Building on its successful 2012 reading series, “Mennonite/s Writing: Celebrating the First 50 Years,” Conrad Grebel University College is pleased to present “New Mennonite/s Writing,” a seven session reading series showcasing new work by some of the most prominent authors in the field, including: Rudy Wiebe, Jeff Gundy, Miriam Toews, Patrick Friesen, Di Brandt, David Bergen, and Carrie Snyder.
On Wednesday, January 21st, BC-based poet Patrick Friesen will return to Grebel to read from his forthcoming book of poems, A Short History of Crazy Bone. Author of fifteen books of poetry and recent winner of ReLit Award, Friesen’s work consistently challenges—and rewards—readers with its beautiful exploration of faith, experience, and language itself.
Patrick Friesen is an award-winning writer who has published fifteen books of poetry, a book of essays, a play and, with P. K. Brask, co-translations of several Danish poets. He has also written stage and radio plays, text for dance, and has recorded two CDs of spoken word and improv music with Marilyn Lerner. His work has been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Award, and he has won the Manitoba Book of the Year award and the ReLit Award for poetry.
The series will be hosted by Robert Zacharias, Assistant Editor of The Journal of Mennonite Studies and Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in the English Department at the University of Waterloo. He is author of Rewriting the Break Event: Mennonites and Migration in Canadian Literature, and editor of After Identity: Mennonite/s Writing in North America, forthcoming from Penn State UP.
The New Mennonite/s Writing series at Conrad Grebel, which promises seven evenings of compelling literature with some of Canada’s most celebrated authors, is an exciting opportunity for readers and book clubs alike.
Everyone is welcome; admission is free.