Margaret Atwood among Edinburgh book fest headliners

Margaret Atwood is one of the big-name authors set to appear at this year’s revamped Edinburgh International Book Festival, which takes place Aug. 14–30. In a cross-festival program with the Edinburgh film festival, Atwood will engage architect Norman Foster in a conversation exploring the techniques used by filmmakers and writers for biographies, the Guardian reports. There’s a catch, however: in addition to the fact that Atwood and Foster are not, strictly speaking, biographers, the ever experimental Atwood will not appear in person, but via video hookup.

The popular fest, founded in 1983, is under the new direction of Nick Barley, who invited four guest “selectors” – Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell, poet Don Paterson, literary editor Stuart Kelly, and Ruth Padel, the poet and great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin – to program this year’s event. From the Guardian:

Barley unveiled his first programme today, which features 750 authors. It includes a rare public appearance by Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau in conversation with Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell, three Nobel prize winners, including Joseph Stiglitz, the poet Seamus Heaney, the hairdresser Vidal Sassoon and an opening debate on Jesus between the atheist author Philip Pullman and former bishop of Oxford Richard Harries.

Other Canadians in attendance will include Emma Donoghue, Marina Endicott, Linden MacIntyre, Lisa Moore, Miguel Syjuco, Annabel Lyon, Doug Saunders, Jan Wong, Gwynne Dyer, and Leanne Shapton.

Event photos: Eckler’s Apple launch

Rebecca Eckler launched her latest book, the kids’ novel Rotten Apple (Doubleday Canada), at Toronto’s Ten Spot Nail Bar on Oct. 22. (Photos courtesy of Jenna Illies, Random House of Canada.)

One perk: on-the-spot manicures.

Eckler with fellow Doubleday author Jan Wong.

Author David Layton, Doubleday Canada editor Tim Rostron, and Canadian Idol judge Jake Gold.

Maclean‘s editor Ken Whyte, who gave Eckler her first big job at the National Post, flanked by Random House publicity assistants Taylor McInnes and Jenna Illies.

Event photos: The Lucky Ones launch

ECW Press launched The Lucky Ones: Our Stories of Adopting Children from China, edited by Ann Rauhala, at an event held at Ryerson University on May 10. (All photos courtesy of ECW Press.)

ECW senior editor Jennifer Hale (with son) introduces Ann Rauhala.

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Inside the November Q&Q

The November 2007 issue of Quill & Quire is now in stores coast to coast. Inside is a profile of mystery novelist Louise Penny, complemented by closeups of 10 other Canadian mystery writers. Other features include a survey of literary festivals across the country and a report on the pros and cons of freelance vs. in-house publicity. In the Scholarly and College Publishing Special Report, we ask whether scholarly presses should embrace the Open Access movement (i.e., give books away free online) and we also investigate how little gadgets called “classroom clickers” are transforming the college textbook market. All this plus more than 40 reviews, including looks at new titles by D.R. MacDonald, Christie Blatchford, Frances Itani, Kit Pearson, Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters, Stephen Henighan, and more. The full table of contents is after the jump.

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Cake, but no Death, for Heather Mallick’s new book

Heather Mallick launched her new collection of acerbic essays, Cake or Death: The Excruciating Choices of Everyday Life (Knopf Canada), at an event held in the labyrinthine Verity Women’s Club in downtown Toronto on April 17. (Photos by Quill & Quire.)