Weekend AM

Trudy Morgan-Cole is an award winning writer and teacher. Her writing generally falls in the historical fiction category, and her new work, That Forgetful Shore, certainly meets all the requirements -set at the turn of the last century, it involves two great friends, the children of their friends, the Great War and its impact on a small Newfoundland community, and how these friends grow apart, grow up, and grow together again.

Telefilm Canada, one of the crucial funding agencies for films made in this country, is coming to St. John's on Monday for what they're billing as a client consultation / information meeting. Telefilm says the meetings will outline changes in their programs that have come about through other regular meetings with stakeholders in the country's film industry. Dave Forget is a Director of Business Affairs and certification for Telefilm Canada, he is one of the representatives who will be presenting at Monday night's meeting. I called him earlier this week and asked him what Telefilm will be doing in St. John's.

Book Fridge is a blog about all things books - like, librarian's tattoos, or what book Alison Pick wished she'd written - or their new project, Newfoundland Reads, where you get to choose the book from this province that everybody should dive into. Kerri Cull is the writer of Book Fridge, she lives in Labrador City. I called Kerri this week and asked her to describe Book Fridge for us.

The ninth annual Newfound Music Festival begins Thursday at the School of Music. Mack speaks with Clark Ross, composer, professor, and the driving force behind the Festival, and by Krista Vincent, a pianist who is among this year's featured performers. Welcome to the Weekend Arts Magazine, Krista and Clark.

Mack speaks with renowned poet John Ennis, who is a guest at this year's Sparks Literary Festival.

Andrea Cooper is an internationally-known video artist from Newfoundland. Her work has been exhibited across Canada from Vancouver to St. John's. She has had work premiered twice now at the Berlin International Film Festival's Forum Expanded, in 2007 and 2010, as well as in Antwerp, Belgium. Andrea uses non-conventional narrative and performance in her work - you may remember the 70' women from her film Starring Part 2." Andrea opens a new installation in about ten days in Toronto. Mack speaks with her about her art, her career and her new show.

The Third Sparks Literary Festival takes place next Sunday on the St. John's campus of Memorial University. It is an opportunity for readers to meet writers, to hear them read from their own work, and for emerging writers to meet experienced writers and publishers. Mary Dalton is the festival director.

Chris O'Dea has a hankering for history, and when he met up with a distant relation in Australia who traces his family's roots back to the early 19th century in Newfoundland... and a song written about Newfoundland ... a song never heard before ... well, the Weekend Arts Magazine just had to be there when Chris phoned Pete, one of his Oz relations ... who now lives in Texas!

Long-time members of the CBC Radio and TV audience will know the name, voice and face of Jeanne Beker from the time she spent here in the last century; a generation of MUCH Music watchers will remember her, too, from The New Music. People who tune in CTV's Fashion Television will know Jeanne as the host of that program. Soon, fans of Ruth Lawrence will know Jeanne Beker as the star of Ruth's new short film, 2 Square Feet. Ruth won this year's RBC Michelle Jackson Emerging Filmmaker Award for the script and she is in production this weekend. Jeanne and Ruth came to the studio for a chat with Mack.