New media takes readers, authors beyond the page

Varied and diverse works by authors across campus take centre stage at the 10th annual Celebration of Authors

UBC authors have seen the future of books and it's not what it used to be.

In fact Gutenberg is probably rejoicing in his grave and stopping his presses. New media are now grasping his dream of rapidly and effectively transmitting information and knowledge.

Electronic books, videos and CD-ROMs are among the 135 titles completed by 135 university authors in 1999. VCRs, computers and CD players will make their first appearance at the 10th annual Celebration of UBC Authors in the Great Hall of the First Nations House of Learning, Tuesday, March 21 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

"Obviously, traditional print material predominates in our community of scholars and writers and in our display of their works," says University Librarian Catherine Quinlan. "But we also want to share work being done at UBC in some fascinating and important new media."

Expect to see CD-ROMs which do more than books.

There will be videos such as Mobilizing for Growth: Entrepreneurship Within Companies, scripted and narrated by Commerce and Business Administration Dean Daniel Muzyka.

Renowned pianist Robert Silverman has released Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonatas on CD.

Some in the university community are capitalizing on the publishing phenomena of small press runs and self-publishing.

There are wise books by our elders and books of beauty, including horticulturist Colin Varner's Gardens in Vancouver.

The event--hosted by Quinlan and UBC President Martha Piper --celebrates a remarkable diversity of achievements and provides an opportunity to meet authors. It also recognizes the central role played by UBC's 13 libraries, including three hospital libraries.

"We can take great pride in the work presented here," says President Piper, "since it reflects both the breadth and the excellence of UBC scholarship.

"This celebration is an important reminder that our university is a major research centre and makes a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge in many fields."

Members of the English Dept. contributed 21 titles by 20 authors and two books from the Creative Writing Dept. -- Assoc. Prof. Keith Maillard's Gloria and Creative Writing sessional instructor Anne Fleming's Pool-hopping and Other Stories--were nominated for Governor General's Awards.

Nineteen authors in the Faculty of Education completed a total of 14 books.

Prolific professors emeritii-- who often remark that they now have time for writing--number 10 authors and 12 titles.

Ten authors in Medicine published eight books.