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Portfolio Reading Series
Jan 24, 2019
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Join us for the Portfolio Reading Series’ monthly literary gathering at Nanaimo’s hip White Room, upstairs at 4 Church St downtown, and featuring Vancouver’s Julie Burtishaw, reading from her teen novelSaying Goodbye to London.
Francis is a shy 15-year-old when he meets edgy, confident 16-year-old Sawyer at a party. Sparks fly… and Sawyer gets pregnant. They hardly know each other, but now must deal with both their relationship and the reality of a baby. Francis has a lot of growing up to do, and now it seems like he is being forced to do it all at once. When his life collides with Sawyer’s, Francis is forced to confront his own stereotypes about loss, sexuality, and family. Sawyer decides to give the baby up for adoption, but that’s just the start. Over the months they wait for the baby to be born, Francis and Sawyer try to deal with their choices. Will Francis follow Sawyer’s brave example? Or will he turn his back and pretend his life has not changed? Where will they be when it’s time to say good-bye to baby London?
Julie Burtinshaw is an award-winning author of six books, five of them novels for young adults, including The Darkness Between the Stars, The Perfect Cut, The Freedom of Jenny, Adrift, and Dead Reckoning. She teaches writer’s workshops in high schools across Canada, is frequently a writer-in-residence both nationally and internationally, and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Reviews:
“The supporting cast, including Sawyer’s gay friend Jack, who has been kicked out of his home, and Francis’s friend Kevin, who is dealing with his terminally ill father, are wonderfully warm, smart, and nuanced.Burtinshaw’s spot-on dialogue and tight prose keep the pages turning fast, with many rewards along the way, including a fun scene with a fortune teller that gives clever hints of what’s to come.Teen pregnancy stories are often tales of growing up fast, but Saying Good-bye to London is smarter and more complex than that. This is a book about how nothing can force a child to grow up fast enough to face an adult situation as an adult would, but also about how there can be surprising rewards in tough times, including friendship, self-acceptance, and even joy. – Quill & Quire
“Neither idealized nor sentimental… this novel is illuminating and positive….The story has moments of sweet romance along with gritty realism, and teens will be drawn into what feels like a true story. Full of dialogue, the story illustrates realistic teen frustrations and rationalization. Saying Goodbye to London provides an unvarnished look at that reality through the eyes of two believable young adults.” -CM Materials
“realistic and dramatic” – Publisher’s Weekly
“Both Jack, who has an abusive father, and Francis’ best friend, Kevin, who’s grieving a loving but terminally ill father, are compelling characters” – Kirkus
The series will open with 3 very promising writers for teens- Braedan Zimmer, Nic Ismirnioglou and Nicola Kapron – and showcase work-in-progess from these emerging talents. Portal is VIU’s annual full-colour literary magazine sold nationally on newsstands and celebrating 27 years featuring the fiction, non-fiction, scripts, poetry, interviews, book reviews, illustration, and photography, from the university’s aspiring artists.
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| Category: | Events |
| Date: | Jan 24, 2019 |
| Time: | 7:00pm - 9:00pm |
| Address: | 4 Church St Nanaimo, |
| Location: | The White Room |
| Cost: | Free |
| Phone: | 250-797-2623 |
| Website: | Open Site |
| Email: | Send Email |
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