May 10, 2010

ANTHONY BIDULKA

Anthony Bidulka’s mystery series tells the story of a half-Ukrainian, half-Irish, Saskatchewan, gay, ex-farm boy, ex-cop, world-travelling, wine-swilling, Canadian prairie private detective living a big life in a small city. The Russell Quant series is a multi award nominee including for the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award and Saskatchewan Book Award. The second book in the series, Flight of Aquavit, was awarded the Lambda Literary Award for Best Men’s Mystery.

Anthony has toured extensively throughout Canada and the US. A great believer in community involvement, he currently sits on the boards of the International Association of Crime Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, and is a co-founder of Camp fYrefly-Saskatchewan (a life skills camp for LGBT youth). In June 2008, Anthony was MC for Canada’s premiere mystery conference, Bloody Words.

The Russell Quant books: Amuse Bouche (2003), Flight of Aquavit (2004), Tapas on the RamblasStain of the Berry (2006), Sundowner Ubuntu (2007), Aloha, Candy Hearts (2009), Date With a Sheesha (2010). (2005).

Bidulka’s last book, Aloha, Candy Hearts, has just been shortlisted for an Arthur Ellis Award for best Canadian Crime Novel. Awards will be handed out at a gala in Toronto on May 27th.

ANNE CAMPBELL

A new collection out, the fifth, from Hagios Press. Working away with fellow editors on a history of the Regina Public Library in the context of a changing city. Still working on a biography of the visual artist Arthur Mckay; a new poetry collection.

May 17, birthday; also Norwegian Independance Day

From Facebook: I like writing, walking, talking, dinners, learning something new, listening to music: Mahler, Mozart, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Serena Ryder, Ian Tyson; movies: favourites are Truly, Madly, Deeply; Zorba the Greek; Tom Jones; The Big Chill; The Tree of Wooden Clogs; Annie Hall, The Reader.

I am lucky to have a great family and friends, and to be able to enjoy music and film. Well, to be alive.

SHELLEY BANKS

Shelley Banks grew up in B.C., Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, went to university in Ontario, and worked in Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa before moving to Regina about 12 years ago.  She writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry, and her work has been published or is forthcoming in Grain, Spring, Room, The Antigonish Review, Carousel, Other Voices, The Society, and Spring.  She recently completed her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of B.C., and is now working on her first poetry collection.