NORTH BATTLEFORD — Provincially and nationally recognized as a journalist, writer, and publisher, Miguel Fenrich has announced that the North Battleford Public Library — in conjunction with Saskbooks — is hosting a reading of his second novel, What Lies in the Valley for Book Week 2023.
The free event is one of many across the province as Saskbooks celebrates the best of Saskatchewan's published novels. The event will be open to the public and will start at 6 p.m., Oct. 6, at 1392 – 101st Street in the library's auditorium and will feature a brief reading from the novel, followed by a Q&A with the author. Refreshments will be served.
“It's an honour to be chosen to represent northwest Saskatchewan as we celebrate writing, literature, and publishing companies across the province. It gives me the chance to share a story of prairie perseverance through the protagonist, Klara, while also talking about some issues facing our society,” Miguel Fenrich said.
The novel features Klara, a German immigrant and her family fleeing misfortune — the death of her grandparents, the disappearance of her father, the kidnapping of her brother — and immigrating to Canada. Unbeknownst to them, unseen forces lying in the Canadian Prairies, deep in the isolation of the Foxtail Valley, prepare for their arrival.
Fenrich celebrated Book Week in the Battlefords in 2022 for the first time, with his debut novel Blue chronicling injustice in a fictional society where people with blue eyes are discriminated against. What Lies in the Valley was published on Friday the 13th, 2023.
“As an author, storyteller, and journalist, I'm always dedicated to telling important stories. That's what's happening here, and there's no better place than here in the Battlefords,” Fenrich added.
Miguel A. Fenrich was born in 2002. He is the winner of SWNA and CCNA awards for his photography and journalism in the Battlefords. Born of German and Sudanese descent, he has a long-standing passion for racial justice and equality, recently receiving a QEII Jubilee Medal for his publishing company, Supernova Press.
SaskBooks is Saskatchewan’s provincial creative industry trade association for book publishers, many who are small and independent Saskatchewan businesses, acting as champions for the book publishing sector in the province. For more information, visit their website at: skbooks.com.
