The next three Wednesday evenings see book launch events at the Salt Spring Public Library, beginning with Robert Hilles tonight (Nov. 10).
Beginning at 7 p.m., Hilles will read from his third novel, called Don’t Hang Your Soul on That, as well as his latest poetry book, From God’s Angle.
His novel is set in Thailand and combines a spiritual journey with a murder mystery and offers many insights into life in Thailand.
From God’s Angle is about the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear accident. It explores the various long-term impacts of the Chernobyl nuclear accident including stories about those who have continued to live in the area for the past 35 years despite the radiation.
Hilles now divides his time between Nanaimo and Khon Kaen, Thailand but lived on Salt Spring Island for 17 years. He won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry for Cantos from A Small Room and has published 24 books, including 18 books of poetry.
His novel called Raising of Voices won the George Bugnet Award while his poetry book, Wrapped Within Again, won the Stephan Stephansson Award.
Brett Josef Grubisic is a long-time English department lecturer at UBC who now resides full time on Salt Spring. My Two-Faced Luck is Grubisic’s fifth novel.
Loosely based on a luxury liner murder off the coast of Victoria in 1985, My Two-Faced Luck takes the form of a memoir, compiled from cassette tapes left to a former infirmary nurse by a deceased inmate. An account of queer life in the U.S.A. from the Depression to the Reagan years, the man’s recollections create a startling portrait of the small possibilities granted to a sexual minority by intolerant society.
He will read from his new novel on Wednesday, Nov. 17 beginning at 7 p.m.
Then on Wednesday, Nov. 24, also at 7 p.m., Peter Freeman will read from his just-released Elements: Twelve Stories, which is a collection of stories in groups of three aligned with the four classic elements. Although the subject matter varies, there is a theme of caring and resolution that permeates each story.
Freeman is a Salt Spring resident who writes nonfiction and fiction novels, screen and stage plays, short stories, magazine articles, and poetry. He is the winner of The Fieldstone Review’s 2019 literary prize and a finalist for both the Best of 2020 Adelaide Literary Award and the Best of 2018 Adelaide Literary Award.
Wearing of masks and presentation of a vaccine card are mandatory for all events.