The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Authors share stories from their storied past 19 · Friday, January 8, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Continued from page 17 "When a black man sidled up to me in the store restaurant, I turned to him and asked `What are you doing here,'" said Gildiner. "And that's when I realized Buffalo was already integrated." Such witty takes on ordinary events, misunderstandings and gaffes are Gildiner's trademark, whether told prosaically or verbally. Rest assured if the clinical psychologist by day, writer by night, ever packs in both careers, she could become a standup comedian. Karen Connelly put herself in harm's way in the centre of what some have called the longest running civil war in the world. The Calgary writer went to Burma in 1994 with PEN Canada, a non-profit organization that advocates for freedom of expression around the world, because she was interested in the case of a young woman writer, Ma Thida. Thida was imprisoned for 20 years in solitary confinement for writing short stories critical of the country's regime. "She dropped down to 80 pounds, suffered liver damage and developed endometriosis during those two decades of torture," she said. On a subsequent visit in 2001, after taking photographs of a student demonstration, Connelly was blacklisted from re-entering Burma, so for two years she lived on the Thai side of the Thai-Burma border and began to get to know many of the dissidents, refugees and revolutionaries who lived there. The Lizard Cage, published in 2005, was the result of those experiences. "But I felt there was another story to impart, and so Burmese Lessons: A Love Story was written," she said. An experience in his 20s was the fodder for John Bemrose's novel The Last Woman. While a neophyte on a canoe trip with a friend on the Missinaibi River in isolated northern Ontario, they found the body of a young American boy who had drowned days earlier. Traumatized and near hypothermia, the pair spent the night in Moser Wee Crossing, camping out in a schoolhouse. They played poker with trappers "who didn't say a lot but had such a powerful presence," said Bemrose. The meeting ignited a lifelong interest in native culture. This intrigue has surfaced in The Last Woman. It is Bemrose's second novel, following the success of The Island Walkers, which was a finalist for the Giller Prize, and a longlist nominee for the Man Booker Prize. The Last Woman tells the story of Anne and Richard, who live in a cottage that Bemrose dreamed, on an invented lake that borders a native reservation. When Anne picks up the phone and hears a voice she hasn't heard in 10 years, it sets off a story of forbidden love, intrigue and conflict. Such is the stuff of life, real or imagined. New Central Public School 133 Balsam Drive (Lakeshore and Balsam) Oakville, Ontario CAMP FAIR Don't miss out on the summer camp of your choice: Residential Camps · Summer Programs Meet representatives from these camps and choose the right camp for your child! Bring the kids... get the information you need... before the camps/programs are full! Admission is Free a Winter's Sale New Yorker Bedroom ­ shown in solid maple with queen demilune bed, 3 drawer night table and 6 drawer hiboy NOW 25% OFF Woodcraft Classic Table SAVE 45% during the Woodcraft Winters Sale Welcome to the warmth of fine, Canadian-made furniture from Woodcraft 20% to 45% savings on all our solid wood, hand made, custom finished furniture Visit www.woodcraft.ca today for the complete story on the Woodcraft Winter's Sale Alpha Entertainment Centre ­ sleek lines in solid wood 20% - 25% OFF all Entertainment Units CSI: LIVE! Mad Science Productions Sunday, January 17th BOYZ II MEN IN CONCERT Friday, January 22nd BABY BOOMERS: THE BLACKPACK S.E.L.L.O.U.T.! THE SHOW Thursday, Jan. 28th Versailles Table ­ available any size and with end extensions Thursday, Feb. 18th All performances are at The Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts To purchase tickets, please call our box office at 905-815-2021 or order on-line at www.oakvillecentre.ca Floor Models Reduced up to 50% We're clearing out floor models during our Winter's Sale. Check the web site for a list of what's available at each Woodcraft location. Mississauga: 2185 Dundas St. W. 2 Blocks W. of Erin Mills Pkwy. (905) 607-2247 www.woodcraft.ca Cross-Canada/U.S. Delivery Visit www.woodcraft.ca for more information on Woodcraft's fast and safe guaranteed delivery service across Canada and the U.S. Whitby: 111 Dunlop St. West at Brock St. (905) 668-2770 Workshop & Showroom: 370 Denison St. E., Markham (905) 475-2488