An evening with Bill Gaston and Margriet Ruurs
7 p.m. Shoal Centre, 10030 Resthaven Drive, Sidney, B.C.
Tickets $10 (including refreshments) are available online and at Tanner’s Books. A package of tickets to all three events in the Spring 2018 Reading Series is available for $20 at Tanner’s Books only. All proceeds from ticket sales will go to support the 2019 Sidney and Peninsula Literary Festival.
Buy tickets online: Bill Gaston and Margriet Ruurs – March 23, 2018
Join us for an evening of tribute to the human spirit.
Bill Gaston’s new book A Mariner’s Guide to Self Sabotage is populated by the lonely and alienated, holders of secrets, members of shadowy organizations, screw-ups, joyriders and runaways. They are unbelievable yet recognizable and somehow, in spite of themselves, they manage to stumble into peace and even wisdom.
Margriet Ruurs‘ book Stepping Stones was inspired by the beautiful stone artwork of Syrian artist Nizar Ali Badr. It tells the story of Rama and her family, who are forced to flee their once-peaceful village to escape the ravages of the civil war raging ever closer to their home.
About the Authors
Bill Gaston’s fiction has been nominated for the Giller Prize, twice for the Governor General’s Award, and his most recent novel, The World, won the Ethel Wilson Prize for fiction. Barbara Gowdy has said of his latest work, A Mariner’s Guide to Self Sabotage, “In this new collection Gaston’s range is so wide, his technique so masterful, his tenderness, humour and intelligence so finely measured that he stops my heart. He currently lives in Victoria where he teaches at the University of Victoria. Aside from teaching at various universities, he has worked as a logger, salmon fishing guide, group home worker and, most exotically, playing hockey in the south of France.
Margriet Ruurs is the author of over 35 books for children and educators. She lives on Salt Spring Island, where she runs a booklovers’ Bed & Breakfast called Between The Covers. She is a book reviewer for The International Educator and writes a regular column for Canadian Teacher Magazine. Her books have appeared in the York Times and on bestsellers lists. She has won many awards for her books, including The Information Book Award, Moonbeam awards, and the Crystal Kite award. Several of her books have been named ILA’s Notable Book for Global Awareness. Most of all Margriet loves reading with her two young grandsons and playing with language. www.margrietruurs.com