Novel earns praise

Lively City column by Dan Hilborn
Published April 16, 2005


Kudos to Burnaby's first lady of science fiction, Eileen Kernaghan, who has been named a finalist for the 2005 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize.

Kernaghan's most recent work, The Alchemist's Daughter, stands a very good chance of taking home the honour, which will be announced by B.C. Lt.-Gov. Iona Campagnolo when the B.C. Book Prize Gala is hosted by Vicki Gabereau at the Renaissance Hotel Vancouver on April 30.

The Alchemist's Daughter is a fascinating tale set in Elizabethan England about a young woman who has to save her father from his rash promises to provide Queen Elizabeth with enough gold to muster a navy against the Spanish.

The book, which is receiving rave reviews, is available for $15.95 from Thistledown Press, and is even catching the interest of adults who are fascinated by the Elizabethan and Renaissance eras.

Kernaghan, the former owner-operator of Rumble Books, a frequent workshop leader at the Shadbolt Centre and a longtime supporter of the Burnaby Writers Society, won the 2001 Aurora Award for the best Canadian speculative novel in English with her fantasy story The Snow Queen.

STARGATE RETURNS

Fans of the Stargate SG1/Stargate Atlantis TV series will be converging on the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown this weekend for one of the big events on their social calendar.

The SG1 convention features virtually every major player in the popular television series, which was produced for years at the Bridge Studios in Burnaby.

On hand for the occasion will be virtually all of the series' stars, its directors and producers plus Bruce Woloshyn, the digital effects wizard who has won four Emmy Awards for his work on the long- running show. Naturally, one of the big events will be the costume competition, when fans dress up as their fave SG1 character for a chance to win $250.

Gold tickets to the entire event have been sold out for weeks, but there's still an opportunity for diehard fans to get daily admissions at the door. Be prepared for the $65 price tag.

DOXA FILM FEST

Renowned documentary producer Ali Kazami has been confirmed as the guest of honour when the 2005 DOXA Documentary Film and Video Festival comes to Vancouver next month.

Kazami will be on hand for an opening night screening of his new film, Continuous Journey, which tells the shameful story of the Komagata Maru, a ship carrying 376 passengers from British India that was refused landing rights in Vancouver harbour for two months in 1914.

The film is the culmination of eight years of research and provides an insightful look look at the state of race relations in Vancouver at the turn of the 20th century.

The DOXA Film Festival runs May 24 to 29 at the Vogue Theatre in Vancouver. Tickets will be available through Festival Box Office at 604-646-3200 or at the website www. doxafestival.ca.