Newfoundland’s finest authors profiled on Bravo! -- Speaking Volumes: A Literary Roar from the Rock

Acclaimed contemporary Newfoundland and Labrador writers share their work and their wit in this one-hour immersion in the written word and colourful culture from which these novelists roar. Speaking Volumes: A Literary Roar from the Rock, produced by Best Boy Productions in association with Bravo!, premieres June 7 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.

In the mid-1990s an explosion of Newfoundland writers captured the interest of Canada and gained international recognition. Speaking Volumes explores this literary phenomenon with authors including Lisa Moore (Open), Michael Winter (The Big Why), Wayne Johnston (A Colony of Unrequited Dreams) and Michael Crummey (The Wreckage). Featuring interviews with the authors, book readings and the day-to-day life of writers working in Newfoundland, this documentary theorizes the wealth of authors and stories coming out of the small population, the influence of confederation and the challenges of defining the voice of Newfoundland.

David Macfarlane, author of The Danger Tree, attributes the success of East Coast writers to their culture’s oral tradition; “Newfoundlanders, of course, are great storytellers and that may be what it’s all about.”

Bravo!, a division of CHUM Television, is a rest stop in the television universe where viewers make a regular appointment with the arts (www.bravo.ca). A proud supporter of the Canadian independent production community, Bravo! funds approximately 100 hours of independently produced documentaries and performing arts specials a year. Bravo! has been a major contributor to such productions as Bathroom Divas, Godiva’s, Detective Murdoch Mysteries and Gemini award-winning Camp Hollywood.

CHUM Television is a division of CHUM Limited, one of Canada’s leading media companies and content providers which owns and operates radio stations, local television stations, specialty channels and Internet properties.