Upcoming Kids Events in January by Alexandra K - Thursday, Dec 29, 2011 at 3:53pm

Sandi Sellen: Launching The Duck's Vacation, a children's picture book. Saturday January 14, 2:00 pm in the Atrium.

Elizabeth Budney: Signing My Little Red Mittens, a children's picture book. Saturday January 21, 2:00-4:00 pm by the cash desk.

David Alexander Robertson & Scott B. Henderson: Launching Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story, a graphic novel for young adults on Thursday, January 26th at 7:30 pm. in the Cafe.

Learn to Knit: For children ages 8 and up. The cost is $30.00, supplies included. Wednesdays, February 1st, 8th, 15th, 7:00-8:00 pm.

Events in the new Community Classroom (registration required):

Gee-Whiz Science: Find out the science behind some simple hands-on experiments. For children ages 8-12. Thursdays, February 9th and 16th, 6:30-8:30 pm. Cost is $20.00.

Words Worth: How to Hold an Audience's Attention. Learn about public speaking. For ages 12 and up. Saturdays, February 18, 25, March 3. Cost is $75.00.

Categories: Winnipeg, Event News

Two Manitobans Medal at Independent Publishers Moonbeam Awards by Chadwick Ginther - Monday, Oct 17, 2011 at 4:15pm

On November 12th, two Manitobans will be honoured at the 5th annual Independent Publishers Moonbeam Awards, held in conjunction with the 2nd annual Traverse City Children's Book Festival. The awards are "intended to bring increased recognition to exemplary children's books and their creators, and to celebrate children's books and life-long reading."

It's been an amazing run for Brandon author Craig Russell's debut novel, Black Bottle Man. The book, previously shortlisted for On the Same Page through the Winnipeg Public Library, as well as the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Author and the McNally Robinson Book of the Year for Young People Award (Older Category) at the Manitoba Publishing Awards, won the Gold Medal in Moonbeam's Young Adult Fiction (Fantasy/Sci-Fi) category. Black Bottle Man is also currently in the running for the Prix Aurora Award for Best Long Form Work in English.

Winnipeg's Rae Bridgman tied for a Bronze Medal in the Pre-Teen Fiction-Fantasy category for her book Kingdom of Trolls.

A complete list of prize winners may be found here:

Categories: Awards, SciFi & Fantasy, Winnipeg

2011-2012 On the Same Page Finalists Announced by Chadwick Ginther - Monday, Jun 27, 2011 at 7:33pm

Vote! Help select the next chapter for On the Same Page. Which Manitoba book, by a Manitoba author, do you think should get the On the Same Page this year? From the short list below, select the title you'd like for Manitoba's biggest book club. The poll closes Saturday, September 10, 2011.

• Baldur's Song, by David Arnason
• Winnipeg 1912 by Jim Blanchard
• Le Soleil du Lac Qui Se Couche / The Setting Lake Sun by J. R. Léveillé
• Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell

You may vote by clicking here. In October, 2008, The Winnipeg Foundation launched On The Same Page. The Literacy for Life Fund supports family literacy programming across Manitoba. Gifts to the fund are permanently endowed and the income generated supports inter-generational literacy projects at community organizations and library branches throughout the province.

Categories: Awards, Authors, SciFi & Fantasy, Winnipeg

2011 Prix Aurora Shortlists Announced by Chadwick Ginther - Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 1:46pm

Congratulations to Brandon's Craig Russell for being shortlisted for the 2011 Prix Aurora Award for Best English Novel. We've been fortunate at McNally Robinson in Winnipeg to have hosted four of the five nominees in this year's novel category.

The Prix Auroras will be awarded the weekend of November 18-20 at the Canadian national science fiction and fantasy convention, this year hosted by SFContario.

Best English Novel:

• Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell, Great Plains Publications
• Destiny's Blood by Marie Bilodeau, Dragon Moon Press
• Stealing Home by Hayden Trenholm, Bundoran Press
• Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay, Viking Canada
• Watch, by Robert J. Sawyer, Penguin Canada

Two nominated anthologies feature stories by Manitobans: Tesseracts Fourteen, edited by John Robert Colombo and Brett Alexander Savory, includes "Heat Death, or Answering the Ouroboros Question" by Brandon's Patrick Johanneson and "Chrysalis" by Winnipeg's Ronald Hore appears in Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead, edited by Nancy Kilpatrick. There are also two new categories this year: Poetry or Song Lyric and Graphic Novel.

A complete list of 2011 nominees

Categories: Awards, SciFi & Fantasy, Winnipeg, Horror