StoryFest News
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 month of events planned for you. For a complete list of events and times, see the attached poster, or go online to www.greenwoodstoryfest.com to read all the details about each of our guests. Have you heard about the big names in the literary world who are coming to our little town? We are excited, and hope you will be too. The Festival Pass offers the best value: for $60, you can attend $100 worth of events. Pass holders are invited to a special private tea at Greenwood to meet Jane Urquhart on Tuesday, Oct. 6th at 3:00pm. This year we're holding our first Books and Breakfast- Saturday, Oct. 17th at 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 Community Centre event along with more delicious food. Book your tickets early for Thursday, October 29th at 1:30. A Temps Perdu, 76 Cameron, is selling tickets and will be hosting a children'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 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.
