Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Kelly Hughes Live! Into THIN AIR I

Host Kelly Hughes interviews writers Charlene Diehl, Ariel Gordon and Jordan Wheeler, with music by classical guitarist Skender Sefa

When: Friday, September 3/10 7pm
Where: Aqua Books, 274 Garry Street
Cost: Free

Winnipeg's only live talk show, Kelly Hughes Live! brings you all the trappings you've come to expect from the television talk show: comedy, music and celebrities.

The only difference is that (with the exception of a few ringers like Kids in the Hall's Kevin McDonald and Hugo-nominated writer Nick DiChario), it's all local heroes.

Guests like Tina Keeper, Fred Penner, Al Simmons, Brian Glow, Margaret Sweatman and Robert Enright have been joined onstage by the likes of stellar Winnipeg musicians The Paperbacks, Todd Hunter, Ingrid Gatin and Rollin Penner and the Traveling Medicine Show.

(But it's not like TV in that you will have to leave your house.) It's the TV talk show without the TV.

* * *
Charlene Diehl is possibly best known in these parts as the brightly plumaged dynamo at the hub of the THIN AIR writers festival. But she is also a hard-working poet, and the author of the new book, Out of Grief, Singing.

Ariel Gordon is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. She has two chapbooks to her credit, The navel gaze (Palimpsest Press, 2008) and Guidelines: Malaysia & Indonesia, 1999 (Rubicon Press, 2009) and this spring, Palimpsest published her first full-length poetry collection, Hump. She is the 2010 recipient of the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Writer. When not being bookish, Ariel likes tromping through the woods and taking macro photographs of mushrooms.

From the Charles Gordon First Nation (Southern Plains Cree), Jordan Wheeler has been writing professionally since 1982 and working in film and television since 1984. An author (Brothers In Arms, Just A Walk) and columnist (Winnipeg Free Press, Weetamah), Wheeler’s focus since 1992 has been scriptwriting, story editing and show running for television drama including the award winning series North of 60, The Rez and renegadepress.com. He’s been nominated for numerous awards including three Geminis. He won one, but still smarts at losing to Paul Haggis in ’94.

Skender Sefa
is a professional classical guitarist with four full length classical guitar CDs on the GFI Masterworks, Uncontrollable Records and Marquis Record Labels. He teaches classical guitar performance and music theory at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts and is a Director of the Winnipeg Music Festival and the President of the Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society. In recognition of his career in classical guitar performance, Skender has received awards from both the Canada Council for the Arts and the Manitoba Arts Council. In addition to performing, teaching and recording, Skender is an active music adjudicator/clinician.

Monday, August 23, 2010

The Entire Line-up

August 23, 2010

For Immediate Release:

THE 2010 THIN AIR FESTIVAL PROUDLY ANNOUNCES ITS ENTIRE LINE UP

THIN AIR proudly announces that THE ABORIGINAL WRITERS COLLECTIVE, ISMAILA ALFA, DAVID ARNASON, DAVID BERGEN, SANDRA BIRDSELL, GILES BLUNT, BATHELEMY BOLIVAR, MARTHA BROOKS, MARGARET BUFFIE, REYNALD CANTIN, DAVID CARPENTER, RHEAL CENERINI, SIMONE CHAPUT, NATE CRAWFORD, DONNA CREIGHTON, DORA DUECK, AMY JO EHMAN, KEN FINKLEMAN, THODORE FONTAINE, ARIEL GORDON, NORA GOULD, MARCEL GOSSELIN, CAROLYN CRAY, JAN HORNER, JUDITH KEENAN, ROGER LAFRENIERE, RACHELLE LAMOUREUX, MICHAEL LISTA, IGNATIUS T. MABASA, GREG MACARTHUR, SHARON MCCARTNEY, kevin mcpherson eckhoff, JENNY MUNDAY, GEORGE MURRAY, BETRAND NAYET, UMA PARAMESWARAN, SHANE PEACOCK, LAURENT POLIQUIN, CRAIG FRANCIS POWER, SINA QUEYRAS, DOMINIQUE REY, LAWRENCE SCANLAN, CAROLYN SMART, A.J. SOMERSET, ALLAN STRATTON, COLLEEN SYDOR, JOAN THOMAS, ANNE VILLENEUVE, MICHAEL WEX, JORDAN WHEELER, EVA WISEMAN and RICHARD B. WRIGHT will ALL be attending the 2010 THIN AIR Winnipeg International Writers Festival which runs from September 19-26.

These authors come from all across the country and represent some of the best and brightest in Canada’s vibrant literary world. Dealing with an infinity of subjects the festival is bringing books and authors designed to appeal to readers of all persuasions.

About the Festival

In September each year, Winnipeg welcomes writers from Canada and around the world for a week of readings, lectures, interviews, conversations, book launches, and other events. That week of literary feasting—which reaches out into the rural areas of the province as well—is THIN AIR, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. With programming for adults and children, in English and French, THIN AIR is an infusion of energy into the thriving literary culture of this city.

For more information please contact Michael Van Rooy, Publicist, publicist@thinairwinnipeg.ca or contact the THIN AIR office at info@thinairwinnipeg.ca or 927-7323

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Some More Great Authors...

August 12, 2010

For Immediate Release:
SOME MORE GREAT WRITERS ATTENDING THE 2010 THIN AIR FESTIVAL


THIN AIR proudly announces that the ABORIGINAL WRITERS COLLECTIVE, ISMAILA ALFA, GILES BLUNT, BATHELEMY BOLIVAR, MARTHA BROOKS, GREG MACARTHUR, SHARON MCCARTNEY, JENNY MUNDAY, and GEORGE MURRAY will be attending the 2010 THIN AIR Winnipeg International Writers Festival which runs from September 19-26.

These authors come from all across the country and represent some of the best and brightest in Canada’s vibrant literary world.

This year some of the featured books include Crime Machine (Random House Canada), Mots de terre/Voices of the Earth (Create Space), Queen of Hearts (Groundwood Books), Isolated (Coach House Books), For and Against (GooseLane Editions), Relatively Harmless (PCP), and Glimpse (ECW).

Other authors, and their books, will be announced in the near future.

About the Festival
In September each year, Winnipeg welcomes writers from Canada and around the world for a week of readings, lectures, interviews, conversations, book launches, and other events. That week of literary feasting—which reaches out into the rural areas of the province as well—is THIN AIR, the Winnipeg International Writers Festival. With programming for adults and children, in English and French, THIN AIR is an infusion of energy into the thriving literary culture of this city.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Naming the names 06

THIN AIR proudly announces two excellent writers who will be attending the festival. Quebec’s Reynald Cantin and Winnipeg’s Margaret Buffie will be attending the 2010 THIN AIR Winnipeg International Writers Festival which runs from September 19-26.Reynald will be presenting his latest book, Mes parents sont gentils, m...ais tellement peureux (by FouLire), and Margaret will be presenting Winter Shadows.