What are afternoon horses? The phrase comes from a poem in Deirdre Kessler's poetry book, Afternoon Horses, which will be launched on Tuesday, October 20, at Beaconsfield's Carriage House, from 7 to 9 p.m.

Though Kessler has been writing poetry for more years than she has been writing fiction and nonfiction and has had poems published in chapbooks and in a number of collections and journals, Afternoon Horses is her first book of poetry. The book is published by Acorn Press.

"Deirdre Kessler enfolds us in her sense of wonder for friendship, for history, for the endless revelations of nature," writes poet and UPEI professor Richard Lemm. "Fierceness and sadness also appear, when a desert is sown with land mines, when we slaughter other species. Yet, so much of life surprises with beauty, and our 'hands find the right places / in dark rooms or under

stars in middle of nowhere.' These are poems that find the right places, that surprise us with us joy."

Poet Laureate David Helwig writes: "Deirdre Kessler's Afternoon Horses...pays its homage to the bright images and shapely tales collected in travel. It goes abroad, but it also follows the vital rhythms of language inward. Then her lean, taut lines offer lessons in how to take flight while standing perfectly still."

Peter Hay, Taswegian poet and visiting scholar to UPEI this fall, says: "Here is a poetry of quiet power, a poetry of deep, all-gathering compassion, a poetry that reaches out in love to all that swims and swarms upon the face of the earth."

Deirdre Kessler is the author of a dozen novels and picture books for children, including Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Award-winning Brupp Rides Again, a children's novel, and Lobster in My Pocket, a perennially best-selling picture book. Her Island history book, a work that combines a fictional narrative with informational text, Exploring the Island, is now part of the P.E.I. grade six curriculum.

Kessler is recipient of the Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts on Prince Edward Island and a P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation Writing Award for A Century on Spring Street. She has freelanced for CBC Television and Radio. Her poetry has appeared in several collections, including Landmarks: An Anthology of New Atlantic Canadian Poetry of the Land (Acorn 2001).

She lives in Charlottetown and teaches children's literature and creative writing with the UPEI Department of English.

Wondering what afternoon horses are? Come to Beaconsfield's Carriage House on Tuesday evening, October 20, 7 to 9 p.m., and all will be revealed. There will be a poetry reading, music, refreshments, book signing, and one terrible joke.

Linden MacIntyre, distinguished Canadian journalist, broadcaster and novelist, will read from his new novel, The Bishop's Man, on Tuesday, October 27, at 7:30 p.m., in Studio One at the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

His reading is sponsored by the UPEI Department of English and Confederation Centre Public Library, with support from The Canada Council for the Arts. A reception and book signing will follow, and admission is free.

MacIntyre has won nine Gemini Awards, an international Emmy, an ACTRA Award and numerous other honours for writing and journalistic excellence. Born in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland, and raised in Port Hastings, Cape Breton, he began his career in 1964 with The Halifax Chronicle-Herald as a parliamentary bureau reporter. He joined the CBC in 1976. In 1990 he was appointed co-host of The Fifth Estate, with which he is still involved. For three decades, he has produced documentaries and stories from all over the world.

His first novel, The Long Stretch, was published in 1999, and his 2006 memoir, Causeway: A Passage from Innocence, won the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction and the Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-Fiction.

The Bishop's Man, short-listed for the 2009 Giller Prize for fiction, 'centres on a sensitive topic-the sexual abuses perpetrated by Catholic priests on the innocent children in their care. Father Duncan, the first person narrator, has been his bishop's dutiful enforcer, employed to check the excesses of priests and, crucially, to suppress the evidence. But as events veer out of control, he is forced into painful self-knowledge as family, community and friendship are torn apart under the strain of suspicion, obsession and guilt. A brave novel, conceived and written with impressive delicacy and understanding.' (Giller jury citation)

John Acorn, aka The Nature Nut, will share his passion for natural history and entomology during two presentations at the University of Prince Edward Island on Monday, October 26, in the KC Irving (KCI) Chemistry Centre.

Acorn will give a presentation called "It's natural to be a naturalist (and it pays too!)" at 1:30 p.m. in the KCI Wanda Wyatt Lecture Theatre (Room 104). And at 7 p.m. he will give another talk called "Life, Ladybugs, Nature Nuts and Nativeness," also in the KCI lecture theatre. Members of the public are welcome to attend both presentations.

'Introduced species are often seen as ‘alien invaders,'' says Acorn, 'and indeed some have done great harm after arriving in new places. This pattern, however, is not universal, and biologists are beginning to rethink the science we have called ‘invasion biology.'

Using examples from ladybugs and other animals, Acorn will explore this theme and ask questions about ideas such as nativeness, naturalness, and ecological integrity.

Born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1958, Acorn has been fascinated with animals his entire life. He is perhaps best known as the writer and host of the television series "Acorn, The Nature Nut," a family-oriented, how-to-be-a-naturalist show. He also hosted "Twits and Pishers," a travel show for bird watchers, and is the video host for the galleries of the Royal Tyrell Museum, where he has also served as a research associate.

Currently he teaches at the University of Alberta and travels widely as a public speaker. To date, he has written 17 books, including many well-received field guides.

Acorn is the recipient of NSERC's 2007 Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion, the University of Alberta's 2005 Distinguished Alumni Award, two 'Rosies' for best host from the Alberta Motion Picture Industry Awards, and two nominations for Canada's national television award, the Gemini. Both the Entomological Society of Alberta and the Canadian Society of Zoologists have also recognized his contributions to public education.

Musicians Lennie Gallant, Richard Wood, Michelle Wright and friends will donate their performances in a concert on November 7 for Light Up Papua New Guinea, a project to honour Captain Nichola Goddard who was killed in 2006 in Afghanistan while serving with the Canadian Forces.

Nichola's parents, UPEI's Dean of Education Tim Goddard and Sally Goddard, will attend the event. Nichola was born in Papua New Guinea when her parents were CUSO teachers there. The Light Up Papua New Guinea project brings solar lights to rural first aid posts and birthing centres in Papua New Guinea.

A dinner preceding the concert will feature a keynote address by CTV News journalist Lisa LaFlamme who was imbedded with Nichola's battalion in the weeks preceding her death. One of Canada's top journalists, LaFlamme regularly unravels complicated political events and national issues for viewers. She covered the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009 and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. In 2007 she examined two of the biggest legal cases in North America: the murder trial of Robert Pickton and the fraud trial of Conrad Black.

True to her hard news journalism roots, LaFlamme has made multiple trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to cover ongoing military activity. Outisde of broadcasting, she avidly supports Plan International, formerly known as Foster Parents Plan. Traveling to remote areas for the last several years, she highlights child poverty throughout the world.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre at UPEI. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at www.themontgomerytheatre.com

The dinner will start at 5 p.m. with a reception in the W.A. Murphy Centre's McMillan Hall at UPEI. Tickets are $125 which includes dinner, the concert, commemorative t-shirt and a post-concert reception. Cheques can be made out and sent to Light Up Papua New Guinea, c/o 45 Parkside Drive, Charlottetown, PE, C1E 1N1. Call (902) 569-5665 to purchase dinner tickets or for further information.

Tickets for the dinner and the concert may also be purchased from Kate Graham, UPEI Department of Education, at (902) 566-0731 or kegraham@upei.ca.

For further information, contact Sue Platts at suesue00118@hotmail.com or www.nicholagoddard.com

Doug MacGregor, chairman and co-CEO of RBC Capital Markets, will give a public talk at the University of Prince Edward Island on Thursday, October 29, from 6 to 7:15 p.m.

MacGregor's talk, entitled Canada's Economy and Canadian Banks' Performance through the Financial Crisis and into the Recovery, will take place in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium (Room 242), McDougall Hall.

He will review the impact of recent market events on the global and Canadian economies, and provide an outlook for select economic indicators.

As chairman and co-CEO of RBC Capital Markets, McGregor is responsible for driving client relationships, and managing the firm's investment banking, equity agency trading and credit businesses. He is also is a member of the Group Executive of RBC, and he heads RBC's North American real estate brokerage, financing, capital markets and advisory business. He holds an Honours BA (Business) and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He is currently chairman of the Board of Directors of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).

'The School of Business is pleased to work with RBC to present this top-tier management speaker,' says Dr. Don Wagner, coordinator of UPEI's executive-style MBA program. 'WE welcome members of the campus community and the general public to this event.'

This event is presented by UPEI's executive-style MBA program and RBC Dominion Securities. Tours of McDougall Hall and a reception in Schurman Market Square will follow the lecture. For more information, please email Grace McCourt or call (902) 566-6474.

Members of the public are invited to attend a talk called "Creating City Wolves ... From Dogs" by Canadian author Dorris Heffron on Tuesday, November 3, from 12:30-1:20 p.m., in the AVC Lecture Theatre D at UPEI.

Heffron is the author of City Wolves, a novel that imagines the life of Canada's first female veterinarian, the Klondike gold rush, and the evolution of the dogs that would come to be known as Alaskan Malamutes.

A native of Noranda, Quebec, Heffron earned an Honours B.A., M.A. in Literature and Philosophy from Queen's University. While teaching in England from 1968 to 1980, she wrote three novels about teenagers that are considered pioneers in the genre of young adult fiction. The novels were translated and included in high school courses in Europe, Japan and Canada. She taught creative writing at the University of Malaysia, and wrote and taught in Holland, France and Cape Breton Island. She has served on the national council of The Writers' Union, the board of directors of PEN Canada, The Writers Trust of Canada, the Toronto Arts Council and the board of directors of the Native Men's Residence.

Heffron's talk is presented by the Chinook Project which brings essential veterinary care to isolated communities in the Canadian Arctic. The project was created by Jane Magrath, Associate Professor of English at UPEI, and Lisa Miller, Professor of Pathology and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at AVC.

Each summer, four veterinary students in their final year of study and two AVC clinicians, along with essential equipment, go to a community in the Canadian Arctic where they give free veterinary treatment to animals, including spaying/castration, parasite control and vaccinations, and they educate the local population in animal care.

The project visited Kimmirut (Southern Baffin) in 2006 and 2008, Cambridge Bay (Western Arctic) in 2007, and Kugluktuk and Cambridge Bay (Western Arctic) in 2009. In 2010 the project will go to Northern Labrador.

The Winter's Tales Author Reading Series will feature and celebrate 13 talented Island writers, most of them new voices, several of them familiar to Island audiences, at a public reading on Tuesday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Building Faculty Lounge at UPEI.

The writers are currently participating in a creative writing master class offered by the UPEI Department of English. They will give short readings from their work in progress. They are: Meaghan Blanchard, Lisa-Marie Brunnen, David (Lobie) Daughton, Orysia Dawydiak, Neil Fraser, Jeremy Gaudet, Laura Morrell, Amanda Morrison, Fiona Papps, Katie Rankin, Billy Rose Hannah Visser and Richard Snow.

The public is invited to hear tantalizing excerpts from fantasy and science fiction novels, one-act plays, poetry, memoirs, short fiction, novellas and novels. Admission is free. For more information, please contact the Department of English at (902) 566-0389.

The Tourism Research Centre at UPEI is pleased to announce the release of its latest report using exit survey results collected from July 2007 to June 2008. This report groups visitors based on the activities they participated in while on PEI.

'We have divided our visitors into four groups based on what they did while on PEI,' said Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC. 'We were able to make profiles for each group, and can look at, for example, what type of accommodation they choose, how much they spend, and how long they spend in PEI.'

Travel parties were segmented into four groups, those who came to visit friends and relatives (37 per cent of total travel parties), participated in outdoor activities (22 per cent), participated in cultural activities (20 per cent), and came for rest and relaxation (22 per cent).

Travel parties who came to visit friends and relatives had the lowest participation rates for the majority of activities included in the survey. These visitors spent the least amount of money in PEI. Although their visits were short, most were repeat visitors. Only about 22 per cent visited during the main season, July and August.

Those who visited PEI to take part in outdoor activities had the lowest average spending per-person-per-night but the second highest average spending per party per visit because they had the second longest average number of nights' stay in PEI (4.9). Most of this group were repeat visitors, second only to those who came to visit friends and relatives.

'Developing outdoor activities as tourism products would be best geared to middle-aged adults and families from our neighbouring provinces,' explained Dr. Hennessey. 'About two-thirds of travel parties participating predominantly in outdoor activities hailed from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with an almost equal proportion being adult couples and families. Outdoor enthusiasts also displayed a greater tendency to stay in cabins, cottages, campgrounds or trailer parks.'

Despite their high participation in low-key activities such as sightseeing and driving tours, those coming for rest and relaxation should not be misconstrued as meaning this market does not spend money on tourism-related products. In fact, their per-person-per-night spending was the highest of all four clusters ($129.07). However, their stays on the Island were short (less than four nights) because they tended to make PEI a stop during a trip with multiple destinations. These travel parties tended to be comprised of two adults; almost 40 per cent were 55 years of age or more. These visitors were also more likely to stay in Charlottetown for the duration of their stay.

The largest proportion of travel parties interested predominantly in cultural activities came from Ontario (24 per cent). The remainder were fairly evenly distributed between New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and the USA (13-15 per cent is the range for these jurisdictions). About half of all travel parties interested in cultural activities were adult couples, and about a third were families.

'Unlike the two kinds of inactive parties and those interested mainly in outdoor activities, only half of cultural enthusiasts were repeat visitors,' elaborated Dr. Hennessey. 'Since repeat visitors did not seem as interested in cultural activities, this may indicate a certain degree of saturation with existing cultural tourism products for repeat visitors. For example, while half of travel parties participating mostly in cultural activities visited within the last three years, almost 33 per cent had been to PEI five years ago or longer. This long-range trend is not apparent for the other groups to the same degree.'

Well-known scientist and public speaker Dr. Joe Schwarcz, a.k.a 'Dr. Joe,' will give a presentation called Hey! There Are Cockroaches in My Chocolate Ice Cream! at the University of Prince Edward Island on Wednesday, November 18, and again on Thursday, November 19.

The presentation on November 18 will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Steel Recital Hall, and the one on November 19 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium in McDougall Hall. Both presentations are open to the public.

This highly visual and entertaining presentation examines some serious as well as frivolous experiences in dealing with the public and emphasizes the importance of fostering critical thinking.

'No, there really are no cockroaches in chocolate ice cream,' says Schwarcz. 'But one of my radio listeners did jump to this conclusion after misinterpreting what had been said about a certain food colorant. Being on one end of a microphone and in front of television cameras for over 20 years has afforded some fascinating insight into the public's perception of science. It has also provided an opportunity to separate sense from nonsense in areas ranging from nutrition and medications to cosmetics and pesticides.'

Schwarcz, who received his Ph.D. from McGill University in 1973, is well known for his informative and entertaining public lectures on topics ranging from the chemistry of love to the science of aging. Using stage magic to make scientific points is one of his specialties.

He is director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society, which is dedicated to demystifying science for the public, the media and students. He also teaches a variety of courses with emphasis on health issues and on the application of chemistry to everyday life.

He has received numerous awards for teaching chemistry and for interpreting science for the public. Among these are the Royal Society of Canada's McNeil Award and the American Chemical Society's prestigious Grady-Stack Award. He is the only non-American ever to be honoured with this prize. Previous winners of the Grady-Stack have included famed science writer Isaac Asimov, New York Times columnist Walter Sullivan and Don Herbert of TV's 'Mr. Wizard' fame. His latest award is the Royal Canadian Institute's Sandford Fleming Medal. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Athabasca University in the spring of 2002.

'Dr. Joe' has appeared on the Canadian Discovery Channel, TV Ontario, Global Television, CBC-TV, CTV-TV and various radio stations. He writes a weekly newspaper column in the Montreal Gazette entitled 'The Right Chemistry' as well as a monthly column in Canadian Chemical News. He was the chief consultant on the Reader's Digest bestsellers, 'Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal' and 'The Healing Power of Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs,' and he contributed the chemistry chapter to the best-selling 'Mental Floss.' He has written several bestselling books that have been translated into five languages and are sold around the world. His most recent publications are "An Apple a Day" and "Brain Fuel."

The Tourism Research Centre at UPEI has released its latest report using exit survey results collected from July 2007 to June 2008.

The report provides a summary of comments from visitors to P.E.I. The comments were solicited through two open-ended questions. The first asked if the visitor experienced any problems that would impact their decision to return to P.E.I. or to recommend it to others. The second allowed the visitor to provide general comments.

The comments from both questions were categorized into ten general areas: food and beverage, service, accommodations, prices and taxes on goods and services, transportation, seasonal/daily closures, environmental concerns, parks, attractions and other comments. The negative comments in these categories focused on two themes: the expense of visiting P.E.I., and a perceived discrepancy between the cost of goods and services and the quality received in return for the cost. Specifically, visitors commented on the costs associated with bridge and ferry tolls, National Park entrance fees, taxes, gas, accommodations, meals and attractions.

The feedback provided also shows that visitors are very impressed with the natural beauty of P.E.I., the friendliness of the people, and Islanders' pride of place. In addition, some of the comments that may be perceived as negative are actually suggestions for improvement or are simple observations that may not reflect the reality of life in P.E.I. (for example, P.E.I. needs to have famous brands and products outlet stores for shoppers). Some of the comments also related to matters that are beyond the control of tourism industry operators such as road conditions, taxes, road signs and P.E.I.'s natural environment.

'The report highlights areas where many visitors feel improvements can be made that will improve P.E.I.'s tourism product, and areas where the province excels,' explained Dr. Sean Hennessey, Faculty Director of the TRC.

The report also offers a breakdown of the comments by various market segments. It shows that the largest percentage of comments came from visitors from the U.S. and international countries. Visitors from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, P.E.I.'s largest visitor market, made the fewest comments. First-time visitors were much more likely to make a comment than returning visitors. A demographic profile reveals that those most likely to make a comment were males; those who were retired, married, aged 55 and over; those with a post graduate/professional designation; and those with an annual household income above $125,000.

Overall, visitors rated P.E.I. very highly. Quality of accommodations, restaurants, transportation and customer service in general received the highest number of comments but were each rated above 4 out of 5. The price of goods and services was rated lower (3.56), but visitors agreed that they had received good value for their money (4.17 out of 5). Perhaps most importantly, visitors agreed that they would visit P.E.I. again and recommend the province to others as a travel destination.

'In general, information in the form of actual comments from consumers can be as valuable as statistical data,' said Dr. Hennessey. 'Visitors' views and opinions provide us with information that is over and above the numeric results provided elsewhere in the exit survey, and in the numerous reports released by the TRC that profile visitors and their views of PEI as a tourist destination. This is valuable information for all tourism stakeholders.'

This report is available at www.upei.ca/business/trc. More information about the report can be obtained from the Tourism Research Centre, School of Business, UPEI, at (902) 566-6096 or trc@upei.ca.