Well-known Canadian author to visit Prince Edward County

By Laine Sedore

A Canadian icon will pay a visit to Prince Edward County on Wednesday November 23.

Author/poet, Margaret Atwood will be at the Regent Theatre in Picton to give a presentation titled “Buldozing the mind: The assault on cultural and rural heritage.”

Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is most famous for her poetry and novels but has been in the news a lot recently fighting against library cuts in Toronto.

The event is a partial fundraiser for Al Purdy cottage in Ameliasburgh. The fundraiser is put on by the Al Purdy A-frame Trust organization that is trying to purchase the A-frame to turn it into a writer’s retreat.

Friends of East Lake, the organization that was able to bring Margaret Atwood to Picton will donate 60% of the money raised to the shore land management fund at Quinte Conservation and the other 40% will go to the Al Purdy fund.

Barbara Wyatt, secretary treasurer at Friends of East Lake said it’s very important to have Atwood come to the County.

“The two organizations that the fundraising is for, it would be nice if the money could come from the county itself, unfortunately because of budget constraints and various other things this hasn’t happened,” she said.

Wyatt has been a fan of Atwood’s for a while and is excited to meet her on Wednesday.

“She’s a very interesting person, I’ve read most of her books and I like her apart form her books, the fact she’s so committed to various things which are important like the library issue in Toronto,” she said.

There will be a catered reception at Books and Company in Picton at 5:30 pm followed by the presentation at The Regent Theatre at 7:30 pm. There will be a question and answer period after the presentation. Cost of the event is $65 for the reception and presentation and $40 for the presentation.