International Week to celebrate Canadian writing

Jul 30, 2004

The Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies, in partnership with Foreign Affairs Canada and the Wollongong UniShop, will launch 'Border Crossings', a new book by Gerry Turcotte, and 'A Little Bit of Witchcraft', the latest edition of the Nortel Networks Publications series by Roch Carrier, on Thursday August 5 as part of International Week at the University of Wollongong.

International Week is held each year to celebrate UOW's cultural diversity and commitment to international research and study partnerships, which contribute to the continued success and growth of its academic community.

On August 5, representatives from the Canadian High Commission, The Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies, and UOW's Study Abroad Programs will join forces to provide information about study and exchange opportunities for students in Canada. An information booth, open from 10:30am to 2:30pm, will be set up opposite the National Bank ATM machines for those interested in asking questions about study and life in Canada. At 12:30pm, a seminar will be held in Building 20, Room 2, for UOW undergraduate students interested in studying in Canada.

Following the events of the day, The Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies will host an 'All Canada Day' reception and Canadian Writers Night at the UOW Function Centre. Professor Andrew Wells, Dean of Arts, and L. Richard Kohler, the Consul-General of Canada, will be present to launch Roch Carrier's 'A Little Bit of Witchcraft' and Gerry Turcotte's 'Border Crossings'. Also attending will be distinguished Canadian writers Andy Quan, David Reiter, and Yuko Shibata, who, along with Gerry Turcotte, will read selections from their works.

Associate Professor Gerry Turcotte is Director of The Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies and Head of the School of English, Philosophy and Languages at the University of Wollongong. He is a long-time citizen of Australia, a migrant from French Canada who has written many works dealing with the experience of migration, foreignness and separation, including his celebrated novel, 'Flying in Silence' (2001), which was short listed for The Age Book of the Year.

His latest multi-sensory offering is 'Border Crossings: Words and Images', which is published in Australia by Brandl and Schlesinger and has been supported by a generous grant from the Government of Canada. This mixed media work weds images and words with careful artistry to captivate readers and implore them to journey through the hauntingly rich and powerfully evocative, emotional landscape of the cross-cultural experience.

Roch Carrier is a French-Canadian writer and the former National Librarian of Canada who is renowned for his contribution to the Canada's literary geography in the form of his classic children's story, 'The Hockey Sweater'. In September 2002, Roch Carrier visited Wollongong to deliver the third annual Nortel Networks Canadian Studies Address. This address, entitled 'A Little Bit of Witchcraft: Patriots in the New Land of Writing' and now available in print form, is Roch Carrier's sensitive exploration of the magic of writing, the importance of reading, and the charms of oral narratives. Also included within this collection is the first-ever French translation of Roch Carrier's 'L'Ours et Le Kangourou' by UOW's Associate Professor of French, Brian McCarthy.

Andy Quan is an accomplished singer/songwriter and the perceptive author of such works of fiction as 'Calendar Boy' and 'Slant'. Born in Vancouver, Canada, Mr. Quan now works out of Sydney, where he campaigns tirelessly for improved AIDS awareness and tolerance as the International Policy Officer for the Australian Federation of AIDS.

David Reiter is an award-winning author of poetry, fiction, scripts, and multimedia. A resident of Brisbane, David has won many accolades for his work, including the Queensland Premier's Poetry Award (1989), the South Australian Award for Poetry (1998), and the Steele Rudd Award for Short Fiction (2001). As Director of the Brisbane-based print and digital publishing house, Interactive Publications Pty Ltd., he currently devotes his time and interest to cross-discipline collaborations in text and visual media.

Yuko Shibata is a Research Associate at the Centre for Japanese Research, Institute of Asian Research, at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Her PhD dissertation, which she completed at the University of British Columbia in 2003, used longitudinal research to explore shifting identities of five generations of Japanese-Canadian women. Currently, she is writing a book on cultural sharing among Japanese- Canadians through life narratives of pre and post-war Japanese-Canadian (Nikkei) women and their descendants. Born in Sapporo, Japan, she presently resides in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.

For further information contact:

Meagan Dallimore (Canadian Studies Fellow)- The Centre for Canadian-Australian Studies

Tel: 4221 3737 or e-mail: meagand@uow.edu.au

For more information, contact:

media@uow.edu.au
University of Wollongong
Ph: (02) 4221 5942; fax (02) 4221 3128