Giller Prize winner makes Trillium short list
Six books and three poetry titles have been shortlisted in English-language categories for the 2017 Trillium Book Award celebrating Ontario-based writers.
In the book category, Scotiabank Giller Prize winner André Alexisis a finalist for The Hidden Keys and Kamal Al-Solaylee made the list for Brown: What Being Brown in the World Today Means (To Everyone). Brown is also a finalist for the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing.
Danila Botha’s For All the Men (and Some of the Women) I’ve Known was chosen as were Leesa Dean’s Waiting for the Cyclone, Susan Holbrook’s Throaty Wipes and Melanie Mah’s The Sweetest One.
English-language poetry finalists are Laurie D. Graham for Settler Education: Poems, Meaghan Strimasfor Yes or Nope and Dane Swan for A Mingus Lullaby.
The French-language finalists are Jean Boisjoli, La mesure du temps; Louis L’Allier, Nikolaos, le copiste; Eric Mathieu, Les suicides d’EauClaire; Paul-Francois Sylvestre, Cinquante ans de ‘p’tits bonheurs’ au Théâtre français de Toronto and Michele Vinet, L’enfant-feu.
Trillium Book Award winners receive $20,000, and their respective publishers $2,500 to promote the winning titles ($10,000 and $2,000 for poetry and French-language children’s literature winners). All finalists get a $500 honorarium.
This year’s winners will be announced in Toronto on June 20.
Dance inspired by Cohen, Beatles
A dance production inspired by Leonard Cohen and another honouring the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band will be part of the Sony Centre’s second annual international Dance Collection.
The program will feature the Toronto premiere of Dance Me by Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, which will have its world premiere in Montreal the week before. Described as an homage to the late Cohen, it uses some of his most beloved songs and is choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andonis Foniadakis and Ihsan Rustem.
Also onstage will be the Canadian premiere of Pepperland by Mark Morris Dance Group, which includes an original score performed by a chamber music ensemble intermingled with six songs from the Sgt. Pepper’s album.
Also of note, Sutra by the Sadler’s Wells dance company, an awardwinning collaboration between choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley and 19 Buddhist monks from the Shaolin Temple in China.
The Dance Collection runs from the fall through spring 2018. See sonycentre.ca for more details and ticket information. Debra Yeo
Kimmel back on health care offensive
Jimmy Kimmelzinged his critics as he returned to late-night TV and resumed arguing that Americans deserve the level of health care given his infant son. Back on Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday after a week’s absence, he said baby Billy is recovering well from open-heart surgery. Then he charged back into the fraught topic.
He dismissed those who labelled him an elitist — as a youngster, his family bought powdered milk because they couldn’t afford fresh, he said — and pretended to repent for his previous comments.
“I’d like to apologize for saying that children in America should have health care. It was insensitive, it was offensive and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.” The Associated Press
Kelly and Ryan head to Niagara Falls
Fresh off the announcement of their daytime TV partnership comes news that Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest are heading to Niagara Falls, Ont., to tape two episodes of their show.
The June 5 and 6 episodes of Live With Kelly and Ryan will broadcast from the Oakes Garden Theatre in the Canadian city.
It’s not the first time the series has trekked north of the border.
In 1996, when it was known as Live With Regis and Kathie Lee, and again in 2006 when Ripa had joined Regis Philbin as co-host, the show was aired from the Oakes Garden Theatre.
The visit comes just in time for Canada 150 celebrations. Go to KellyandRyan.com for information on how to get tickets. Debra Yeo