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Niagara Literary Arts Festival 2016
Wednesday, June 1st
@ Savoury and Sweet Restaurant
3770 Bridgewater St, Niagara Falls
700pm start time
featuring
Stan Galloway
with Puneet Dutt, Jim Johnstone, Shane Neilson and Sherman Zavitz
Stan Galloway teaches English at Bridgewater College in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2013 and Best of the Net in 2011 and 2012. His collection Just Married (Unbound Content, 2013) focuses on early relationship lessons from the point of view of a new groom. His chapbook Abraham (Sierra Delta Press, 2012) looks at the life of the biblical Abra(ha)m and the perplexities of his experience. A Bird’s Life (Books on Blog, 2012) gathers poetic observations about, and sometimes from the point of view of, various feathered creatures. He has had more than 100 other poems published (in such places as Boston Literary Magazine, Contemporary World Literature, Muddy River Poetry Review, Red Booth Review, and vox poetica) and has also written a book of literary criticism, The Teenage Tarzan (McFarland, 2010). He has been featured at the Niagara Literary Arts Festival (St. Catherine’s, ON) and the Turner Cassity Literary Festival (Douglasville, GA). He has a determined interest in the production and influence of poetry around the globe. “Rhapsody in Blues” (2016) is his first chapbook with Grey Borders Books.
Puneet Dutt’s poetry has been published by the League of Canadian Poets, in Imaginarium 4: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing, and in a number of literary journals. Puneet is a member of the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto. She has an MA in English from Ryerson University. She resides in Toronto with her husband. puneetdutt.com.
Jim Johnstone is a Canadian poet, editor, and critic. He’s the author of four books of poetry: Dog Ear (Véhicule Press, 2014), Sunday, the locusts (Tightrope Books, 2011), Patternicity (Nightwood Editions, 2010) and The Velocity of Escape (Guernica Editions, 2008); and the subject of the critical monograph Proofs & Equational Love: The Poetry of Jim Johnstone by Shane Neilson and Jason Guriel. He’s the winner of several awards including a CBC Literary Award, The Fiddlehead’s Ralph Gustafson Poetry Prize, Matrix Magazine’s LitPop Award and This Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary Hunt. Currently, Johnstone is the poetry editor at Palimpsest Press, and an associate editor at Representative Poetry Online. He lives in Toronto.
Shane Neilson is a poet, critic, physician, and Vanier Scholar at McMaster University. Born in New Brunswick, he now lives in Oakville. He was shortlisted for the Trillium Poetry Award in 2011 and won the Robin Blaser award in 2015. His most recent book of poetry is On Shaving Off his Face (Porcupine's Quill, 2015.)
A retired teacher, Sherman Zavitz has had a fascination with the history of Niagara Falls and area for many yeas. He is a past president of The Lundy’s Lane Historical Society and has served on the Board of Directors for such organizations as The Canadian Canal Society, The Friends of Fort George and the Niagara Falls Museums. He has been recognized for his historical expertise by being appointed Official Historian for both the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario and The Niagara Parks Commission. The author of a number of books about Niagara Falls’ heritage, he has also been a columnist for The Niagara Falls Review over many years. He is a frequent speaker on historical topics, conducts annual walking tours and has been a step-on Niagara tour guide for over 25 years.
Thursday, June 2nd
Niagara Falls History Museum
5810 Ferry St, Niagara Falls
700pm start time
featuring
Daniel Perry
with Kristen Smith, Puneet Dutt, Terry Trowbridge and Stan Galloway
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Daniel Perry is the author of the short fiction collections Hamburger (Thistledown, 2016) and Nobody Looks That Young Here (Guernica, 2018). His stories have appeared in The Dalhousie Review, Exile: The Literary Quarterly, The Prairie Journal of Canadian Literature, SubTerrain, Riddle Fence, Little Fiction, and other magazines, as well as the anthologies Hearing Voices (Bareback, 2014), The Lion and the Aardvark (Stone Skin, 2013) and CVC Book Two (Exile, 2012). Originally from small-town Southwestern Ontario, Perry obtained a Master of Arts degree from the Centre for Comparative Literature at the University of Toronto, and has lived in that city since 2006. |
Kristen Smith received her Master’s Degree in English from the Literatures of Modernity Program at Ryerson University. She is the founder of The Musings Collective and a member of the Arts & Letters Club of Toronto. She has works published with Inter-Disciplinary Press, the International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics, and Canthius. One of her poetry collections, Voices, was awarded the Graham Atlantic Writing Prize. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies at York University in Toronto, Ontario.
Thursday, June 16th
Fine Grind Café
35 James Street, St. Catharines
700pm start time
featuring
Rusty Blackwood
with Byan Minnes and Sherman Zavitz
Top ranking romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood believes the flair for fantasy is anything the mind wishes it to be, and she is a master at this. Within her expressive mind is found an endless array of romance, passion, textures and colors to sweep the reader to exotic, faraway places where anything is possible, proving that her words really do leave you breathless.
Canadian born Blackwood grew up on her paternal grandfather’s farm in south-western Ontario, Canada, where she developed her love of writing while still in grade school, entering numerous competitions and writing exhibitions throughout her area, and attributes her love of writing to her late father James, and to Gladys Carroll, her elementary teacher. Although unprofessionally trained in the field, Rusty has always had an affinity for the written word, a gift to express it, and has demonstrated this talent many times since becoming a serious writer in 2001.
Ms. Blackwood now resides in the cultural city of St. Catharines, Ontario and when not at her keyboard, enjoys art, music, nature, gardening, and spending quality time with family, friends, and her loyal cat, Tipper.
Bryan Minnes: A lifelong reader with a dream to write …to inspire And touch hearts in laughter and sadness. Past Entrepreneur …Educator …Writer …Public Speaker …Mentor. A Grandfather, retired, living in the Niagara Wine Region His Inspiration, Simon & Garfunkel “Preserve Your Memories; They’re All That’s Left You”
Thursday, June 23rd
Niagara Falls History Museum
5810 Ferry St, Niagara Falls
700pm start time
featuring
Andrew Porteus and Sherman Zavitz
Andrew Porteus was first employed in the book business almost 40 years ago selling Colliers Encyclopedias door-to-door, then in various library jobs and finally found a home at the Niagara falls Public Library in progressively senior roles, becoming Manager of the Information Resources & Connections Department and Chair of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library Board. He also has a keen interest in the culture & heritage of the area and has been active in many roles. He is married to a wonderful wife, Louise, who encourages him in his various eccentric hobbies and together they live on a Christmas tree farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Together they have 5 children and whole passel of grandchildren. Niagara Mornings is Andrew's first independent collection of work.