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Jun 27, 2022
Join author Clayton Thomas-Muller, Free Press columnist Niigaan Sinclair, and McNally Robinson
co-owner Chris Hall to discuss Thomas-Muller’s memoir, Life in the City of Dirty Water, at the Free
Press Book Club’s June 27 meeting.
Watch the meeting replay
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May 30, 2022
Join author Dr. Philipp Schott, Free Press columnist Jen Zoratti, and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris
Hall to discuss Dr. Schott’s essay collection, The Accidental Veterinarian, at the Free Press Book
Club’s May 30 meeting.
Watch the meeting replay
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Apr 25, 2022
Join author Anita Daher, Free Press writer Jill Wilson, and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris Hall to
discuss Daher’s novel, You Don’t Have to Die in the End, at the Free Press Book Club’s April 25
meeting.
Watch the meeting replay
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Apr 13, 2022
Barn Hammer Brewing Company is the featured brewery for the April 2022 Brew Box, which also includes
tasting items from Utoffeea and Melt Chocolate Co.. Drinks writer Ben Sigurdson will host the live
virtual tasting, alongside Tyler Birch from Barn Hammer, Cate Dyck from Utoffeea, and Amanda Green
of Melt Chocolate Co. The replay of the tasting will be available to those who purchased the box.
See more
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Mar 28, 2022
Persephone’s Children chronicles Rowan McCandless’s odyssey as a Black, biracial woman
escaping the stranglehold of a long-term abusive relationship. Through a series of thematically
linked and structurally inventive essays, McCandless explores the fraught and fragmented
relationship between memory and trauma. Multiple mythologies emerge to bind legacy and loss,
motherhood and daughterhood, racism and intergenerational trauma, mental illness and resiliency.
It is only in the aftermath that she can begin to see the patterns in her history, hear the echoes of
oppression passed down from unknown, unnamed ancestors, and discover her worth and right to exist in
the world.
Watch the meeting replay
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Mar 22, 2022
After a 75 year-old mother gets fired from her job, her son takes her on a bucket-list adventure to
reclaim her life. As she struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the betrayals
plaguing her past and the economic insecurity soon to shape not only her future, but that of an
entire generation.
See more
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Feb 28, 2022
Cedar has nearly forgotten what her family looks like. Phoenix has nearly forgotten what freedom
feels like. And Elsie has nearly given up hope. Nearly.
After time spent in foster homes, Cedar goes to live with her estranged father. Although she grapples
with the pain of being separated from her mother, Elsie, and sister, Phoenix, she’s hoping for a new
chapter in her life, only to find herself once again in a strange house surrounded by strangers.
From a youth detention centre, Phoenix gives birth to a baby she’ll never get to raise and tries to
forgive herself for all the harm she’s caused (while wondering if she even should). Elsie,
struggling with addiction and determined to turn her life around, is buoyed by the idea of being
reunited with her daughters and strives to be someone they can depend on, unlike her own distant
mother. These are the Strangers, each haunted in her own way. Between flickering moments of warmth
and support, the women diverge and reconnect, fighting to survive in a fractured system that
pretends to offer success but expects them to fail. Facing the distinct blade of racism from those
they trusted most, they urge one another to move through the darkness, all the while wondering if
they’ll ever emerge safely on the other side.
Watch the meeting replay
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Jan 31, 2022
With winter looming, a small northern Anishinaabe community goes dark. Cut off, people become passive
and confused. Panic builds as the food supply dwindles. While the band council and a pocket of
community members struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling
society to the south. Soon after, others follow. Frustrated by the building chaos, a group of young
friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in hopes of helping their
community thrive again. Join the Free Press Book Club for a virtual discussion with author
Waubgeshig Rice about Moon of the Crusted Snow.
Watch the meeting replay
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Dec 9, 2021
Crashing Through the Snow
WFP Movie Night
Maggie and Sam are crashing Christmas. When he proposes that they team up against his sister’s
perfect Christmas, neither of them are prepared for the blended family challenges that lie ahead.
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Nov 29, 2021
A collection of mini-narratives that have been posted on Facebook every day since 2009. This book
will collect posts from the entire collection in one cohesive volume of work. Award-winning artist
Cliff Eyland and famed writer George Toles combine their unique talents in a book like no other,
tackling apropos issues related to climate change, politics, relationships, death, and sex with wry
humour and deft tone.
Watch the meeting replay
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Oct 25, 2021
Author Patricia Robertson, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, McNally Robinson co-owner Chris
Hall and FPBC admin Erin Lebar hosted the virtual book club meeting for October, at which they
discussed Patricia’s collection of short stoires, Hour of the Crab.
Watch the meeting replay
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Oct 17, 2021
Our inaugural Free Press Fall Supper, an elevated version of a traditional fall supper with a
multi-course dinner built around an editorial feature created by our arts and life reporters.
See
more
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Sep 29, 2021
Free Press columnist Jen Zoratti hotsed a panel of special guests for a virtual town hall discussion
on how our arts and culture organizations are recovering after being the first to shut down at the
onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what plans look like as they reopen. Panelists include Lynne
Skromeda, executive director of the Winnipeg Folk Festival; Camilla Holland, executive director of
the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre; and Jorge Requena Ramos, artistic director of the West End
Cultural Centre.
Watch
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Sep 27, 2021
Author Miriam Toews, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, Thin Air writers festival director
Charlene Diehl and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris Hall discuss Toews’ latest novel, Fight Night, at
our September Free Press Book Club meeting. This meeting was presented in collaboration with Thin
Air Writers Festival and McNally Robinson.
Watch the meeting replay
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Sep 23, 2021
Trans Canada Brewing
Brew Box
Trans Canada Brewing Company was the featured brewery for our Sept. 2021 Brew Box, which also
included tasting items from A Taste of Africa and Bliss Gourmet Baked Goods. Drinks writer Ben
Sigurdson hosted the live virtual tasting, which featured Tyler Sattler from Trans Canada, Sal and
Anna Calamusa from Bliss Gourmet, and Stuart Webb from A Taste of Africa. The replay of the tasting
is available to those who purchased the box.
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Sep 22, 2021
Free Press sports editor Steve Lyons and reporter Mike McIntyre hosted a panel of special guests for
a virtual town hall discussion on how the pandemic affected the world of professional and amateur
sport, and what the future holds for fans and athletes. Panelists include Wade Miller, Winnipeg Blue
Bombers president and CEO and Janet McMahon, Sport Manitoba president and CEO.
See more
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Sep 15, 2021
Free Press reporters Eva Wasney and Ben Sigurdson hosted a panel of special guests for a virtual town
hall discussion on the new and ongoing challenges facing the local food and beverage industry as
patrons return to indoor dining and drinking. Panelists include Melanie Foucault, co-owner of
Preservation Hall Eatery and Wine Bar; John Heim, president of Torque Brewing; and Shaun Jeffrey,
executive director/CEO Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association
See more
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Sep 8, 2021
A special Free Press virtual town hall to discuss the ethical, moral and legal issues surrounding
vaccine and mask mandates, and how these topics will play out as key themes in this month’s federal
election. Arthur Schafer, an ethicist specializing in bioethics, philosophy of law, social
philosophy and political philosophy and the founding director of the Centre for Professional and
Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, joined columnist Dan Lett for this discussion.
Watch
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Aug 30, 2021
Author Kelly Bowen, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, McNally Robinson co-owner Chris Hall
and Free Press Book Club admin and engagement manager Erin Lebar discuss Bowen’s latest novel, The
Paris Apartment, at our summer Free Press Book Club meeting.
Watch the meeting replay
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Jul 17, 2021
Little Brown Jug
Brew Box
Little Brown Jug was the featured brewery for our June 2021 Brew Box, which also included tasting
items from Tomehawk Chips and Decadence Chocolates. Drinks writer Ben Sigurdson hosted the live
virtual tasting, which included from Little Brown Jug, Alfred Lea from Tomahawk Chips, and Helen
Staines from Decadence Chocolates
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Jun 29, 2021
Free Press editor Paul Samyn and education reporter Maggie Macintosh host a virtual town hall to
revisit the school year that was – and frequently wasn’t for far too many students. Panelists
include Rory Ramos, a Grade 10 student; Kathy Heppner, a high school teacher and parent council
chairwoman; and Kirsten Baesler, state superintendent of North Dakota’s Department of Public
Instruction.
See more
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Jun 28, 2021
Author Doug Whiteway (C.C. Benison), Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, and McNally Robinson
co-owner Chris Hall discuss Whiteway’s latest novel, Paul is Dead, at our June Free Press Book Club
meeting
Watch the meeting replay
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Jun 23, 2021 to Aug 31, 2021
The second edition of the Summer Reading Challenge for Kids encouraged young readers between the ages
of 7 and 15 to pick a book off our reading lists curated by McNally Robinson, and then submit a
review. Reviews were published in print and online twice throughout the summer.
See more
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May 6, 2021
Percy
WFP Movie Night
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May 1, 2021
Author Andrew Unger, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris
Hall discuss Unger’s novel, Once Removed, at our May Free Press Book Club meeting
See more
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Apr 26, 2021
Ariel Gordon, Free Press columnist Jen Zoratti, and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris Hall discuss
Gordon’s essay collection Treed at our April Free Press Book Club meeting
See more
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Mar 29, 2021
Author Dr. Jillian Horton, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, and McNally Robinson co-owner
Chris Hall discuss Horton’s debut novel, We Are All Perfectly Fine, at our March Free Press Book
Club meeting
See more
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Mar 25, 2021
Al Simmons – The Barber of Seville
A virtual screening of Al Simmons’s adaptation of the Barber of Seville, including a live chat with
Simmons. Hosted in collaboration with Manitoba Opera.
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Mar 4, 2021
Fort Garry Brewing
Brew Box
Fort Garry Brewing was the featured brewery for our March 2021 Brew Box, which also included tasting
items from Chocolaterie Constance Popp and Piccola Cucina. Drinks writer Ben Sigurdson hosted our
live tasting call, which also included Josh Berscheid from Fort Garry, Constance Menzies from
Chocolaterie Constance Popp and Pina Romolo of Piccola Cucina.
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Feb 23, 2021
Author Saleema Nawaz, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris
Hall discuss Nawaz’s novel, Songs for the End of the World, at our February Free Press Book Club
meeting
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Jan 25, 2021
Author Joan Thomas, Free Press literary editor Ben Sigurdson, and McNally Robinson co-owner Chris
Hall discuss Thomas’s latest novel, Five Wives, at our January Free Press Book Club meeting
See more
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Dec 17, 2020
On the 12th Date of Christmas
WFP Movie Night
Two seemingly incompatible game designers in Chicago team up to create a romantic city-wide scavenger
hunt to promote a hotel chain.
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Dec 10, 2020
A Q&A and panel discussion on what went wrong and how to make things right again in relation to
Manitoba’s response to COVID-19.
See more
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Feb 11, 2020
I Propose We Never See Each Other Again After Tonight
WFP Movie Night
Iris DelaCruz meets Simon Friesen in the depths of coldest Canadian winter. This initiates an
energetic, fun, sexy affair – complete with all the passion and intensity of a 20 something
infatuation. But while he’s away on a trip, she hooks up with some other boys on a dating app, and
things become significantly more complicated.
