"I am 3/4ths Canadian, and one 4th New Englander - I had ancestors on both sides in the Revolutionary war." - Elizabeth Bishop
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Thursday, August 22, 2013

A HEAD'S UP ABOUT EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS

I am thrilled to write that the Atlantic Film Festival (http://www.atlanticfilm.com/), which takes place from 12-19 September, will be screening two Elizabeth Bishop films. Our own John Scott returns with another wonderful adaptation of an Elizabeth Bishop film, “In the Waiting Room,” on Sunday, 15 September, 2013, at 1:00 p.m., as part of an Atlantic Shorts session. That evening, the Brazilian film “Reaching For the Moon (Flores Rares),” will screen at 7:30 p.m. This film was directed by Bruno Barreto and stars Gloria Pires as Lota and Miranda Otto as Elizabeth Bishop. This film has already been screened in Europe and the United States – I am delighted that the organizers of the AFF made the effort to bring it to Nova Scotia.

Here are the links to these two films on the AFF website:



For the full schedule of the Atlantic Film Festival, see: http://atlantic.festivalgenius.com/2013/schedule/week

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ANOTHER EXCITING DEVELOPMENT is the launch of “I Am in Need of Music,” the Elizabeth Bishop Legacy Recording, by the renowned soprano Suzie LeBlanc. This amazing CD is being brought out by Centre Discs (Canadian Music Centre) of Toronto. It is paired with a wonderful DVD, "Walking With Elizabeth Bishop," a documentary film made by Sackville, N.B., film-maker Linda Rae Dornan, about retracing Elizabeth Bishop's footsteps during a 1932 walking tour in Newfoundland. We will announce the dates/times/places of the various launches, which will be taking place in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Toronto and even the US, as soon as they are confirmed.

On 17 September 2013, at the Spring Garden Road Library, Halifax, N.S., at 7:30, I will be involved in a conversation about the art of biography with writer Evelyn White and journalist Angela Mombourquette. I will post a specific notice about this event closer to the day.

Lots of exciting Elizabeth Bishop activities pending – the results of years of hard work and incredible creativity. Elizabeth Bishop inspires so many of us – hard to say what the next hundred years will bring!