Novelist and Playwright, Kelley Jo Burke, Coming to Write Out Loud
Kelley Jo Burke kicks off her latest book saying, “I’m a recovering liar.” Fully truthful or not, “Wreck: A Very Anxious Memoir” (2021 Radiant Press), is wickedly funny as she embarks on a wild journey to understand many things, including the part where her grandfather sort of murdered her grandmother. She returns to a house filled with her memories of childhood and reflects on alienation, immigration, mental health, generational trauma, and the nature of memory itself.
Summarizing Ms. Burke’s accomplishments is a daunting task. She’s an award-winning playwright, director, storyteller, documentarian (for CBC Radio One’s IDEAS), and producer and broadcaster. She was named the 2023 City of Regina Writing Award winner for her submission, “Rigby”. As a dramaturge, director, and producer for stage and radio (some 350 productions over 10 years) she’s worked with authors such as Yann Martel, Dawn Dumont, Gail Bowen, and Louise Halfe. She was the host/producer of CBC Saskatchewan’s radio arts performance hour SoundXchange. She has been a workshop leader in creative process, writing, performance, and creative non-fiction writing and production for more than twenty years.
Ms. Burke asks that we attach a language warning to her reading. Off-colour language is often a factor of realism in memoir.
Write Out Loud welcomes Kelley Jo Burke to the Swift Current Lyric Theatre Stage at 7:00 p.m., April 19, 2023. Prior to Ms. Burke’s presentation, local musicians, Jessica Rouleau and Dustin Olmsted, will entertain. Sponsorship for this evening is generously provided by our local Voth family.