PATRONSSonja BirdGwen & Jack BrisonBeverley and Robert BurnhamKatherine and Murray CorlettGini and Frans DonkerYvonne HeamanSusan and Fred HolmesBetty and Fred IbeyCathy Leak and Paul PalmerEdda and Keith LofflerCatherine MauleJosephine and Brian OxleyShirley and Bob PiercyJan and Gord RempelMary and John SallinenIna and Paul ScholfieldJudy and Vern ShuteJudy and Hume SmithDennis Stern and Brenda LewisKay Wilkinson

FOOD & BEVERAGE SPONSORSBay Street CaféChristina’s Pasta HouseCrane Lake Resort: Chef Laura FraserHanson’s Mad Hatter CaféThe Inn at Christie’s Mill: Chef David Scoffield (Port Severn)The Inn at Manitou: Chef Bernard IbenizThe North Landing Restaurant, Whitestone Lake Resort (Dunchurch)Richard’s CoffeeThe Ridge at Manitou: Executive Chef Philip K. PatrickTapatoo Resort: Chef Roy Hintze C.C.C.Wellington’s Pub and GrillThe Whitfield, Oastler Lake Resort: Chef Apprentice Becky RowlandNeil’s No Frills

SobeysNewton’s Dry Cleaners, Culligan WaterColio Estate WinesLakes of Muskoka Cottage BreweryMuskoka Lakes WineryPeller Estates WineryVincor International Inc.

SERVICE SPONSORSArtistic Endeavours Beverly’s40 Bay Street B&B Yani KellyDora Logan Minuteman Press Pardon My Garden Florist Parry Sound BooksJohn & Mary SallinenTranter’s Office Equipment Victoria Manor B&B

CORPORATE DONORSAqua GraphicsArtistic EndeavoursBayside InnBear Claw Tours Inc.Beverly’sDr. Linda Bishop & Dr. Scott Marshall, OptometristsBlitz ElectricBook CityCanadian Tire Associate StoreClaus Feser Haute CoiffureThe Colour CentreCrane Lake ResortCurves, Parry SoundDe-Clutter CoachDeerhurst ResortDelta Rocky Crest ResortDiver’s NookEmhiser ResearchFireplace and Leisure Centre40 Bay Street B&BGeorgian Bay AirwaysGlenn Burney Marina

Harley’s Music ShopHome HardwareHuckleberry’sL.M. Chimney ServicesLogan’s of Parry SoundMcNabb Home Building CentreMitch’s Clothing StoreOrr’s Fine Meats & DeliParry Sound BooksParry Sound Furniture PlusParry Sound Golf and Country ClubPollard IDA PharmacyPremium Dock and Marine SystemsThe Ridge at ManitouSail Parry Sound Inc.Seguin Valley Golf and Country ClubSoundgrace Pilates30,000 Island Cruise Lines

The Festival of the Sound and the Prelude Organizing Committee would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the many volunteers who gave their time to make the evening a success. Credit also goes to the following businesses and individuals who have generously supported us this year.

A special thanks to our signature sponsor, Barb Kerr, CFP, Financial Consultant with Investors Group Financial Services for her significant contribution.

™ Trademarks owned by IGM Financial Inc. and licensed to its subsidiary corporations.

Toad Hill PotteryTown Trading PostTrilogy of ArtVIA RailVisual PresenceWhiskeyjack of Parry SoundThe WhistlestopWhite SquallWishart Catering CompanyYoga in the Sound

INDIVIDUAL DONORSGeoffrey ArmstrongRod BainLiz and Dave BrowneRoy HardieDebbie HaskimJanet GrandyTed KrugDr. Lori Lahti

Anne McCallumRay PavloveJudy PerryWilliam PillgremMary SallinenAlan SteinDennis SternSara TysonIngrid Zschogner

ARTS COMMUNITY DONORSFestival of the SoundManitoba Chamber OrchestraShaw FestivalCharles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing ArtsStratford Festival of CanadaTafelmusikTD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival

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746-4372 24 Gibson St., Parry SoundArts & Entertainment12 - PARRY SOUND NORTH STAR ◆ Wednesday June 6, 2007

First-time author's novel semi-autobiographicalBY CHARLOTTE STEINSpecial to the North Star

The End of East - By Jen Sookfong Lee

Random House of Canada launched the New Face of Fiction program more than a decade ago, a publishing program devoted to bringing spectacular first-time Canadian writers to readers.

Louise Denny, Executive Publisher at Knopf Canada says "the New Face of Fiction program has launched the careers of many beloved writers who are familiar names, including Ann-Marie MacDonald and most recently, Ami McKay whose novel The Birth House has found its way into many hearts and onto many bookshelves. Every year Knopf Canada editors choose between one and four books based on the high quality of the writing and

incredible storytelling ability. We look for writers who reveal something of Canadian life or of the human soul. And this year’s selections are no different."

Some of my own favourites from the New Face of Fiction program have been What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh Baldwin, The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel, Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald, and Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. Jen Sookfong Lee joins this illustrious company this spring with the publication of her novel The End of East.

The End of East tells the story of three generations of the Chan family. Seid Quan is the first to arrive in Vancouver in 1913, where he becomes a barber. He returns to China to marry and father his children but he cannot afford to bring them to Canada

- until he brings his son Pon Man, as a teenager. Pon Man is at first unhappy about his new life but comes to realize that his father is a respected member of the Chinese community. Pon Man

works for Seid Quan at first but is later able to choose his own career. Seid Chan's wife, Shew Lin, finally arrives in Vancouver several years later, now a woman in her 50s, after many years of dreaming.

Their reunion is one of the loveliest passages in the novel. "Naked she was clearly an older woman. Flesh sat on her hips softly, in layers. Her breasts were flat, and the bones of her shoulders and neck stuck out, sharp like knives.

She looked at h im and her eyes flickered - once for embarrassment, twice for longing". "Come in", she said. "It's cold out in the hall." She can write, this young author, and as well as thoroughly enjoying the story she tells, I very much enjoyed the way Jen Sookfong Lee uses her words.

Pon Man marries Siu Sang, a beautiful and happy girl from China, who finds the adjustment to life in Canada almost too difficult to bear.

They have five daughters together, and it is the youngest, Sammy who comes home to

care for her increasingly frail mother as the novel begins. Sammy has been at university in Montreal and is not completely unhappy about leaving behind a relationship to return to Vancouver. First novels are often quite autobiographical and Lee herself, did find a copy of her grandfather's head tax certificate, as Sammy does in the novel.

"When I first started thinking about Chinese Canadian history I was about 19," says Lee, "and the Lee Association, which is one of those clan associations, had this big banquet. My grandfather was dead by then, and I was there with my mom. And all these really old, super-old, 99-year-olds were coming up to me – they were drunk–and telling me how great my grandfather was.

See 'A touching' page 14

Charlotte Stein

No ordinary books in this artist's exhibit

BY FRANCES THOMAS

It is hot so we decide to take our lunch to the beach, the one at the bottom of Prospect Street with the wonderful picnic tables under shade trees. Dianne Feaver, Board Member at the Station Gallery-cum-art installer, has been working all morning with visiting artist Lise Melhorn-Boe in preparation for the opening exhibition of Melhorn-Boe’s artist books at the gallery. It’s breezy, not only the air but the delightful conversation amongst the three of us.

I learn that Melhorn-Boe was born in Noranda, Quebec. Early on she became interested in art with the encouragement of her mother, a painter. Her father however had dreams of her becoming a doctor or lawyer and in an attempted compromise she enrolled in Architecture at Carleton University. Two weeks into her second year of study she had an epiphany. What she

really wanted and needed to do was study fine art. She transferred to Guelph University and on completion of her degree continued on to Wayne State University in Detroit for graduate studies where they offered courses on papermaking and the book arts, by now a strong area of interest. I am just getting warmed up with my questions when it is time for the duo to return to the gallery and continue with the installation.

On the day of the opening I am early and wander through the gallery that has been transformed into a library, but this is no ordinary library and these are not ordinary books.

Artists have been active in printing and book production for centuries however artists’ books, also called bookworks, are works of art made in the form of a book. They are not books about art; they are art expressed through book form.

I know before she tells me that Melhorn-Boe loves stories, personal ones, universal ones (fairy tales) and many from complete strangers.

And she actively engages the reader in a viewing process, not only to see the words, some in ordinary type, some stamped, but to consider how the words, pictures and physical form of the object all contribute to the meaning. Her books come in a variety of shapes and material. An interactive piece titled Once Upon A Time is comprised of various square stitched panels, each with a word or combination of words and

the gallery visitor is encouraged to play with the multiple panels to create their own sentence. Her books are scattered across pedestals and shelves and include collage, text, pop-ups, dioramas, boxes and cutouts.

They are thoughtful, inspirational, beautiful objects that contain an artist’s life and imagination and so much more and they will definitely challenge your assumptions about what a book can be.

•••••This exhibition is on display until June 24th. Be sure to also visit the

Ticket Wicket to see the beautiful watercolours by Jack Reck. Parry Sound Station Gallery, 1 Avenue Road. Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 10 – 4, Sunday 1 – 4.

D igging R ootsD igging R oots

“ F unky native music fuelled by a sexy soulful blendof reggae ‘n’ blues.” D etroit M etro T imes

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Limited tickets available! Get yours now!

24 Gibson StreetParry Sound

746-4372

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Thursday, June 7th

ADVANCE TICKETS

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AT THE DOOR

$1500

Tickets available now at the Ranch

and Lill’s Place

Submitted photo

Lise Melhorn-Boe's exhibition of artist books will be on display until June 24 at the Station Gallery.