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Revisiting the scene of the crime
Aug. 23rd, 2013 09:55 amI spent last weekend in Kingston and on Wolfe Island (village of St. Mary's) for the annual (and, I hope, not the last) Scene of the Crime festival. Festival organizers have been having some trouble attracting enough volunteers (particularly locals) to keep this worthwhile event going. But it seemed to be a success this year, so I hope it will continue.
It began with a 2-hour writing workshop conducted by Barbara Fradkin. Then it was on to the United Church for the rest of the morning and a buffet lunch. Afternoon sessions were held at the Anglican Church, a short walk away, followed by supper in the church hall.
Probably the best-known authors there were Ian Hamilton and Andrew Pyper (who was receiving a Grant Allen award). But there was a sizable local contingent as well - Linda Wiken (a.k.a. Erika Chase), Barbara Fradkin, Janet Bolin, Vicki Delany... I recently finished the latest Erika Chase and am looking forward to reading Vicki Delany's new book in the Constable Molly Smith series. I bought a copy of Gloria Ferris' book (which won an "Unhanged Arthur" award a year or two ago for best unpublished novel) and if I enjoy it, will certainly hunt out her next book, due to appear in November.
In the chock-full programme, one highlight (though certainly a lowlight from the standpoint of what it says about the status of women and the importation of misogynistic attitudes by immigrants from certain places) was the true-crime talk by Paul Schliesmann, a Kingston Whig Standard reporter who covered the Shafia murder trials, in which four women were drowned by family members at the Kingston Mills lock in a so-called "honour killing". Even now, certain details cannot be revealed - for example, the names or locations of the surviving Shafia children or siblings (only one of whom is still a minor) - and the three Shafias who were on trial plan to appeal their conviction on first-degree murder charges. I bought and read Schliesmann's book and am now reading another book about the same case (this one rather more detailed) by his colleague at the paper, Rob Tripp.
The weather was beautiful for the entire festival. A few things, however, did not work as well as they might have. For example, the programme book suggested having a look at the Grant Allen collection at the Wolfe Island Public Library during the lunch break, which was roughly between noon at 1:30. But it failed to mention the fact that the library closed at 1 PM. So when I got there about 1:15, it was too late. Also, the programme indicated that we would have a half-hour break between 2:30 and 3:00, and I had mentally earmarked that time to go and cash in my free ice-cream voucher at the general store. But when 2:30 rolled around, we were told that instead of one long break, we would be having three shorter ones - and that didn't really allow me enough time to go for ice cream. As a result, my coupon went unredeemed. I also found that the food this year (included in the registration fee) was not as good as in previous years. Usually there's an abundance of local produce and home-baked goods but this year, not so much. It was disappointing to be served wonderbread-style dinner rolls when the nearby Wolfe Island Bakery had such a tempting variety of more adventurous fare on offer. Supper in particular was disappointing as there was a limited selection of food suitable for vegetarians. In terms of their hot food, a vegetarian chili or casserole or pasta dish would have been good. It would also have been nice to enjoy a glass of wine or a local microbrew from one of the excellent pubs on the island WITH our meal rather than just going out for a drink after supper.
On the plus side, however, the ferries between Wolfe Island and Kingston now run until the wee hours of the morning. When I went last time, the final ferry of the evening was at 8:30 PM. I definitely feel I got my money's worth from the festival but I hope some of the glitches I've mentioned can be ironed out in years to come.
It began with a 2-hour writing workshop conducted by Barbara Fradkin. Then it was on to the United Church for the rest of the morning and a buffet lunch. Afternoon sessions were held at the Anglican Church, a short walk away, followed by supper in the church hall.
Probably the best-known authors there were Ian Hamilton and Andrew Pyper (who was receiving a Grant Allen award). But there was a sizable local contingent as well - Linda Wiken (a.k.a. Erika Chase), Barbara Fradkin, Janet Bolin, Vicki Delany... I recently finished the latest Erika Chase and am looking forward to reading Vicki Delany's new book in the Constable Molly Smith series. I bought a copy of Gloria Ferris' book (which won an "Unhanged Arthur" award a year or two ago for best unpublished novel) and if I enjoy it, will certainly hunt out her next book, due to appear in November.
In the chock-full programme, one highlight (though certainly a lowlight from the standpoint of what it says about the status of women and the importation of misogynistic attitudes by immigrants from certain places) was the true-crime talk by Paul Schliesmann, a Kingston Whig Standard reporter who covered the Shafia murder trials, in which four women were drowned by family members at the Kingston Mills lock in a so-called "honour killing". Even now, certain details cannot be revealed - for example, the names or locations of the surviving Shafia children or siblings (only one of whom is still a minor) - and the three Shafias who were on trial plan to appeal their conviction on first-degree murder charges. I bought and read Schliesmann's book and am now reading another book about the same case (this one rather more detailed) by his colleague at the paper, Rob Tripp.
The weather was beautiful for the entire festival. A few things, however, did not work as well as they might have. For example, the programme book suggested having a look at the Grant Allen collection at the Wolfe Island Public Library during the lunch break, which was roughly between noon at 1:30. But it failed to mention the fact that the library closed at 1 PM. So when I got there about 1:15, it was too late. Also, the programme indicated that we would have a half-hour break between 2:30 and 3:00, and I had mentally earmarked that time to go and cash in my free ice-cream voucher at the general store. But when 2:30 rolled around, we were told that instead of one long break, we would be having three shorter ones - and that didn't really allow me enough time to go for ice cream. As a result, my coupon went unredeemed. I also found that the food this year (included in the registration fee) was not as good as in previous years. Usually there's an abundance of local produce and home-baked goods but this year, not so much. It was disappointing to be served wonderbread-style dinner rolls when the nearby Wolfe Island Bakery had such a tempting variety of more adventurous fare on offer. Supper in particular was disappointing as there was a limited selection of food suitable for vegetarians. In terms of their hot food, a vegetarian chili or casserole or pasta dish would have been good. It would also have been nice to enjoy a glass of wine or a local microbrew from one of the excellent pubs on the island WITH our meal rather than just going out for a drink after supper.
On the plus side, however, the ferries between Wolfe Island and Kingston now run until the wee hours of the morning. When I went last time, the final ferry of the evening was at 8:30 PM. I definitely feel I got my money's worth from the festival but I hope some of the glitches I've mentioned can be ironed out in years to come.
