She and her new book will appear in two events. First is a lunchtime discussion at the CBC Centre Stage space on October 13. She’ll share the occasion with Francois Pare, who has studied a different kind of culture from that of science — that of French-Canadian diasporas throughout North America.

Second is an evening celebrating the the crossovers between arts and science, also featuring playwright David Belke and musician Shawn Pinchbeck. David’s play, The Science of Disconnection, creates a portrait of Austrian physicist, Dr. Lise Meitner, her discovery of nuclear fission and her personal and professional struggles as the first woman to be accepted into the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin before WWI.  The Science of Disconnection won a Sterling Award for best new play in 2010.

For details see launch invitation-intersectingsets

This award was established in 1982 in honour of Stephan G. Stephansson (1853-1927) who immigrated to Alberta and homesteaded near Markerville at the age of 36. He was considered the voice of the Icelandic immigrant community and his poetry expressed the alienation and loneliness felt by many who found themselves belonging neither to their homeland or their newly adopted country. Considered Iceland’s greatest poet since the 13th century, he was an avid reader, an ardent pacifist and a philosopher. By 1923, five volumes of his poems had been published and a sixth was published posthumously.

The shortlist for this year’s award also included Robert Kroetsch, Tim Bowling, and Jannie Edwards.

The first is the shortlist for the Pat Lowther award, given each year by the League of Canadian Poets for a book of poetry by a Canadian woman. Alice shares the 2011 shortlist with Dionne Brand, Di Brandt, Evelyn Lau, Pamela Porter and Nela Rio.

The jury said of Memory’s Daughter that the book “moves beyond the harrowing experience of infirm parents and final illnesses, to a celebration of two remarkable people. Wielding meticulous research and a keen sense of place, Alice Major recreates the industrial world of Clydeside, the wartime Glasgow of her parents’ heritage. With glosas, ballads, sonnets, and lullabies, she tells of clocks and photographs, love and politics, of birds and butterflies, factories and alchemy. Memory’s Daughter contains some of the finest formal poetry of the past decade, but handled gently, unobtrusively, helping pure memory to glow just as a gas mantle’s structure helps the old fashioned gaslight illuminate a cobbled street.”

This is the third of Alice’s nine collections to be shortlisted for the prestigious Lowther prize. She took the award for her previous book, The Office Tower Tales.

Memory’s Daughter is also on the shortlist for the Stephan G. Stephansson Award, given annually for a book of poetry by the Writers Guild of Alberta. In this case, Alice shares the honour with Robert Kroetsch, Tim Bowling and Jannie Edwards. The award will be presented to the winner at the Guild’s annual conference in June.

CKUA aired an interview with Alice about the new collection, in conversation with Ken Davis on its Bookmark program.  To hear the interview at the CKUA site, choose “Bookmark” from the “select a program” menu at the bottom, then ‘archived programs’ (April 11, 2010). The interview with Alice starts a little after the 13-minute mark.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given each year to an individual artist who has made such a contribution over an extended period of time. It is sponsored by ATCO Gas.  A brief video about Alice was screened at the awards evening in the Winspear Centre.

The Society hosts five luncheons a year in the ballroom of Edmonton’s historic Macdonald Hotel. The Enbridge Famous Five luncheon series features speakers from the business, academic and not-for-profit worlds — and at least one poet.

The series theme is “Celebrating Women in Leadership: Past, Present and Future.” Poets may not often be thought of as ‘leaders,’ but Alice will speak about her mother (who inspired her book, Memory’s Daughter) — a woman who never took an active part herself in political life but had a vision of education for her daughters, and made them realize that engagement (and opinions) matter.

Time: 11:30 am reception, lunch starting at 12 noon.

The anthology was released in Waterford, Ireland, in mid-March as part of the new Sean Dunne International Festival of Arts and Culture. On April 23 (UNESCO World Book Day) the anthology was launched at the Canadian Embassy in Dublin by Canada’s ambassador to Ireland, and another launch took place at Cuirt, the biggest of the Irish international literary festivals.

Anthology review

The award was established in memory of Pat Lowther, a young B. C. poet who died tragically just before she was to become the League’s first female president.  Previous winners have included distinguished poets such as Gwendolyn MacEwan, Lorna Crozier and Dionne Brandt.

Alice’s book Some Bones and a Story was previously shortlisted for the same award.

The jury said, “The award goes to a landmark volume that offers a wealth of superlative writing, humour and sharp social commentary. ”

The shorlist for the award included Alice and also Marina Endicott for her acclaimed novel, Good to a Fault.