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Detail of the book cover for RUFF A Novel, with mostly black font against a light blue background. The R is torn in the centre, the U is outlined in yellow, the first F is outlined in white and the last F is light blue with black outline.
Detail of the book cover for RUFF A Novel, with mostly black font against a light blue background. The R is torn in the centre, the U is outlined in yellow, the first F is outlined in white and the last F is light blue with black outline.

Authors in conversation Authors in conversation

+ a reading of an outrageous theatrical tale starring William Shakespeare.

Home Events Reading Reading: Rod Carley in Conversation with Waubgeshig Rice

Reading: Rod Carley in Conversation with Waubgeshig Rice

Wednesday, September 18, 2024, join author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice at the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts for a conversation with author, actor and playwright Rod Carley, who’ll be reading from his new novel RUFF. A theatrical odyssey, based on a true story and packed with an unforgettable cast of Elizabethan* eccentrics, RUFF is a madcap world more modern than tomorrow, where gender is what a person makes of it (no matter what’s beneath their petticoats or tights).

A tale of ghosts, ghostwriting, writer’s block & the chopping block

Will Shakespeare is having a very bad year. Suffering from a mid-life crisis, a plague outbreak and the death of the ancient Queen, Will’s mettle is put to the test when the new King puts his witch-burning hobby aside to announce a national play competition that will determine which theatre company will secure his favour and remain in business. As he struggles to write a Scottish supernatural thriller, Will faces one ruff and puffy obstacle after another, including a young rival punk poet and his activist wife fighting for equality and a woman’s right to tread the boards. He and his band of misfits must ensure not only their own survival, but that of England as well.

“Rod Carley has written a captivating and bewitching novel set in England 400 years ago, yet it runs rife with contemporary relevance and resonance. Sophisticated, funny, insightful, timeless yet timely… beautifully written… RUFF is a story to be savoured.”

– Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour

*The era in England’s history that marked the end of the Tudor reign, presided over by Queen Elizabeth I (1558 – 1603) and looked upon as a golden age for the country.

 

A man wearing a black knit cap and button-down shirt smiles at us, holding his reading glasses in his right hand in front of his chest, as if he's just taken them off. There is a bookshelf in the background.

(Photo credits: The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts. Rod Carley.)

About Rod Carley

An alumnus of the Humber School for Writers, Rod Carley is an author, humourist, actor, director, playwright and cat wrangler. His award-winning works of literary fiction include RUFF, GRIN REAPING, KINMOUNT and A Matter of Will. His short stories and creative non-fiction have appeared in a variety of Canadian literary magazines, he’s a popular author and moderator with literary festivals and book clubs, and has facilitated a variety of writing-related workshops and webinars. He was the 2009 winner of TVO’s Big Ideas/Best Lecturer Competition for his lecture entitled “Adapting Shakespeare within a Modern Canadian Context.”

 

Black & white photo: A First Nations man wearing a dark shirt, his hair in two braids resting on either shoulder, gazes at us.

(Photo credits: The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts. Waubgeshig Rice.)

About Waubgeshig Rice

Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation on the shores of Georgian Bay, in the southeast of Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. He is the author of the best-selling novels Autumn of the Turning Leaves (2023) and Moon of the Crusted Snow (2018), Legacy (2014), and the short story collection Midnight Sweatlodge (2011). In addition to his writing endeavours, Waubgeshig is an eclectic public speaker. He speaks on creative writing and oral storytelling, contemporary Anishinaabe culture and matters, Indigenous representation in arts and media, and more.

Illustrated book cover for RUFF A Novel Rod Carley, with black, yellow and white font against a light blue background. A black and white bird stands on the last F of the title, holding a feather in its beak. Above the title: From the award winning author of Grin Reaping and Kinmount, the book titles in white font.

(Photo credits: The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts. Book cover for Rod Carley’s RUFF, published by Latitude 46 Publishing.)

 

Event details

Hosted by: The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts

Type of event: literary event

Featured author: Rod Carley, in conversation with Waubgeshig Rice 

Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Start time: 7:00 PM ET

Duration: TBA

Cost: C$12.00 (+HST)

Location: The Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, 2 Bay Street, Parry Sound, ON, P2A 1S3

Booking link: Book your tickets online here. This event is general seating. Tickets can also be purchased via phone during their business hours by calling the Box Office at 705-746-4466 (ext. 405) or in-person at The Stockey Centre (2 Bay Street, Parry Sound).

Please note that, at this time, accessible seating purchases are only available through in-person and over the phone sales.

Contact Details: Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, 2 Bay Street, Parry Sound, ON, P2A 1S3, Canada; 877-746-4466, info@stockeycentre.com, stockeycentre.com

 

Accessibility: The Stockey Centre is a fragrance-free facility and is fully accessible for all patrons, including ramps at doorways and an elevator to the upper floors. If you have any concerns about access, please ask at the Box Office when ordering tickets or arriving at the facility. Please note that, at this time, accessible seating purchases are only available through in-person and over the phone sales at 705-746-4466 (ext. 405).

Refund policy: All sales are final. They do not offer refunds or exchanges on any regular priced, discounted or season tickets.