Kate Beaton/Ian Rankin book launches
Tuesday/Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Muriel Richardson Auditorium, Winnipeg Art Gallery (300 Memorial Blvd.)
Tickets: From $38.10, mcnallyrobinson.com
A pair of high-profile writers in two very different genres stop by the Winnipeg Art Gallery next week to launch their latest books.
Ducks
First up is Kate Beaton, who will launch her latest graphic novel on Tuesday at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands depicts the two years Beaton spent working in Alberta’s oilsands after university to pay off her student debts, detailing the people she met and the culture she experienced in the process.
In her review of Ducks for the Free Press, Nyala Ali said “This stunning graphic memoir… (is) an affecting coming-of-age narrative that delves into the larger sociopolitical issues at play in this contentious environment,” and that “this important book will no doubt continue to garner critical acclaim and inspire discussion, but audiences might also consider the personal cost incurred after sharing one’s experiences so unflinchingly on the page in such immersive, heartrending detail.”
Beaton launches Ducks in a conversation with University of Winnipeg professor (and Free Press book reviewer) Candida Rifkind.
The following day, one of the world’s leading thriller writers touches down to talk about his latest whodunit, as Ian Rankin’s bestselling John Rebus series of mysteries returns with the 24th instalment, A Heart Full of Headstones.
A Heart Full of Headstones
The newest Rebus adventure sees the sleuth accused of a crime that could see him land in jail for quite some time. And when a corrupt cop goes missing after claiming to harbour secrets about Edinburgh’s police force, DI Siobhan Clarke must put together the pieces — and deal with the potential connections to Rebus.
No spoilers, but in his forthcoming Free Press review Nick Martin calls A Heart Full of Headstones “one of the best books Sir Ian has written in the last few years. We can only hope there’ll be many more.”
Rankin launches A Heart Full of Headstones in Winnipeg on Wednesday at the WAG in conversation with McNally Robinson co-founder (and Free Press book reviewer) Ron Robinson.
Admission to Beaton’s launch of Ducks is $57.14 plus taxes, and includes two tickets and a copy of the book. The launch of Rankin’s A Heart Full of Headstones is $38.10 plus taxes, and also includes a copy of the book and a pair of tickets. Both combos are available at mcnallyrobinson.com.
— Ben Sigurdson
Crafted: Show + Sale returns to the WAG
Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq
Admission $10 at the door, free for Indigenous peoples and kids under 12
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Renowned Inuit carver Goota Ashoona is one of the 100 artists presenting work at Crafted this weekend.
One hundred artists from Manitoba, Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Nunatsiavut will descend on downtown Winnipeg this weekend for the Winnipeg Art Gallery-Qaumajuq’s eighth annual craft show and sale.
Those in attendance will be able to shop works of art in a wide range of media, including textiles, glass, wood, metal, clay, bone and more. From the displayable (carvings, ceramics, household goods) to the wearable (jewelry, clothing) to the frameable (prints), there’s no shortage of fine, handmade, unique treasures for you to gift — ‘tis almost the season, after all — or keep for yourself.
Crafted offers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience; the $10 admission includes access to the galleries and current exhibitions, including Robert Houle: Red is Beautiful, INUA and Transmissions. Want a sneak peek at the sale? View a full list of the artists participating in CRAFTED at www.wag.ca.
— Jen Zoratti
A month of free Manitoba Music
Thursdays in November, 7 p.m.
The Forks Market, 1 Forks Market Rd.
Free to attend
Local music. Free of charge. All month long.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dylan MacDonald, a.k.a. Field Guide performs at The Forks tonight.
Beginning tonight and running every Thursday throughout November, Manitoba Music is hosting free pop-up concerts showcasing local talent in the upper level of The Forks Market. The double-header shows start at 7 p.m. in the EQ3 Lounge and Room 201.
This evening kicks off with sets by Field Guide — who is fresh off the release of a new self-titled album — and Diaphanie.
On Nov. 10, Ethan Lyric and Matt Foster take the makeshift stage, followed by Madeline Roger and the Dr. Henry Band on Nov. 17 and Ila Barker and Juvel on Nov. 24. Visit manitobamusic.com for more information.
The events are designed as a celebration of the resilience of the local music community amid the pandemic. Grab a pint and bite from The Common and enjoy some original tunes sans cover.
— Eva Wasney
Bros. Landreth at the Burt
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Burton Cummings Theatre
Tickets: $40.50-$50.75 at ticketmaster.ca
BnB Studios Joey, left, and Dave Landreth bring songs from Come Morning to the Burt on Saturday.
The Bros. are back in town.
Bros. Landreth, the Winnipeg roots-rock group with a Juno Award on their mantelpiece, could probably do a fair rendition of the Thin Lizzy classic, but expect them to play tracks from their new album Come Morning instead when they take the stage at the Burton Cummings Theatre.
The show winds up a busy fall touring schedule for Dave and Joey Landreth, which included shows in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, and then back to the Great White North for a 12-date western Canadian tour, which winds up Saturday night with a hometown celebration.
Come Morning, which Bros. Landreth released in May and is the band’s third album, has Joey Landreth showing he’s more than just a guitar-picker.
He plays piano, synthesizer and a Hammond B3 organ on the new record too, but it’s the intensity of the songs he wrote with Dave during the COVID-19 pandemic they’re most proud of.
“The songs that we’re singing on this record feel more personal and vulnerable than anything we’ve done yet, and, unsurprisingly, these are easily some of our favourite songs we’ve written,” he wrote in a short essay when Come Morning was released.
“If you start with our records from the earliest through to this one, I think there’s a path that begins with songs that explore more superficial ideas and gradually works its way here, to what I really think is a more profound scrutiny of who we are and how the history of our lives have shaped us into the dads, partners, friends and musicians that we are now.”
An example of this is the track Corduroy, a quiet and slow blues shuffle that puts the lyrics and the Landreths’ vocals front and centre.
— Alan Small
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Alan Small
Reporter
Alan Small has been a journalist at the Free Press for more than 22 years in a variety of roles, the latest being a reporter in the Arts and Life section.
Read full biography
Ben Sigurdson
Literary editor, drinks writer
Ben Sigurdson edits the Free Press books section, and also writes about wine, beer and spirits.
Read full biography
Jen Zoratti
Columnist
Jen Zoratti is a Winnipeg Free Press columnist and co-host of the paper’s local culture podcast, Bury the Lede.
Read full biography
