The Canadian Booksellers Association begins its annual meeting this weekend in Toronto, and the convention should be filled with more intrigue than a top-10 murder mystery. It could be called Who Killed Canadian Books? Or Who's Aiming the Uzi at Small Bookstores?

Most interesting, the event is taking place without participation from the country's biggest bookseller, Chapters. An absent villain? Could be a bit awkward with Chapters setting up a booth amidst all the companies that spent much of the past year in front of a Parliamentary committee, accusing Chapters of aggressive wholesale tactics that were hurting smaller publishers, book distributors and even consumers.

Is the CBA's little website (above) any match for Chapters?

Some members of the association are pushing for the CBA to become more of an advocate for small bookstores across the country. They are hoping the CBA will sponsor an idea that's working for some small stores in the United States, who have banded together to battle the behemoth Chapters-like sales incentives. One idea that's working are gift certificates that can be purchased and redeemed in a wide variety of small, independent stores. Gee, maybe Meg Ryan should have thought of that when she was duking it out against Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail.

While the incentive plan is working in the U.S., it could prove to be less feasible in Canada, since we have a smaller population and fewer stores participating. A backup plan is a website that helps smaller stores work their ecommerce divisions more efficiently. There's already a CBA website but it really isn't getting the hits or sales of a Chapters or an Amazon. Many independent bookstores firmly believe that, rather than drop money into the web, their long-term survival will depend on old-fashioned personal service to their walk-in customers from the neighbourhood.

It should be an interesting meeting. Aside from the controversy, there should be some considerable pleasantries. Guest speakers lined up to speak their mind are: David Adams Richards, Robert Bateman, Alberto Manguel, June Callwood, Timothy Findley, Roberta Bondar and Randy Bachman.

Calling All Playwrights!
Got an old play collecting dust under the bed? An idea for a dramatic opus percolating in your corpus callosum? Then put pen to paper and enter UNI Theatre's playwriting contest. You could win 500 smackers and see your work on the boards. There's no restriction on length and the subject matter's up to you. The only catch is, you've got to submit it in English. Gee, what if there's a Pirandello perishing out there? The deadline's December 1st, send 2 copies of your unproduced/unpublished play, plus your CV, kick in a $20 unrefundable fee for paperwork and a self-adressed-stamped-envelope with enough postage, if you want your work to be returned.

Check out the web page for details:
UNI Theatre's playwriting contest

Mo' Mozart
Pacific opera hounds should run over to the Waterfront Theatre to catch Mozart's comic opera Cosi Fan Tutte. This work, which has been called Women Are Like That, Tit for Tat and The Girl's Revenge has a rich score and an interesting libretto. While some folks find it a bit slight compared to Don Giovanni, or not quite as funny as The Marriage of Figaro, I've always thoroughly enjoyed it. What about you? Does Cosi Fan Tutte tickle your operatic fancy?

Vancouver Academy of Music
Until June 18
Waterfront Theatre
(604) 734-2301

Drop me a line.