"The Word On The Street Toronto" Brought to You by The Scotiabank Giller Prize

13 Sep 2011

Who: Bestselling Authors

When: Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Where: The Scotiabank Giller Prize Bestsellers Stage at Queen’s Park in Downtown Toronto

The Word On The Street Toronto is very pleased to welcome back The Scotiabank Giller Prize, returning sponsor of The Scotiabank Giller Prize Bestsellers Stage. CBC Radio One hosts Matt Galloway, Jian Ghomeshi, and Mary Ito are set to present a jam-packed program of readings from some of the country’s biggest authors, along with a few surprises at this always-popular festival destination.

New for 2011:

• The Scotiabank Giller Prize Hour – a behind-the-scenes presentation of The 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist

• Bestsellers of Tomorrow, as chosen by their publishers: Brian Francis, Ian Hamilton, and Shane Peacock

• Plus presentations by Bestselling Authors Frances Itani, Kenneth Oppel, Neil Pasricha, Chef Michael Smith and Guy Vanderhaeghe

The 2011 line-up at The Scotiabank Giller Prize Bestsellers Stage is a must-see for any book lover!

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Detailed Outline of Programming at The Scotiabank Giller Prize Bestsellers Stage

12:00 – 12:30 p.m.: This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel

Victor Frankenstein leads a charmed life. He and his twin brother, Konrad, and their beautiful cousin Elizabeth take lessons at home and spend their spare time fencing and horseback riding. Along with their friend Henry, they have explored all the hidden passageways and secret rooms of the palatial Frankenstein chateau. Except one. The Dark Library contains ancient tomes written in strange languages and filled with forbidden knowledge. Their father makes them promise never to visit the library, but when Konrad becomes deathly ill, Victor knows he must find the book that contains the recipe for the legendary Elixir of Life. The elixir needs only three ingredients, but impossible odds, dangerous alchemy and a bitter love triangle threaten their quest at every turn. Kenneth Oppel is the Governor General’s Award-winning author of the Airborn series and the Silverwing Saga, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. His novel, Half Brother, won the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children Award, as well as the CLA’s Young Adult Book Award, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award and CBC Radio’s Young Canada Reads contest.

12:30 – 1:00 p.m.: A Good Man by Guy Vanderhaeghe

A richly layered novel about the end of the Wild West and an utterly gripping story – at once panoramic and intimate – of the lives and loves, the betrayals and the hatreds of men and women trying to find their places among the shifting forces of social order as it overtakes one of the world’s last great frontiers. Guy Vanderhaeghe’s previous fiction includes The Last Crossing, The Englishman’s Boy, Things as they Are, Homesick, My Present Age, and Man Descending. Among the many awards and honours he has received are Canada Reads, the Governor General’s Awards (twice), the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Timothy Findley Award, and the Harbourfront Festival Prize. He lives in Saskatchewan.

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.: Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen: 100 of My Favourite Easy Recipes by Michael Smith

Canada’s most popular chef is back with a brand-new cookbook for all his fans! Chef Michael Smith’s Kitchen is a fabulous new collection of Michael’s all-time favourite recipes that he regularly cooks at home. Simple, easy to make and packed with tips, all you have to do is follow the instructions to create memorable meals such as Oatmeal Crusted French Toast, Coconut Crusted Chicken, Honey Mustard Barbecue Baked Baby Back Ribs, Pan Seared Scallops, Nutmeg Roast Sweet Potatoes or Sausage Sage Bread Pudding. The cookbook also includes lots of delicious recipes for vegetables, grains, side dishes and, of course, Michael’s favourite desserts including his Iron Chef Strawberry Shortcake! Michael Smith is the bestselling author of Chef at Home and The Best of Chef at Home as well as the star of several Food Network TV shows including Chef at Home. A passionate advocate of simple, sustainable flavours, he led the team of chefs that cooked for the world’s Olympians at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. He lives on Prince Edward Island with his son, Gabriel.

1:45 – 2:15 p.m.: Requiem by Frances Itani

Bin Okuma, a celebrated visual artist, has recently and quite suddenly lost his wife, Lena. He and his son, Greg, are left to deal with the shock. But Greg has returned to his studies on the East Coast, and Bin finds himself alone and pulled into memories he has avoided for much of his life. In 1942, after Pearl Harbour, his Japanese Canadian family was displaced from the West Coast. Now, he sets out to drive across the country to complete the last works needed for an upcoming exhibition; to revisit the places that have shaped him; and to find his biological father, who has been lost to him. A story of great loss, redemption, and abiding love, Requiem is a beautifully written and evocative novel about a family torn apart by the past and a man’s present search for solace. Frances Itani, a Member of the Order of Canada, is the author of 14 books – novels, stories and poetry. Born in Belleville, Ontario, she grew up in rural Quebec from the age of four. She has a B.A. in Psychology and English and an M.A. in English Literature. Itani's bestselling novel Deafening won a Commonwealth Writers Prize, and was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Award. Her bestselling novel Remembering the Bones was shortlisted for a Commonwealth Prize and has been published internationally.

2:15 – 3:15 p.m.: Bestsellers of Tomorrow: who are Canada’s next bestselling authors – you be the judge! Publishers pitch their ‘authors to watch’ in a fun, festival first!

Natural Order by Brian Francis

“A mother always knows when something isn’t right with her son.” As a young woman, these words are burned into Joyce Sparks’ mind. Years later, faced with an uncertain future, she sifts through her past, dusting off unsettling memories of her son and the secrets about him she has kept hidden from everyone, even from herself. When she discovers a horrible lie about a treasured childhood friend, Joyce’s world begins to unravel, revealing the devastating consequences of choices she made long ago. From the youthful dreams of a small-town teenage girl to the final, bittersweet stages of life, Natural Order is a timeless story that embraces the traditions we hold close while ushering in a changing world. Brian Francis’ first novel, Fruit, was a 2009 Canada Reads finalist. It was also named one of NOW Magazine’s Top 10 Books of the Year, picked as a Barnes and Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection and was an Extended Book Sense Pick. Francis is a recipient of the Writers’ Union of Canada’s Emerging Author Award. He lives in Toronto.

The Disciple of Las Vegas by Ian Hamilton

Uncle and Ava are hired by Tommy Ordonez, the richest man in the Philippines, to recover $50 million in a land swindle that took place in Canada and involves his brother. The Filipino billionaire's reputation is on the line, and his family is on the brink of disaster. Will Ava save Ordonez's family and reputation? Ian Hamilton has been a journalist, a senior executive with the federal government, a diplomat, and a businessman with international links. The critically acclaimed debut novel in Ian Hamilton's exciting crime fiction series, starring Ava Lee, is The Water Rat of Wanchai.

The Dragon Turn: The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Fifth Case by Shane Peacock

It is Summer 1869. Sherlock Holmes and his friend Irene celebrate her 16th birthday by attending the theater to watch a celebrated magician make a real dragon appear on stage. Sherlock and Irene meet the magician, Alistair Hemsworth, just as he is arrested for the murder of his rival, The Wizard of Nottingham. It seems that traces of the missing Wizard’s blood and his spectacles were found in Hemsworth’s secret studio. But is Hemsworth guilty? Sherlock has his doubts, and soon, so does the reader. The Dragon Turn is full of humour and plot twists as dizzying as a narrow London lane! Author Shane Peacock invites his readers along on another exciting adventure with one of literature’s all-time favorite characters. Shane Peacock was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and grew up in Kapuskasing. A biographer, journalist, and screenwriter, he is also the author of several novels and plays. He has received many honors for his writing, including the prestigious Arthur Ellis Award for Eye of the Crow and the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Vanishing Girl, both titles in his boy Sherlock Holmes series. Shane Peacock lives with his wife and three children near Cobourg, Ontario.

3:30 – 4:30 p.m.: The Scotiabank Giller Prize Hour with Jian Ghomeshi is a behind-the-scenes look at the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlisted books and authors – Who will you choose as the winner?

Jian Ghomeshi is an award-winning broadcaster, writer, musician and producer. He is the host and cocreator of Q, the national daily talk program on CBC Radio One and CBC TV. Since its inception in 2007, Q has garnered the largest audience of any cultural affairs program in Canada and has become the highest-rated show in its morning time slot in CBC history.

4:30 – 5:00 p.m.: The Book of Even More Awesome by Neil Pasricha

From the author of the #1 international bestseller The Book of Awesome and the award-winning, multimillion-hit website 1000awesomethings.com comes even more of the little things that make us smile every day! Neil Pasricha is back with another collection of hundreds of new things from the website, as well as never-before-seen extraordinary moments that deserve celebration like letting go of the gas pump perfectly so you end on a round number, when a baby falls asleep on you, pulling a weed and getting all the roots with it, when your windshield wipers match the beat of the song you’re listening to, the smooth feeling on your teeth when you get your braces off, when the person you’re meeting is even later than you are, and that guy who helps you parallel park. Neil Pasricha is the author of The Book of Awesome which was inspired by his wildly popular blog 1000awesomethings.com. The Book of Awesome became the runaway bestseller of last year and spent over 30 weeks on the national bestseller lists. Neil started his blog 1000 Awesome Things, as a small reminder – in a world of rising sea levels, global conflict, and a troubled economy – of the free, easy little joys that make life sweet.

About The Scotiabank Giller Prize:

The Scotiabank Giller Prize awards $50,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English. Finalists on the Shortlist receive $5,000. The award was established in 1994 by Toronto businessman Jack Rabinovitch in honour of his late wife, literary journalist Doris Giller. In September 2005, Scotiabank became co-sponsor of the prize.

About The Word On The Street:

Every year on the last Sunday in September, in the cities of Vancouver, Lethbridge, Saskatoon, Kitchener, Toronto, and Halifax, The Word On The Street festivals unite the country in a national celebration of literacy and the written word. Annually attracting over 200,000 visitors to its Queen’s Park location, The Word On The Street Toronto is the largest book and magazine festival in Canada.