U of M lauds Robertson with honorary degree

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A Manitoba author considered prolific has a new honorific.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/10/2023 (1077 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba author considered prolific has a new honorific.

Swampy Cree author David A. Robertson has published over two dozen books and on Oct. 19 was awarded an honorary doctor of letters by the University of Manitoba.

“David Alexander Robertson is a voice for a new generation, one that smites the stigma of mental illness and unveils truths so that Reconciliation can follow,” the university said in a statement.

Dr. Robertson launched his most recent book The Portal Keeper, the fourth book in his Misewa Saga for young readers, on Oct. 14.

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

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The Forest of Reading recreational reading program for schools and libraries has announced the nominees for 2024, with a number of authors and publishers with Manitoba connections having made the list.

Among the nominees: Michael Hutchinson for The Case of the Rigged Race and Colleen Nelson for The Umbrella House in the Silver Birch category (Grades 5-6, fiction); Linda Trinh for The Nguyen Kids 3: The Mystery of the Painted Fan and Winnipeg-born. L.A.-based Jon Klassen for The Skull in the Silver Birch Express category (Grades 3-4, fiction and non-fiction); Maureen Fergus for Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill in the Blue Spruce category (to Grade 2, picture books); and Hetxw’ms Gyetxw (Brett D. Huson) and Natasha Donovan for The Raven Mother, published by Winnipeg’s Highwater Press in the Yellow Cedar category (Grades 5-8, non-fiction).

The Forest of Reading program is run by the Ontario Library Association and features 10 award programs intended to foster reading by people of all ages. For the complete list of nominated authors and books, see wfp.to/6z9.

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McNally Robinson Booksellers’ Grant Park location overfloweth with literary events this week.

Marlene Epp launches her exploration of Mennonite meals, Eating Like a Mennonite: Food and Community across Borders, tonight at 7 p.m. in conversation with Ben Nobbs-Thiessen.

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

On Monday at 7 p.m., ex-cabinet minister, Hall of Fame goalie and lauded author Ken Dryden will launch his memoir The Class: A Memoir of a Place, a Time, and Us in conversation with Free Press editor Paul Samyn. (For a review of The Class, those reading the physical Free Press can turn to page E5.)

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Tuesday sees Alberta-based historian Stephen Bown stop at McNally Robinson at 7 p.m. to launch his latest tome Dominion: The Railway and the Rise of Canada.

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

Island Falls is the debut novella from Winnipeg’s Owen Toews, which the Stolen City author will launch Wednesday at 7 p.m. in conversation with ARP Books editor Irene Bindi.

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

Thursday brings co-editors Neil Bilotta, Christina Clark-Kazak, Maritza Felices-Luna, Shayna Plaut and Lara Rosenboff Gauvin together at 7 p.m. to discuss Messy Ethics in Human Rights Work at an event co-presented by U of M Centre for Human Rights Research

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And on Friday at 7 p.m., Waubgeshig Rice brings his new novel Moon of the Turning Leaves, the sequel to 2018’s Moon of the Crusted Snow, to McNally Robinson, where he’ll be joined for a chat by Rosanna Deerchild at an event co-presented by the Winnipeg International Writers Festival.

Buy on mcnallyrobinson.com

All events are also streamed on McNally Robinson’s YouTube channel.

● ● ●

Robert (Bob) Chrismas launches the sequel to his novel missing-person detective novel The River of Tears on Sat., Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. in the Artspace boardroom at 100 Arthur St. at an event presented by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild.

Dream Catcher brings back detective Jack Bondar and Dani Taylor, who began their search for Dani’s little sister in The River of Tears and pick up where they left off, with an examination of sex traffickers and their victims as well as the trauma endured by families.

Chrismas recently retired from the Winnipeg Police Service and in late September was announced as the head of a new “community safety team” to patrol Winnipeg Transit buses and stops.

books@winnipegfreepress.com

Ben Sigurdson

Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer

Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press‘s literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben.

In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.

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