The next reading in the Spring Series sponsored by the Canada Council for the Arts is by Bill Gaston. Acclaimed as one of Canada’s pre-eminent authors, Bill is primarily a writer of fiction but has also written plays, poetry and a memoir.
After graduating, Gaston did a variety of jobs – logging, fishing and playing semi-pro hockey – while he developed his writing skills or, as he says, “fooled around with words.” His first collection of short stories appeared in 1989; since then his books have appeared almost annually. He has been short-listed for both the Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award, and his latest novel, World, won the Ethel Wilson Award. In 2013 Gaston won the Timothy Findlay Award honouring the entire body of his work.
Reviews of Gaston’s work are enthusiastic. The Globe and Mail claimed “he merits elevation into the leading ranks of Canadian authors. His writing is gentle, humorous, absurd, beautiful, spiritual, dark and sexy.” The Toronto Star comments: “lord, it seems he’s actually having fun,” while Robert Wiersema in the Vancouver Sun says of him: “few writers can write a sentence quite so powerfully and surprisingly as Gaston.” Gaston will read from a new work to be published in the fall.
Gaston will be reading at the Arts Centre in Sechelt on Saturday, March 25 at 8 p.m. All are welcome. Admission by donation.
