The New Season

Some upcoming book related events in Ottawa... lovingly co-opted for my own use from this morning's Ottawa Citizen.

BEECHWOOD CEMETERY FOUNDATION
Nov. 17: 7 p.m., Dead Poets Live at Beechwood Cemetery, 280 Beechwood Ave. Celebration of Canadian poetry and music. All proceeds to the Poets' Hill Commemorative Project. 230-4640

BYWORDS
Ottawa poetry publisher presents readings. Oct. 5: Annual John Newlove Poetry Award Reading, Library and Archives Canada; Oct. 16: Bywords Fall Reading, Chapters, 47 Rideau St.; Jan. 15: Bywords Warms The Night 3, Chapters, 47 Rideau St.; April 16: Bywords Spring Reading, Chapters, 47 Rideau St.; July 16: Bywords Summer Reading, Chapters, 47 Rideau St. www.bywords.ca

CANADIAN AUTHORS ASSOCIATION
Ottawa chapter, support through meetings, workshops, writing-related resources and networking opportunities. Ottawa chapter meets third Tuesday of most months, 7 p.m., Ottawa Public Library, main branch, auditorium. Fee for non-members.
www.CanAuthors-Ottawa.org

CAPITAL POETRY COLLECTIVE
Oct. 5: National Capital Throwdown; Oct. 21: Capital Slam; Nov. 11: Capital Slam: Remembrance Day edition; Dec. 9: Capital Slam: Holiday edition; Dec. 14: National Capital Throwdown open-mic night; Jan. 13: Capital Slam; Feb. 10: Capital Slam: Black History Month edition; March 10: Capital Slam: Women's edition; March 22: National Capital Throwdown open-mic night; April 7: Capital Slam; May 12: Capital Slam Semi-Finals; June 9: Capital Slam Championship finals; June 28: National Capital Throwdown open-mic night, Gap of Dunloe, 263 Bank St. 252-1777.

CHAPTERS BOOKS
Readings and book signings: Sept. 20: Safe Kids, Safe Families, by Samantha Wilson, seminar. 7 p.m. Chapters Pinecrest Road. Free, with limited space. Register at 596-3003; Nov. 16: Ordinary Heroes, by Scott Turow, reading and signing, noon, Chapters Rideau Street; Nov. 17: A Crack in the Edge of the World, by Simon Winchester, reading and signing, 7 p.m., Chapters Rideau Street.

COLLECTED WORKS BOOKSHOP
Free readings at the shop (1242 Wellington St.) and other locations. Sept. 22: Author and rock star Dave Bidini reads at Collected Works; Sept. 25: Author Sean Henry reads at Collected Works; Sept. 28: Authors Steven Heighton, Lisa Moore and Jaclyn Moriarty read at The Table restaurant, 1230 Wellington St.; Oct. 16: Ottawa author Mark Foss reads at Collected Works; Oct. 19: Author Tracy Quan reads at The Table; Oct. 30: Poets Oana Avasilichioaei and Richard Harrison read at Collected Works; Nov. 3: Author Shyam Selvadurai reads at Collected Works; 722-1265, www.collected-works.com

DUSTY OWL READING SERIES
Readings at Swizzles Bar & Grill, 246-B Queen St. Open-mic set follows feature readers and music. Sept. 11: Nekusis Publishing Launch; Sept. 18: Seymour Mayne; Oct. 2: Jennifer Whiteford; Oct. 16: David Solway; Nov. 6: Mary Lee Bragg; Nov. 20: Ronnie R. Brown; Dec. 4: John Geddes; Dec. 18: Chocolate House, fundraiser for the Ottawa Food Bank; Jan. 22: Phil Jenkins; Feb. 19: Slam poet Queeverne Kirk; March 19: William Hawkins; April 16: 10th anniversary event; May 21: Christopher Levenson; June 18: Reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream: William Shakespeare meets William Shatner. July 16: Ottawa Spoken WordLympic Team Debut. 230-7710, www.dustyowl.com

FRIENDS OF LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA
Oct. 14-16: Annual used book sale, St. Laurent Shopping Centre. Major fundraising initiative, enabling Friends of Library and Archives Canada to acquire rare archival and library materials.
992-8304, www.collectionscanada.ca/friends/index-e.html

GLOUCESTER SPOKEN ART
Readings by poets and storytellers at Cafe Margit, 2425 St. Joseph Blvd., 2:30-5 p.m., Sept. 18: Luciano Diaz and Erik Martinez, Catherine Sheehan; Oct. 16: Capital Slam Team Poets; Nov. 20: Sylvia Adams, Leah Stinson; Jan. 15: Lynne Alsford, Gail Anglin; Feb. 19: Asoka Weerasinghe, Mushfique Trio; March 19: Seymour Mayne; April 23: Colonel By Creative Writers. 747-2272

LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA
Exhibitions: Until Jan. 15: The Rockies Through the Lens of Time, and Alberta Faces, by photographer Orest Semchishen; Until March 4: Written by War: Canadian Family Stories, 1939-1945; Oct. 18-April 14: Scoop! A Salute to 160 Years of the Ottawa Citizen; Nov. 2-Dec. 31: Hans Christian Andersen. Readings: Sept. 12: Jane Urquhart, reading from her latest novel, A Map of Glass. Sponsored by the Ottawa International Writers Festival; Sept. 13: Tova Clark; Oct. 15: Poets Betsy Struthers, Ronnie R. Brown; Oct. 26: Barbara Florio Graham; Oct. 27: Oonagh Berry and Helen Levine; Nov. 2: Peter Hessel; Nov. 3: Launch of critical edition of Claire Martin's Dans un gant de fer. Other events listed under presenting organizations, such as Canadian Film Institute, 395 Wellington St. 996-5115, www.collectionscanada.ca

MASC ARTS AWARDS
Oct. 25: Free annual event of the Multicultural Arts for Students and Communities (MASC), honouring young people for their commitment to arts. Ottawa writer Brian Doyle as guest speaker, Library and Archives Canada. 725-9119, www.masconline.ca

OTTAWA DEAF CENTRE
Nov. 16: To benefit the literacy programs of the Ottawa Deaf Centre, book clubs and book lovers invited to attend an evening with Frances Itani, reading from her latest book, Poached Egg on Toast. Interpretation in ASL provided. Centre Jules Leger, 281 Lanark Ave. To register, call 729-1467 or visit the website at www.ottawadeafcentre.org

OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL
Sept. 12: Jane Urquhart, Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St.; Sept. 29-Oct. 6: Ninth annual Ottawa International Writers Festival, Library and Archives Canada. More than 40 writers participating in readings, discussions, interviews. This year's writers include Michael Crummey, Neil Bissoondath, Shani Mootoo, Wayson Choy, Susan Musgrave, Michel Faber. Festival passes include Urquhart's reading. 562-1243, www.writersfest.com

OTTAWA PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDATION
Nov. 28: Literary fundraising gala with Frances Itani, prize-winning Ottawa writer, Canadian War Museum. The theme is the 60th anniversary of VE Day, which ties in with Itani's novel Deafening, a finalist for the 2005 IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. 580-2424 ext. 14382,
www.foundationopl.ca

THE OTTAWA SMALL PRESS FAIR
Oct. 15: Room 203, Jack Purcell Community Centre, Elgin Street. Admission free. Exhibitors with poetry books, novels, cookbooks, posters, T-shirts, graphic novels, comic books, magazines, scraps of paper. rob@track0.com or 239-0337.

OTTAWA STORYTELLERS
Events at NAC Fourth Stage. Nov. 2: 150 Years of Ottawa Stories; Dec. 8: Stories For Christmas; Jan. 19: Bollywood Ottawa; Feb. 16: Stories by Farley Mowat; March 16: Irish Famine Stories; April 16: Stories from The Ladies Killing Circle; May 11: Women Weave the World; June 15: Stories for a Summer Night. Ottawa Storytellers also presents Stories from the Ages, stories of epic, myth, romance, every Sunday in January, February, March at Rasputin's Cafe, 696 Bronson Ave. 722-2606,
www.ottawastorytellers.ca

OTTAWA STORYTELLING FESTIVAL
Nov. 2-6: NAC Fourth Stage and Library and Archives Canada. Storytelling magic: Two evenings featuring magical stories and magicians, daytime workshops and storytelling for children, families. 722-2606 or www.ottawastorytellers.ca

PRIME CRIME BOOKS
Nov. 3: Double launch for the latest Ladies' Killing Circle anthology and mystery novel by Mary Jane Maffini, 7 p.m., Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St.; Nov. 7: Toronto mystery author John Brady reading from his latest novel, Islandbridge, Location TBA. Shop is at 891 Bank St. 238-2583

RAVENSWOOD CRAFT AND ZINE FAIR
Sept. 24-June 24: Every fourth Saturday except for December, held at Jack Purcell Community Centre, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., with local artisans, small presses and writers. 237-8763, ravenswing@sympatico.ca

SASQUATCH LITERARY AND ARTS PERFORMANCE SERIES
Second and fourth Sunday of each month, 2 p.m., Royal Oak II, 161 Laurier Ave. East, Ottawa. New season begins Sept. 11 with poet Robert Sward. 238-5911

THE TREE READING SERIES
Free series, open-mic at 8 p.m. followed by feature at 9 p.m., Royal Oak II Pub, 161 Laurier Ave. E., Sept. 13: Ottawa poet William Hawkins; Sept. 27: Montreal humorist David McGimpsey; Oct. 11: Toronto novelist Emily Pohl-Weary; Oct. 25: Saskatoon novelist Anthony Bidulka; Nov. 8: TBA; Nov. 22: Hamilton writer Gary Barwin; Dec. 13: Christmas Tree. All Open Mike Night. 565-0080, www.treereadingseries.ca

UTNE READER SALON
Explore issues and ideas. Group meets the third Monday of each month, 7:30 p.m., Hintonburg Community Centre, 1064 Wellington St. Previous topics have included emotional intelligence, pet peeves, the soul, secrets. 730-4008