Deborah Dundas to host The RBC Taylor Prize's final roundtable event

Final roundtable event before the conclusion of the RBC Taylor Prize For Literary Nonfiction's 20-year history

The RBC Taylor Prize and the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) are delighted to present the 2020 RBC Taylor Prize Finalists in Conversation on Thursday, February 27 at 7:30pm at Harbourfront Centre. The esteemed authors, representing Canada's leading works of literary non-fiction from 2019, will take part in a roundtable discussion, moderated by Deborah Dundas (Books Editor, Toronto Star), followed by an audience Q&A. The 2020 RBC Taylor Prize finalists will be announced on January 8, 2020.
The RBC Taylor Prize and TIFA are proud to collaborate on this annual event one last time in the lead up to the March 2 winner announcement of the final RBC Taylor Prize, which after 20 years will reach its conclusion in 2020. The event will celebrate the best achievements in literary non-fiction from 2019, through lively discussion with The Prize's five finalists.

The event is free to attend, however, pre-registration is encouraged at  FestivalofAuthors.ca.

About the RBC Taylor Prize

2020 marks the 20th anniversary of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor's pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $5,000 for each finalist, and a further $25,000 for the winner.

About the Toronto International Festival of Authors

The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) is Canada's largest and longest-running festival of words and ideas. Since 1974, it has hosted over 9,000 authors from more than 100 countries, including 22 Nobel Laureates. TIFA connects curious readers of every kind with leading authors and provides forums to showcase Canadian talent to the world. TIFA presents events and programmes all year round and will celebrate the 41st edition of the Festival October 22 – November 1, 2020.
The RBC Taylor Prize Our thanks Cision Canada (CNW Group) for their long time sponsorship of the Prize.

For further information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Stephen Weir & Associates, Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868 | cell: 416-801-3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com; Amy Dennis, Head of Marketing, 416-973-4395 | adennis@festivalofauthors.ca
Organization Profile

King and Shields Talk Water Lilies (and Claude Monet)

ROSS KING DELIVERS THE 2018 RBC Taylor Prize Talk at Toronto International Festival of Authors Sunday October 28th, 2 pm. Brigantine Room, 205 Queens Quay West.

For immediate release – Art historian, Ross King, winner of the 2017 RBC Taylor Prize will discuss his award-winning book, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet at the Painting of the Water Lilies, with AGO’s Caroline Shields, at the Toronto International Festival of Authors, Sunday October 28th, at 2pm. The book tells the true story of Manet’s iconic paintings at Giverny, widely touted as the last hurrah of Impressionism, and  also discusses Manet’s personal turmoil during WW1 and the last years of his life.  He will discuss this with Caroline Shields, Asst Curator of European Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and a specialist in 19thCentury European Art. Tickets and information are available at www.festivalofauthors.ca. About the RBC Taylor Prize Established in 1998 by the trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation and first awarded in 2000, 2018 marks the seventeenth awarding of the RBC Taylor Prize, which commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. Awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the Prize consists of $5,000 for each finalist, and a further $25,000 for the winner. All authors are presented with a custom leatherbound version of their shortlisted book at the awards ceremony. The Prize provides all the finalists with promotional support to help all of the nominated books to stand out in the media, bookstores, and libraries. Earlier this year, Tanya Talaga won the 2018 RBC Taylor Prize for her book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City, published by House of Anansi Press.

What it means to be Aboriginal in Canada today

THOMAS KING TO PRESENT AWARD TO LEANNE SIMPSON - HARBOURFRONT THIS TUESDAY AT 5.30

In celebration of National Aboriginal Day, RBC Wealth Management and the RBC Taylor Prize will host a special evening on June 17 with acclaimed authors Thomas King, winner of the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction for his book The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, and Dr. Leanne Simpson, winner of the 2014 RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award.

Leanne Simpson to receive Award Tuesday 5pm at Harbourfront

When:  Tuesday, June 17, 2014, 5 p.m.

Where: Studio Theatre, York Quay Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay West, Toronto, Ont.

What: With National Aboriginal Day on June 21, the authors will discuss what it means to be Aboriginal in Canada today, how myths and stereotypes have impacted the perception of Aboriginal peoples, and the role of indigenous people on the national consciousness.

In addition, Dr. Leanne Simpson, writer, scholar and educator from the Alderville Reserve, Ontario, will receive the inaugural 2014 RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award. Dr. Simpson was chosen for this award by author Thomas King, the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize winner for his book The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America. The award will be presented by Founder of the RBC Taylor Prize, Noreen Taylor. 

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Interview Opportunities:

• Thomas King, 2014 RBC Taylor Prize winner
• Leanne Simpson, 2014 RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award
• Vijay Parmar, President, RBC PH&N Investment Counsel

-->Noreen Taylor, Chair, Charles Taylor Foundation

For tickets / interviews / further information about this event please contact:

Stephen Weir 416-489-5868, 416-801-3101, Stephen@stephenweir.com

RBC Taylor Prize Communications

Tony Maraschiello, 416-974-9334, tony.maraschiello@rbc.com

RBC Corporate Communications

 

www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

Facebook: www.facebook.com/RBCTaylorPrize | Follow us on Twitter: @taylorprize

The International Festival of Authors featuring the authors nominated for the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize

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IFOA TO PRESENT AN EVENING OF LITERARY NON-FICTION WITH THE SHORTLISTED RBC TAYLOR PRIZE AUTHORS ON MARCH 7

The International Festival of Authors’ 40^th season continues in March with an event featuring the authors nominated for the 2014 RBC Taylor Prize.

All five finalists for this year’s RBC Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction will take the stage at Harbourfront Centre for a lively panel discussion. Join Charlotte Gray (The Massey Murder: A Maid, Her Master and the Trial that Shocked a Country), Thomas King (The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America), J.B. MacKinnon (The Once and Future World: Nature As It Was, As It Is, As It Could Be), Graeme Smith (The Dogs Are Eating Them Now: Our War in Afghanistan), and David Stouck (Arthur Erickson: An Architect’s Life) for an event like no other.

This panel discussion is supported by Maclean’s Magazine. It will take place at 7:30pm in the York Quay Centre along the waterfront (235 Queens Quay West). Tickets are $10 to the general public, FREE for supporters of the IFOA, students and youth 25 and under with ID. 

Media interested in covering this event should contact Stephen Weir at stephen@stephenweir.com

Presented annually to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception, the RBC Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates.Since its inception as The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, the Prize has helped engage Canadians in literary non-fiction and boost sales of its finalists’ books. The winner of this year's $25,000 prize will be announced Monday, March 10.

The RBC Taylor Prize was founded to commemorate the life of the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada ’s foremost essayists and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community. Charles Taylor was a foreign correspondent with The Globe and Mail and the author of four books: Radical Tories, Reporter in Red China,Six Journeys: A Canadian Pattern, and Snow Job.

The Trustees of the Charles Taylor Prize Foundation are Michael Bradley ( Toronto ), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen Taylor ( Toronto ). The Foundation gratefully acknowledges the support of RBC Wealth Management as its presenting sponsor, along with its major sponsor Metropia, and greatly appreciates the support of its media sponsors CNW Group,

The Globe and Mail, Maclean’s Magazine,  The Huffington Post Canada, Global Television, Quill & Quire Magazine, and CBC.CA, and its in-kind sponsors IFOA, Ben McNally Books, Event Source, and The Omni King Edward Hotel.

Since its inception in 1974, IFOA has hosted over 8,500 authors from more than 100 countries, including over 20 Nobel Laureates. Their season runs from September to June and includes the annual International Festival of Authors (October 23–November 2, 2014), including Young IFOA and IFOA Ontario, and the annual ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers with Forest of Reading® Festival of Trees™ (May 14–15, 2014).

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For further information, please visit: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca

Follow the Prize on Twitter: @taylorprize 

Follow IFOA on Twitter: @IFOA

Join IFOA on Facebook: IFOA: International Festival of Authors

Visit IFOA online: ifoa.org

To download high-resolution images related to the 2014 prize, please visit:www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca/2014/photogallery_14.asp

Issued by/Media Contact:

Stephen Weir & Associates, Publicists, RBC Taylor Prize

Stephen Weir: Direct: 416.489.5868 | cell: 416.801.3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com

Linda Crane: Direct: 416.727.0112 | cranepr@rogers.com

IFOA Media Contact:

Maeve O’Regan: moregan@ifoa.org; 416-973-5836

Charles Taylor Prize Authors on Stage at Harbourfront with Kenneth Whyte

ALL FIVE CHARLES TAYLOR PRIZE FINALISTS IN CONVERSATION
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Get to know the authors behind the books shortlisted for the prestigious Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction at an unforgettable evening hosted by Kenneth Whyte, president of Rogers Publishing and presented by Authors at Harbourfront Centre and Maclean’s magazine.

Moderator David Staines engages each author to reveal the stories behind their books and their writing process.

·      Carol Bishop-Gwyn talks about The Pursuit of Perfection: A Life of Celia Franca

·      Tim Cook talks about Warlords: Borden, Mackenzie King, and Canada’s World Wars

·      Sandra Djwa talks about Journey with No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page

·      Ross King talks about Leonardo and The Last Supper and

·      Andrew Preston talks about Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: Religion in American War and Diplomacy

ONE EVENING – FIVE REMARKABLE AUTHORS – Wednesday, February 27^th – 7:30 pm

Brigantine Room, York Quay Centre, 235 Queen’s Quay West

For tickets: http://www.readings.org/?q=weekly/ctp

The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented by RBC Wealth Management and commemorates the life and work of the late Charles Taylor, one of Canada’s foremost essayists and a prominent member of the Canadian literary community. Charles Taylor was a foreign correspondent with The Globe and Mail and the author of four books: Radical Tories; Reporter in Red China; Six Journeys: A Canadian Pattern; and Snow Job.

The Charles Taylor Prize recognizes excellence in Canadian non-fiction writing and emphasizes the development of the careers of the authors it celebrates. It is awarded annually to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception. For more information: www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca and on Twitter @taylorprize. 

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Media contact: Stephen Weir  & Associates

Stephen Weir: Direct: 416.489.5868 | Cell: 416-801-3101 | stephen@stephenweir.com

Unsuccessful PR Efforts

TALES FROM THE BLUE BIN:  TWO REALLY BAD PROMOTIONAL IDEAS

Saying something loudly doesn't make it true. Doubly so when it is the printed word doing the yelling.

I was given a card (pictured top) to keep so that I wouldn't forget the show I had just paid to see. Since then the card has been pinned to my corkboard wall. It has been up there for a while.  It has taken a couple of Starbuck splashes over that time.
I took it down when I realized the card's message hadn't worked. I can't tell you what show I was given this at. An art show? A play? A dance performance? Hmm. Probably something at Harbourfront. Won't ever know now, it has been moved into my blue bin.
Two years ago I was on assignment in the Yucatan. Cave Diving. One of the caves came to the surface near the beach community at Tulum. We stripped out of our wetsuits and drove to the coast to enjoy the sun, the open space and the blue sea (all the opposite of what we had been scuba diving through). Walking the beach I took this picture of a bench in the white sand.

The chair's signature -- The Only Chair You Will Remember For the Rest of Your Life -- is a lie. Today I was warehousing photos onto a backup hard drive (my digital blue bin) when I looked at the picture once again. Had to check my notes to see where I had taken the picture ... I had forgotten the chair, the beach and even the country I was in, when I took the photo.
In the world of PR there is a lot of borrowing. Here are two ideas that you don’t want to sneak out of my wastebasket.

 

A Night of Literary Non-Fiction

IAN BROWN to headline IFOA's REAL LIFE: A Night of Literary Non-Fiction

Friday, Oct. 29th at 8:00 p.m.
Lakeside Terrace, York Quay Centre at Harbourfront

Winner of The Charles Taylor Prize now Canada's most highly acclaimed non-fiction author

TORONTO, Oct. 21 /CNW/ - Multiple book award winner Ian Brown is the most successful literary non-fiction writer Canada has ever produced. In 2010, his book, The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for His Disabled Son (Random House Canada), swept all of the major non-fiction prizes in the country. In addition to winning the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, Brown's book won the B.C. National Book Award and the Trillium Book Award, and the accolades keep coming: the book is shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, to be announced in November.

WHO:
Author Ian Brown, winner of the 2010 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, appears at Harbourfront's esteemed International Festival of Authors. Ian Brown joins fellow non-fiction writers Charles Foran, Charlotte Gray and poet Meaghan Strimas. Each will read from their most recent works. The evening is hosted by non-fiction author Larry Gaudet.

WHAT:
Ian Brown will read from his award-winning book The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for his Disabled Son.

Born with a genetic mutation so rare that perhaps 300 people around the world live with it, Ian Brown's son, at age twelve, weighs only 54 pounds, wears diapers, can't speak and needs to wear special cuffs on his arms so that he can't harm himself. "Sometimes watching him," Brown writes, "is like looking at the man in the moon - but you know there is actually no man there. But if Walker is so insubstantial, why does he feel so important? What is he trying to show me?" The author's journey takes him into deeply touching and troubling territory. "All I really want to know is what goes on inside his off-shaped head," he writes, "But every time I ask, he somehow persuades me to look into my own."

WHY:
This is the IFOA's signature Non-Fiction event. Charles Taylor Prize winner Ian Brown, Charles Taylor Prize Founder Noreen Taylor and Charles Taylor Foundation trustee, Dr. David Staines are available for interviews before and after the event.

WHEN: Friday, October 29, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Lakeside Terrace, York Quay Centre, Toronto

TICKETS: $18.00 Available online in advance. Seating is limited. www.readings.org

Previous Winners of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction:
2000 Wayne Johnston for Baltimore's Mansion: A Memoir
2002 Carol Shields for Jane Austen
2004 Isabel Huggan for Belonging: Home Away from Home
2005 Charles Montgomery for The Last Heathen: Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
2006 J.B. MacKinnon for Dead Man in Paradise
2007 Rudy Wiebe for Of this Earth: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest
2008 Richard Gwyn for John A.: The Man Who Made Us
2009: Tim Cook for Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917-1918, Volume Two
2010: Ian Brown for The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Search for His Disabled Son

The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented annually by the Charles Taylor Foundation with support in 2010 from its partners: AVFX, Ben McNally Books, BookTelevision and Bravo!, Canada Newswire, CTV, The Globe and Mail, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire publications, and Windfields Farm.

For more information about The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, and Ian Brown's award winning book, please follow links at www.thecharlestaylorprize.ca and follow on Twitter @taylorprize.

For further information:

Media are requested to confirm their attendance and/or interview requests with Stephen Weir & Associates:

Stephen Weir: 416-489-5868 cell: 416-801-3101 stephen@stephenweir.com
Linda Crane: 905-257-6033 cell: 416-727-0112 cranepr@cogeco.ca

Cook to speak at IFOA this Friday

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Charles Taylor Prize Winner Tim Cook to Read at IFOA
Who: Tim Cook, winner of the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction headlines Non-Fiction Night at Harbourfront’s International Festival of Authors.

What: Tim Cook will read from his award-winning book Shock Troops which follows the Canadian fighting forces during the titanic battles of Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Passchendaele, and the Hundred Days campaign. Shock Troops builds on Volume I of Cook’s national bestseller At the Sharp End.

When: Friday, October 30, 2009; 8:00 p.m.

Where: Brigantine Room, York Quay Centre, Toronto.

Why: Signature Non-Fiction event at highly regarded 10-day authors’ festival.
Tim Cook, Charles Taylor Prize founder Noreen Taylor, and Charles Taylor Foundation trustee David Staines will be available for media interviews.
The Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction is presented annually by the Charles Taylor Foundation with the support of its partners: AVFX, Ben McNally Books, Book TV, Bravo!, Canada Newswire, CBC Radio One, The Globe and Mail, Le Meridien King Edward Hotel, Quill & Quire publications, and Windfields Farm.
Previous Winners of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction:
2000 Wayne Johnston for Baltimore's Mansion: A Memoir
2002 Carol Shields for Jane Austen
2004 Isabel Huggan for Belonging: Home Away from Home
2005 Charles Montgomery for The Last Heathen: Encounters with Ghosts and Ancestors in Melanesia
2006 J.B. MacKinnon for Dead Man in Paradise
2007 Rudy Wiebe for Of this Earth: A Mennonite Boyhood in the Boreal Forest
2008 Richard Gwyn for John A.: The Man Who Made Us
2009: Tim Cook for Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917–1918,Volume 2
The trustees of the Charles Taylor Foundation are Michael Bradley (Toronto), Judith Mappin (Montreal), David Staines (Ottawa), and Noreen Taylor (Toronto).

CUTLINE: Noreen Taylor and this year's winner of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, Ottawa historian Tim Cook. Cook won the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction for his book Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting the Great War, 1917 – 1918, Volume Two, published by Viking Canada. The prize of $25,000 was awarded Monday, February 9, 2009, at a gala luncheon held in the historic Sovereign Ballroom of Toronto’s Le Meridien King Edward Hotel. Photo by Tom Sandler

Event PR Has To Fight the "Same Old Same Old" Syndrome. Meanwhile Inflation Hits the Nigerian Scam

Same Old, Same Old For Your Event This Year? No Way! (As The Publicist Has To Say Each Spring) While Scam Artists Worry About the Same Old Same Old

When I am wearing my publicist hat and holding out my PR begging bowl to the media (please please please cover my event) I dread hearing these four words. Same Old. Same Old.
Reoccurring cultural events like ScotiaBank Caribana, Toronto's Pride Parade, Harbourfront's various weekend festivals and to a lesser extent Luminato, are Canadian summertime institutions. They have a winning formula that continues to catch the attention of both tourists and people living in Toronto. Combined the four events have an audience base approaching four million people. they are successful in part because they don't change much from year-to-year ... hence the fear of Same Old, Same Old.
With festivals that attract a million+ visitors there is never enough time or money to launch an effective advance marketing campaign. Ads should be placed in major cities across North America, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia months before the event takes place ( hit 'em when they are still making summer holiday travel decisions). But, budgets being what they are, organizers are lucky to get advertisements placed in local media outlets a few days before the big event.
In the absence of advertising, a public relations team can bring advance attention to an event provided. of course. there is "Something New" -- a hook to get the interest of the media. Calling a news desk to pitch a story that you pitch a variant of every March for the past ten years won't bring on the ink.
Finding a "positive" angle these days is a Herculean Task. Biggest question I am getting when I call is "How Bad Is It Going to Be This Year?", or "Who Has Been Let Go". As well, finding a media person to talk to is harder in 2009 than ever before. Reporters are being fired, radio stations are laying off, television stations are closing down and on-line news services are so over-burdened with work they demand a pitch with a maximum of 8 words and they count UHM as one word (don't even thinking of clearing your throat or coughing).
The temptation is to simply lie low, and keep your mouth shut till your event is a couple of away. Good strategy if you don't bill monthly and you have a client that doesn't expect results.
Luckily, for publicists there is always a silver lining, even if you have to make it up. For instance, this month I have been predicting that Caribana will attract more Americans to Toronto then have been seen in the past three summers?
Bold PR BS? No. After talking with a tourism expert we realized that a weekend in Toronto costs far less in 2009 than in 2008 and 2007. Hotels and restaurants have lowered their prices, gas is cheap once again and the all-mighty Canadian dollar isn't mighty anymore. What cost an American $10 last year will cost only about $7.50 this year.
Meanwhile, for the embattled American tourist, some of the traditional summer events held at other destinations have either been cancelled or scaled back. Prices at American destinations have sagged but not by 28% Compared to a trip to Disney, or New York City, or Trinidad, a drive to Toronto suddenly becomes attractive!
Will it work? Don't know, but, at least it isn't same old same old.
OF NOTE: Even creators of the Nigerian Scam fear the Same Old Same Old. I have noticed of late that the people sending out those badly spelled money pitches (you know ... we want to send you scads of money that no one knows is kept in a Nigerian bank) have started inflating the pot of gold they want to give you. In 2008 I was receiving offers from people wanting to send me anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million dollars.
Well the bar has been raised. Last week I was offered $8 million from a person dying from cancer. Another, a clerk at a Lagos bank, dangled $9 million in my inbox. A poor dying nun in Italy topped that this week by offering me a $1Billion. It didn't work but at least it isn't the same old, same old.
Cutline: Picture of Caribana dancer taken by Palm cell phone (by mistake)