StoryFest News
June 2011 Trevor Ferguson and Johanna Skibsrud enjoying Greenwood hospitality.
Printed in the Hudson Gazette, Wednesday June 15, 2011
Giller winner, local crimewriter, celebrated flautist charm Greenwood preview June 15 by Katinka Rubin Michaud HUDSON — What better way to pass a rainy weekend than in the company of two of Canada’s most celebrated writers and a world-renowned musician? This past Sunday, the Greenwood Centre for Living History kick-started its StoryFest fall event with a fantastic spring reading afternoon. Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, Johanna Skibsrud, and local author Trevor Ferguson, accompanied by Celtic flautist David Gossage, provided a wonderful treat for approximately 60 people at St. Mary's Hall. Skibsrud started her reading by telling the audience that she sees her novel, The Sentimentalists, in terms of an exploration of living history. “The idea for the novel first came to me when I was canoeing over at Lake Flagstaff in northern Maine, which is a lake that covers over a town which had to be relocated when a hydroelectric dam was built in the middle of the twentieth century.” “It was a striking experience, you could still see trees that would emerge through the water. The physical presence of history that surrounded me and this presence of history in our daily life was the first inspiration in writing The Sentimentalists.” That was the summer Skibsrud had enrolled in an MA program at Concordia University. She had the beginning of a story in her head about an eccentric man named Henry, who lived in a imaginary lake town in a house that overlooks his submerged original home. "As I was exploring these ideas of buried history and buried memory," Skibsrud continued, "my father began to tell me about his experiences during the Vietnam War. I was immediately struck by the intersections between his stories and my story. I began to weave his real-life stories into my story about Henry. I think of the book as a way to exploit the space between facts and fiction" Trevor Ferguson uses the pen name John Farrow for his crime novels structured around the persona of fictional Montreal police detective Emile Cing-Mars. River City is the latest in the trilogy which covers no less than 450 years of Montreal history. He explained to the audience how his latest novel will come out in two completely different editions. His publishers in England and New York could not agree on the editing, so Trevor decided to “just do two books...It will be the same story, but totally restructured.“I didn’t realize, when I was doing it, that my mind would be turned inside out, backwords and kicked out the door, and I could not remember one version from the other, because I was doing them simultaneously,” Ferguson adds. “It was a nightmare, but we got through it.” It is very impressive how the Greenwood Centre can attract such famous Canadian authors to StoryFest. Audrey Wall, director at Greenwood, explained to me that the visiting authors come here because of their love for literature. They enjoy their visit to Hudson and, consequently, are very effective at spreading the word to other great Canadian authors about Greenwood and StoryFest. For the fall program look out for Wayne Johnston, Linden MacIntyre and Camilla Gibb.
StoryFest’s Spectacular Start By AlyssaFourneaux
Greenwood Centre’s StoryFest kicks off June 12thwith an exciting double header, featuring Johanna Skibsrud and Trevor Ferguson. Hudson’s own Trevor Ferguson, perhaps better known under his pen name John Farrow, returns to StoryFest to promote his new book River City, set to be released this July 12. He will be joined by Celtic flute player David Gossage. Last year’s Giller Prize winner Johanna Skibsrud starts off the afternoon by talking about her fictional novel The Sentimentalists. When Skibsrud was nominated she was considered to be the underdog in the competition. “It was a real pleasure to be contacted after the Giller by writers who felt inspired by my story,” she said. “Writers can get a bit jaded—often for good reason—about the possibilities for writers who don’t have any previous exposure or financial backing. It felt good to be part of a different story that was able to provide encouragement to other emerging writers.” Skibsrud’s The Sentimentalists tells the story of a daughter’s desire to uncover her father’s war stories. It is loosely based on her own father’s experiences during the Vietnam War. “My father’s stories were a real revelation to me,” Skibsrud said. “He had never spoken of his experience in the war to anyone, so it was almost as if, listening to him, I was listening in on his own process of a revelation. He didn’t recall very much, but what he did was striking and horrifying to me. It was difficult,and painful, for me to try to imagine that my father had lived alone with these memories for so many years.” Skibsrud has a collection of short stories coming outthis fall called: This Will Be Difficult To Explain and Other Stories. Ferguson’s newest crime thriller River City is a third instalment of detective Émile Cinq-Mars’ investigations. Ferguson says it “encompasses 450 years of Montreal history written as a crime novel.” It is a prequel to City of Ice and Ice Lake. River Citytook Ferguson 3 years to write and 5 years to edit. He says he doesn’t really know where the inspiration came from, except for a need to tell a really great story. “I’ve always been drawn to the epic story,the broad canvas where we can see a very wide spectrum of human experience, both personal and social, play out,” he said. “It’s a natural part of my imaginative flow, the epic, so it was time to take something really large on.” Ferguson says his protagonist Émile Cinq-Mars is based on a former Montreal detective, Jacques Cinq-Mars.“He’s [Jacques Cinq-Mars] very old now, and was born much earlier than Émile, and they were different, but they did go about things in a moral and determined fashion.” Ferguson said. “Jacques is now more closely in the work, as the life of Armand Touton [another character in the novel] is closely based on him, whereas Emile was a modern update.” On June 12, Fergusonis partnering with Gossage; together, they will take a different approach to storytelling. “He’s a great musician.” Ferguson says. “Not merely good. But perhaps the best flute player on the continent. For StoryFest,it gives me a chance to do something different. I can visit different stages in a very big book (845 pages) and rather than introduce them, allow the music to create the mood and change and charge the atmosphere. I’m looking forward to that very much.” Between presentations refreshments will be served at St.Mary’s Hall. Afterwards, guests are invited to cross the street to Greenwood for a reception with the authors and to get their books signed. StoryFest is becoming a well known event in Hudson. It evolved twelve years ago from the Gigantes lecture series, named after the late Liberal MP Philipe Gigantes. According to executive director Audrey Wall, StoryFest is Greenwood’s biggest fundraiser. StoryFest was created to pay homage to Greenwood’s founder Phoebe Nobbs Hyde’s love of storytelling. This very special StoryFest event is a taste of what is to come in October, when Greenwood welcomes other notable authors and poets to Hudson.More information about the complete StoryFest programme will soon be released. This event takes place on Sunday, June 12 at 2pm at St. Mary’s Hall. Tickets are $25. They are available at Pure Art, 422 Main Road, Hudsonor at Greenwood,254 Main Road, Hudson. For more details call Greenwood at 450-458-5396 or visit www.greenwoodstoryfest.com June 2010 Recognized internationally for its charm and psychological insight, the author’s award winning mystery series has particular appeal for local readers with its familiar Eastern Townships setting. Penny was born in Ontario and worked as a news journalist and radio host for CBC, a career that led her to various regions of Canada, and finally to Quebec. Now living in the Eastern Townships, she draws on the region’s idyllic landscape and rich cultural mix for the vividly imagined community of Three Pines. Her first novel Still Life (2007) was an immediate success with readers and critics. Penny adapts the ingredients of the British whodunit into a witty and affectionate rendering of small town Quebec with the small rural village, the collection of eccentric characters, clever plots and of course, the leading figure of the detective, in this case the wise, sophisticated Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. In Penny’s hands, the formula acquires an exceptional depth through complex characterization, keen observation of the rich texture of daily life, and elegant writing. Following Still Life, she has published four more books in the series, the latest being The Brutal Telling, published this year, for which she received her third Agatha Award for Best Mystery. Her upcoming book, Bury Your Dead, is to be released in September. You can visit the author on her blog where she shares the details of her daily life, from breakfast in Cowansville and visits to the pond, to the trials and joys of work in progress. Louise Penny spoke at St. Mary’s Hall on Sunday, June 27th at 2:00 pm. A reception followed at Greenwood. This event is part of the Quebec Writers' Federation's 2010 "Writers Out Loud" series and made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts.
November 2009 Sunday marked the end of StoryFest's month-long journey through Hudson celebrating writers, readers and storytellers. Featured guests Jane Urquhart, Donna Morrissey and Jan Wong were the big names hosting this year's events, filling the Hudson Village Theatre three times. "Greenwood Centre is a non-profit charitable organization," said Audrey Wall, Executive Director. "Three years ago, StoryFest was still being operated under a deficit. With hard work and dedication from the committee, we made the move to the theatre and other larger venues hoping to draw bigger crowds with higher profile guests," she adds. Next year's lineup, already in the making, tentatively includes Nino Ricci, MG Vassanji and Claire Rothman. Applications for funding were submitted to the Canada Council for the Arts in September. "There are many expenses associated with putting on StoryFest, our biggest annual event. It's nice to finally come out ahead. It's a testament to the hard work of so many invaluable volunteers," says Wall. The committee of volunteers for Greenwood Centre's StoryFest includes Audrey Wall, Jane Havard, Sharon Sullivan, Diane Ratcliffe, Donna Seaman, Sandy Racicot and Christine Coté, each bringing a unique talent to the table. It was Havard's idea to introduce a season pass for all of the events last year. "It gives us a core group of people to count on and encourages them to come to all of the events. It's also a nice way to save on entrance fees with the discounted price. We sold 50 passes this year and expect to do better next year," says Havard. Greenwood's volunteer support also includes students from the Young Canada Works summer program, whose contribution is also invaluable. "This year Caroline Cawley and Katie Scotcher gave us 14 weeks of their time making tickets, posters, website updates, and virtually anything else we asked of them," said Havard. United by a passion for words and educating, the ladies of Greenwood hold fast to StoryFest's motto: "Our stories are your past, your stories are our future" when planning what has become the second biggest fundraiser for Greenwood after Treasures in the Attic. Jane Urquhuart said it best when she hosted the special opening event for pass-holders, "Every story needs a place to start from. The Greenwood home is a wonderful place." Fundraisers like StoryFest work to promote and preserve Greenwood in the hearts and minds of the community while at the same time merging place with festival. Sponsorship from both individuals and companies has been generous. "Theatre Panache made it possible for StoryFest to have a printed booklet this year, on-line ticket purchases, and allowed us to ride on their coat-tails reserving three evenings for Greenwood in their theatre schedule," says Wall, noting one of many contribution to StoryFest's success. "Maria Loggia was also very gracious," she adds, "in donating the ticket price from her lunch event at the Community Centre to Greenwood." Tickets sold for $20 per person and the event was hugely successful with eight full tables of 10. Loggia's new cookbook, launched last week, has already sold just over 120 copies at A Temps Perdu since the luncheon. "We want to thank the community, the passholders, and everyone who took time out of their busy schedules for their support," says Wall. "We are extremely pleased with the turnout and look forward to making next year's event bigger and better." September 2009 Dear StoryFest fans, October and StoryFest are coming fast! We are thrilled to have a full monthof events planned for you. For a complete list of events and times, see theattached poster, or go online to www.greenwoodstoryfest.com to read all thedetails about each of our guests. Have you heard about the big names in theliterary world who are coming to our little town? We are excited, and hopeyou will be too. The Festival Pass offers the best value: for $60, you can attend $100 worthof events. Pass holders are invited to a special private tea at Greenwood tomeet Jane Urquhart on Tuesday, Oct. 6th at 3:00pm. This year we're holding our first Books and Breakfast- Saturday, Oct. 17that 9:00am at St. James, with guest authors Robert Wright and Jeff Heinrich.A delicious cooked breakfast awaits you. The new book "At Home with Maria Loggia", will be launched at our CommunityCentre event along with more delicious food. Book your tickets early forThursday, October 29th at 1:30. A Temps Perdu, 76 Cameron, is selling tickets and will be hosting achildren's storytelling event and an open poetry reading. Please pass this along to anyone you think may be interested. We hope to see you there! Audrey and Jane 2008 News Historic Hudson museum puts out welcome mat Hudson, June 2008 StoryFest - Playing With Words, is a community initiative spearheaded by Hudson's Greenwood Centre for Living History. In partnership with Westwood Senior High School, students participated in numerous StoryFest activities both at Westwood and within the Hudson community at large. StoryFest 2007 authors who spoke at Westwood included Roy MacGregor, Gil Courtemanche, Noah Richler, Claire Mowat and Karen Molson. To promote StoryFest 2007 events, students set up displays, painted murals, organized contests, put up posters and gave audio-visual presentations. In conjunction with StoryFest and Canadian Children's Book Week, Westwood Senior organized Reading Week within the school. To promote and encourage the "Love of Reading" theme, many activities unfolded: "Poetry Free For All", "MatchBook" Contest, StoryFest Draw and "Look Who's Caught Reading". Students met with the authors and storytellers including Hudson's own "Trapper Rod" Hodgson. In recognition of StoryFest - Playing With Words as a joint Greenwood & Westwood project, Westwood Senior won First Prize in the Prix de Reconnaissance of the Ministere de l'Education, du Loisir et du Sport among 294 schools in the Greater Montreal region. The Prix de Reconnaissance is awarded to projects that promote books, develop reading habits and contribute to student success. Kindly submitted by Gwen Murray, |
On June 27th, Greenwood launched the summer reading season with a special pre-storyfest event; an afternoon with best-selling author Louise Penny.
