Calgary Distinguished Writers Program presents An Evening with Neil Gaiman

Legions of lit-lovers and the ranks of comic book fandom alike will want to pencil the evening of February 24, 2014 into their calendars now, with news that legendary English author Neil Gaiman is coming to town. The celebrated writer – who counts the Newbery and Carnegie medals and the Hugo, Will Eisner and Bram Stoker awards among his accomplishments – is set to give a reading at MacEwan Hall as the 2014 Distinguished Visiting Writer for the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program. Gaiman first found international fame in the late 1980s when he conceived the groundbreaking comic book, The Sandman. The adult-themed horror fantasy series is one of the principle works credited with helping bring the long maligned comic book genre a level of literary respect previously unimagined. A new mini-series called The Sandman: Overture, a prequel to the original series, will be released just in time for Halloween on October 30th. Gaiman’s achievements are by no means limited to the comic book genre. Among his best selling novels are Neverwhere, Stardust, Anansi Boys and American Gods, the latter of which is being adapted into an HBO TV series. He’s also a prolific writer of books for young readers. These include M Is For Magic, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Wolves in the Walls, Blueberry Girl, Coraline and The Graveyard Book. The Graveyard Book – inspired in part, says Gaiman, by The Jungle Book, “with that same equation of boy, orphaned, growing up somewhere else, but (set in a) graveyard,” – has won the UK’s Booktrust Prize for Teenage Fiction and the Newbery Medal, the highest honour given in the US for children’s literature. It also garnered the UK CILIP Carnegie Medal, making Gaiman the first author ever to win the Newbery and Carnegie medals with the same book. A film adaptation of The Graveyard Book is in production. Other Gaiman works adapted for film and television have included Coraline, Stardust and Neverwhere. Gaiman himself has written and directed for the screen and a 2011 episode of Dr. Who, “The Doctor’s Wife,” garnered rave reviews. “The CDWP is absolutely thrilled to be able to bring Neil Gaiman to campus,” says Bart Beaty, head of the English department and Acting Chair of the CDWP. “In the world of contemporary speculative fiction, he is at the absolute pinnacle of form. More than any other fantasy writer, he is redefining the boundaries of the genre.” As a Distinguished Visiting Writer for the CDWP, Gaiman joins a long line of literary luminaries who have taken part in the annual event before him, including Margaret Atwood, Art Spiegelman, Oliver Sacks, Deepa Mehta and Michael Ondaatje. TICKETS ARE NOW SOLD OUT. (Admittance to this event is free, but Eventbrite tickets are required and seating is limited. Free tickets will become available at noon on Thursday, October 24, 2013 here. Attendees can order a maximum of 2 tickets, and may not order more than once. Any duplicate or additional orders will be deleted. Tickets are for general admission. Tickets are transferable, non-refundable, and must be printed out and brought to the event in order to gain entry.) For the Facebook event, click here. To visit Neil Gaiman’s website, click here. Monday, February 24, 2014 7 p.m. MacEwan Hall, University of Calgary Free

Location:

MacEwan Hall A&B

More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/calgary-distinguished-writers-program-presents-evening-neil-gaiman