October 19, 2009

Award Nominees and Big Names in Vancouver This Week

(October 19, 2009, Vancouver, BC)—The Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival officially opens tomorrow (Oct. 20) with a lineup that includes six award nominees for Canada’s most prestigious literary prizes as well as one nominee for the British Commonwealth’s most prestigious prize.

The Scotiabank Giller Prize nominees announced Oct. 6 include Annabel Lyon and Colin McAdam, both of whom are appearing this week at the Writers Festival. The Governor General’s awards finalists announced last week include Alice Munro, Annabel Lyon, Michael Crummey and Tim Wynne-Jones. Lyon, Crummey and Wynne-Jones are all at the Festival this week. On Oct. 18 the Festival hosted A Tribute to Alice Munro, who had been invited to the Festival but was unable to travel to be in attendance at the event. Shortlisted for the 2009 Man Booker prize is Festival attendee Sarah Waters, who has been nominated twice for this award.

Readers will also be able to hear and join in 66 different events with some of the biggest names in writing at the Writers Festival. Coming to Vancouver this week are John Irving, Audrey Niffenegger, Kathy Reichs, Marie-Claire Blais, Alistair MacLeod, Joan London, Bonnie Burnard and hugely popular children’s authors Gordon Korman and Paul Yee.

A record-breaking 91 school groups will be pouring onto Granville Island during the first three days of the Festival as part of the Festival’s Spreading the Word program, designed to introduce kids to real authors and encourage reading among young people.

Altogether, more than 80 authors, from Canada, the US, the UK, Italy, France, Australia, Bolivia and China, are expected to join more than 14,000 readers at the annual festival of discussions, readings, music, spoken word, poetry and conversation this week. The Writers Festival will run until Oct. 25 on Granville Island.

Tickets for Festival events are available through VancouverTix by calling 604-629-VTIX (604-629-8849), or at the Writers Festival box office, 1398 Cartwright Street. Complete program details are available at www.writersfest.bc.ca.

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For more information on the Festival, contact:
Judith Walker, Media Relations Manager – (604) 921-4029
media@writersfest.bc.ca
Vancouver International Writers Festival – October 18-25, 2009
www.writersfest.bc.ca