Dr. Wayne Johnston and William Ping are ready for a chat and a cuppa.
On Sunday, Aug. 13, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Coast Lines and Coffee will feature Dr. Johnston (BA’79, D.Litt.’07) and Mr. Ping at an in-person event to discuss their respective books.
Jennie’s Boy, the celebrated Newfoundland and Labrador-born Dr. Johnston’s latest novel, was the Coast Lines May/June 2023 selection.
Mr. Ping’s (BA’18, MA’20) debut novel, Hollow Bamboo, which he wrote as part of the requirements for his master of arts degree, was the Coast Lines book for July/August. Hollow Bamboo was shortlisted for this year’s Amazon Canada First Novel award.
Coast Lines and Coffee, in conversation with host Angela Antle (BA’91), will be held at Signal Hill Campus’s Emera Innovation Exchange with the support of Memorial’s Conference and Event Services unit.
Purchase tickets online.
The livestream for the event can be found here.
The ongoing book discussion can be found in the Coast Line Facebook group. Anyone interested in books by Newfoundland and Labrador writers is welcome to join the discussion.
William Ping’s novel, Hollow Bamboo, was written as part of the requirements for his master of arts degree at Memorial.This will be the first in a series of in-person events featuring two Coast Lines authors in what is destined to be a wide-ranging, lively discussion on literature, family stories and what it takes to succeed as a creative artist in 2023.
A livestream will also be available for anyone who cannot attend in person. Registration for the event is available here.
Copies of Jennie’s Boy and Hollow Bamboo, as well as all 12 previous Coast Line titles, will be available for purchase at a discount from the Memorial University Bookstore, which will sell books on-site at Signal Hill Campus on Aug. 13.
New direction
The Coast Lines and Coffee events will better highlight Newfoundland and Labrador writers and books with a connection to the university, says Dr. Nat Hurley, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, which is partnering with Alumni Engagement.
Alumni Engagement originally launched Coast Lines.
“The long-term plan for Coast Lines is to develop an extensive, curated platform,” said Dr. Hurley.
The platform will offer digital downloads and discounts on selected titles through strategic partnerships with local publishers and a number of other special features.
Plans are in place to launch the platform either during the provincial 2024 Year of the Arts or for Memorial’s 100th-anniversary celebrations in 2025.
Since launching in 2020, Coast Lines has featured 12 books by Memorial alumni and faculty members; the entire list can be viewed here. Recordings of all 12 events are available on YouTube.
