Algoma University’s Department of English and Film is pleased to announce the launch of Algoma Reads, modeled after the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s (CBC) successful Canada Reads. Algoma Reads is being offered as part of the University’s celebration of and critical engagement with Canada’s 150th anniversary.
Algoma Reads is a new initiative to bring the community together on campus to celebrate literacy and reading and support civic engagement. Participants are encouraged to read the Canada Read’s five-novel shortlist in order to engage in group discussions and the corresponding five, three-hour public talks which will include prominent literary figures in the fall of 2017.
The 2017 CBC Canada Reads shortlist includes:
- Madeline Ashby’s Company Town
- Andre Alexis’ Fifteen Dogs
- M. G. Vassanji’s Nostalgia
- Katherena Vermette’s The Break
- Sheila Watt-Cloutier’s The Right to Be Cold
Algoma Reads will kick-off this winter with the Algoma Reads Community Book Club in the Arthur A. Wishart Library on Wednesday evenings from 5:30pm – 7:00pm in which participants will discuss the Canada Reads shortlist. Participants are encouraged to come prepared to the club with questions, having read the novels. Each book club date is being led by students and alumni from the University’s Honours Bachelor of Arts in English program. The book club dates are:
- March 8: Fifteen Dogs with Kylee Garson and Ashton Carter
- March 29: The Break with Kylee Garson and Meaghan Kent
- April 12: Company Town with Ashton Carter and Drake Pawis
- April 26: The Right to be Cold with Kylee Garson
- May 10: Nostalgia with Kylee Garson
Please visit the Algoma Reads webpage to enroll in the Algoma Reads Community Book Club.
Algoma U students can participate in the book club and/or enroll in ENGL1996 and ENGL2996 in the fall semester for credit. The courses are open to all students who need to fulfill credit in the humanities.
High school students can also earn credit by enrolling in ENGL1996 through the Early Access Program (EAP). Secondary school students who complete the requirements of this course and enroll at Algoma U will receive three credits on their official transcript.
Those who participate in Algoma Reads are encouraged to also engage in discussions happening online in the Algoma Reads Facebook group. Discussions are being used to conduct research by Assistant Professor and Chair of the Department of English and Film, Dr. Alice Ridout. Ridout will be overseeing the Algoma Reads program.
The Algoma Reads Community Book Club is open to the public. To participate, you will need to complete the registration form that will be posted on the program’s Facebook Group or can be obtained by emailing [email protected] The cost is $50 ($40 for retirees and school teachers; $30 for high school and Algoma University students) which includes borrowing the five books, free parking, refreshments, and an Algoma Reads mug. Members of the public will also be able to access the fall lectures by purchasing a continuing education package for all five events or tickets for individual events.
More details on Algoma Reads will be announced later in the year and on the program’s Facebook group.
For more information, please contact Ridout at [email protected] or call 705.949.2301, Ext. 4390.
About Algoma University
Algoma University was established in 1965 and is located in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Algoma University is a small, undergraduate, teaching-focused university that places an emphasis on serving the needs of Northern Ontario. Algoma University offers a wide range of degrees spanning the liberal arts, sciences, and professional disciplines. As a partner with Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig, Algoma University has a special mission to cultivate cross-cultural learning between Aboriginal populations and other communities. Algoma University also offers satellite programming in Brampton and Timmins. For more information, please visit www.algomau.ca.
