O, spring! The days are longer, the sun is warmer, and there’s that spring (spring!) in your step. Good thing for me, because things are hopping in terms of events, which I normally try to keep to one a month (so as to have time for all the other parts of my job). But for various reasons, we have, coming up, four literary events in as many weeks, blooming across our library calendar like crocuses.
Although the launch of R.M. (Rachel) Greenaway’s mystery novel Cold Girl isn’t reflective of the season, a book launch — especially a first book launch — has a spring-like quality to it as far as beginnings go. For this Nelson author, the season is indeed just starting as Rachel signed a three-book deal with Dundurn Press after winning the Arthur Ellis “Unhanged” Award for best unpublished manuscript for Cold Girl. Join us Thursday, March 31 at 7 p.m. and hear first-hand about the efforts of two mismatched investigators working to solve a multiple missing-persons case in a northern BC town.
Our second launch of the season goes to a story of survival! Donna Macdonald’s memoir Surviving City Hall reflects upon her 19 years on Nelson city council and the myriad critters she encountered, from ornery ground squirrels to the Three Bears of Government, and in between, assorted animals of the human variety. The stories are honest, revealing, and offer insight into local government delivered with spirited analysis and just enough humour. Anticipating a crowd (you get to know a few people after 19 years in office), Donna’s launch is at the Hume Room in the Hume Hotel on Thursday, April 14 at 7 p.m.
Miranda Hill is more than the partner of novelist Lawrence Hill; she’s the award winning author of the story collection Sleeping Funny (so good it inspired me to send fan mail, which resulted in this author visit) and founder of Project Bookmark, a non-profit literary initiative that places informational plaques at the settings of Canadian novels. She’ll be at the library on Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m., and as with all of our adult events,admission is free but donations are always welcome.
Lawrence Hill will speak at Selkirk College’s Tenth Street Campus on Friday, April 22 at 7 p.m. (admission is $10). He’ll be reading from The Illegal, which happens to be a CBC Canada Reads selection being defended this week.
April is National Poetry Month, and we are squeaking in a celebratory evening before the clocks turn to May. On Thursday, April 28 at 7 p.m. Margaret Hornby launches her third book of poetry, Intention, which considers the author’s four decades as a poet as she nears her 80th birthday. Joining her are guest poets Rayya Liebich and Pippa Bowley. It’s going to be an awesome evening of metaphor, nuance, and all good poetic things. The following week Rayya will teach a poetry workshop for teens at the library on Thursday, May 5 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Watch for the teen poetry tree all month, along with displays throughout the library.
I’ll catch my breath then, for a bit. I’m fairly sure there are some library users who’d appreciate it if I’d get on with ordering new things for the collection — the better to settle in with a good book when the garden’s in and the dog days of summer start to roll around.
Anne DeGrace is the adult services co-ordinator at the Nelson Public Library. Check This Out runs every other week. For more information go to nelsonlibrary.ca.