Authors at Harbourfront Centre: April 2012 (Canada)

Spring into April with AUTHORS! This month's readings begin April 11 with a collection of short stories by Heather Birrell, a powerful and emotional post-WWI story from John Boyne, and Yejide Kilanko's tale of a young woman growing up in Nigeria; the inaugural Human Rights Watch Book Series event on April 18 featuring Minky Worden and Erna Paris; and on April 25 readings by Sadie Jones who shares her story of an eccentric family, Owen Laukkanen who presents his debut thriller, and Liza Marklund who reads from the latest in the Annika Bengtzon series. To top things off, as National Poetry month gets underway, we would like to congratulate Sandra Ridley who took the title at this year's Poetry NOW : 4th annual Battle of the Bards. As winner of the event, which took place March 28 in partnership with NOW Magazine, Ridley will appear at the 33rd International Festival of Authors and will have an ad for her latest book, Post-Apothecary placed in NOW. Upcoming events May 2: Deni Y. Béchard, Steven Heighton May 11:  Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs Conference Day 1: Will Ferguson in conversation with Priscila Uppal May 12:  Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs Conference Day 2: Tim O'Brien in conversation with Joe Kertes May 15 & 16:  Forest of Reading® Festival of Trees™ with ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers May 16: Farley Mowat May 30: Augusten Burroughs Authors at Harbourfront Centre Events begin at 7:30pm York Quay Centre 235 Queens Quay West, Toronto Tickets $10 | FREE for members, youth & students with ID (unless otherwise noted) Box Office + Info | 416-973-4000 | readings.org Wednesday, April 11 Heather Birrell, Mad Hope John Boyne, The Absolutist Yejide Kilanko, Daughters Who Walk This Path Heather Birrell's (Canada) latest collection of short stories, Mad Hope, explores a broad spectrum of topics from motherhood to political history and personal introspection as the characters lead us into worlds both recognizable and alarming. John Boyne (Ireland) shares his latest novel, The Absolutist, about a young man who returns from the Great War to deliver letters to the sister of a soldier who was shot as a traitor during the War. Debut novelist Yejide Kilanko (Canada/Nigeria) presents Daughters Who Walk This Path, about a young girl growing up in politically charged, often violent Nigeria as she learns to protect herself and her sister from a legacy of silence many women in her family share. Wednesday, April 18 Human Rights Watch Book Series The inaugural Human Rights Watch Book Series presents The Unfinished Revolution, a collection of essays by writers from around the world – including Nobel Prize winners, leading activists, and former victims – which tells the story of the ongoing global struggle to secure basic rights for women and girls worldwide. Featuring a conversation about women's rights in the world today with Minky Worden, Editor and Director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch, and Erna Paris, author of the acclaimed Long Shadows: Truth, Lies, and History. Tickets: $10/FREE for members, students, youth 25 & under Special (includes event, reception, and book): $50/$40 patrons, members, students, youth 25 & under Reception begins at 6:15pm and regular reading begins at 7:30pm. Learn more about The Unfinished Revolution here. Wednesday, April 25 Sadie Jones, The Uninvited Guests Owen Laukkanen, The Professionals Liza Marklund, Vanished Sadie Jones' (UK) latest novel, The Uninvited Guests, takes place in rural England after the turn of the last century. The story follows a day in the life of an eccentric family when people from the past come back to haunt them. Owen Laukkanen (Canada) shares his debut thriller, The Professionals, the first in a series featuring Agents Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere. In this instalment, state trooper Stevens enlists FBI agent Windermere to investigate Arthur Pender, who's had a long kidnapping career making low-ransom scores at high volumes. Liza Marklund's (Sweden) latest book in the Annika Bengtzon series, Vanished, sees five murders in one week, a smuggling operation gone wrong, and a crime reporter desperate to find the truth. WIN TICKETS to April 11 Heather Birrell, John Boyne, Yejide Kilanko To win a pair of tickets to this event, answer the following question: What is the name of Heather Birrell's first short story collection? Send your answer to authorsmedia@harbourfrontcentre.com by midnight on April 3. Please write "APR11 TIX" in the subject line. Two winners will be notified by April 5. AUTHORS Info For more information, visit readings.org Questions? Comments? Email us at readings@harbourfrontcentre.com Media inquiries? Contact Jennifer Asselin at authorsmedia@harbourfrontcentre.com Join us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter   BECOME AN AUTHORS MEMBER! Regular Membership Becoming a member of Authors at Harbourfront Centre offers the opportunity to hear the world's best writers of contemporary fiction, poetry and biography all year round. Membership brings you the following privileges: – Free admission to regular weekly events – Discounts on tickets to special events – A minimum discount of 10% for all ticketed events at our festivals A one-year Regular Membership is only $57, two years is $96 (including HST). Patron Membership AUTHORS members who would like to be more involved in AUTHORS programmes may wish to consider becoming a Patron Member. Annual Patron membership is $500 (including HST). Please call 416-973-4760 for more information on Memberships.   International Readings at Harbourfront is a registered, not-for-profit, charitable organization, and it welcomes your support in maintaining the calibre of talent it brings to you. All donations $25 and over are automatically issued a tax receipt. Call 416-973-4760 for more information about Donating Today.   BECOME AN AUTHORS VOLUNTEER! Authors at Harbourfront Centre's programming wouldn't be possible without the scores of volunteers who help year-round in the office, at events, and by spreading the word. It's rewarding and fun! Please email us or call 416-973-4760 to find out about Volunteering.   Harbourfront Centre offers free email newsletters for all of its music, theatre, dance, literary, and kids events. Click to subscribe   Please let us know what you think about these newsletters. Are they too long or too short? Do you have any suggestions to improve them? Send your feedback! Spread the word – please forward this eNewsletter on to anyone who might appreciate it! © 2012 Harbourfront Centre and Authors at Harbourfront Centre 235 Queens Quay West | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | M5J 2G8 All programming subject to change.