HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2016-06-01, Page 17Wednesday, June 1, 2016 • News Record 17
Short fiction is a genre that deserves to be celebrated
The annual Alice Munro Festival of the Short Story will take place in Huron County from June 2 - 5
Laura Broadley
Goderich Signal Star
For four days Huron County
will be awash in Canadian writ-
ing talent
The Alice Munro Festival of
the Short Story will once again
take people through work-
shops, readings, author panels
and lectures from June 2 - 5.
The festival will start off big
with one of Canada's most
renowned authors, Margaret
Atwood. She will be reading a
selection from her short story
collection, Stone Mattress: Nine
Wicked Tales.
Atwood will be joined by
award-winning author Merilyn
Simonds to discuss Atwood's
work, and other subjects in an
informal conversation, which
will be followed by a book
signing.
The reading starts at 7:30
p.m. and the signing starts at 9
p.m. on June 2 at the Blyth Festi-
val. Tickets are $25.
Simonds is no stranger to
The Alice Munro Festival of the
Short Story. In the fall of 2014
she was hired on as a consult-
ant to give advice on how to
revitalize the festival. The work
resulted in a 157 page report
that gave suggestions to reinvig-
orate the festival.
Simonds' proof of expertise
comes in the form of a small
writers' festival in Kingston,
Ont., which she helped turn
into one of the most successful
in Canada.
"I've been there, I know
what it takes" Simonds said. "I
just thought that the Alice
Munro Festival had so much
potential."
Short stories are an impor-
tant medium for emerging writ
ers, and festivals celebrating
them are almost non-existent,
Simonds said.
"It's not a lesser genre. It's
very difficult technically, but it
feels manageable for new writ-
ers" she said.
The short story is not just a
proverbial stepping stone to the
novel, Simonds said.
Simonds is also well -versed
in the work of Alice Munro,
which makes her even more
qualified.
Simonds grew up in south-
western Ontario, and started
reading Munro's work from the
beginning. During that time
there weren't very many Cana-
dian writers that were women.
"It was a tremendous
encouragement for me as a
writer, Simonds said.
Again in the fall of 2014,
Simonds was asked to submit
an essay for the Cambridge
Companion to Alice Munro,
which just came out in March
2016. It is a thorough introduc-
tion to the writings of Munro.
Simonds re -read all of Mun-
ro's work, in order, in prepara-
tion for writing the essay.
"It was really, really, a pro-
found experience," Simonds
said.
Simonds will be participating
in an author panel with fellow
contributor Elizabeth Hay on
June 4 from 9 - 10:30 a.m. at the
North Huron Museum in
Wmgham.
Hay is the author of nine
books, including a collection of
short stories. She won the Giller
Prize in 2007 for her novel, Late
Nights on Air.
Hay has been an avid reader
of Munro since her early 20s.
"I don't know Munro per-
sonally, I know her as a reader
knows an author she admires
with a passion, Hay said in an
email.
The festival being in Munro's
hometown of Wmgham brings
an extra bit of excitement for
Hay.
"I'm most looking forward to
being literally in the part of the
world that produced Alice
Munro, she said.
The complete program and
tickets for the 2016 Alice Munro
Festival of the Short Story can
be found online at www.alice-
munrofestival.ca.
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