GELA-FLIF-APIRG Edmonton Women's Prison Tour Debriefing - TODAY!!

Update - **Cancelled**

Unfortunately the information meeting about the Edmonton Institution for Women (EIFW) prison library projects that was to be at 5:30 today has been canceled. If you are interested in participating in a discussion like this in the future please let us know and we will be happy to schedule a discussion date that works for the majority of people interested. 
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Don't forget that the GELA-APIRG-FLIF discussion about the Women's Prison Projects today at 5:30 in Humanities 4-42.

Happy Freedom to Read!

Live Blogging from the FLIF Table in HUB

Our information table in HUB is up RIGHT NOW and I am blogging from the table in between chatting with people passing by. Stop by on  your way for a coffee today if you have a chance, we are just across from the InfoLink window in the passage between HUB and Rutherford Library.

Thanks to FLIF member Andrea Pflug for writing up this description of one of the activities happening at our table in HUB today and Friday from 10-3pm and huge thanks to all of the FLIF volunteers who put together this display and have given their time to sit at the table and promote Freedom to Read Week on campus.

Come "Stand Against Censorship". Those who visit the booth in HUB and participate will have the chance to enter to win some great prizes including hockey tickets! We have a designated Free Reading space beside the booth. We invite you all to drop by, read from a banned book, and enter to win.

What do I do?
Drop by the booth, and select one of the banned books from the table. Stand beside our booth, open up your chosen book and start reading aloud.

Reading aloud?! Eeeek!
There is no microphone or speaker system, so you won't be booming down the corridor. Your voice won't carry too far as the HUB be pretty noisy! The important thing is that you will be actively sharing, even if you can only be heard a short distance away. You don't have to do voices, use a puppet, or wave your arms around gesturing (although all of these sound like fun!). If you still feel nervous, try the buddy system! Stop by with someone else. That way you already have a built-in audience, and can read to that person.

How much do I have to read?
This is totally up to you! Some people may be interested in only reading a particular paragraph, while others may want to read a whole picture book.

Why should I participate?
Through 'Stand Against Censorship', we are hoping to actively share materials that have been suppressed elsewhere. We want to exercise our freedom to read, and encourage others to do the same. Plus, all of those who participate will be entered into a draw for some great prizes... Did I mention the hockey tickets?

I have a favorite banned book. Can I bring it and read from that?
Of course!

When are you running the display?
Wednesday and Friday (this week), 10 am - 3 pm.
We are located in the HUB, right by the entrance point (pedway) from Rutherford.

Help us celebrate Freedom to Read Week, and enter to win!
We look forward to seeing you Stand Against Censorship!

FTRW: Free discussion with Paula Simons & Greg Hollingshead

The Canadian Literature Centre and the Writers Guild of Alberta are hosting a free discussion with renowned author Greg Hollingshead and his former writing student and Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons in celebration of Freedom to Read Week. This talk will focus on Simons' experiences as a local journalist who has received both acclaim and criticism for her journalistic writing. These two literary personalities will also discuss how Freedom to Read Week is connected with freedom of expression and challenges that both novelists and journalists face once their work is published.

Please join us in this discussion Thursday March 1, 2012 at 7pm in the U of A Law Centre 231/237. The event is free and open to the public, please RSVP via Eventbrite here:  
Celebrate Freedom to Read Week with the Can Lit Centre and the WGA

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Greg Hollingshead has published three novels and three story collections. In 1995 his third story collection, The Roaring Girl, won the Governor General's Award for Fiction. In 1998 his novel The Healer won the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Giller Prize. His latest novel, Bedlam (2004), was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and was a Globe and Mail 100 Best Books of the Year and a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice for 2006. Greg's work has been published in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and China. He is a professor emeritus at the University of Alberta and director of the Writing Studio program at The Banff Centre. In 2007 he received the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Gold Medal for Excellence in the Arts. He is currently at work on his seventh book, a novel. He lives with his wife Rosa Spricer in Edmonton. For 2011-12 he is serving as Chair of the Writers' Union of Canada.

Paula Simons is the Edmonton Journal's award-winning City columnist. A born-and- bred Edmontonian, Simons is a graduate of the University of Alberta (BA Hon.) and Stanford University (MA), as well as a former fellow at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. Over her years with the Journal, she has served as provincial affairs columnist, culture columnist and as a member of paper's editorial board. Simons has earned five prestigious National Newspaper Award citations of merit for her editorials, columns and investigative political reporting.

Welcome to Freedom to Read Week!

Welcome to the first day of Freedom to Read Week!

Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

To celebrate this week of awareness and activism on campus FLIF is hosting a display of banned and challenged materials on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in HUB on the U of A campus. Look for our table near the passage to Rutherford Library and stop by to check out some of the Freedom to Read information and pick up a great Freedom to Read themed button in exchange for a donation to the Edmonton Institution for Women's prison library projects. Keep an eye on the blog for the next week for other events and updates on campus and around Edmonton. 

Thanks for your support and please stop by to say hello. A fantastic group of dedicated FLIF members have put together a great display this year. 

Edmonton Institution of Women Library Project Discussion - Wednesday @ 5:30

GELA, APIRG, and FLIF will be holding an open presentation and discussion about GELA's literacy and library projects at the Edmonton Institution for Women (EIFW) this Wednesday as part of Freedom to Read Week. This is a great opportunity for anyone who missed the discussion that took place in SLIS late last year or would like to hear more about these projects and getting involved volunteering with GELA and EIFW. The meeting will take place in Humanities 4-42 on Wednesday, Feb 29th at 5:30.


This is a great opportunity to talk directly to GELA and FLIF members who are involved with this project and a pertinent topic to think about during Freedom to Read Week. This is highly recommended for anyone interested in these projects or working with marginalized populations.

Freedom to Read Week at EPL

Freedom to Read week begins February 26 and FLIF will be hosting a display of banned and challenged materials on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in HUB on the U of A campus. Look for our table near the passage to Rutherford Library and stop by to check out some of the Freedom to Read information and pick up a button (for a donation to the Women's Prison Library Projects). Keep an eye on the blog for the next week for other events and updates. 

EPL will be hosting the following event at Stanley Milner, hope to see you there! 

In celebration of Freedom to Read week 2012, Edmonton Public Library presents War of the Words: Language and Politics.

Reports in the corporate media reveal another victim of U.S. imperial policy: language. The use of words is a powerful tool in shaping public opinion. In military briefings repeated by the media, we have "collateral damage" instead... of civilian deaths. Designated enemies are ruled by "hardliners" while we have leaders. They launch "aggressive" wars while we "defend" ourselves. Euphemisms make the bloody reality of war a more palatable sell to the public.

Join EPL in welcoming David Barsamian – award-winning founder, director and host of Alternative Radio, the independent weekly talk radio series heard around the world – to close out Freedom to Read Week 2012.

When: Saturday, March 3, 2012 | 7:00pm

Where: Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre (Basement Level)

More: http://www.epl.ca/freedomtoread and http://on.fb.me/barsamian

Cost: FREE

About David Barsamian

One of America’s most tireless and wide-ranging investigative journalists, David Barsamian has altered the independent media landscape, both with his weekly radio show Alternative Radio—now in its 26th year—and with his books with Noam Chomsky, Eqbal Ahmad, Howard Zinn, Tariq Ali, Arundhati Roy and Edward Said. His latest book of interviews with Noam Chomsky is How the World Works. Barsamian, who was deported from India a few months ago due to his work on Kashmir and other revolts, discusses world affairs, the state of journalism, censorship, the economic crisis and global rebellions.