five great new titles with plans for nine more come fall. Interim publisher Howard White says the new press will continue in the footsteps of the old press, publishing quality Canadian fiction, non-fiction, art books, cook books and guide books among others. Douglas and McIntyre will continue to be distributed across Canada by Harper Collins Canada. Sales representation will continue to be provided by Ampersand Inc. up to the Manitoba-Ontario border and by the Hornblower Group Inc. from there to the Atlantic. Booksellers—ask about our giant Resurrection Sale!]]> Canada Reads People's Choice Poll]]> Ballerina has been receiving some excellent coverage and attention recently. She's in and around Toronto over the next few weeks at various events. Check out some of them below. Saturday, October 20, 2012 in Ottawa at Books on Beechwood from 1 to 3 pm Sunday, October 28, 2012 in Thornbury at Blue Mountain Library Sunday, November 4, 2012 in Toronto at Ben McNally Books - a Globe & Mail/Ben McNally Books & Brunch event Thursday, November 29, 2012 in Princeton, NJ at the Princeton Public Library at 7 pm Tuesday, December 4, 2012 in Burlington at the Different Drummer Breakfast Series at 9 am Tuesday, December 11, 2012 in Toronto at the Toronto Reference Library (Beeton Auditorium) at 7 pm Thursday, February 21, 2013 in Toronto for the Beach Speakers Series at Juice & Java at 7:30 pm]]> Wayson Choy will unveil two plaques to highlight and commemorate the physical landscape so vividly rendered in Choy’s iconic novel, The Jade Peony. Members of the public are invited to attend the plaques’ unveiling and to hear the author read from his novel. Project Bookmark Canada is a national charitable organization that marks the places where the real and imagined landscapes meet. We do this by installing poster sized ceramic plaques – called Bookmarks – in the exact physical locations where literary scenes are set. This is the first Bookmark to be installed in British Columbia, with ten Bookmarks unveiled in Ontario and one in Newfoundland. A Wayson Choy Special Tribute Evening will take place prior to the unveiling on Sunday, October 14, starting at 6pm at the Floata Chinese Restaurant, 180 Keefer Street. This unique event will take the audience on a 73 year journey back in time to witness the remarkable life of this literary iconic born in Vancouver’s Chinatown in 1939. During the evening, you will hear for the first time, stories told by relatives, close friends and colleagues from Choy’s past to illuminate Choy’s remarkable journey beginning with his early care-free childhood days at home and school and taste what it was like to grow up in pre-war Chinatown. There will be stories re-accounted by his childhood neighbour and best friend, Garson Lee and his older tap-dancing sister, Shirley Wong who babysat a young Sonny Choy. Listen in on intimate anecdotes told to you by his university schoolmates and instructors and how he became the precedent-setting first Asian-Canadian to enrol in UBC’s creative writing program. The evening’s program will include a rare interview footage of Carol Shields who, during the summer of 1977, taught as a guest instructor for a creative writing class. Hear her impression of Wayson and the exercise she used to inspired Choy to create his famous short story, The Jade Peony. The story was first published in the UBC Alumni Chronicle in 1979. Wayson’s journey as a writer continues when his publisher, Douglas & McIntyre recounts that faithful decision to publish a ground-breaking collection of linked stories titled The Jade Peony. Many successes followed and after the many literary prizes and acknowledgements, in 2002, the book was chosen as Vancouver Public Library’s inaugural ’s One book, One Vancouver. The evening will also include appearances by media personalities who have shared intimate moments with Choy and a new generation of writers and readers inspired by this remarkable man’s writing. The event will be hosted by CBC radio personality, Sheryl Mackay and Todd Wong. The Wayson Choy Special Tribute Evening will be held on Sunday, October 14, 6pm at Floata Chinese Restaurant, 180 Keefer Street in Vancouver historical Chinatown. The event includes an eight course Chinese dinner. Tickets are $55 per person or $500 for a table of 10. Proceeds of funds will go in support of the Project Bookmark Canada. Come and meet Wayson in person and have your books autographed by him. To purchase tickets – click here. ]]> Eating Dirt: Monday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m. Library Learning Center, 1256 Lawrence, Port Townsend Free Tuesday, October 16 at 7 p.m. Elliott Bay Book Company, 1521 10th Avenue, Seattle Free Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m. Readings Gallery at Village Books, 1200 11th Street, Bellingham Free]]> Join the event on Facebook!]]> Big City Bees has been shortlisted for the 2012 Governor General’s Literary Award in the Children’s Literature Illustration category. The Canada Council’s peer assessment committees selected this year’s finalists out of approximately 1,700 submitted books, choosing works that tell readers compelling stories about themselves and the world around them. “Literary excellence is what drives the Governor General’s Literary Awards,” said Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts. “This year’s shortlisted books put the creative talent of our authors, translators and illustrators front and centre. They inspire readers to discover new places and live memorable experiences through books.” The Governor General’s Literary Awards are given in the categories of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, children’s literature (text and illustration) and translation, in both English and French. The winners will be announced Tuesday, November 13, 2012, at the Conservatoire de musique et d’art dramatique du Québec. Each winner will receive $25,000 and a specially bound copy of the winning book.]]> Ian McAllister, with photos by McAllister & Thomas Peschak. In Interface, McAllister takes readers on a journey from the headwaters of the region’s unexplored river valleys down to the sea and to the hidden depths of the offshore world—all brought vividly to life through the astonishing photography by both McAllister and National Geographic underwater photographer Thomas Peschak. The book also describes the looming threat of energy megaprojects that the Great Bear faces and makes a powerful case for the banning of oil tankers and oil drilling off Canada’s west coast. Greystone plans to publish the book in Fall 2013. McAllister is also the author of The Last Wild Wolves (Greystone, 2007) and Following the Last Wild Wolves (Greystone, 2011). This deal was arranged without an agent.]]> The Atlantic Coast (published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation) has been selected as the winner of the 2011 Lane Anderson Award in the adult category. The annual Lane Anderson Award honours two jury-selected books, in the categories of adult and young reader, published in the field of science, and written by a Canadian. The announcement was made on September 27th at an intimate dinner in Toronto. The winner in each category received $10,000. The jury said the following about The Atlantic Coast: “The distinguishing elements of this book are its superb design and visual features. With stunning photography and well executed maps and illustrations, The Atlantic Coast is brilliantly published. Moreover, the text is not overshadowed by the visuals and is pleasingly integrated into a very accessible and informative volume. Valuable both for its scientific fact and its readability, The Atlantic Coast is a delightful book for study or to simply delve into.”]]> Shari Graydon. In this collection of essays, notable women from the United States and Canada reflect on how they discovered the power of their voice or when they used it to most profound effect, in the face of injustice or inequity, and despite possible economic or social risks. Capturing a diverse spectrum of experiences while evoking that universal moment of discovering one’s own power, Unbitten Tongues offers compelling inspiration to others. D&M plans to publish this book in Fall 2013. Graydon is also the author of I Feel Great About My Hands: And Other Unexpected Joys of Aging (D&M, 2011). This deal was arranged without an agent.]]> A Geography of Blood: Unearthing Memory from a Prairie Landscape published in partnership with the David Suzuki Foundation, has been shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. The prize is awarded for literary excellence in the category of nonfiction, which includes, among other forms, personal or journalistic essays, history, biography, memoirs, commentary, and criticism, both social and political. CTV News correspondent Seamus O’Regan and Maclean’s columnist Barbara Amiel Black joined previously-announced jurors, journalist Marni Jackson; author and former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, James Bartleman, and Charlotte Gill — who was shortlisted for this award last year for the book Eating Dirt. The three original jurors considered a total of 104 books submitted by 51 publishers before choosing a shortlist of five titles. The competing titles are Kamal Al-Solaylee’s Intolerable: A Memoir of Extremes (HarperCollins Publishers); Modris Ekstein’s Solar Dance: Genius, Forgery, and the Crisis of Truth in the Modern Age (Knopf Canada); Taras Grescoe’s Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile (HarperCollins Publishers), and JJ Lee for The Measure of a Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit (McClelland & Stewart). The $60,000 prize will be given out in Toronto on Nov. 12. Each of the shortlisted writers receives $5,000.]]> The Energy of Slaves: Oil and the New Servitude. See him in a town near you. Toronto, ON September 26, 2012 Sustainability Network – 5:30 pm launch at the Centre for Social Innovation. An interview with Rick Smith of Environmental Defence. Details Waterloo, ON September 27, 2012 Wilfrid Laurier University – 6:00 pm presentation. An interview with Dr. Kevin Hanna - acting chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at WLU. ]]> Hot Art: Chasing Thieves and Detectives through the Secret World of Stolen Art has won the 2012 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. “Hot Art is a hugely satisfying and meticulously researched real-life detective story that will surprise and intrigue you,” said Ute Lischke, award juror and Laurier professor of English and Film Studies. In addition to Hot Art, the shortlist for the 2012 Edna Staebler Award also included: The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary: A Canadian Story of Resilience and Recovery (Harper Collins, 2011) by Andrew Westoll and Most of Me: Surviving My Medical Meltdown (Greystone Books, 2012) by Robyn Michele Levy. An award presentation for Knelman will take place Nov. 13 at Laurier’s Waterloo campus. A second presentation will occur Nov. 14 at Laurier’s Brantford campus.]]> Breakout from Juno: First Canadian Army and the Normandy Campaign, July 4 - August 21, 1944 has been selected as a finalist for the City of Victoria Butler Book Prize for adult literature. Two independent juries comprised of representatives from the literary arts community reviewed the entries for literary merit. The winner will be announced at the awards gala to be held at the Union Club of Victoria on October 10th, 2012 and will be awarded $5000. The competing titles in the adult literature category are Esi Edugyan’s Half-Blood Blues (Thomas Allen Publishers), William Deverell’s I’ll See You in My Dreams (McClelland & Stewart), Madeline Sonik’s Afflictions and Departures (Anvil Press), and Rachel Fisher, Heather Stretch & Robin Tunnicliffe’s All the Dirt: Reflections on Organic Gardening (TouchWood Editions).]]> Arno Kopecky titled The Oil Man and the Sea: A Modern Misadventure on the Pacific Tanker Route. In The Oil Man and the Sea, Kopecky and two companions will travel aboard a 41-foot sailboat exploring the pristine route 200 tankers a year will follow if Enbridge’s Northern Gateway becomes a reality.This is a profoundly volatile marine environment that registered 1,275 marine vessel incidents — mechanical failures, collisions, explosions, groundings, and sinkings — between 1999 and 2009 alone; all indications are that it is a matter of when, not if, a catastrophic oil spill will occur once the tankers arrive. D&M plans to publish the book in April 2013, when the Northern Gateway public hearings are expected to conclude. Kopecky is also the author of The Devil’s Curve: A Journey Into Power and Profit at the Amazon’s Edge (D&M, September 2012). This deal was arranged without an agent.]]> The Atlantic Coast has been shortlisted for the 2011 Lane Anderson Award. The annual Lane Anderson Award honours two jury-selected books, in the categories of adult and young reader, published in the field of science, and written by a Canadian. The winner in each category will receive a prize of $10,000. Winners will be announced on 27th September. The two competing titles in the adult category are: Strange New Worlds by Ray Jayawardhana (Harper Collins), and Cascadia’s Fault by Jerry Thompson (Harper Collins). The six finalists competing for the Lane Anderson Award were announced on Wednesday 22nd August by Hollister Doll and Sharon Fitzhenry, directors of the Fitzhenry Family Foundation. They stated, “The books selected for the shortlist demonstrate the importance of science in today’s world, and connect the topic to the general trade reader in a compelling way.”]]> Hot Art has been shortlisted for the 2012 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. The $10,000 award, administered by Wilfrid Laurier University, encourages and recognizes Canadian writers for a first or second work of creative non-fiction that includes a Canadian locale and/or significance. Robyn Levy's memoir Most of Me published by Greystone was also shortlisted. The other competing title is Andrew Westoll’s The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary (Harper Collins). Award juror and Laurier professor, Ute Lischke, said this year’s submissions were “extremely rich and varied.” “Creative non-fiction, which is literary in form rather than purely journalistic, is becoming a very popular genre,” she said. “The jurors worked extremely hard, and in the end had to make a tough decision.”]]> Most of Me has been shortlisted for the 2012 Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction. The $10,000 award, administered by Wilfrid Laurier University, encourages and recognizes Canadian writers for a first or second work of creative non-fiction that includes a Canadian locale and/or significance. Joshua Knelman's Hot Art published by Douglas & McIntyre was also shortlisted. The other competing title is Andrew Westoll’s The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary (Harper Collins). Award juror and Laurier professor, Ute Lischke, said this year’s submissions were “extremely rich and varied.” “Creative non-fiction, which is literary in form rather than purely journalistic, is becoming a very popular genre,” she said. “The jurors worked extremely hard, and in the end had to make a tough decision.”]]>