Brian Payton is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Hail Mary Corner. His nonfiction writing about adventure, wildlife, and the environment has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Globe and Mail, Walrus, and Canadian Geographic, and has earned two Lowell Thomas Silver Awards for best North American travel essay from the Society of American Travel Writers. His latest book, Shadow of the Bear: Travels in Vanishing Wilderness is published in Canada, USA, UK, and the Czech Republic. Shadow of the Bear was chosen as a Best Outdoor Book of 2006 by Ron Watters, Chair, National Outdoor Book Awards, and was a finalist for Best Book—Adventure Travel at the Banff Mountain Book Festival. Brian Payton lives with his wife in Vancouver.

Praise for Shadow of the Bear: Travels in Vanishing Wilderness

“High adventure combined with dazzling passages of nature writing.”

—Booklist

“An extremely satisfying and sometimes provocative read.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Accomplished and complex… Shadow of the Bear is top-rate.”

—The Georgia Straight

“Brian Payton has traveled to all lands where bears thrive. He brings back to us a thousand stories of mystery and wonder, myriad insights into the nature of this iconic creature, poetic moments of encounter and concern, all brought together into a moving narrative that reminds us that we are not predominate on this Earth. We share the wild with the animals. And in that space the bears beyond all other forms of life remind us of our fragility. This is a lesson we would do well to remember.”—Wade Davis, author of The Serpent and the Rainbow and Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society

“A gripping story of a species at the crossroads of extinction… Compelling and absorbing, Shadow of the Bear is an in-depth and thoughtful look at a species that may just be tied to the future of humanity itself.”—The Winnipeg Free Press

“Courageous, surprising, and fascinating… Brian Payton’s global journey into bear country is one-of-a-kind.”—John Vaillant, author of The Golden Spruce

“Brian Payton is the real ‘Grizzly Man.’ With energy, freshness, and no small amount of humor, he takes us deep into ‘bear country’—a place that exists not just in the forests of India and Peru, but, as Payton shows us, resides within each of us. Never has the primal bond between man and bear been so richly explored.”—Michael D’Orso, author of Eagle Blue and Plundering Paradise

“Certainly among the most sustained efforts to investigate the bear-human relationship ever recorded. Extremely rewarding reading.”

—The Edmonton Journal

Praise for Hail Mary Corner

"Brutally honest…. immediately captures the imagination. This is a story of a fall from grace, which happens so swiftly and triggers such tragedy that you wonder how a young teenage boy could ever recover. (Hail Mary Corner) offers no extenuating excuses or final absolution but leads to self-awareness and, ultimately, peace."—Sunday Telegram

"A frank and touching first novel, bringing rare twists to the well-trod literary path of the boarding-school bildungsroman. Payton's grotty, doctrinaire cloister resonates with immediacy and authorial assurance…. Among coming-out stories, Payton's tale seems to me unique. Narrated by a callow homophobe, it moves through prejudice, betrayal and violence to a conclusion of equal parts redemption and regret… Packs a cathartic wallop."—Globe and Mail

"Brian Payton's first novel rises above its genre... (Hail Mary Corner) is an accomplished debut, a deft and heartrending portrayal of questioning, dissolution and tragedy along the rocky path to manhood."—Vancouver Sun

"Hail Mary Corner (is) a gentle meditation on morality and maturity, learning and loss.... (A) novel with moments of genuine humour, insight, and emotional depth, and Payton's fiction debut should mark the start of a fine storytelling career."

—Georgia Straight

"Hail Mary Corner is an engrossing, funny and moving debut... Payton very effectively evokes the awesome mystery of the Roman Catholic church, examining the secretive realm of faith and religion... powerfully authentic..."

—Victoria Times-Colonist

"A sensitive, original story about growing up... Payton is a beguiling voice and his insight into a character-forging moment is so forthright it's unsteadying. The laughs are plentiful and the sense of place is strong. Many a first novel should be so lucky."—Edmonton Journal

Events featuring Brian Payton:

1. 1.Workshop (Teasing the Story from the Facts) 2:30 – 5:30 pm Thursday, July 17 at the Seniors Lounge. Please note: this workshop is sold out.
   

2. 2.Solo Session 11:15 am – 12:15 pm Friday, July 18 at the Back Hall.
   

3. 3.Literary Cabaret (Gender, Place and Process with host Sheryl MacKay, also featuring bill bissett, Dennis Foon and Shaena Lambert.) 7:30 pm Saturday, July 19 at the Community Hall.