The 2nd annual Word Feast

The 2nd annual Word Feast begins next week, and we invite you all to take in as many of the events as possible. The ‘odd sundays’ event during this year’s festival will be held on September 23 at Corked Wine Bar, 83 Regent St., beginning at 2 pm.

The afternoon will feature the results and awarding of the first place prize from Word Feast’s postcard story contest. The judge chose the winning story from five, written by the following four authors:

Emma Rhodes, who is a third year student at St. Thomas University here in Fredericton, honouring in English

Roger Moore, whose most recent publication, Bistro, was a finalist in the New Brunswick Book Awards.

Evonne Haley, who is a self-published author of two novels,

Sarah’s Quest and Catherine.

Neil Sampson, who was born and raised on the Bay of Fundy, but — apart from using the occasional adverb — has settled in nicely on the Nashwaak.

The judge for the contest was Rabindranth Maharaj (Robin), a recent UNB writer-in-residence. Along with the finalists for the contest Word Feast guest, Brian Bartlett, will attend. He will read of his own work and present the award. Brian has authored seven collections of poetry and two books of prose, Ringing Here & There: A Nature Calendar (Fitzhenry and Whiteside) and Branches Over Ripples: A Waterside Journal (Gaspereau). He has also edited volumes of selected poems by Don Domanski, James Reaney, Robert Gibbs and Dorothy Roberts, as well as Collected Poems of Alden Nowlan.

An open mic session will conclude the afternoon, on the festival theme of Personal and Cultural Memory, and how memory, like the St. John River is constantly changing as it flows and moves through time, gathering new information and experiences.

Contest entrants will be on hand and the five finalists will read their work during the afternoon. Please come and show your support.