bit of what it’s like to bring a story from one language into another.
“This is the fourth title by Marie-Renée Lavoie that I’ve translated. Every time I sit down with one of her books, it feels like I’m continuing a conversation with an old friend. I get to laugh at her humor and wit, but I’m also able to watch her characters and themes develop as her writing evolves. It’s a lot like sitting in the passenger seat for a very scenic drive. Often you can tell where the car is headed, sometimes you want to reach over and take the wheel, but mostly you act as a second pair of eyes and ears (or paws, in this case).
For this book, it was such fun to imagine the universe of a family pet. My task was threefold: I had to translate Marie-Renée’s words into English, create an English voice for Kitty himself, and develop a style that was accessible yet goofy enough to draw in younger readers. Some of my biggest challenges involved striking the right tone for a pun (would you believe it took me months to come up with”poo-tunia”?) or landing on a name like “Spitball.” If I’ve done my job right, you’ll fall in love with Kitty just as I did.”
Author of Homebodies Amy LeBlanc sat down with Olivia Van Guinn for an interview published on The Filling Station. Check out the full interview HERE.
Our authors have gotten some great radio play this week!
Curious about why Angie Abdou asks “why isn’t Thomas Trofimuk a household name?” Listen to her audio review of This Is All A Lie on CBC Alberta! Following Angie’s rave review, Daybreak Alberta hosted Thomas for an interview, which you can listen to here.
Anne Mahon has committed her life making a difference. Let’s Give A Damn interviewed her about her volunteer work, and how that led to her commitment to share the stories of people in marginalized communities in her books The Lucky Ones and Redemption. Get ready to be inspired and check it out.
Just in time for the holidays, Christian Cassidy of West End Dumpling fame had three Great Plains authors on to discuss their local history books. Do you have a history buff in your life? The gift of a quality book under the tree is sure to please!
Visit the West End Dumplings podcast site for listen to this exciting episode!
The sun is shining, the plants are blooming, and our authors are launching! Yes, spring is officially here.
Jodi Carmichael kicked off the release of Forever Julia with a standing-room-only launch event in McNally Robinson’s Atrium. Since then, she’s received an excellent review from The Winnipeg Free Press (“This is a young writer to watch”), and is garnering glowing feedback on her current blog tour (follow her adventures on her website).
Richard Cumyn also had a successful launch in Kingston for his collection of novellas, Famous Last Meals. Kathleen Winter calls this collection “a cross between Maurice Dekobra and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.”
This week will see the launch of Gracelessland, our first Enfield & Wizenty novel since Méira Cook’s stunning The House On Sugarbush Road. Adam Lindsay Honsinger’s coming of age, anti-hero mental hospital adventure had us glued to the page and we can’t wait to see what the rest of Canada thinks about this outstanding young writer!
Additional May launches include A Daytripper’s Guide to Manitoba, a completely revised edition from Bartley Kives, and On The Air: The Golden Age of Manitoba Radio by Garry Moir. Both authors are booking media interviews and author signings already!
Our Great Plains Teen Fiction authors are keeping busy!
Colleen Nelson was interviewed by Shaw TV here in Winnipeg about her new novel, The Fall. The clip will be airing on the station shortly, but you can get a sneak-peek here!
The Silent Summer of Kyle McGinley continues to garner great reviews. The latest praise comes from Canadian Children’s Book News: “With his well-placed sarcasm and keen observations, Kyle is an authentic teen character that we immediately identify with.”
Gail Sidonie Sobat’s Chance to Dance for You was part of Heather Milne’s review essay Isolation, Exploration, Affirmation: Dominant Patterns in Four Books for Gay Teens in the latest edition of Jeunesse. She states “Chance to Dance for You is a timely book in its focus on social media and technology as sites of bullying for gay teens, a topic that has been in the news of late due to a proliferation of highly publicized teen suicides and the popularity of the “It Gets Better” campaign, which attempts to offer a sense of hope to depressed and isolated teenagers.”
Visit a bookstore near you to pick up copies of these titles today!
Great Plains Teen Fiction editor Anita Daher joined Ismaila Alfa on CBC Radio in July to talk about teen readers and finding books to keep boys engaged.
Listen to the Anita Daher interview now!
Richard Van Camp was interviewed by Shelagh Roger’s on CBC Radio’s The Next Chapter.
Listen to the interview now to hear about Richard’s writing process and how his Dogrib (Tlicho) background and his love for the north influence his writing. Also hear how he describes Enfield & Wizenty editor Maurice Mierau as a “warrior poet!”
The Lesser Blessed, based on Richard’s novel, is now playing at The Globe theatre in Winnipeg. Read the glowing review from the Winnipeg Free Press here!
CBC Radio has launched a new show The Wild Side with Grant Lawrence. Author Cameron Dueck is one of the shows first exciting guests. You can hear the wild adventure stories here or pick up The New Northwest Passage and read Cameron’s full story of adventure on the front lines of climate change!
Great Plains Press acknowledges we are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Great Plains Press gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided for its publishing program by the Government of Canada; the Canada Council for the Arts; as well as the the Manitoba Department of Sport, Culture and Heritage; and the Manitoba Arts Council.
SALES REPRESENTATION
Great Plains Press acknowledges we are located on original lands of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
