Anthology of aboriginal writing set to be launched

After two years of intensive story-sorting, a new anthology of aboriginal writing in Manitoba, is ready.

Edited by Niigonwedom James Sinclair and Warren Cariou, Manitowapow contains works from 90 First Nations, Inuit and Métis authors, including Tomson Highway, Beatrice Mosionier, Jordan Wheeler, Rosanna Deerchild and Duncan Mercredi.

The project began with Sinclair's noting that the only Manitoba stories he'd read in school were written by settlers. "As I got older," Sinclair says, "I realized that there were brilliant aboriginal artists and word-makers everywhere, but they were often obscured and given little attention."

"The anthology is the first one in Canada that looks at the aboriginal literature of a single region or province," Cariou says.

Manitowapow will be launched at The Forks Market on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

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Carol Brisebois says she always dreamed of one day writing and publishing a work of fiction. Now the self-published Winnipeg author has written two.

Her first, Her Sparrow, was released in 2010. She will launch Trip at McNally Robinson Booksellers tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Like her first novel, Trip deals with mental health issues, learning disabilities, and addictions. It is about a young man who takes his girlfriend and her child on a road trip in order to protect them from a drug dealer.

Briseboise says, "I wanted people to understand that parents who struggle with emotional issues need our support and compassion too."

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In response to Canada's withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, Victoria's Orca Book Publishers has sent each member of Parliament a copy of Andrew Weaver's Generation Us -- The Challenge of Global Warming. The book is part of Orca's Rapid Reads series for reluctant readers.

Publisher Andrew Wooldridge told book trade magazine Quill & Quire that he was frustrated by the withdrawal and the political wrangling that followed. "I think most Canadians would appreciate it if their politicians took it more seriously than they do."

This is not the first time someone in Canada's writing and publishing community has tried to school parliamentarians. From 2007 to 2011, the efforts of award-winning author Yann Martel to educate Prime Minister Stephen Harper on the value of books were publicized through the website www.whatisstephenharperreading.com. Every two weeks, he sent the prime minister a book and letter. Though Harper did not respond personally, thank-you notes were occasionally issued by the PMO's office.

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Publishers Weekly reports that NBC News will launch a publishing division, and will begin with developing e-books from its "television assets"

Michael Fabiano, newly appointed general manager of NBC Publishing, said it will launch about 30 e-books in its first year using programs such as Today, NBC Nightly News and Dateline.

The first book is expected in February, but no details about content have been announced. Among other possibilities, e-books will be based on current events, biographies and documentaries.

Fabiano adds, "We are open to releasing books in print form if it makes sense to do so."

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 28, 2012 J8