Writers from across North America will converge in Turner Valley throughout October to inspire both members and visitors. The Sheep River Library is hosting its seventh annual Out Loud Series, celebrating Canadian Library Month with the theme Passions Pursued as it highlights the hard work, dedication and achievements of authors. “This year we were looking for people who are really pursuing their passion,” said library manager Jan Burney. “We’re interested in people who had passion, kept at it and took it a little bit further than dabbling in it as a hobby. It’s become their life path.” First to be featured is Ontario author William Thomas on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. Thomas is a scriptwriter and nationally-syndicated humour columnist who penned 10 books from Life in the Litterbox to The Legend of Zippy Chippy. On Oct. 19, Texas singer/songwriter Kristyn Harris performs her swing rhythm guitar style and award-winning yodeling. In her mid 20s, Harris is the youngest person to be awarded the Western Music Association Entertainer of the Year and the only female to receive it twice. “Kristyn Harris is the next up and coming country musician in Nashville,” said Burney. “She was recently a contestant on the reboot of American Idol. She’s someone who’s opening for a lot of big names and has a passion for song writing.” On Oct. 26, former Banff National Park superintendent and award-winning author Kevin Van Tighem, of Canmore, will offer a presentation at 7 p.m. Van Tighem penned Bears Without Fear, The Homeward Wolf, Heart Waters: Sources of the Bow River and Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta. On Oct. 27, several local authors converge in an afternoon symposium from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with coffee and snacks provided. Burney said visitors can meet with the authors one-on-one, listen to them read excerpts from their books and purchase a range of locally-written books from children’s to humourous poetry. “A lot of people would love to write a book or produce a memoir but these people actually went out and did it,” she said. Among them is Della Dickie, a Black Diamond resident of 18 years. Dickie published her first book of humourous poems in 2015 and a second in 2017, with her photographs featured on the covers and in her first book. “I’m 80 and there’s a lot of things to laugh about when you get to my age,” she said. “I wrote a lot on aging and about my friends and a lot about nature.” Dickie was encouraged to publish her poetry by fellow members of the Millarville Church Writers Group. “I’ve been writing poetry since I was about seven years old,” she said. “In my second book I have two pages of my poetry I wrote when I was 10 years old.” This is Dickie’s second invite to the Sheep River Library’s Out Loud Series. “It’s great because there’s such a variety and it’s fun to see what other people are doing as well,” she said. “I’m part of Doris Daley’s poetry group at the library. She’s my hero. I look up to her so much.” The Out Loud Series has been a part of the library since it was built, said Burney. “We decided when we moved into the building in 2011 that we wanted to do a big event every year during Canadian Library Month,” she said. “Instead of doing one thing we’ve ended up doing a whole series of events. It was a huge success. People loved it.” The series is funded from the Friends of the Sheep River Library casino proceeds, allowing staff and volunteers to bring in well-known names, said Burney. “We want to make it free because as well as bringing in regular library patrons it brings in people who wouldn’t normally come to the library,” she said. “It enables us to showcase the things we have happening here.” For more information about the Out Loud Series events go to sheepriverlibrary.ca or pick up a brochure at the library. Free tickets are available at the library.
