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CBC Launches Canada Reads 2013: Turf Wars

Oct 10, 2012

Today, Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC Radio One and TV's national arts and culture program Q, announced the public campaign for CANADA READS 2013: TURF WARS. CANADA READS, CBC's annual battle of the books, has divided the country into five different regions this year, to shine a light on the nation's greatest books and authors. The public is invited to recommend favourite novels to compete in the ultimate book showdown in February. This year's celebrity panelists will each represent a region and will choose their books from the public's recommendations. The winning book will become Canada's must-read novel for 2013. The five CANADA READS 2013: TURF WARS zones are:

1.) The Atlantic Provinces
2.) Quebec
3.) Ontario
4.) Prairies and North
5.) British Columbia and Yukon

Starting today until October 22, CBC BOOKS encourages readers to recommend novels they think are the best in each region. Five Top 10 lists, one from each region, will be compiled from the public nominations. Public voting will narrow the titles down to Top 5 lists, and the celebrity panelists will each choose a book to champion from the list for their region.

"We are excited to engage the Canadian public in a playful debate over some of our greatest literature," said Jian Ghomeshi, host of Q and CANADA READS. "As Canadians, we're pretty passionate about our hometowns and the regions we identify with, so hopefully this is an inviting way to have people's voices heard and to highlight the strong writing talent we have in this country".

CBC will unveil the five celebrity panelists and the titles they choose on November 29. The CANADA READS debates will take place in front of live audiences in February, and will be broadcast on radio, TV and online at CBC BOOKS. Books will be voted off one by one until the winner is chosen as the book for Canadians to read in 2013.

To be eligible for CANADA READS: TURF WARS, books must be novels by Canadian authors, in English, in print and readily available, and published by a traditional publisher. Books previously on CANADA READS are not eligible for this year's lists or competition. For more information, please visit CBC BOOKS, and follow the campaign on Twitter @CBCBooks #CanadaReads.

ABOUT CBC BOOKS
CBC Books features all of CBC's rich literary content and major events and programs such as Canada Reads, the Massey Lectures and Canada Writes. This one-stop destination for book lovers and writers includes in-depth information on books, exclusive interviews with authors, the latest news stories from the publishing world, book reviews, best-seller lists, writing workshops and challenges, plus discussions and blogs on the written word. This online meeting place brings together literary enthusiasts to find books they want to read and connect with other Canadians who love to read and write as much as they do.

ABOUT CBC/RADIO-CANADA

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

For further information please contact:
Dayna Shiskos
Dayna.Shiskos@cbc.ca
(o) (416) 205-7973
(c) (416) 420-5241