Alcuin Awards Ceremony - the Toronto edition

The book lovers on the East Coast will also have a chance to admire this year's winning books at the Alcuin Awards dinner in Toronto. Besides having a chance to meet some of the winners, guests will also have the opportunity to hear Rod McDonald speak about Carl Dair and his amazing typeface, Cartier. Rod McDonald is a type designer who created such wonderful faces such as Slate, Gibson, and of course Cartier Book. Some of the award-winning books have featured his typefaces. For a peek at them, you can see Round 1 and Round 2 of the winners, and stay tuned for Round 3.

Will Reuter will also be attending the event, when he will receive the sixth Robert R. Reid Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Book Arts, celebrating his work as a book designer.

The event will start at 5:30 pm, on Monday, October 7th, at the Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, 14 Elm Street. It costs $24.75 (it includes the dinner), which is payable at the door by cash, credit or debit cards, but reservations are required. Please call Naomi Hunter at (416) 597-0223 ext. 3 to reserve your spot, and to specify any food allergies or special requirements.

Alcuin Awards Ceremony - the Vancouver edition

On Wednesday, October 2, we will have the pleasure to meet and celebrate some of the winners of the Alcuin Awards. Sue Colberg, the designer of The Waiting Room, will be there to accept the first prize in the Limited Editions category, and Mark Timmings will receive the second prize for Group Search / Memory Palace in the Pictorial category. Jessica Sullivan really impressed the judges this year, scoring prizes and honourable mentions in five of the eight existing categories, and naturally she will be there to collect. The Children's category - my favourite - will be graced with the presence of both Sara Gillingham, who tied for first and second place, and Robin Mitchell Cranfield, who got a honourable mention. Even if not all winners will be able to make it, those present at the ceremonies will have the privilege of seeing and touching all the winning books. If you want to have a peek before, you can see some of them in the first and second recap. Stay tuned for the third.

If this is not enough to convince you to attend this event, wait, there is more. David Esslemont is the guest speaker and he will give a compelling lecture intriguingly called "Making Books -- and Chili," in which he will talk about his career in book design and his latest project, the cookbook Chili: A Recipe. This summer, the book received one of the Best in Show Awards at Feast! Celebrating Food and Book Art  at 23 Sandy Gallery in Portland. Esslemont is an artist, printer and bookbinder who lives in Decorah, Iowa.

The Alcuin Awards Ceremony will take place on October 2, at 7 pm (come at 6:30 if you want to have a chance to look at the winning books), at Emily Carr University of Art + Design, 1399 Johnston Street, in the South Building auditorium. The event is free of charge.

Word Vancouver

Formerly known as The Word on the Street, Word Vancouver started on Wednesday, September 25 and continues till Sunday, September 29. Held at the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, Word celebrates reading and literacy with compelling events from book exhibits to talks and performances. See the whole schedule here.

The Alcuin Society will participate in the festivities on Sunday, September 29, from 11 am to 4 pm, with a booth displaying the winners of this year's Book Awards. This is a great chance to admire outstanding book design and publishing, while attending performances and workshops, and meeting a Canadian author or two.

Exhibition of 111 West Coast Literary Portraits and Alcuin Society 2013 Book Design Awards

As part of Culture Days, Leigh Square Community Arts Village in Port Coquitlam is organizing a joint exhibition of 40 of the portraits from Mother Tongue's 111 West Coast Literary Portraits by Barry Peterson and Blaise Enright, and Alcuin Society 2013 Book Design Awards winners. The exhibition will be open between September 26 and October 24, and books and portraits will be for sale.

The opening reception is on Saturday, September 28, 2-4 pm. On this occasion, Elee Kraljii Gardiner and Claudia Cornwall will have the opportunity to read and talk about their work.

Alcuin Book Awards 2013 Recap - Round 2

The winners of the Alcuin Society Book Awards will be honoured on October 2 in Vancouver and October 7 in Toronto, but the competition took place way back in March. The Alcuin Society members got a chance to admire the winners' work in their own catalogues, but now it is a good time to remember why we celebrate them. Before the ceremonies start, we will present some of the awarded books at random -- it's so hard to pick and choose from all the typographic and publishing goodness. The first series can be seen here.

There were many wonderful entries in the Children's Books category, which made the judges choices all more difficult. Surprisingly, a colouring book found its way to the top: Robot Feels Sleepy, published, designed and illustrated by Jeff Kulak, got one of the two second prices. What is even more remarkable is that Jeff folded and hand-stitched each copy. The judges appreciated its originality, its clean and simple design and layout.

The first prize in the Prose Non-fiction Illustrated category went to Living the Canadian Dream: How Canadian Tire Became Canada's Store. Written by Daniel Stoffman, designed by Linda Gustafson and Peter Ross, this book is a lovely piece of corporate history. Flaunting an unusual cover, the book was commended for the great production details, particularly the headband, endpapers, and two-piece binding.

When it comes to the Prose Fiction category, the cover carries a lot of weight in the overall design than in other categories, not only due to the creative potential, but also because of the fewer alternatives in designing the content. With Y, Marjorie Celona's first novel, the judges noticed the compelling cover, but also the superior stamping on the binding, and the clean, readable text in Sabon and Didot. The book is designed by Lisa Jager, and published by Hamish Hamilton Canada.

Vancouver Book Fair

For the rare book collector, the Vancouver Antiquarian Book Fair is a real treat. This is the only antiquarian, collectible and rare book fair in Western Canada, and will feature many of Western Canada's top sellers. A wide selection of antiquarian, collectible and rare books, ephemera, maps, prints, manuscripts and works on paper will be on offer at the fair. This includes Canadiana, illustrated and children's books, fine press and limited editions, literature and fine arts, modern first editions and signed copies, as well as science, technology, and many other subject areas publications. The items on offer range from 15th century incunabula to 21st century modern first editions. Everyone, including experienced or novice book collectors, librarians, archivists, scholars or people just interested in books and book arts, is certain to find something of interest at the fair. It will be a pleasure not only perusing and holding the what is on sale, but also maybe taking some of these treasures home.

The event takes place on Saturday, September 28, 12-7 pm and Sunday, September 29, 12-5pm, in the UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson St, Vancouver. This is one of a kind chance to lay your hands on items that you cannot find in your neighbourhood bookstore or library.

The Fair could use the assistance of volunteers, so if you are interested, even in a relatively short shift, please contact Fitnat Fahrner, the floor manager, at fitnat(at)fahrnerandfahrner.com. Any little help would be appreciate.

The Libraries of the National Trust - a lecture by Mark Purcell

On Thursday, September 26, at 7 pm, Simon Fraser University is hosting a very interesting lecture by Mark Purcell, who has been the curator of the Libraries of the National Trust since 1999. The event will take place at the Segal Graduate School of Business, in the Conference Room 1420-1430, on 500 Granville St.

The lecture will explore not only the beautiful collection of books hosted by the Trust, but also the buildings and the people who tend to them. The presentation will be made even more interesting and captivating by the accompanied images which will help the attendees get a better insight of the topic.

Please note that although the event is free, the seating is limited, so don't forget to reserve your seat by emailing to library@sfu.ca

Wayzgoose is almost here

What is the connection between a goose and a printer, you wonder? It's Wayzgoose. Originally this used to be a goose dinner prepared by a young printer at the end of his apprenticeship, when he invited all those who had supported him in his career. Later it came to represent the annual party that a printing house would hold at the end of summer, before the printers went back to working by candlelight.

Today, this centuries-old tradition is still alive, and it has become a time of celebration when printers and book artists come together to exhibit their work to the public. On Saturday, October 5, Alcuin Society is proud to present Wayzgoose, in the Alice MacKay Room at the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, on 350 W Georgia Street. The event will take place between 10 am and 4 pm and admission is free. The public is invited to admire the work of printing presses and book artists, delight in demonstrations that include bookbinding and paper marbling, and remember why we still love paper for its beauty and elegance.

Alcuin Book Awards 2013 recap - Round 1

The winners of the Alcuin Society Book Awards will be honoured on October 2 in Vancouver and October 7 in Toronto, but the competition took place way back in March. The Alcuin Society members got a chance to admire the winners' work in their own catalogues, but now it is a good time to remember why we celebrate them. Before the ceremonies start, we will present some of the awarded books at random -- it's so hard to pick and choose from all the typographic and publishing goodness.

The winner in the Poetry section is Handfuls of Bone, designed by Andrew Steeves and published and printed by Gaspereau Press. Monica Kidd's poems are displayed among playful illustrations, which create one of the most striking books in the competition. The judges considered the typography in the book to be an aesthetic and functional triumph, which complements the engravings in a harmonious way. We would really like to see more poetry books breaking the usual standards and becoming works of art themselves.

Awarded with a a honourable mention in the Pictorial category, Out of the Wood presented reproductions of wood engravings created by Rosemary Kilbourn, accompanied by short notes about the creative process. The book is remarkable for its beautiful full-bleed illustrations and restrained layout. It is designed by Tim Inkster, and published and printed by Porcupine's Quill.

Afternoon Tea: A Timeless Tradition by Muriel Moffat also got a honourable mention in the Reference category. Inspired by the tea ritual at the Empress Hotel in Victoria, the book includes a history of tea and features recipes from the Tea Lobby. Wonderfully designed, the book brings a retro beauty that inspires the reader to relax in a comfortable chair with a cup of flavourful tea in hand. The book is designed by Jessica Sullivan, published by Douglas & McIntyre and printed by C&C Offset.