Notices | Avis
Atwood to Headline Kingston WritersFest
Revamped Festival Unveils Stellar Lineup, Master Classes, Lunchtime Events
Booklovers, mark your calendars. From September 23 to 26, Kingston will host a major literary festival, as Margaret Atwood, Joseph Boyden, Michael Crummey, Erika Ritter and more than twenty internationally renowned writers take the stage at Kingston WritersFest.
Local media, politicians and members of the arts community were treated to a sneak preview of the program at a festive launch party held recently at the Holiday Inn Waterfront, the new venue for the event.
“It’s going to be terrific,” says Merilyn Simonds, who coordinates a committee of a dozen dedicated volunteers. “Kingston has always been known as a book town. There are great bookstores, more than two hundred book clubs, and some three hundred published writers in the area. We’re bringing in the kinds of big names that you’d see in Toronto and Ottawa, but our festival is more intimate, so audiences will have a chance to get close to writers – not just hear them read but talk to them about their work and craft.”
Kingston WritersFest kicks off on Wednesday, September 23, with a major multimedia event at the Grand Theatre, featuring Margaret Atwood as she launches her long-awaited novel, The Year of the Flood. (Kingston is day two of Atwood’s tour to only five Canadian cities.)
The Atwood event will be followed by three days of readings, on-stage discussions and intimate interviews at the Holiday Inn Waterfront. Kingston’s many mystery buffs can hear New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny and Howard Engel, who has just won a lifetime achievement award for his Benny Cooperman series. Poets include Griffin Prize finalists Kevin Connolly and Karen Solie. ACTRA Award-winning broadcaster Erika Ritter will speak on the timely subject of humans’ relationship with animals. Local luminary Steve Heighton will chat with Michael Crummey about his new novel, Galore, with Joseph Boyden about his Giller-winning book, Through Black Spruce, and with Mark Sinnett about his Hurricane Hazel novel, The Carnivore, which will be launched at the festival.
Kingston WritersFest, an expanded revamping of a small annual festival sponsored by Kingston Literacy and the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, will continue to host the exhilarating Battle of the Books, in which local media celebrities defend their choice for the winner of Kingston Reads.
As well as readings, discussions and onstage events, Kingston WritersFest will offer half-day master classes for emerging and seasoned writers, led by some of Canada’s best creative writing teachers and workshop leaders. Sessions include writing comedy with Erika Ritter, writing the fabulous with Giller and IMPAC nominee Michael Crummey, writing character with Canadian Booksellers Association Author of the Year Joseph Boyden, and writing flash fiction with D. J. Berger. Master classes will be offered in all kinds of writing and for all ages, including publishing sessions on print-on-demand and submitting to literary presses.
Events will run throughout the day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with special package deals for book clubs. Every noon hour, fans can listen to readings while they enjoy a box lunch at Lunch with the Masters. Friday will feature special PA Day events for teen writers. And the whole thing wraps up Saturday evening with a grand finale SpeakEasy, a cabaret of poetry, prose and song.
The festival is garnering widespread community support; its sponsors include Profile Kingston, 98.3 Fly FM, 98.9 The Drive, VisitKingston, the Kingston Frontenac Public Library, Kingston Literacy, The Davies Charitable Foundation as well as private donors.
“We’ve taken the festival to a whole new level,” says Martha Rudden, one of Kingston WritersFest’s original founders. “This will definitely be the hot cultural ticket of the fall. Don’t miss it!”
Tickets go on sale August 1 at the Grand Theatre Box Office. Festival goers can buy them in person at 218 Princess Street, Kingston, by phone at 613.530.2050 or online at www.kingstongrand.ca/tickets.
Watch the festival’s new website – www.kingstonwritersfest.ca – for weekly author profiles, contests and schedule details.
For more information about Kingston WritersFest, contact info@kingstonwritersfest.ca or call Martha Rudden at 613.547.2012.
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Royal Military College alumni renews five-year affinity agreement with Wellington West’s Clearsight Investment Program
TORONTO, July 8 /CNW/ – Wellington West Holdings Inc., a privately held, employee-owned financial services firm, today announced it has renewed its five-year affinity agreement with the Royal Military Colleges Club of Canada (RMCC). Alumni of RMC will continue to receive access to exclusive wealth management services through Clearsight Inc., a subsidiary of Wellington West. “We are thrilled about our continued partnership with RMC,” says Michael Burns, President, Clearsight Inc. “It’s been a challenging time for investors, and we believe our experienced Investment Advisors can provide the high level of wealth management services and expertise the alumni of RMC would expect to receive.”
The Clearsight program of Wellington West provides members of participating university alumni associations’ access to top advisors, premium
investment products and straightforward pricing. Through the program, Wellington West investment advisors are hand-picked to work with alumni
clients. Each client is matched with an investment advisor whose credentials, experience, objectivity and track record are best suited to meet the
individual’s investing profile and objectives. “Clearsight continues to provide the level of service that we know our alumni are seeking,” says Peter Dawe, Executive Director of the RMCC. “Providing our alumni with introductions to high quality services, like wealth management, is important to us and we look forward to a long relationship with Wellington West.”
About Clearsight
The Clearsight investment program is the dominant provider of affinity wealth management services for alumni and professional groups in Canada.
Clearsight has partnered with more than 22 leading universities, representing more than two million well-educated and top income-earning professionals in Canada.
About Wellington West
The Wellington West group of companies provides full-service brokerage, financial planning, asset management and capital markets services. In the 16 years since its inception, Wellington West has become one of the largest and fastest-growing independent full-service wealth management firms in Canada with approximately $8 billion in assets under administration. The majority of the shares are owned by employees. In 2008, National Bank Financial Group acquired a minority interest in the company.
Among its many corporate achievements, Wellington West has ranked among the top 50 Best Employers in Canada for the past four years and re-qualified as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for the past three years. In addition, for six consecutive years, Wellington West has ranked in the top three firms in the country in the Investment Executive Brokerage Report Card survey. For further information visit www.wellingtonwest.com
Les anciens du Collège militaire royal renouvellent leur entente d’affinité de cinq ans en vertu du programme de placement Clearsight de Wellington West
TORONTO, le 8 juill. /CNW/ – Wellington West Holdings Inc., société privée de services financiers appartenant à ses employés, a annoncé
aujourd’hui le renouvellement de son entente d’affinité de cinq ans avec le Collège militaire royal du Canada (CMR). Les anciens du CMR continueront de bénéficier de services exclusifs de gestion de patrimoine par l’intermédiaire de Clearsight Inc., une filiale de Wellington West.
“Nous sommes heureux d’avoir le privilège de continuer notre partenariat avec le CMR”, déclare M. Michael Burns, président de Clearsight Inc. “Les
temps ont été difficiles pour les investisseurs, et nous sommes d’avis que nos conseillers en placements chevronnés peuvent fournir les services de gestion de patrimoine et l’expertise de premier ordre que les anciens du CMR peuvent s’attendre à recevoir.”
Dans le cadre du programme Clearsight de Wellington West, les membres des associations participantes d’anciens des universités ont accès à des
conseillers triés sur le volet, à des produits de placement de premier ordre et à des tarifs simples. Dans le cadre du programme, des conseillers en
placements de Wellington West sont affectés au service de la clientèle d’anciens étudiants. Chaque client est jumelé au conseiller dont les compétences, l’expérience, l’objectivité et les antécédents répondent le mieux à son profil et à ses objectifs financiers. “Clearsight continue de fournir le niveau de service recherché par nos anciens”, déclare M. Peter Dawe, directeur exécutif du CMR. “Nous avons à coeur de pouvoir fournir à nos anciens des services de premier ordre, comme la gestion de patrimoine, et comptons tisser des liens durables avec Wellington West”.
A propos de Clearsight
Le programme de placements Clearsight est le plus important fournisseur canadien de services en gestion de patrimoine par affinité pour les anciens étudiants et les groupes de professionnels. Clearsight a conclu des partenariats avec plus de 22 universités de pointe, lesquelles représentent plus de 2 millions de professionnels très instruits et à revenu élevé au Canada.
A propos de Wellington West
Le groupe de sociétés Wellington West offre des services complets dans les domaines du courtage, de la planification financière, de la gestion de
patrimoine et des placements sur les marchés des capitaux. En 16 ans à peine, Wellington West est devenue l’une des plus importantes sociétés indépendantes à service complet dans le domaine de la gestion de patrimoine au Canada et l’une de celles qui connaissent la croissance la plus rapide, avec approximativement 8 milliards de dollars d’actifs sous gestion. La majorité de ses actions en circulation sont détenues par ses employés. En 2008, Banque Nationale Groupe financier a acquis une participation minoritaire dans cette société.
Entre autres réalisations, Wellington West s’est classée parmi les 50 meilleurs employeurs au Canada au cours des quatre dernières années et a été
nommée l’une des 50 sociétés les mieux gérées au Canada pendant les trois dernières années. De plus, Wellington West s’est classée parmi les trois
meilleures firmes au pays selon le sondage Brokerage Report Card du magazine Investment Executive pour une sixième année d’affilée. Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez visiter www.wellingtonwest.com