A Holiday Invitation from Author Judith Graves

On Saturday, December 4th from 12 noon to 5 p.m., join me, and about 40 Alberta authors, as well as artisans with wares (or should that be WERES...wink, wink…) that will amaze you! It’s the first annual Book Lovers Christmas Sale offered by the Writers Guild of Alberta. We’ll be doing readings, signings, wandering around and chatting up folks – I’ll be shopping for notebooks and funky bookmarks I know I won’t find ANYWHERE else….cause they’re handmade gems (GEMS, I tell you. ;)

LOCATION: Stanley A. Milner Library – aka the downtown branch in Edmonton, Alberta.

Anyway – here are the details. I’ll be at the sale pretty much all day until they kick me out:

Program of events:

12 noon—2 pm: Territory of the Young

* 12 noon—Award-winning, multi-genre author Marty Chan reads from his brand-new kids’ book “The Mystery of the Cyber Bully”. A treat not to be missed!

* 12:30 pm—Drop in for some hands-on fun and make really cool bookmarks using the ancient art of origami. All materials provided.

* 1 pm—Time for more mystery, now with Calgary author Jan Markley , who’ll give us the scoop on “Dead Bird through the Cat Door”, the second book in her Megabyte Mystery series.

* 1:30 pm—Bring a clove of garlic for protection, and come to listen as author Judith Graves reads from her Young Adult vampire-ish title “Under My Skin”. Note: the WGA shall not be deemed responsible for fang marks on anyone’s neck.

2—3:30 pm: Poetreats

* 2 pm—On the screen, Edmonton will be looking beautiful as ever through the delicate prints by the late Dr. W.B. Stallworthy. At the microphone, his son Bob Stallworthy adds stanzas to the scene, as he reads some of the poems in which his father’s presence is still very much alive.

* 2:30 pm—Three new books, three poets on stage. Laurie MacFayden brings us her gravelly poet’s voice as she reads from her debut collection “White Shirt”; Edmonton’s own Alice Major (once laureate, always laureate…) gifts us some verses from “Memory’s Daughter”; and Peter Midgley goes bilingual as he reads from “perhaps i should/miskien moet ek”.

* 3 pm—Very Vocal poetry ladies for your ears’ delight! Spoken word artists Kathy Fisher and Kath MacLean, both with CDs for grabs at our Christmas Sale, will perform a few of the poems included in “think of me naked” (Kathy) and “Seed Bone & Hammer” (Kath).

3:30—5 pm: Proudly Prose

* 3:30 pm—Back from a long research journey on higher Canadian latitudes, Linda Goyette shares some stories from “Northern Kids”, a collection focused on the young people from the Yukon , Northwest Territories , and other northern communities. She is joined on stage by Conni Massing, a playwright turned travel writer after the adventures you’ll read in “Road Tripping—On the Move with the Buffalo Gals”. Bonus: you get to see on screen photos of gals and northern kids that were not included in the books.

* 4 pm—First it was the movie. Now, writer and filmmaker Geo Takach brings us “Will the Real Alberta Please Stand Up?”, the book: a mix of essay, interview, and colourful observation spotlighting the cultural complexity of our province. Come along for a chat with Geo—and a bit of movie time too!

Signing schedule

12 noon—2 pm

Ardith Trudzik, Diane Linden, Jan Markley, Jeananne Kathol Kirwin, Joan Marie Galat, Judith Graves , Karen Bass, Marty Chan *, Mary Woodbury , Pearl Murray, Shane Gauthier, Tyler Enfield

2—3:30 pm

Aaron A. Lehman, Alexis Kienlen , Alice Major , Bob Stallworthy , Clair Woodbury, Dianne Tchir, Kath MacLean, Kathy Fisher, Laurie MacFayden , Marion Brooker, Peter Midgley , Shelley A. Leedahl, Tololwa Mollel, Victoria Middleton

3:30—5 pm

Billie Milholland, Caterina Edwards , Conni Massing, Diane Robitelle, Eileen Bell, Geo Takach, Graham Clews, Jean Crozier, Linda Goyette, Margaret Macpherson, Marianne Stamm, Monika Igali, Pauline Holyoak , Roberta Laurie, Roxanne Felix, Sheree Zielke, Therezinha Kennedy, Uzoma Uponi, Vivian Mayne

* From 12 to 12:30 pm only