August 20, 2012 - Laurentian University will once again welcome Canadian author, critic and poet Margaret Atwood on her annual birthday visit, with a gala dinner and performance in her honour.
The event will be held on Tuesday, November 13th, 2012, in the Vale Inco Cavern at Science North. The evening will include a reading by Ms. Atwood from her upcoming collection of short stories.
This year’s Birthday Dinner will also feature a multi-media performance by Manitoulin Island’s renowned Debajehmujig Theatre Group, commissioned for the event, and titled My Cousin’s Cousin’s Cousin, Margaret Atwood.
A portion of the proceeds from the evening will go toward the building fund for Laurentian University’s Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre.
The birthday of Canada’s most esteemed writer has become a seasonal fixture at Laurentian University, as the Department of English has organized celebrations of Ms. Atwood and her work since 2004. In 2009, Ms. Atwood celebrated her 70thbirthday at Laurentian while presiding over a staged dramatization of her novel, The Year of the Flood. In 2011, proceeds from the Birthday Dinner helped to establish the Margaret Atwood Scholarship Fund, with awards for students in both the Humanities and the Sciences. A portion of the proceeds from this year's event will be directed toward the Scholarship Fund.
Tickets for the evening are $70 per person. Tax receipts will be provided for a portion of the ticket value. For more information, please contact Professor Susan Glovers glover@laurentian.ca or Professor Shannon Hengen shengen@laurentian.ca