October 6, 2003
GILLER PRIZE "ALTERNATIVE" FRONTIER COLLEGE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH STEAM WHISTLE BREWING AND BOOK TELEVISION
PRESENTS THE 2ND ANNUAL GILLER LIGHT BASH

For the second year running, The Giller Light Committee for Frontier College will hold a major fundraising party on the same night as the Giller Prize gala.

The Giller Prize is the most prestigious literary award in Canada and for the past nine years it has been the most coveted invitation in Toronto among publishing executives, literary media, authors and other literati. The Giller Prize invitation is hand-delivered and accompanied by a single, long-stemmed rose. Guests are wined and dined at the Four Seasons Hotel shoulder to shoulder with the five Giller-nominated authors. For everyone else in this city who doesn't get invited, there is the much-anticipated return of THE GILLER LIGHT!

Last year over 700 booklovers trekked through a chilly November rainstorm to join in the fun and organizers expect that number to grow this year. Steam Whistle Brewing is once again sponsoring the Giller Light and the bash will be held Tuesday, November 4, from 7 PM to 1 AM in the historic Roundhouse building, which houses the brewery and is located at the foot of the CN Tower. Steam Whistle beer will be flowing at the party, while partygoers watch sponsor Book Television’s live telecast of the Giller Prize on a large screen so that they can feel as though they are a part of the real thing. There will be raffles and door prizes throughout the evening and a chance to bet on which of the Giller nominees will take home the $25,000 prize. The Grand Prize at the Giller Light is two tickets to anywhere Air Canada flies in the US and Canada (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) courtesy of EnRoute magazine. After the winners are announced, the disco ball lights up the room and Toronto’s DJ Anousheh will bring the dance floor to life.

Frontier College was founded in 1899 by students and graduates of Queen's University. Its mission was to teach people in remote, "frontier" settlements to read. Today Frontier College is active in all provinces and territories and in both official languages. Cathy Mann, Director of Development for Frontier College hopes that the Giller Light Bash is even more of a success this year:

In its inaugural year, The Giller Light Bash raised $12,500 for Frontier College, specifically to support learners at homework clubs across the city; it raised awareness of Frontier College and its programs among the over 700 people who attended and it was a really fun event!

Thanks to the volunteers who organize The Giller Light, we continue to reach struggling andemergent readers to help them learn to read and write and develop the self-confidence they need.

I can’t wait to attend this year’s Giller Light!!

Jack Rabinovitch is the founder of the Giller Prize, which is named for his late wife Doris Giller, a book review editor for the Montreal Gazette and the Toronto Star. Mr. Rabinovitch, who was once a labourer-teacher for Frontier College, has offered his full support to the Giller Light Committee for Frontier College.

Book Television, The Channel is the world's first literary TV channel. It is distributed nationally across Canada on digital, and explores the entire expanding realm of literacy in the 21st century - in literature, mass media, academia, entertainment, and pop culture - through a variety of shows, including Richler, Ink., a weekly one-hour show hosted by Daniel Richler. Book Television is a sponsor of the Giller Light Bash this year.

FRONTIER COLLEGE IN ASSOCIATION WITH STEAM WHISTLE presents THE GILLER LIGHT BASH
Tuesday, November 4, 2003, 7:00 PM - 1:00 AM

Tickets: $25 in advance or $30 at the door, can be ordered by calling 416-923-3591 ex. 312

Tickets also available at all Book City locations, Pages Books & Magazines, Nicholas Hoare Bookstore and The Flying Dragon Bookshop. Please see our website for store locations: www.gillerlight.ca

Steam Whistle Brewing
The Roundhouse, 255 Bremner Blvd. Between Spadina and York south of Front St.

Media contact: Michaela Cornell (416) 975-9334 ext. 154

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