Monday, May 17

Location: Kildonan

Location: Strathcona

The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was the longest and most violent labour conflict to occur in North America at the time. Learn about the experiences of the strikers as they strived for equality and fair conditions, from the halt of production citywide to the tragic events of Bloody Saturday.

• Cost: Free, courtesy of the MB Libraries Conference
• Registration: required (sign up on either the Pre-Conference or Conference registration form)

THIS TOUR IS FULL

The Hudson's Bay Company Archives (HBCA), a division of the Archives of Manitoba, is home to one of Canada's national treasures - the records of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC). Our guided tour will include an overview of the collection and resources, a history of the archive and a look at some selected artifacts.

• Cost: Free
• Registration: required (sign up on either the Pre-Conference or Conference registration form)

Location: Westminister

After the tours and AGMs have finished, head over to the Palm Lounge at the historic Fort Garry Hotel where you can enjoy live local jazz, light culinary fare and a libation or two with friends and colleagues.

Tuesday, May 18

Location: Colbourne

The Manitoba Library Consortium Inc. is an incorporated, non-profit organization created to plan and manage cooperative projects and activities that provides the citizens of Manitoba with faster and more equitable access to the library and information resources of the province. Through the work of the Consortium, member institutions:

• contribute to the long-term educational, economic and social development goals of the Province's communities by building a robust public information network
• maximize the benefits of the public funds invested in libraries of all types by enabling cost sharing projects
• provide excellent library service to Manitoba's citizens by enabling libraries to participate in training, group purchasing, and sharing best practices.

Location: Trade Show, Meet the Author Table A

Author of The Life of Helen Betty Osborne, published in 2008, David Robertson seeks to engage and educate youth about important events in Canada’s Aboriginal history. Stone, the first in a series of graphic novels titled 7 Generations, was published this spring.

Location: Trade Show, Meet the Author Table A

In 2009 Michael Van Rooy won the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. He is the author of the Monty Havikko crime novels An Ordinary Decent Criminal and Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal. This spring the third in the series, A Criminal to Remember, will be released. Michael is also the programming co-ordinator of the Writers’ Collective of Manitoba.

Location: Trade Show, Meet the Author Table B

Mystery writer Alison Preston is the author of several books including Cherry Bites which won a number of awards in 2005. She has been twice shortlisted for the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer twice.

Location: Trade Show, Meet the Author, Table C

John Toone’s recent book of poetry From Out of Nowhere was shortlisted for a Manitoba Book Award. He is also the author of the graphic novel Sixgun Quixote and the children’s books Catch that Catfish and Hope and the Walleye.

SOLD OUT

Join Manitoba publishers, friends, and colleagues for a casual and friendly Opening Night dinner. Enjoy a delicious meal, a free drink, a guest speaker, and celebrate the accomplishments of our award winners. Get ready to test your knowledge: the very popular trivia quiz is back for a second year! Sharpen your skills because there are plenty of prizes for winning tables!

• Cost: $12 for pre-registered delegates, $15 at the door
• Registration: required and limited
• Location: Victoria/Albert

Wednesday, May 19

Charlene Diehl is a writer, editor, critic, teacher, and the director of Thin Air, Winnipeg’s annual literary splash. She did her graduate work at the U of M, receiving a PhD in 1992 under the supervision of Robert Kroetsch. After a postdoc at McGill, and seven years as a professor in the English Department at the University of Waterloo, she returned to Winnipeg in 2000. She has published essays, poetry, non-fiction, reviews, and interviews in journals across Canada, and has to her credit a scholarly book on Fred Wah as well as a collection of poetry, lamentations, and two chapbooks, mm and The Lover’s Handbook. Excerpts from Out of Grief, Singing, which appeared in Prairie Fire, won a Western Canadian Magazine Gold Award. She was the featured poet in the fall 2007 issue of CV2. When she’s not chasing literary language (or her two speedy pre-teens), she edits dig! Magazine, Winnipeg’s little-jazz-engine-that-could.

Location: Trade Show, Meet the Author Table A

In 2009 Michael Van Rooy won the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer. He is the author of the Monty Havikko crime novels An Ordinary Decent Criminal and Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal. This spring the third in the series, A Criminal to Remember, will be released. Michael is also the programming co-ordinator of the Writers’ Collective of Manitoba.

Location: Trade Show, Meet the Author Table B

Susan Rocan is the author of two novels for Young Adults, Withershins and Spirit Quest. Spirit Quest was just released this spring.