Brian Brennan is one of Alberta's most popular and best-read authors.
The Irish-born writer has been asked twice before to read from his new books at WordFest, the 16-year-old international writers' festival held in Calgary and Banff.
So why is this best-selling Calgary author being told he isn't welcome to read from his much-anticipated memoirs at the 2011 WordFest, which is scheduled to take place this year from Oct. 11 to 16?
A combination of servility by WordFest organizers and a nasty hangover from an ugly labour dispute that rocked Alberta a dozen years ago appears to be the answer.
You see, Brennan was active on the union side in the 1999-2000 lockout and strike at the Calgary Herald and deals with what happened during that important period of Alberta labour history in a key chapter of his memoirs. Add to that the fact the Calgary Herald is a "platinum" sponsor of WordFest and you have all the explanation you require.
At any rate, this was apparently enough for WordFest's timorous organizers to tell Brennan he was no longer welcome to read at the event -- conscious, as they no doubt were, that the Herald didn't exactly cover itself with glory in that long-ago labour dispute.
Naturally, that's not WordFest's story. They have told Brennan that with 70 authors reading, gee, there's just no space for him on the roster. But this is hard to swallow, given his long list of best-sellers, plus the facts they've asked him twice before, talked to him about reading again this year and only changed their minds after they'd looked at a draft of his newest book.
So, while it's a good story, as befits a literary festival, and they're likely to stick to it, insiders insist the real reason was their desire not to offend a major sponsor, even if that meant "WordFest" had to play the censor and muzzle a well-known author. Anyway, they told Brennan he could host a reception, an offer that must have been pretty easy for him to turn down.
The last time Brennan read at WordFest it was from The Good Steward, his best-selling biography of long-time Alberta premier Ernest Manning. He is the author of seven other nonfiction titles, including Romancing the Rockies, which won the inaugural Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award, and Scoundrels and Scallywags, which topped the bestsellers' lists for more than 20 weeks.
Presumably it's OK with WordFest's organizers to let any old piker read from a book about E.C. Manning, but it's just not done to let a 25-year veteran of the Calgary Herald and the dean of Alberta popular historians read about the Calgary Herald dispute. Please!
"The Herald lockout is a part of Calgary history," Brennan says. "Readers are entitled to know why more than 90 journalists walked a picket line for eight months in hopes of securing a first collective agreement with their employer."
So, is the Calgary Herald behind the effort to try to shut Brennan up?
Anything's possible, I suppose, but I strongly doubt it. The Herald would very much like to put that unfortunate part of its history behind it. The lockout and strike certainly hurt its business in Calgary, and did no good to its reputation in journalism. There's been a high turnover rate in the publisher's office ever since. Lately, though, the paper has hired some good people and seems to be trying to do better.
Full Article
Source: Rabble.ca
The Irish-born writer has been asked twice before to read from his new books at WordFest, the 16-year-old international writers' festival held in Calgary and Banff.
So why is this best-selling Calgary author being told he isn't welcome to read from his much-anticipated memoirs at the 2011 WordFest, which is scheduled to take place this year from Oct. 11 to 16?
A combination of servility by WordFest organizers and a nasty hangover from an ugly labour dispute that rocked Alberta a dozen years ago appears to be the answer.
You see, Brennan was active on the union side in the 1999-2000 lockout and strike at the Calgary Herald and deals with what happened during that important period of Alberta labour history in a key chapter of his memoirs. Add to that the fact the Calgary Herald is a "platinum" sponsor of WordFest and you have all the explanation you require.
At any rate, this was apparently enough for WordFest's timorous organizers to tell Brennan he was no longer welcome to read at the event -- conscious, as they no doubt were, that the Herald didn't exactly cover itself with glory in that long-ago labour dispute.
Naturally, that's not WordFest's story. They have told Brennan that with 70 authors reading, gee, there's just no space for him on the roster. But this is hard to swallow, given his long list of best-sellers, plus the facts they've asked him twice before, talked to him about reading again this year and only changed their minds after they'd looked at a draft of his newest book.
So, while it's a good story, as befits a literary festival, and they're likely to stick to it, insiders insist the real reason was their desire not to offend a major sponsor, even if that meant "WordFest" had to play the censor and muzzle a well-known author. Anyway, they told Brennan he could host a reception, an offer that must have been pretty easy for him to turn down.
The last time Brennan read at WordFest it was from The Good Steward, his best-selling biography of long-time Alberta premier Ernest Manning. He is the author of seven other nonfiction titles, including Romancing the Rockies, which won the inaugural Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award, and Scoundrels and Scallywags, which topped the bestsellers' lists for more than 20 weeks.
Presumably it's OK with WordFest's organizers to let any old piker read from a book about E.C. Manning, but it's just not done to let a 25-year veteran of the Calgary Herald and the dean of Alberta popular historians read about the Calgary Herald dispute. Please!
"The Herald lockout is a part of Calgary history," Brennan says. "Readers are entitled to know why more than 90 journalists walked a picket line for eight months in hopes of securing a first collective agreement with their employer."
So, is the Calgary Herald behind the effort to try to shut Brennan up?
Anything's possible, I suppose, but I strongly doubt it. The Herald would very much like to put that unfortunate part of its history behind it. The lockout and strike certainly hurt its business in Calgary, and did no good to its reputation in journalism. There's been a high turnover rate in the publisher's office ever since. Lately, though, the paper has hired some good people and seems to be trying to do better.
Full Article
Source: Rabble.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment