From the Artistic Director
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Welcome to the Vancouver Writers Fest on Granville Island This year, one of the themes of the Vancouver Writers Fest is that of discovery. Every year Festival-goers attend an event to see one author, and leave having discovered someone new. Our 2014 Festival, however, may be unprecedented in terms of the number of international authors you’ve not yet heard of but are bound to become entranced with. Karl Ove Knausgaard, an acclaimed novelist in his native Norway, was unknown to English-speaking readers until his Min Kamp (My Struggle) books, a series of six autobiographical novels, began appearing in translation. Now his work is reviewed widely, he has been compared to Proust, and British novelist Zadie Smith is quoted as saying she needs his next book “like crack.” The Icelandic novelist, poet and lyricist Sjón may not be on your radar, but with fans like Junot Díaz, David Mitchell and A.S. Byatt, you will want to check him out. Dutch author and actor Herman Koch made waves with his novel The Dinner, which was translated into 21 languages and sold over one million copies throughout Europe. He is at the Festival with a new novel, Summer House with Swimming Pool. It took Irish novelist Eimear McBride six months to write her novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing, and nine years to find a publisher. Called a “genius” by fellow Irish writer Anne Enright, McBride’s novel won the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction this year. In addition to discoveries, you will re-encounter some favourites who’ve joined us at Festivals past, all of whom are back with new works of fiction ready for you to devour. Ann-Marie MacDonald, Jane Smiley, Sarah Waters and Tim Winton are just a few authors whose books you may be lining up to get signed. We’re also hosting a few noteworthy celebrations. This year, Talonbooks will publish Peacock Blue, the collected works of poet Phyllis Webb, and Brian Brett will host a tribute with Phyllis in attendance. Jean Baird has organized a benefit to raise funds for the continued restoration of Al Purdy’s hand-built A-frame cottage, and to support residencies for Canadian writers. And the great British Columbia publishing house Harbour is celebrating its 40th anniversary with an event at the Festival. We invite you to join the celebration. I look forward to seeing you on Granville Island in October, when distinguished writers from around the world make it a book lover’s paradise. Hal Wake, Artistic Director
Contents About Us 4 Festival Authors 5 6 Venues & Parking How to Buy Tickets 7 Our Supporters 8, 12–13, 56 Join Us! Become a Member 9 10 Spreading the Word La Joie de Lire 10 11 The Festival Experience Festival Bookstore 11 14 Support the Festival Messages 16–17 Festival at a Glance 30–31 Author Biographies 42–55 57 Writing Contest Special Events 39, 43, 47, 56–58 In Memoriam 12
Events schedule Tuesday, October 21 Wednesday, October 22 Thursday, October 23 Friday, October 24 Saturday, October 25 Sunday, October 26
18–20 22–25 26–29 32–34 36–38 40–41
School Events are indicated by
How to use this guide Each bio lists the events (by number) in which the author is appearing. To locate a venue, check the map on page 6. If you have any questions, give us a call at 604.681.6330, or check our website at writersfest.bc.ca for updated Festival information.
/VanWritersFest @VanWritersFest #VWF2014
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About Us
Founder and Lifetime Member Alma Lee
Board of Directors Sandra Jakab Leslie Hurtig Secretary: Shirley Lew Treasurer: Cheryl Berge Members: Yaseen Al-Salam, Alison Broddle, Jonathan Burke, Sandi Case, Sally Harding, Harvey McKinnon, Paul Whitney Chair:
Interim Vice-Chair:
Patrons Circle Kelli Bodnar Terri-Lynn Brown Patricia Crowe Yulanda & Moh Faris Greg Ford Sandra Garossino Anne Giardini Colin & Helen Harris Miriam Kresivo Alma Lee Jim & Joan Mayhew Don Prior Bonnie & Don Sheldon Kathryn Shoemaker Yasmeen & Andrew Strang Kim Thorne Jan Whitford Cynthia Woodward
A Dram Come True Committee Alison Hart Mark French, Curt Huber, Frank Leffellar, Dave Mason, Kim Thorne Chair:
Members:
Back row: Carolina Sartor, Ann McDonell, Anne Guagliardo, Clea Young, Camilla Tibbs, Hal Wake Front row: Ilona Beiks, Judith Walker, Sandra Millard, Tavia Audia, Heideh White Photo: Richard Coleman
Staff
Program Guide
Hal Wake Executive Director: Camilla Tibbs
Editors:
Artistic Director:
Director of Marketing & Development:
Ann McDonell
Clea Young Administrator: Sandra Millard Artistic Associate:
Tavia Audia Office Alternatives Advertising Sales: Jocelyn Wagner Education Co-ordinator: Ilona Beiks Programmer, La joie de lire: Anne Guagliardo Consultant, La joie de lire: Brenda Berck Catering Co-ordinator: Carolina Sartor Food & Beverage Co-ordinator: Heideh White Media Relations Manager: Judith Walker Office Intern: Alec Leibsohn RBC Career Launch Associate: Brandon Henderson Production Manager: Eduardo Ottoni Production Co-ordinator: Katja Schlueter Production Assistant: Liam Kupser Volunteer Manager: Kathryn Fowler Volunteer Assistant: Meghan Wagner Website Design: Chris MacDonald Development & Marketing Assistant: Bookkeeping Services:
Ann McDonell & Tavia Audia Hangar 18 Creative Group Proofreading: courtesy of members of the Editors’ Association of Canada, BC Branch: Nancy Tinari (editorial co-ordinator), Luci English, Lisa Ferdman, Viktoria Cseh, Anastasia Koutalianos, Juliann Krushen, Dee Noble, Christine Rowlands, Meagan Kus Festival Design:
Eco Audit This program guide is printed by Mitchell Press on recycled paper made with 30% post-consumer waste and bleached without the use of chlorine or chlorine compounds, resulting in measurable environmental benefits and the following savings: • 38 trees • 67,452 litres of water • 1 Million BTUs of electricity • Carbon credit: 3,286 pounds SOURCES: PAPER TASK FORCE
Thank You Brenda
Brenda Berck has been a part of the Festival in many ways: as a moderator and event host, as a volunteer in the early days, and as a thoughtful and engaged audience member. But we are most indebted to her for her many years as programmer and champion of La Joie de Lire, the Festival’s French language program for schools. Brenda learned French as an adult, and she translated her passion for bilingualism and literature into her work, creating opportunities for children to experience books and writers in our other official language. Brenda is stepping down from her position at the Writers Fest, and we look forward to seeing her at our events for years to come.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the 300+ dedicated volunteers who contribute so much to the Festival each year.
Festival Authors
5 Nick Gray
Michael Pond
Caroline Adderson
Fabian Grégoire
Kate Pullinger
Rabih Alameddine
Ian Hamilton
Sina Queyras
Ken Babstock
Lee Henderson
Tom Rachman
Linda Bailey
Cristina Henríquez
Eliza Robertson
Martha Baillie
David Homel
Michael Robotham
Jacqueline Baker
C.C. Humphreys
Sjón
Arjun Basu
Aislinn Hunter
Johanna Skibsrud
Helaine Becker
Marthe Jocelyn
Jane Smiley
Tessa Bourguignon
Eve Joseph
Carrie Snyder
Nadia Bozak
Anne Kennedy
Elizabeth Stewart
Dionne Brand
Thomas King
Mariko Tamaki
Robert (Lucky) Budd
Karl Ove Knausgaard
Matthew Thomas
George Elliott Clarke
Herman Koch
Kim Thúy
Michael Crummey
Janice Lee
Miriam Toews
Hilary Davidson
Nancy Lee
Colm Tóibín
Sebastien de Castell
Christopher Levenson
J. Torres
Maylis de Kerangal
Daniel Levitin
Justin Trudeau
A.M. Dellamonica
Marie Lu
Christos Tsiolkas
Kris Demeanor
Ann-Marie MacDonald
Katherena Vermette
Cory Doctorow
Jean-Pierre Makosso
Anne Villeneuve
Emma Donoghue
Lee Maracle
Richard Wagamese
Sarah Ellis
Eimear McBride
Russell Wangersky
James Ellroy
Eric McCormack
Sarah Waters
Terry Fallis
Bob McDonald
Phyllis Webb
Musharraf Ali Farooqi
George McWhirter
Ian Weir
Joshua Ferris
Rebecca Mead
Louise Welsh
Lee Edward Födi
Dinaw Mengestu
Robert Paul Weston
Charles Foran
K.D. Miller
Jack Whyte
Esther Freud
Shani Mootoo
Rudy Wiebe
Damon Galgut
Billeh Nickerson
Kathleen Winter
Steven Galloway
Heather O’Neill
Tim Winton
Marie-Louise Gay
Evan Osnos
Patricia Young
William Gibson
Alison Pick
Katherine Palmer Gordon Mary Pinkoski
EMV IN ASSOCIATION WITH GREEN COLLEGE AT UBC PRESENT
HAYDN’S “The Seven Last Words of Christ” with poetry by Robert Bringhurst & Jan Zwicky “The Crucifixion of the Earth”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 2015, 8PM Orpheum Annex Tickets from $20 earlymusic.bc.ca Scanograph by Alex Waterhouse-Hayward
Angie Adbou
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Venues and Parking
Map Legend
1 Granville Island Public Market 2 Granville Island Stage
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1585 Johnston Street
3 Improv Centre
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1502 Duranleau Street
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4 Granville Island Brewing Taproom 1441 Cartwright Street 5 Waterfront Theatre 1412 Cartwright Street 6 Vancouver Writers Fest Box Office Main Floor, Festival House 1398 Cartwright Street 7 Studio 1398 3rd Floor, Festival House 1398 Cartwright Street 8 Performance Works 1218 Cartwright Street 9 Festival Bookstore Rear of Performance Works 1218 Cartwright Street 10 Granville Island Hotel 1253 Johnston Street
Off Site Venues Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage 2750 Granville Street St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard at Nelson
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Parking Information Free daytime parking in most spots on Granville Island is limited to three hours between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm. Read the signs carefully: some spots are for one hour only, and many have recently changed to 20 minutes. If you park your car in one spot for three hours and then move it to another spot on Granville Island, you risk being ticketed. Parking is free and unlimited in most spots (including the pay parking garages and lots) each evening from 7:00 pm until 7:00 am. The EasyPark lot just east of the entrance to Granville Island, at 990 Lamey’s Mill Road, offers all-day parking for $9, or $1.50 per hour. There is also plenty of parking on the north side of False Creek. Consider leaving your car there and coming across on False Creek Ferries or the Aquabus. The most important thing to remember is to give yourself time—at least an extra 15 minutes to find a spot—if you plan to park on Granville Island.
Public Transit
Ferries
TransLink Schedule Information translink.ca 604.953.3333 between 6:30 am to 11:30 pm daily
Ferries travel from various locations along the north and south shores of False Creek to Granville Island at frequent intervals. Call or check online for schedule information.
False Creek Ferries 604.684.7781 granvilleislandferries.bc.ca
Aquabus 604.689.5858 theaquabus.com
How to Buy Tickets
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Advance Ticket Sales
School Group Tickets
Tickets go on sale on Monday, September 8th, 2014, and can be purchased online, by phone or in person. Advance ticket sales for Vancouver Writers Fest members begin on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014. All prices include GST. MasterCard, Visa and cash (in person) are accepted. Online: vancouvertix.com By phone: 604.629.8849 In person: The Festival box office is located on the main floor of Festival House, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island.
School group tickets to Spreading the Word events are $8.50 each. Ticket prices include GST, and surcharges do not apply. Teachers and other adults accompanying school groups must purchase tickets. School group tickets go on sale at 8:00 am on Monday, September 15th, 2014. You may request school group tickets in one of the following ways:
Box office hours: Monday to Friday: 10:00 am−4:00 pm Saturdays (from September 13th): noon−4:00 pm. Closed holidays. VancouverTix surcharges will apply to all tickets purchased online or by phone. The Festival box office collects a $1 surcharge per ticket and is open for in-person sales only. Advance ticket sales end at 4:00 pm on the day before the event.
Door Sales (day of event only) The box office at the venue will open 45 minutes before the start of each event. Cash, MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Please call 604.681.6330 for ticket availability information, or check online at writersfest.bc.ca. Please note that many events sell out in advance.
General Information • Discount of $2 offered to seniors and students who present valid ID, people on fixed incomes and the unemployed.* • Discount of $2 offered to Festival members who purchase advance tickets at the Festival box office. Please present your membership card.* • Programming is subject to change without notice. Money will be refunded only when an event is cancelled. • Latecomers may not be seated. • No babies or small children at adult Festival events, please, out of courtesy to other patrons. • No flash photography or audio or video recording, please. Please check tickets carefully. There will be no exchanges or refunds. *Please note that there are no discounts on tickets to event 82
Online: writersfest.bc.ca/teachers/ schoolorders In person: at the Festival box office, located on the main floor of Festival House, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island. FAX: a ticket request form to 604.757.5772 (Download the ticket request form from writersfest. bc.ca/teachers/schoolorders, or call 604.681.6330 ext 0, to request a form.)
Subsidy Available for School Groups
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The Vancouver Writers Fest is delighted K to offer ticket subsidies to schools in need, thanks to The Cynthia Woodward Development Program. The Bus Subsidy Program, supported by Bonnie Mah, allows us to offer local transportation subsidies. A limited number of subsidies are available and will be given according to financial need. Application forms can be downloaded from writersfest.bc.ca/teachers/schoolorders.
All Festival venues are wheelchair accessible. please reserve in advance by calling 604.681.6330 EXT 107.
Thanks to Our Supporters Festival Sponsors
Classic
Title Support
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage. Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada pas l’entremise du ministère du Patrimoine canadien.
limited edition
Bestseller
Government Support
SPECIAL EVENT SPONSOR
limited edition
Spreading the Word Sponsor
IN-KIND SPONSORS
miðstöð íslenskra bókmennta
INCITE SERIES SPONSORS
Icelandic
literature center
media sponsors
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Join Us!
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Writers Fest Membership: What’s in it for you? Get the Festival Program Guide Delivered.
Members are among the select few to whom we mail the program guide, so you are sure to know when Festival details are announced.
Buy Festival Tickets First.
Members can purchase tickets* before the general public. This is the best way to ensure you get tickets for those must-see, sell-out events.
Save Money.
Members get a $2 discount on each Festival ticket* they buy and enjoy a 10% discount on purchases at several affiliated local bookstores. We also offer discounted memberships for book clubs.
Stay Connected.
Members are invited to our exclusive annual Preview Event in the early summer.
Support the Festival.
Members play an important role in helping us present events for adults and outreach programs for elementary and secondary school students.
How do you sign up? • Annual Membership: $35 per year • Two-year Membership: $60 for two years • Book Club Membership: $20 per person per year (minimum of five book club members; please call for details) Sign up online at writersfest.bc.ca, or call 604.681.6330 ext 0.
Sign up your book club and get great benefits! Join our current Book Club Members: A Novel Bunch Arbutus Book Club Babes Bookclub Canada House Reads Colophon Book Club Cook Book Club East Side Story Bookclub Erudite Ladies Book Club
Huffed Up On Books Hycroft Afternoon Book Club Reading Between The Wines Richmond University Women’s Book Club Serious Reader’s Book Club The Vintage Readers Wine, Women, and Books
What’s in it for us? Membership provides vital support to the Vancouver Writers Fest and helps us continue to present great writers and valuable education programs. It is a revenue cornerstone and a demonstration to our public and corporate funders that we have community support. *Limit of two tickets per member per event. No discount on event 82.
WE ARE THE AGILE AGENCY. What is an agile agency? In 18 words, it means: Being flexible, responsive and proactive. Embracing change, having frequent check-ins with our clients. More focus, less guessing.
Hangar 18 Creative Group Inc. 604.737.7111 H18.com
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Spreading the Word It’s about reading and writing, books and writers. It’s eclectic, exciting, entertaining and thought provoking. Spreading the Word, the Vancouver Writers Fest’s schools program, offers K–12 students and teachers the rare opportunity to engage with internationally renowned writers at the Festival and in the classroom.
At the Festival
Reading with Writers
Writer in Residence
This year the Festival hosts 36 great events for grades K–12, in French or English. Friday daytime events are designed for teachers and senior students, as well as for the general public. Find study guides for each event on our website at writersfest.bc.ca.
Festival authors visit local schools in need during the Festival and throughout the year to inspire young readers and writers.
Festival authors are invited to spend a week in a small British Columbia community, where they work with students on their writing skills and give readings at local elementary schools and community centres. The Writer in Residence program directly targets communities where there is a need for educational resources. The Writer in Residence program is supported by the Michael R. Shaw Fund and Pacific Coastal Airlines. About the Michael R. Shaw Fund:
Spreading the Word is generously funded by our corporate, foundation, government and individual supporters, including The Hamber Foundation, the Kinder Morgan Foundation, the Al Roadburg Foundation and the RBC Foundation.
La joie de lire La joie de lire est à la fois le titre et l’objectif des programmes en français du Vancouver Writers Fest qui vous offre une palette éclectique, divertissante et stimulante d’activités et de rencontres avec des auteurs canadiens et étrangers de renom. Le nombre d’élèves francophones et en immersion française est à la hausse en Colombie-Britannique. Nous souhaitons communiquer à nos jeunes la joie de lire: quatre auteurs spécialisés en littérature jeunesse de langue française participeront au festival de 2014.
Nous sommes ravis d’annoncer qu’Anne Villeneuve (Québec), Fabian Grégoire (Belgique), Jean Pierre Makosso (Colombie-Britannique), MarieLouise Gay (Québec) et Tessa Bourguignon (ColombieBritannique) y présenteront leurs plus récents romans et poèmes.
Michael R. Shaw was a young man who loved the outdoors, but whose life was cut short in 2003 when he and some of his classmates were swept away by an avalanche in British Columbia. The Michael R. Shaw Fund was established through the generosity of the Woodward family, and the Festival is honoured to lend Michael’s name to this program.
Spreading the Word Youth Writing Contest What’s your story? Grab a pen and get writing! If we like what we read, you could win a cash prize and have your work published in The Claremont Review, a magazine that showcases aspiring young writers. The contest is open to all young writers enrolled in Grades 8–12 in British Columbia. The Rewards Prizes will be awarded to the top two entries in poetry and fiction.
Les programmes de la joie de lire sont indiqués par la fleur de lys.
1st Prize in each category: $300 2nd Prize in each category: $200 Prize winners’ works will be published in The Claremont Review and on the Festival website at writersfest.bc.ca. Please note, we accept only electronic entries. Entries must be uploaded and payment confirmed by 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 26, 2014.
See writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest for complete contest details and to submit your entry. The Spreading the Word Youth Writing Contest is supported by The Hamber Foundation.
sponsored by
The Festival Experience
Explore a World of Books and Ideas on Granville Island The Vancouver Writers Fest on Granville Island offers a world of books and ideas to explore, for readers of all inclinations. Please join us for a wide range of readings, discussions, debates and performances—and meet an eclectic array of writers from Canada and around the world. Festival events will get you thinking, introduce you to new authors and, if your aspiration is to write, inspire your creativity. Festival events are just part of what’s on offer. We are proud to be part of the vibrant Granville Island community, and our location adds so much to our audience’s enjoyment of the Festival. Granville Island is truly a cultural oasis in the heart of Vancouver. We hope that you will take the time to explore. Along with the wonderful Public Market, restaurants and cafés, there are many hidden shops, galleries and artists’ studios to discover, and the ferries are the ultimate way to get here. Experience the excitement that permeates Granville Island during the six days of the Festival—enjoy! Granville Island is managed on behalf of the Government of Canada by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). The Vancouver Writers Fest is a proud cultural partner of CMHC Granville Island.
Festival Bookstore The Festival Bookstore is conveniently located at the rear of Performance Works, 1218 Cartwright Street, near the Granville Island Hotel at the east end of Granville Island. Books are also sold at the venues following each event, and all featured writers are available to sign their works. The bookstore’s stock of both current and backlisted titles by each Festival author makes it the ideal place to browse between events. The bookstore is operated by the Festival’s official bookseller, Kidsbooks, a successful independent bookseller known throughout the province for its comprehensive selection of titles for young readers and for its knowledgeable and helpful staff. Festival Bookstore hours: October 21–26 Tuesday, 4:00–10:00 pm Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 am–10:00 pm Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm
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In Memoriam 12 This year has been one of tremendous loss in the literary world, from internationally revered greats like Nadine Gordimer, Gabriel García Márquez and Maya Angelou, to acclaimed Canadian writers Farley Mowat, Bud Osborne and Heather Robertson. We pay tribute here to some of the powerful voices we lost in 2014, who have graced the stages of Festivals past. Mavis gallant 1922-2014
Internationally celebrated short story writer Mavis Gallant was feted at the 1997 Festival upon the publication of her Selected Stories.
Dermot healy 1947-2014
The “uncompromisingly brilliant” Irish poet and novelist Dermot Healy appeared at the Festival in 2011.
Peter Matthiessen 1927-2014
American novelist, naturalist, wilderness writer and CIA agent, Peter Matthiessen brought his novel Shadow Country to the Festival in 2008. Alistair MacLeod 1936-2014 Festivals 2000/2007/2009/2012
Alistair MacLeod holds a special place in our hearts. His appearance with Chor Leoni in our Maritime Medley event in 2007 was extraordinarily moving and started an ongoing collaboration with the choir. To help celebrate the Vancouver Writers Fest’s 25th anniversary, he wrote a short story called “Remembrance,” a great gift that, in the end, was the last work of fiction he published. It is his generosity and kindness to all that we will miss the most.
Thanks to Our Supporters Individual Support Classic Level ($5,000+)
Sandra Jakab & Robert Lesperance Bonnie Mah Bestseller Edition ($2,500+)
Cheryl Berge & Brian Fearncombe Yulanda & Moh Faris Paul McKibben & Heather Bindseil Donald Shumka Kip Woodward Special Edition ($1,000+)
Peter Brown Melina Buckley Jonathan Burke Sandra Case Claudia Casper Janice & Doug Dalzell Patrick Dunn & Corinne Durston Rob Emlyn Judy Gale Anne Giardini Judith Hager Colin & Helen Harris Marty Hasselbach Richard Johnston Carol McClelland Joan McEwen & Irwin Nathanson Christopher Philps Ebie & Ian Pitfield Roberta Rich Bonnie & Don Sheldon John Thiesson Kim Thorne Carol Walls Paul Whitney Anonymous (1) Limited Edition ($500+)
David Allard Richard Angus Deb Armour & Jim MacAulay Birgit & Robert Bateman Jo Baxendale Larry Blain Michele Buchignani John Christian Judith Coffin Patricia Crowe John Farquhar Diana Filer Marilyn Goebel Mike Gray Lianne Gulka Elizabeth Harrison Leslie Hurtig & Doran Chandler Argiro Kotsalis Miriam Kresivo
Shirley Lew Todd Martin Moshe Mastai Sheahan & Gerald McGavin Harvey McKinnon Nancy McKinstry Tracey McVicar George McWhirter Monique Mercier Susin Nielsen Debra Nordheimer Rose Norton Linda Robbins Mary Robertson Tracy Sherlock Ravi Sidhoo Ian & Jane Strang Deborah Torkko Hal Wake Ian Weir FIRST Edition ($250+)
Yaseen Al-Salam Maureen Attwell Margaret Atwood Ingrid Barnes Kinji Bourchier Isobel Cole Jennifer Conkie Pat Cumming Mark French Crissy George Sally Harding Alison Hart Richard Hopkins Ann Howe Violet Hughes Trudy Jaskela Patricia Laidley Alma Lee Frank Leffelaar Brian MacNeil Ian Mcdonald Judy McFarlane Scott & Corky McIntyre Kit Pearson Joseph Planta Don Prior Cliff Proudfoot Mark Raymer Roger Rizzo Allison Robertson Yasmeen & Andrew Strang Diane Stuart Adrienne Tanner Camilla Tibbs Rhea Tregebov Susan Van Blarcom Rosalie Walls Patricia Wilensky Ian Wilshaw Cathleen With Eagranie Yuh Anonymous (1)
New Edition ($100+)
Janice Abbott Cathy Abrossimoff Janet Allwork Wendy Amirault Sarah Armstrong Kathleen Audia Mary-Lynn Baum Mary Beck Russel Black Susi Bolender Cathleen Boyle Connie Braun Alison Broddle Cindy Bruce Barbara Buchanan Patricia Budgeon Susan Cajiga Janie Chang Anita Chapman Hazel Chee Jane Cherry Laura Clark Loraine Coffin Thyrza Cohen Peter Cook Jennifer Cook Lynn Copeland Susan Copland Cynthia Crampton in honour of Blanche Howard Patricia Curtis Kate Dahlstrom Don Davidson Cynthia Davis Christina De Castell Margaret Debbané Margaret Dickson Sandra Djwa Laura Dochtermann Mary Doherty Deb Durocher Kevin Eldridge David Evans Jane Flick Cynthia Flood Fran Franklin Irene Fritschi Nelin Judith Frost Lawrence Gaffney Elee Gardiner Noga Gayle Brian & Bonny Gerson William Gibson Surya Govender Zoe Grams Stephany Grasset Neil Guernsey Genni Gunn Catherine Haebler Sarah Hamilton David Handelman Gordon Harris
13 Individual Support Michael Harstone Paula Hart Ainslie Harvey William Hay Elizabeth Hay Rees Hill Jack Hodgins Stephanie Hollis Karen Howe Ann Howell Chris Humphreys Valerie Hunter Sharon Jeroski Erica Johnson Laurence Johnston Faith Jones Margaret Kennedy Matthew Kirchner & Lisa Osoba Carla Koch Dolya Konoval Lorey Lasley Johanne Leach Mary MacAulay Elizabeth MacKenzie Lisa Mackie Linda MacKinley-Hay Fran Maclean Michael MacNeill Susan Masi Bruce Maunder Jim Mayhew Celia McCloskey Scott McDonald Ann McDonell Bev McDowell Sharon McKibbon Douglas McLaren Denise Morettin Eva Murray Jonathon Narvey Jo-Anne Naslund Terri Newell Carol Newson Alexandra Nicolas Jayeson Nicols Caroline North Susan Ogul-Propas & Lonnie Propas Brenda & Michael O’Keefe Nora Osborne Maria Pacella Maureen Palmer Elise Partridge Robin Pascoe Jennifer Passas Talea Pecora Elaine Peddie Bob Penner Robin Percival Smith Elaine Pereira France Perras Doug Perry Tim Pezzaro
Alma Lee Legacy Fund Michael Pond Betti Port Beverley Price Heidi Pullem Mike Rampf Josephine Rekart Diane Richer Nancy Richler Susan Ridout Brett Riley Sylvia Roberts Kim Roberts Todd Rowlatt Shirley Rudolph Anita Salchert Minna Schendlinger Douglas Schmitt Andrea Seale Alex Shorten Karen Shuster Marsha Sibthorpe Grant Sigurdson Kathy Simas Helen Smith C. Smith Lynda Spratley Dan Steiner Peter & Rosa Stenberg Annabel Stiven Gloria Sully Eve Szabo Timothy Taylor Ronnie Tesler Fiona Tinwei Lam Jean Turnbull John Vaillant Shelagh Van Kempen M.G. Vassanji Nancy Vertel John Vigna & Nancy Lee Olga Volkoff Susan Wasserman Sarah Watson Jennifer Webb Jeannie Wexler Mark Winston Kelleen Wiseman Sandi Witherspoon Thomas Woods Ronald Wright Rachel Wyatt Patricia Young Darrell Zarn Anonymous (4) Aeroplan Donor
Gail Brown Anonymous (1) bequest
Beth Coleman Anonymous (2)
Lead Donors
Colin & Helen Harris Jab Sidhoo Dr. Yosef Wosk The Vancouver Sun Cynthia Woodward Development Fund Sandra Garossino Sheahan & Gerald McGavin Rudy & Patricia North Anne & Tony Giardini Scott Griffin KMC Foundation Caroline Lawrence Bonnie Mah Joanne & David McDonald Tracey McVicar Brenda & Michael O’Keefe Ebie & Ian Pitfield Rod & Laurie Scheuerman Helen Shore Yasmeen & Andrew Strang Thomas Allen & Son Ltd. W.A.U. Nicoll Robertson Charitable Foundation Trust John Welson Jan Whitford & Michael Stevenson
Donations received between June 30th, 2013 and July 3rd, 2014. Thank you for your generous support. We make every effort to be accurate. Please call us if you have any questions about this list, 604.681.6330.
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Support the Festival
The Dhahan Prize: Celebrating Excellence in Punjabi literature On October 25th, The Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature will host their inaugural awards ceremony at the Museum of Anthropology. The international prize will be given to the best book published in one of two Punjabi scripts, Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi, with the winner receiving $25,000. Two runnerup prizes of $5,000 will also be awarded. The award ceremony will be followed by a reception with the authors.
October 25, 2014 Museum of Anthropology 6:30–10:00 pm Admission is free Please RSVP to contact@dhahanprize.com The Dhahan Prize is presented by the Canada India Education Society in partnership with the University of British Columbia.
dhahanprize.com
Support the Festival
Leave a Legacy
Ideas make a difference. A thinking culture is critical to a successful society and a literate community is the foundation on which it is built. That’s why the Vancouver Writers Fest matters, and why your donation is critical.
Your bequest to the Vancouver Writers Fest will help us continue to offer literary events with the world’s best writers as well as programs that encourage and inspire children to read and write. Bequests can be made through your will or by naming the Festival as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy or RRSPs.
Our impact on the community is extensive. We inspire young people to become readers and writers, reaching students throughout the province. We help create the kind of tolerant, civil society that is fed by new ideas and thoughtful conversations. As a non-profit charitable organization, the Writers Fest depends on your financial support. With your donations, the Writers Fest can continue to bring the world’s best writers to Vancouver audiences, with events year-round. We can nurture young writers and put Vancouver on the world literary map. And we can reach children who will be inspired to learn to love reading. As a donor to the Writers Fest you’ll support a range of exceptional free and accessible programs: • the Incite reading series at VPL • the Reading with Writers program for Lower Mainland schools in need • the Writer in Residence program for schools in small BC communities • 36 affordable Spreading the Word events for schools at the Festival • discounted Festival tickets for seniors and students We know the impact that books, stories and ideas have on our lives, the way they can challenge our world view, exercise our imagination, make us more empathetic and engaged, and encourage us to succeed. Help us keep inspiring young British Columbians, so that we can build stronger communities and encourage creativity. By making a donation to the Vancouver Writers Fest, you contribute to an experience that sparks imaginations and encourages a lifelong love of learning.
Donations of Stocks The Vancouver Writers Fest accepts donations of publicly traded securities and bequests. Capital gains taxes have been eliminated on direct donations of publicly traded securities to registered charities. This means donating appreciated securities will save you substantially more in taxes than giving the equivalent in cash.
The Alma Lee Legacy Fund The Festival’s endowment fund celebrates the accomplishments of Alma Lee, the Festival’s founder. Revenue from this fund provides stable funding for the Festival, helps us offer Spreading the Word programs for schools and allows us to plan for the future. Benefits for donors may include invitations to special events and receptions, and recognition in the Festival program guide and newsletter. For full details, see our website, writersfest.bc.ca/ donate. For more information on making a donation or leaving a gift in your will, please call 604.681.6330 ext 104.
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Messages I am delighted to welcome you to the 2014 Vancouver Writers Fest, our 27th annual celebration of exceptional writers and passionate readers. This year, the Festival is about discovery. You will discover new places, real and surreal. You will find yourself in historical moments and in previously unimagined futures. You will meet people whose actions and situations move you to joy, anger, and even tears.
You will discover the remarkable men and women whose literary voices transport us into their worlds and reconnect with writers you’ve encountered in previous years. You will come away from your literary journey with a re-ignited passion for books and ideas. I extend a warm thank you to our members, sponsors, donors, volunteers, Patrons Circle and Board members for their loyal support, which enables us to bring incredible writers to the Festival. If you are not already a member of the Writers Fest, I invite you to become one. Membership will deepen your involvement with us and enrich your experience with the Writers Fest. Members get advance access to Festival tickets, ticket discounts and an invitation to an exclusive member preview event. Information is available at writersfest.bc.ca. If you are not already a donor, I encourage you to consider making a donation. Your support will help us continue to enrich our city’s culture by presenting engaging, thought-provoking literary events. Your financial support will also help inspire BC youth to love reading and writing. The Festival’s Spreading the Word program reaches thousands of K–12 students each year. You already know that reading is a life-changing gift. Please help us bestow that gift on young British Columbians. To make a donation, visit writersfest.bc.ca/donate. Mark your calendar for October 21–26th, book your tickets and invite your friends. My Board colleagues and I look forward to meeting many of you at the Festival. Until then, happy reading! Sandra Jakab chair, board of directors
On behalf of Premier Christy Clark and the Government of British Columbia, I’m pleased to congratulate the Vancouver Writers Fest for presenting the 2014 edition of a great annual celebration of the written word, writers and literacy. Since its founding in 1988, the Vancouver Writers Fest has created a community of avid readers, bibliophiles and authors to share experiences that always prove to be educational, inspiring and fun. The Festival offers a wonderful opportunity for novice writers, including young British Columbians, to meet established authors from across Canada and around the world. A love of reading can provide life-long benefits, enabling people to share ideas and experiences. Great writing educates, informs and inspires. British Columbians and visitors can enjoy the fine writers, poets, graphic novelists and spoken word performers showcasing and sharing their talent at the Vancouver Writers Fest. I am delighted that the Festival supports reading and literacy throughout the year, with the Incite reading series, special events and the Spreading the Word education program at schools in the Lower Mainland and rural BC communities. I want to thank the Festival’s staff, supporters and many volunteers for sharing the joy of reading and a love of good books. Best wishes for every success to the Vancouver Writers Fest in 2014 and in the future. Coralee Oakes Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
On behalf of the entire City Council and the citizens of Vancouver, I want to welcome you to the 2014 Vancouver Writers Fest. Over the last 26 years, the Festival has grown to occupy a leading place in our city’s cultural calendar. Whether your interest is fiction or non-fiction, poetry or prose, you can find something that will satisfy your love of the written word. Despite the digital age, the written word remains one of the most important ways we communicate, express our humanity and reflect on our world. The Vancouver Writers Fest celebrates this important role of literature in the life of our city. I hope you enjoy this incredible celebration of everything literary. Gregor Robertson Mayor
Reading is a part of our everyday lives—and for many of us it’s a passion. More and more, readers are looking for a deeper level of engagement with books. We don’t just read them—we recommend them and share them. Literary festivals are perfect occasions to meet, share and discuss art, literature and creativity—and their place in our lives. The Canada Council for the Arts is proud to support the Vancouver Writers Fest and its contribution to Canada’s literary landscape. Its community roots and national and international scope have made it a valued partner of the Canada Council’s Governor General’s Literary Awards. Best wishes for another successful edition. Simon Brault director and ceo, canada council for the arts Canada Council for the Arts
On the road to Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017, we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate everything that makes this such a remarkable country—including the vibrant literary arts that tell our stories and delight readers from coast to coast. This is why we are pleased to support the 2014 Vancouver Writers Fest, an event that draws writers and readers to celebrate the written word. By bringing together some of our most celebrated authors and rising literary stars, the Festival encourages literary creation, promotes a love of reading and contributes to the vitality of Canada’s publishing industry. On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I would like to thank all the organizers, volunteers and writers who have helped make this year’s Festival a success. We are proud to support you in your mission to promote the literary arts in Canada.
Inn-Dispensable…
The Vancouver Writers Fest gratefully acknowledges Dockside Restaurant and the Granville Island Hotel for their generous contributions to this year’s Festival.
The Honourable Shelly Glover Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Wherever you’re writing from... write at UBC. Eleven Genres Of Study | On-Campus or Online | Flexible, Comprehensive, Challenging Write and learn on our breathtaking campus in Vancouver, Canada, one of the world’s most livable cities. Or participate in a vibrant online community from wherever you live. UBC offers world-class creative writing programs at the BFA and MFA level, on-campus and by Distance Education. Join us. creativewriting.ubc.ca
Faculty Alison Acheson Deborah Campbell Kevin Chong Maggie de Vries Charles Demers Steven Galloway
Sara Graefe Wayne Grady Nancy Lee Annabel Lyon Keith Maillard Maureen Medved Susan Musgrave
Andreas Schroeder Linda Svendsen Timothy Taylor Peggy Thompson Rhea Tregebov John Vigna Bryan Wade
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Tuesday, October 21
Not a Kid Anymore Cory Doctorow, Mariko Tamaki Moderator: Nancy Lee
1
Family, Fact and Fantasy Helaine Becker, Sarah Ellis Moderator: Shannon Ozirny
2
10–11:30 am
3
“Listening to teenagers trying to figure out what it means not to be a kid anymore is really interesting,” says Mariko Tamaki, whose new graphic novel, This One Summer, explores the uncharted territory of adult secrets revealed to two girls on the cusp of becoming teenagers. Cory Doctorow’s first graphic novel, In Real Life, shows the world of online role playing games from the perspective of Anda, a high schooler who discovers that virtual interactions can have real-life consequences. Tamaki and Doctorow are masters at understanding the young adult perspective and presenting it like it really is—graphically.
Writer, storyteller and librarian Sarah Ellis has built a strong reputation for telling stories that connect with her readers. Her sixth novel, Outside In, is no exception. This book tackles big themes that are relevant to every child, including loyalty, responsibility, friendship and family. Helaine Becker, author of more than 50 books for children of all ages, turns her amazing imagination to the fantasy world of Gottika. Fifteen-year-old Dany struggles with the shame of his mother’s illness and suspects that his father possesses a great secret that could either destroy his family or save them. The stories created by these two seasoned and talented Canadian authors have lived in the minds of readers for years. Come and enjoy them in person.
STUDIO 1398 $17 / $8.50 for student groups
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 8–12
J. Torres
10–11:15 am
10–11:30 am
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Bigfoot Boy
Ten-year-old Rufus has starred in two volumes of J. Torres’ graphic novels for early readers, and this fall he takes centre page in the conclusion of the Bigfoot Boy graphic novel trilogy. Rufus, thanks to his discovery of a magic totem in his grandmother’s backyard, can turn into a big red creature. But trickster ravens are after the magic totem, which was created to ward off developers who plan to destroy the precious Pacific Northwest forest. Many elements go into what might seem to be a simple comic book—artwork, editing and, most importantly, says Torres, the script. Come hear how this award-winning author puts it all together. Suitable for grades 2–5
Suitable for grades 5–8
Picture Perfect
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The Sky is Not the Limit
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Caroline Adderson, Marie-Louise Gay, Anne Villeneuve
Bob McDonald
10–11:00 am
1–2:30 pm
Three award-winning Canadian authors are on stage this morning to delight the eyes and ears of young readers. From a dog who only “speaks” Chinese, to a recipe for creating a baby sister, to a world inhabited by lost polar bears and talking trees; the stories that these authors have imagined come to life vividly in their delightful picture books. Caroline Adderson, Marie-Louise Gay and Anne Villeneuve are sure to keep young audiences entertained.
Bob McDonald is one of Canada’s best-known science journalists; he is the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks and Quarks and often appears on CBC’s national news, enthusiastically explaining topics of scientific importance. In his new book, Canadian Spacewalkers, McDonald showcases the accounts of astronauts Chris Hadfield, Dave Williams and Steve MacLean, who have all taken the trip of a lifetime. He also relates his own thrills back on Earth—riding in astronaut-training equipment, experiencing spaceflight simulators and crawling through full-scale mock-ups of the Space Station. A lifelong space geek, McDonald has watched the entire space program occur in his own lifetime, from Sputnik through the moon landings to the International Space Station. This is probably as close to walking in space as you’ll get.
IMPROV CENTRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades K–3
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 8–12 and adults
Imaginations Run Wild Marthe Jocelyn, Robert Paul Weston Moderator: France Perras
6
1-2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Inadvertently trapped inside a steampunk comic book, Addy and her not-so-good friend Wylder ricochet from disaster to danger while the actual comic book story goes on around them. Marthe Jocelyn has written nearly 30 children’s books, and Viminy Crowe’s Comic Book, a book inside a book, is her latest delight. Robert Paul Weston’s imagination takes flight in The Creature Department, as Elliot and Leslie enter the second-to-last door at the end of the hall at the headquarters of DENKi-3000. There they find troll-like creatures and winged things that sparkle as they fly, all of whom are in trouble unless Elliot and Leslie can create an invention that will save their jobs. These two authors have let their imaginations run wild, and invite you to join in the fun! Suitable for grades 4–7
Header left Dessine-nous une histoire Anne Villeneuve Animatrice: Anne-Laure Paulmont
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7
13 h à 14 h
STUDIO 1398 17 $ / 8,50 $ pour les groupes d’élèves
Anne Villeneuve esquisse, griffonne, éclabousse, déchire, recolle depuis 20 ans déjà. Son talent de conteuse et d’illustratrice nous touche profondément et nous ramène en enfance. Alliant le trait esquissé du crayon et les touches d’aquarelle librement disposées, les illustrations représentent de façon vive et colorée les personnages qu’elle met en scène. L’auteure-illustratrice lira de nombreux passages de Loula part pour l’Afrique ainsi que de L’écharpe rouge, et partagera avec les enfants le plaisir de lire. Pour les élèves de la maternelle à la troisième année.
Cet événement se déroulera exclusivement en français et donnera lieu à de nombreuses possibilités d’intéraction entre les élèves et les auteurs.
Blade Writer Sebastien de Castell, C.C. Humphreys
8
1–2:30 pm
IMPROV CENTRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Two BC-based authors who also work as fight choreographers take the stage this afternoon. Sebastien de Castell brings the first of his Greatcoats series to readers with Traitor’s Blade, starring a trio of bodyguards on a mission to foil a conspiracy with nothing but the tattered coats on their backs and the swords in their hands. C.C. Humphreys is no stranger to the art of swordplay, staging fight scenes for Bard on the Beach when he’s not writing historical fiction and fantasy. His novel Shakespeare’s Rebel stars England’s finest swordsman, who is helping playwright Will Shakespeare mount a new tragedy about a Danish prince. There may be real swordplay, as well as wordplay. En garde! Touché! Suitable for grades 8–12
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Celebrating
33 years
Rockwood Centre | Sechelt
August 13 -16 2015
tel: 604.885.9631 toll free: 1.800.565.9631
www.writersfestival.ca
Journalism &
Communication Studies
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
2 locations now open! Shop Book Warehouse at Main & King Edward and Broadway & Ash in Vancouver 100 % independent and family owned bookwarehouse.ca | @book_warehouse
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Tuesday, October 21
9
Inside China Evan Osnos in conversation with Charles Foran
6–7:15 pm
10
STUDIO 1398 $26
Evan Osnos, The New Yorker’s Beijing correspondent, spent the last four years exploring the new China—a country undergoing a transformation of 100 times the scale and 10 times the speed of the first Industrial Revolution. In Age of Ambition, Osnos captures the moving and illuminating stories of everyday people, individuals who are changing and challenging modern-day China. He also focuses on China’s enterprising youth and the extraordinary freedoms that the Internet has provided, calling attention to the clash between the rise of the individual and the Communist Party’s struggle to retain control. The Washington Post writes, “Osnos has portrayed, explained and poked fun at this new China better than any other writer from the West or the East.”
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The Alma Lee Opening Night Event Maylis de Kerangal, Joshua Ferris, Steven Galloway, Anne Kennedy, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Louise Welsh Host: Gloria Macarenko
8:00 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $26
For the Festival’s opening event we welcome some of the finest fiction writers working in the contemporary world, coming to us from France, Scotland, the United States, New Zealand and Canada. Festival favourites Ann-Marie MacDonald, Steven Galloway and Louise Welsh are joined by those you’ll be delighted to meet for the first time—like Maylis de Kerangal from France and Joshua Ferris, an insightful voice from America. New Zealand’s Anne Kennedy makes her first appearance here as well. This is the literary equivalent of tapas—a little taste of each author that will leave you very satisfied.
When Eimear McBride read James Joyce, everything changed. “Everything I have written is just preparation for where I want to go next.” Where she went next is the success story that every aspiring writer with a drawer full of rejection slips hopes for. McBride’s debut novel, written in six months when she was 27, took nine years to find a publisher. When it did, A Girl is a Half-formed Thing won the £10,000 Goldsmiths Prize for “fiction at its most novel” and the 2014 Baileys Women’s Prize. It stretches the possibilities of language as it deals with themes of God, sex, death, religion, shame and a young woman’s complex relationship with her family. Come and meet one of Ireland’s newest and most innovative voices.
This event is sponsored by Simon & Schuster Canada.
My Way
Waking from the American Dream
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Joshua Ferris, Cristina Henríquez, Matthew Thomas Moderator: John Freeman
6–7:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
Grand Openings
An Intimate Evening with Eimear McBride
13
6–7:15 pm
IMPROV CENTRE $20
These three Americans—all under 40—are rewriting the cultural persona of America for the world to meet anew. Joshua Ferris’ debut novel has been published in 25 languages and his third novel, To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, “captures what it is to be alive in early 21st-century America.” Cristina Henríquez, writes another reviewer, “blows open any traditional definition of ‘American’.” And Matthew Thomas “comes close to a definitive portrait of American social dynamics in the 20th century.” These are exciting voices from a new generation of American writers whose perspectives on humanity and empathy go well beyond their country’s national boundaries.
The Good Life
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Charles Foran, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Eimear McBride Moderator: Aislinn Hunter
Matthew Thomas, Christos Tsiolkas, Tim Winton
8:30 pm
8:30 pm
Writing in the risk zone of the unconventional often comes with a personal cost—and sometimes results in a great reward. Charles Foran, whose biography of Mordecai Richler won several major awards, rejects convention with his new novel, told in the language of social media. For almost 50 pages straight, he writes in pure “net” talk. Karl Ove Knausgaard, after trying for four years, left behind traditional plot and character to say what he really wanted to say, in a raw and unembellished way. The result? “Like being tumbledried through another person’s brain,” writes one ecstatic reviewer. Eimear McBride dared to represent experience “at the moment just before language becomes formatted thought.” Her award-winning novel is a staccato stream of consciousness without commas or quotation marks. Unique and provocative, these are pioneers arriving triumphantly in new literary lands.
The best “stuff” in life isn’t stuff. Living the good life, in the minds of these three authors, is about making ethical decisions, letting success perhaps pass you by and searching for truth. Tim Winton, one of Australia’s most decorated novelists, asks the big questions in his long-anticipated novel, Eyrie. His protagonist, a disgraced do-gooder, is a man struggling to accomplish good in a fallen world. Christos Tsiolkas centres his story on a oncehopeful Olympian swimmer whose failure and shame determine his future—unless he can forgive himself. Matthew Thomas reveals the story of a quiet neuroscientist who turns down success in the pharmaceutical world, dampening his wife’s hopes of achieving economic prosperity and the American Dream. Fiction is the perfect vehicle to explore what makes a good life, especially in the hands of these skilled and thoughtful authors.
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
This event is sponsored by the University of British Columbia Creative Writing Program.
IMPROV CENTRE $20
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7/9/13 10:21 AM
22
Wednesday, October 22
15
16
Word! (1) (This event is repeated on Thursday afternoon.)
Escape from Tibet
Kris Demeanor, Janice Lee, Mary Pinkoski Host: Brendan McLeod
Nick Gray, Tenzin Moderator: Frank Edwards
Linda Bailey, Marie-Louise Gay
10–11:30 am
10–11:30 am
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Kris Demeanor, Calgary’s first Poet Laureate, is a songwriter and performer who writes and sings about the “funny, dark, absurd, maddening and the joyful for people who like to think dance, laugh, cry and party.” He appears this morning with Mary Pinkoski, the Poet Laureate for the City of Edmonton and Canada’s top female slam poet. A storyteller at heart, Pinkoski’s writing has been called dynamic and visceral. Janice Lee is a singer-songwriter, spoken word poet and community organizer from Kitchener-Waterloo. In 2013 she received the Cord Community Best Arts Mover and Shaker Award for her community-building through the arts. Enter the room with these three performers—engaged, politically aware and artful in all that they do—and you will leave a changed person.
Each year, thousands of Tibetan refugees, many of them children, risk death from exposure and frostbite to escape political oppression by climbing over the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. Nick Gray, an author and television producer who has been making award-winning documentaries for more than 30 years, captured this journey in his risky 1997 film Escape from Tibet. Among the group of refugees he followed were Pasang and Tenzin, young brothers who became the focus of the film that Gray has now turned into a book: an “astonishing true record of endurance, of the triumph of the human spirit, told as a real-life adventure story.” Tenzin joins Gray to talk about their collaboration, their journey and where the brothers are today.
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Zoobots
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Helaine Becker
10–11:15 am
STUDIO 1398 $17 / $8.50 for student groups
In Zoobots: Wild Robots Inspired by Real Animals, awardwinning children’s author Helaine Becker describes 12 robots that mimic the physical characteristics of particular animals in order to carry out tasks that humans can’t perform. These tasks range from surveillance and reconnaissance operations to performing delicate surgical procedures and even detecting nuclear fallout. Take the serpentine zoobot. It can climb inside pipes and ductwork, search for and locate trapped earthquake victims, and perform surgical operations on human organs. Science fiction comes to mind at the sight of these creations, but, in fact, they’re firmly rooted in our own extraordinary world. Join Becker for a sensational morning of science. And, there’s always a chance—time permitting—that she’ll perform her classic poem Ode to Underwear. Suitable for grades 3–6
Le crayon au service de l’histoire
Linda Bailey has written more than 20 books (don’t you love Stanley the Dog?) and has garnered honours in both Canada and the United States. Bailey, however, claims that for many years she was scared of writing: “I was afraid to try in case I was awful.” Marie-Louise Gay, a world-renowned author and illustrator (you’ve likely met Stella and Sam), has won many prestigious prizes, including two Governor General’s Literary Awards. Yet after failing art in grade three, she gave up drawing for the next 10 years. Here’s your chance to see and hear the latest books from these two superstars, and to ask questions about the twists and turns in the road that led them from first picking up a pen to getting published. Suitable for grades 2–4
This event is sponsored by Vancouver Kidsbooks.
Suitable for grades 8–12
Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
17
10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 8–12 and adults.
Twists in the Road
19
Fabian Grégoire
10 h à 11 h 30
IMPROV CENTRE 17 $ / 8,50 $ pour les groupes d’élèves
Faites connaissance avec cet auteur-illustrateur belge de romans à caractère historique, à mi chemin entre le documentaire et la fiction! Fabian Grégoire donne la parole au personnage principal de ses récits et illustre tous ses romans. Les enfants seront enchantés de constater comment les images symbolisent les mots tout en découvrant qu’elles peuvent aussi suggérer une vision différente de ce que les mots racontent... Pour les élèves de la troisième à la septième année.
Cet événement se déroulera exclusivement en français et donnera lieu à de nombreuses possibilités d’intéraction entre les élèves et les auteurs.
Playing for Gold
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Cory Doctorow, Elizabeth Stewart Moderator: Susin Nielsen
1–2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Turn on your computer. Pick up your cellphone. Do you know where they were made, what went into them and who got hurt along the way? Cory Doctorow and Elizabeth Stewart make us think about these questions through their new novels. In Doctorow’s graphic novel In Real Life, Anda spends most of her free time playing multi-player games online. Things become complicated when she befriends a “gold farmer”—a poor Chinese kid whose avatar illegally collects and sells objects to other players living in developed countries. In Stewart’s Blue Gold, the lives of three teenage girls on three different continents are linked, and damaged, by the rare mineral coltan, or “blue gold,” used in cellphones. Today’s technology has pluses and minuses for us all. Suitable for grades 7–10
Header left Magic Close to Home
23
21
Lee Edward FÖdi, J. Torres
1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Local author Lee Edward Födi is a selfproclaimed “daydreaming specialist.” His Kandlestar series stars a young misfit, Kendra, who is continually heading off on adventures into lands populated by wizards, monsters and other mythical creatures. Rufus, the hero in J. Torres’ Bigfoot Boy graphic novel trilogy, is an average kid who finds a magic totem that can transform him into a Sasquatch. Naturally this amulet is coveted by all sorts of other creatures, including trickster ravens. Both Födi and Torres find inspiration for their writing in Pacific Northwest mythology and world folklore and, from it, spin fantastical worlds of their own. Escape with them for an afternoon of magic, mystery and adventure—surprisingly close to home. Suitable for grades 3–5
Parcours d’auteurs-illustrateurs
22
Marie-Louise Gay, Fabian Grégoire
13 h à 14 h 30
STUDIO 1398 17 $ / 8,50 $ pour les groupes d’élèves
Voilà l’occasion d’échanger avec deux auteurs illustrateurs Fabian Grégoire et Marie-Louise Gay : ils présenteront quelques uns de leurs livres et nous parleront de leur parcours en tant qu’écrivainsillustrateurs. Pour Marie-Louise Gay, écrire est l’occasion rêvée de tisser mots et images, poésie et couleurs, en créant des histoires où les personnages pourraient vivre des aventures merveilleuses et des émotions vives. Fabian Grégoire écrit et illustre tous ses romans depuis plus de 10 ans; il dessine la réalité à travers les yeux d’un gamin et crée des histoires où vie d’enfant et passé s’entremêlent. Pour les élèves de la troisième à la septième année.
Cet événement se déroulera exclusivement en français et donnera lieu à de nombreuses possibilités d’intéraction entre les élèves et les auteurs.
Crafty Creations
23
Linda Bailey, Marthe Jocelyn, Anne Villeneuve
1–2:00 pm
IMPROV CENTRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Meet three authors who are well-equipped to entertain and inspire a roomful of eager minds. Celebrated author Linda Bailey has two new picture books—If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur and If Kids Ruled the World. (Why not have trampoline sidewalks? Why not use your dinosaur as a burglar alarm?). Marthe Jocelyn will delight kids as she demonstrates how to sneak funny art projects into surprising places to make people smile (a plate of tiny paper cupcakes on your teacher’s desk, perhaps?). And Québécoise author and illustrator Anne Villeneuve will amuse with her latest witty picture book about “not getting exactly what you want and perhaps enjoying it all the more.” Kids are guaranteed to get their daily dose of laughs and lessons in this action-packed hour. Suitable for grades K–3
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Wednesday, October 22
Karl Ove Knausgaard in Conversation with John Freeman
24
6-7:15 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $26
While his earlier novels were well received in his native Norway, it was the 2009 publication of My Struggle, the first of six autobiographical novels, that made Karl Ove Knausgaard successful— and controversial. The greatest ever publishing phenomenon in Norway, the series exposed his family and friends, and provoked legal action and death threats. It also garnered glowing reviews and award nominations, including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Three of the six volumes are now available in English. But his global success has come at a cost. “If I had known then what I know now, then no, definitely no, I wouldn’t dare,” Knausgaard says. “But I’m glad I did. I will never do anything like this again, though, for sure. I have given away my soul.”
This event is sponsored by Simon Fraser University Library Services.
Crime Without Borders
27
A Community of Characters
6-7:15 pm
STUDIO 1398 $20
No man is an island. It’s through our interconnectedness that we develop our humanity— and sometimes improve our world. Cristina Henríquez calls on a cast of fictional characters to explore the experience of immigration to the United States, tales that individually are ordinary but cumulatively speak to the resilience of the human spirit. Maylis de Kerangal’s 12 characters are all interconnected through something much bigger than each of them alone—as they physically work together to build a bridge, emotional connections are created between each character. Kate Pullinger’s novel reveals a family that is growing apart, until a man falls from the sky and pulls them back together. We read to learn and live the stories of others, and these three authors present a wide range of “others” for us tonight.
Brimming with Adventure
6–7:15 pm
GRANVILLE ISLAND BREWing taproom $20
26
6–7:15 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
C.C. Humphreys, Jack Whyte
Enjoy an evening of international intrigue with two crime writers from across the globe. Scottish writer Louise Welsh has been translated into 20 languages, and she’s won numerous awards for her five highly acclaimed crime novels. Her new novel, A Lovely Way to Burn, is “gripping, perfectly paced and beautifully written.” Australian Michael Robotham’s first novel, The Suspect, became the subject of a bidding war at the London Book Fair, has been translated into 22 languages and has sold over a million copies. His latest book, Life or Death, is being touted as “the thriller of the year.” The plots and characters of these two international stars seem to know no borders. Together they bring their magic, and their suspicions, to Canada.
The Real Deal Marie Lu, Robert Paul Weston Moderator: Shannon ozirny
Michael Robotham, Louise Welsh Moderator: Lonnie Propas IMPROV Centre $20
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Maylis de Kerangal, Cristina Henríquez, Kate Pullinger Moderator: Heather Jessup
28
8:00 pm
The pub seems the perfect venue for two authors who specialize in crackling tales and historical adventure fiction set most frequently in Britain. Jack Whyte’s novels have focused on Arthurian plots set in Roman Britain and the legendary Knights Templar, and have earned him fans around the world. C.C. Humphreys’ six bestselling historical novels range from Vlad the Impaler and Constantinople to his new novel, Plague, set in 17thcentury London. Both Humphreys and Whyte are actors as well as historical novelists, so fill your stein and settle in to enjoy two consummate storytellers.
Young, talented and brimming with creativity, Marie Lu and Robert Paul Weston have made solid buzz-worthy debuts. Movie rights to New York Times bestselling author Lu’s Legend series have been sold—to a producer from the Twilight franchise, no less. Now she is back with The Young Elites (book one of a fantasy series by the same name), about a “Renaissance-like world where young children who survive the blood fever are often gifted with God-like powers.” Weston made a splash with Zorgamazoo, which has since been optioned for film by the producer of Shrek. His latest book, Blues for Zoey, mixes music and mystery in the real-life coming-of-age story of Kaz’s dangerous pull towards a dreadlocked, rebellious busker. Share an evening with these two authors, and catch them on their way up.
An Evening with James Ellroy
29
8:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $26
For one night only, James Ellroy comes to the Festival to reveal his up-close and personal knowledge of the world of crime. Author of 14 novels, including L.A. Confidential, with a career spanning more than three decades, Ellroy has adopted an outsized public persona in which he bills himself as “the greatest crime novelist who ever lived.” But before his rise to fame and success, Ellroy roughed up the edges of his psyche as a thief, an alcoholic, a drug abuser, a peeping tom and a prison inmate. Ellroy’s is a life lived large, harrowed by hurt, and he’s not afraid to speak his mind. His new novel, Perfidia, is set in rough, racist Los Angeles—a city he’s explored so successfully in the past.
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30
The Toast(s) of Europe Maylis de Kerangal, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Herman Koch, Sjón Moderator: Marsha Lederman
8:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
The contingent of distinguished European authors at this year’s Festival is unprecedented. Come out for this rare opportunity to hear their reflections on writing, literature and the state of the European Community. Icelandic novelist, poet and lyricist, Sjón, has been described by Junot Díaz as “achingly brilliant.” Maylis de Kerangal from France won the prestigious Prix Médicis. Dutch author Herman Koch’s The Dinner has been translated into 21 languages and has sold one million copies throughout Europe. And Karl Ove Knausgaard, from Norway, has penned the much-heralded six volume epic My Struggle, a sensation in Europe that is now beginning to captivate the world. Join them for an evening of erudition, insight, sophistication and European elegance.
An Intimate Evening with Tim Winton
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8:30 pm
STUDIO 1398 $26
Australia’s Tim Winton has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize twice and won the Miles Franklin Award four times. His books have been published in 18 languages. Cloudstreet, arguably his best-known work, appears regularly on lists of Australia’s bestloved novels. His work has been adapted for film and opera. Throughout Winton’s oeuvre he tells stories of lost souls and lost faith, casting his characters adrift to look for something, or someone, to believe in. After waiting five years, Winton’s fans are being rewarded with Eyrie, a compelling story in which, as in many Winton novels, the family is both sustaining and tragic. This is a rare but very welcome return visit to the Writers Fest by one of Australia’s most beloved literary novelists.
The Organized Mind
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Daniel Levitin in conversation with kathryn gretsinger
8:30 pm
IMPROV centRE $20
Daniel Levitin combined his academic training as a neuroscientist and his experience as a musician to write This Is Your Brain on Music. His book spent more than 12 months on The New York Times and Globe and Mail bestseller lists, was translated into 16 languages and was the subject of two documentary films that Levitin co-hosted with Sting and with Bobby McFerrin. He’s now turned his attention to the question of “how to think straight in the age of information overload.” The Organized Mind uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how to regain a sense of mastery over attention and memory in an age when information overload is stealing our productivity and creativity.
BCIT writes. MAKE A CAREER OUT OF WRITING Do you want to write for a living? Our part-time Technical Writing Associate Certificate program can prepare you to do what you love for a career. In just over a year*, you could be ready to launch your career as a technical writer. *Based on taking four courses part time, per term.
Find out more:
bcit.ca/technicalwriting
It’s your career. Get it right.
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Thursday, October 23
Local Legends
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Secrets and Lies
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Tell Me More
Sebastien de Castell, William Gibson Moderator: Robert Wiersema
Marthe Jocelyn, Mariko Tamaki, Robert Paul Weston
Caroline Adderson, J. Torres
10–11:30 am
10–11:30 am
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
This morning a seasoned veteran and a relative newcomer share tales of spectacular sci-fi and swashbuckling fantasy. William Gibson’s The Peripheral, his first novel since his bestselling Zero History, has two storylines, one set in the recognizable future and the other a much more distant one, making it “really hard to write,” Gibson says. Sebastien de Castell’s Traitor’s Blade is the first in his Greatcoats series. Things get off to a roaring start with a royal conspiracy in the most corrupt city in the world. A fight choreographer himself, it’s no surprise that de Castell’s heroes get the job done with swords in hand. Join these authors for a conversation about their latest creations and how they teased out a fantastic idea from concept to polished, published page.
We all have secrets, we’ve all told lies, and we all come to know their consequences. Join three authors who uncover the reasons why we keep some things to ourselves, why we distort details and why we sometimes just don’t see the truth. Marthe Jocelyn’s What We Hide features a cast of boarding school students who offer a provocative, often funny, look at secrets. In Mariko Tamaki’s evocative graphic novel This One Summer, two girls come to realize that teenagers are keeping just as many secrets as the adults they’re watching. And in Robert Paul Weston’s Blues for Zoey, Kaz’s obsessive love blinds him to the truth. What can we take from these stories? One of life’s greatest lessons: stay true to yourself.
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
35
10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 8–10
Sometimes a character or a concept is too appealing, too multi-faceted, to let go of after just one book. Caroline Adderson’s Jasper John Dooley—with his poetic name and irrepressible spirit—has been “star of the week” and “left behind.” Now he is definitely NOT “in love.” Jasper struggles with the attentions of Isabel, who just won’t leave him alone. But when he discovers she has a trampoline in her backyard, will his feelings change? J. Torres’ Rufus, the star of his Bigfoot Boy graphic novel trilogy, is an ordinary boy who becomes a heroic Sasquatch through the powers of magic. He’s eager to recapture the magic totem he lost to the ravens in his previous adventure. Get reacquainted with two very lovable and lasting characters. Suitable for grades 3–6
Suitable for grades 10–12
Le slam, la musique des mots
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Beyond Word(s)
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Word! (2) (This event is repeated on Wednesday morning.)
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Tessa Bourguignon Animatrice: France Perras
Janice Lee, Mary Pinkoski Host: Chris Gilpin
Kris Demeanor, Janice Lee, Mary Pinkoski Host: Brendan McLeod
10 h à 11 h 30
10–11:30 am
1–2:30 pm
Venez à la rencontre de Tessa Bourguignon, auteure bilingue de slam qui abordera dans son tout dernier poème les fiertés et défis que suscitent une enfance et scolarisation dans un environnement bilingue. De parents Québécois, cette poète a grandi et évolué dans un milieu anglophone et pourra partager son expérience de vie avec les enfants. L’intervention de l’auteure donnera l’occasion de discuter de poésie, et suscitera l’intérêt et la curiosité des élèves. Comment se construire une identité à partir de deux langues et de deux cultures? Un événement de plaisir où les mots, la voix, la bouche et le rythme nous réservent bien des surprises.
Each year our two spoken word events for high school students sell out within days of going on sale. Some classes are inevitably disappointed. So this year we’re going a step further and offering a third event, with a twist: interactivity! We know there are aspiring spoken word stars out there who crave a little more instruction and collaboration, and, of course, some who haven’t yet discovered their talents. Get the creative juices flowing in a fun, inclusive and original way. You’ll be hosted by Chris Gilpin, slam poet extraordinaire, and led by Canada’s top female slam poet, Mary Pinkoski, and Kitchener-Waterloo based singer-songwriter and spoken word poet Janice Lee. Be prepared for a high-energy morning of words on the fly.
Kris Demeanor, Calgary’s first Poet Laureate, is a songwriter and performer who writes and sings about the “funny, dark, absurd, maddening and the joyful for people who like to think dance, laugh, cry and party.” He appears this afternoon with Mary Pinkoski, Poet Laureate for the City of Edmonton and Canada’s top female slam poet. A storyteller at heart, Pinkoski’s writing has been called dynamic and visceral. Janice Lee is a singer-songwriter, spoken word poet and community organizer from Kitchener-Waterloo. In 2013 she received the Cord Community Best Arts Mover and Shaker Award for her community-building through the arts. Enter the room with these three performers—engaged, politically aware and artful in all that they do—and you’ll leave changed.
STUDIO 1398 17 $ / 8,50 $ pour les groupes d’élèves
Pour les élèves de la huitième à la douzième année.
Cet événement se déroulera exclusivement en français et donnera lieu à de nombreuses possibilités d’intéraction entre les élèves et les auteurs.
IMPROV CENTRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 10–12
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 8–12 and adults. Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
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Serial Success
Disconnect, then Reconnect
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Kendra Kandlestar
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A.M. Dellamonica, Marie Lu Moderator: Robert Wiersema
Sarah Ellis, Elizabeth Stewart
Lee Edward FÖdi
1–2:30 pm
1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
1–2:15 pm
What do we need to be happy? Cool clothes, the latest cellphone, a popular boyfriend or girlfriend? It’s easy to forget the rest of the world doesn’t live as we do. Fiona, in Elizabeth Stewart’s Blue Gold, takes a compromising selfie that jumpstarts this story of injustice, refugee life and worker’s rights. The story is told through the eyes of three teenage girls on three continents, each of whom has had her life disrupted by coltan, a rare mineral used in cellphones. Sarah Ellis’ Lynn has a typical teen’s fascination with texting and clothes until she meets Blossom, whose “family” lives in a hidden underground bunker and survives by recycling and trading for goods. This event brings a new perspective to our concerns and a chance to tune into a bigger picture.
Lee Edward Födi has been asked a lot of questions by kids, but there’s one in particular he always hopes they’ll ask. They never do. So we’re asking it this afternoon: What’s the hardest thing about writing a series? Födi recently completed the fifth and final instalment in his wildly popular Kendra Kandlestar series. It’s no exaggeration to say that with five books, there are a mind-boggling number of plot points, characters and logistics to keep straight, not to mention the motivations of various monsters, centaurs, giants and wizards. Settle in this afternoon to learn about Kendra’s latest escapades, pepper Födi with all your pressing questions and perhaps gain a glimpse into what’s percolating in his “imagination tank.”
PERFORMANCE WORKS $17 / $8.50 for student groups
A former video game art designer, Marie Lu has completed one blockbuster trilogy with her Legend novels and now she’s embarking on a new series, The Young Elites. In this Renaissance-like world, Lu promises “superheroes, supervillains, royalty, bad boys with hearts of gold, good boys who drink their tea with a spoonful of cunning, good girls who make mistakes. Oh, and magic.” A.M. Dellamonica joins Lu with the first in a new fantasy series, the Hidden Sea Tales. One minute Sophie is in a San Francisco alley trying to save the aunt she’s never known. The next, she’s in the magical world of Stormwrack, thrust into a middle of a political firestorm. This afternoon, step into two utterly novel worlds—and savour the fact that there’s more to come. Suitable for grades 10–12
STUDIO 1398 $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Suitable for grades 3–6
Suitable for grades 8–10
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Thursday, October 23 Jeunesse, verbe et proverbe Jean-Pierre Makosso
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Animatrice: France Perras
13 h à 14 h 30
IMPROV CENTRE 17 $ / 8,50 $ pour les groupes d’élèves
Les thèmes chers de l’écrivain Jean-Pierre Makosso sont les enfants, la jeunesse, la femme, l’amour et la paix. L’auteur Congolais nous fera découvrir un de ses tout derniers ouvrages: Jeunesse, verbe et proverbe, un recueil de poésie qui traite de cette jeunesse qui succèdera aux adultes. Dans ce recueil, les vers riment et abordent les thèmes de l’injustice faite aux femmes, de l’éducation des enfants et de l’insécurité de la jeunesse. Dans ce livre, Jean-Pierre Makosso montre que les générations se succèdent les unes aux autres sur la ligne du temps et que la sagesse est la clé pour prendre la relève. Pour les élèves de la troisième à la septième année.
Cet événement se déroulera exclusivement en français et donnera lieu à de nombreuses possibilités d’intéraction entre les élèves et les auteurs.
My life in middlemarch
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Rebecca Mead in conversation with bill richardson
6–7:15 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $20
at the Chan Centre
When New Yorker staff writer Rebecca Mead first read Middlemarch at age 17, her identification with George Eliot’s 19-year-old heroine’s search for a substantial and meaningful life was immediate and unqualified. It would last for decades. Mead has re-read Middlemarch every five years or so, finding new insights that reflect changes in her own life and social milieu. Mixing memoir, biography and history, Mead’s My Life in Middlemarch became a New York Times bestseller and a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice. Mead explores “the way a book can insert itself into a reader’s own history, into a reader’s own life story, until it’s hard to know what one would be without it.” This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the impact of your own favourite novel.
Rooted and Riveting
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Rabih Alameddine, Michael Crummey, Heather O’Neill Moderator: john freeman
6–7:15 pm
Severn Cullis-Suzuki and Tanya Tagaq October 16 & 17, 2014 at 7:30pm Steven Galloway and a magical guest February 26, 2015 at 7:30pm
Chan Centre at UBC I Telus Studio Theatre chancentre.com/beyondwords
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
In his new novel, Lebanese-American writer Rabih Alameddine paints a portrait of a passionate, introverted woman whose mind ricochets across visions of past and present Beirut with all its beauty and horror. Michael Crummey, intimately tied to his compelling home of Newfoundland, brings us the cunning Moses Sweetland. This new Crummey creation ranks with fiction’s most unforgettable characters as he ducks and swerves to stay on the island that shaped him—a place both beautiful and lethal. And Heather O’Neill’s hopelessly promiscuous and charming Montreal twins bring to life Boulevard St. Laurent in its fin-de-siècle 1990s slump. These are four captivating characters whose home turfs are just as compelling as they are.
29 Odd Jobs
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The Hook
46
Musharraf Ali Farooqui, Lee Henderson, Anne Kennedy Moderator: Jen sookfong lee
Aislinn Hunter, Eric McCormack, Sarah Waters, Ian Weir Moderator: Jerry wasserman
6–7:15 pm
8:30 pm
Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor…but what about wrestler, cartoonist, costume mender? Through fiction, we get a chance to meet people who wouldn’t normally cross our paths, and we are richer for that encounter. Musharraf Ali Farooqui’s Pahalwan, a wrestler in the Indian tradition, transcends mere sport and embraces a lifelong art. But that art is part of a culture in decline. Lee Henderson’s cartoonist lives in the brash optimism of the 1980s, whose underbelly hides the spectre of AIDS, junk bonds and ruthless amoralism. Anne Kennedy’s seamstress repairs torn garments, but she is more interested in the (usually illicit) truth and lies behind each rip. Meet three fictional characters whose work not only defines them, but gives us insight into the intricacies of their culture.
Suspense, psychological tension, rollicking action, magic realism—at the very least, each of these elements provokes a great story. Hooking the reader is the focus of tonight’s discussion. Aislinn Hunter’s long-awaited second novel is set in a museum in contemporary London and in a northern asylum, as the search for two missing persons evolves. Eric McCormack has written a masterpiece of literary Gothicism, filled with unexplainable deaths and haunting love. Ian Weir floods his new novel, Will Starling, with grave robbing, swagger and a supply of fresh cadavers for Regency London’s surgical stars. And three-time Man Booker Prize finalist Sarah Waters, the master of psychological tension, introduces The Paying Guests into your psyche. Prepare for hook, line and thinker!
STUDIO 1398 $20
Truth and Fiction
PERFORMANCE WORKS $20
47
Jacqueline Baker, Damon Galgut, Steven Galloway Moderator: paul Grant
An Intimate Evening with Sjón
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8:30 pm
8:30 pm
STUDIO 1398 $26
The complexities of fictionalizing the lives of real people are up for discussion this evening. Steven Galloway’s The Confabulist is based on the life of Houdini. Damon Galgut bases his novel on the life of E.M. Forster over the 12 years that he was writing A Passage to India. And Jacqueline Baker’s novel is a haunting portrait of America’s first horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft. When a novelist takes liberties with historical records, it raises many questions. Why turn a real-life figure into fiction? When does it work to blur historical records? And what restrictions, if any, does a novelist place on imagination and embellishment?
“Every now and then,” wrote A.S. Byatt, “a writer changes the whole map of literature inside my head.” The work of Icelandic writer Sjón, Byatt continues, “is unlike anything I had read.” When Vancouver Writers Fest Artistic Director Hal Wake came across his name during his perusal of The New York Review of Books and read glowing endorsements by such eminent authors as David Mitchell and Junot Díaz, he knew that Sjón should be at the Festival. Sjón has published eight novels, as well as poetry. He writes lyrics for the singer Björk, with whom he has collaborated since they were both teens. Three of his novels are now available in English, and they reveal a potent combination of myth, magic, religion and science that will keep you thinking well into the night.
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
An Exploration of Books & Ideas Mind-altering, metamorphic, twicemonthly. Free readings, interviews and discussions with authors who will change how you see the world.
7:30pm every other Wednesday Alice MacKay Room VPL Central Library The Festival doesn’t end in October. Join us for readings, discussions and interviews with your favourite authors, January through May at the VPL.
writersfest.bc.ca/events/incite
“Excellent presentation. Insightful, wise, with a dose of humour. Bravo!”
Sponsored by Supported by the Vancouver Public Library and the Nelson Family Foundation
— C.M., 2014 Incite audience member
Festival at a Glance
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Tuesday
21
Wednesday
22
Thursday
23
EVENT #1
EVENT #8
EVENT #15
EVENT #24
EVENT #33
EVENT #41
Not a Kid Anymore
Blade Writer
Word! (1)
Kris Demeanor, Janice Lee, Mary Pinkoski
Karl Ove Knausgaard in Conversation with John Freeman
Local Legends
Kendra Kandlestar
10-11:30 am Granville Island Stage Cory Doctorow, Mariko Tamaki
1-2:30 pm Improv Centre
Sebastien de Castell, C.C. Humphreys
10-11:30 am Granville Island Stage
6-7:15 pm Performance Works
EVENT #2
EVENT #9
EVENT #16
EVENT #25
Family, Fact and Fantasy
Inside China
Escape from Tibet
A Community of Characters
10-11:30 am Waterfront Theatre Helaine Becker, Sarah Ellis EVENT #3
10-11:15 am Studio 1398
Bigfoot Boy
J. Torres
EVENT #4
10-11:00 am Improv Centre
Picture Perfect
Caroline Adderson, Marie-Louise Gay, Anne Villeneuve EVENT #5
1-2:30 pm Granville Island Stage
The Sky is Not the Limit
Bob McDonald EVENT #6
1-2:30 pm Waterfront Theatre Imaginations Run Wild
Marthe Jocelyn, Robert Paul Weston
6-7:15 pm Waterfront Theatre Evan Osnos in conversation with Charles Foran EVENT #10
6-7:30 pm Studio 1398
An Intimate Evening with Eimear McBride EVENT #11
6-7:15 pm Improv Centre
Waking from the American Dream
Joshua Ferris, Cristina Henríquez, Matthew Thomas EVENT #12
8:00 pm Performance Works
Grand Openings
Maylis de Kerangal, Joshua Ferris, Steven Galloway, Anne Kennedy, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Louise Welsh EVENT #13
8:30 pm Waterfront Theatre My Way
EVENT #7
Charles Foran, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Eimear McBride
Dessine-nous une histoire
EVENT #14
1-2:00 pm Studio 1398
Anne Villeneuve
8:30 PM Improv Centre
The Good Life
Matthew Thomas, Christos Tsiolkas, Tim Winton
10-11:30 am Performance Works
6-7:15 pm Waterfront Theatre
Nick Gray, Tenzin EVENT #17
Maylis de Kerangal, Cristina Henríquez, Kate Pullinger
Twists in the Road
6-7:15 pm Studio 1398
EVENT #18
Marie Lu, Robert Paul Weston
Zoobots
6-7:15 pm Improv Centre
EVENT #19
Michael Robotham, Louise Welsh
10-11:30 am Waterfront Theatre
EVENT #26
Linda Bailey, Marie-Louise Gay
The Real Deal
10-11:15 am Studio 1398
EVENT #27
Helaine Becker
Crime Without Borders
10-11:30 am Improv Centre
Le crayon au service de l’histoire
Fabian Grégoire EVENT #20
1-2:30 pm Performance Works
Playing for Gold
Cory Doctorow, Elizabeth Stewart
Sebastien de Castell, William Gibson EVENT #34
10-11:30 am Performance Works
1-2:30 pm Improv Centre
Tell Me More
Middlemarch
Studio 1398
EVENT #44
Tessa Bourguignon
Rooted and Riveting
Caroline Adderson, J. Torres Rebecca Mead in conversation with EVENT #36 Bill Richardson 10-11:30 am Le slam, la musique des mots
6-7:15 pm Waterfront Theatre
8:00 pm Granville Island Brewing Taproom
EVENT #37
Rabih Alameddine, Michael Crummey, Heather O’Neill
C.C. Humphreys, Jack Whyte
Beyond Word(s)
EVENT #28
Brimming with Adventure EVENT #29
8:30 pm Performance Works
An Evening with James Ellroy
10-11:30 am Improv Centre
Chris Gilpin, Janice Lee, Mary Pinkoski EVENT #38
EVENT #30
1-2:30 pm Granville Island Stage
The Toast(s) of Europe
Kris Demeanor, Janice Lee, Mary Pinkoski
Lee Edward Födi, J. Torres
EVENT #39
EVENT #22
EVENT #31
1-2:30 pm Studio 1398
EVENT #42
Jean-Pierre Makosso Marthe Jocelyn, Mariko Tamaki, Robert Paul Weston EVENT #43 6-7:15 pm EVENT #35 Performance Works 10-11:30 am My Life in Waterfront Theatre
Maylis de Kerangal, Karl Ove Knausgaard, Herman Koch, Sjón
Magic Close to Home
Lee Edward Födi
Jeunesse, verbe et proverb
Word! (2)
1-2:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
1-2:15 pm Studio 1398
Secrets and Lies
8:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
EVENT #21
8:30 pm Studio 1398
Parcours d’auteurs-illustrateurs An Intimate Evening with Tim Winton Marie-Louise Gay, Fabian Grégoire EVENT #23
EVENT #32
Crafty Creations
The Organized Mind
1-2:00 pm Improv Centre
8:30 pm Improv Centre
Linda Bailey, Marthe Jocelyn, Anne Villeneuve
Daniel Levitin in conversation with Kathryn Gretsinger
Louise Penny
Special Events
10-11:30 am Granville Island Stage
Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:30 pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
David Mitchell
1-2:30 pm Performance Works
6-7:15 pm Studio 1398 Odd Jobs
Musharraf Ali Farooqui, Lee Henderson, Anne Kennedy EVENT #46
8:30 pm Performance Works The Hook
Aislinn Hunter, Eric McCormack, Sarah Waters, Ian Weir EVENT #47
8:30 pm A.M. Dellamonica, Marie Lu Waterfront Theatre Serial Success EVENT #40
Truth and Fiction
Disconnect, then Reconnect
Event #48
1-2:30 pm Waterfront Theatre Sarah Ellis, Elizabeth Stewart
Saturday, September 27th at 7:30 pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com
EVENT #45
Jacqueline Baker, Damon Galgut, Steven Galloway 8:30 pm Studio 1398
An Intimate Evening with Sjón
Stickboy: From Page to Stage
Tuesday, October 7th at 7:30pm Frederic Wood Theatre 6354 Crescent Road, UBC
Header left Tickets: 604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com Friday
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Saturday
25
Sunday
26
EVENT #49
EVENT #56
EVENT #64
EVENT #72
EVENT #79
Not a Mystery
The Tangled Web
Probables and Impossibles
A Celebration of Phyllis Webb
A Conversation with Dinaw Mengestu
10-11:30 am Granville Island Stage Herman Koch, Carrie Snyder, Russell Wangersky, Ian Weir EVENT #50
10-11:30 am Performance Works
To Link or Not To Link
Caroline Adderson, George McWhirter, K.D. Miller, Kathleen Winter EVENT #51
10-11:30 am Waterfront Theatre Pure Poetry
Kris Demeanor, Eve Joseph, Anne Kennedy, Christopher Levenson, Sina Queyras, Katherena Vermette EVENT #52
10-11:30 am Studio 1398
Better Living Through Books?
Nadia Bozak, Damon Galgut, Rebecca Mead EVENT #53
10-11:30 am Improv Centre
Turning the Page
Cory Doctorow in conversation with Charlie Smith EVENT #54
1-2:30 pm Granville Island Stage
Writing Back to the Self
Eve Joseph, Alison Pick, Michael Pond, Kathleen Winter
1-2:30 pm Studio 1398
Martha Baillie, Arjun Basu, Kate Pullinger EVENT #57
1-2:30 pm Improv Centre
Celebrating 40 Years of Harbour Publishing
Robert (Lucky) Budd, Katherine Palmer Gordon EVENT #58
6-7:15 pm Waterfront Theatre
Familiar Haunts
Jacqueline Baker, Eric McCormack, Russell Wangersky EVENT #59
6-7:15 pm Studio 1398
EVENT #65
10:30 am Performance Works
Ann-Marie MacDonald in Conversation with Jerry Wasserman EVENT #66
10:30 am Waterfront Theatre
More or Less Solved
Hilary Davidson, Ian Hamilton, Michael Robotham EVENT #67
10:30 am Studio 1398
Justin Trudeau in Conversation with Stephen Quinn
EVENT #69
2:00 pm Performance Works
An Intimate Evening with Miriam Toews
Dionne Brand, Thomas King, Lee Maracle, Christos Tsiolkas
EVENT #81
11:00 am Performance Works
The Sunday Brunch
George Elliott Clarke, Terry Fallis, Esther Freud, Aislinn Hunter, Johanna Skibsrud, Rudy Wiebe
EVENT #74
5-6:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
The Ventriloquists
Ian Hamilton, Eliza Robertson, Carrie Snyder, Patricia Young EVENT #75
EVENT #82
1:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
The Al Purdy Show: Vancouver Edition
5-6:30 pm Studio 1398 Ad Men
Arjun Basu, Terry Fallis 8:00 pm Performance Works
EVENT #83
Ken Babstock, George Elliott Clarke, Billeh Nickerson, Sina Queyras, Katherena Vermette, Patricia Young
The Tie That Binds
Angie Abdou, Nancy Lee, Richard Wagamese, Rudy Wiebe
Clearly Personal
EVENT #78
EVENT #85
An Intimate Evening with Thomas King
The Afternoon Tea
The Story So Far
8:30 pm Studio 1398
Rules of Engagement
EVENT #84
Angie Abdou, Alison Pick, Miriam Toews
EVENT #63
5-6:30 pm Performance Works
EVENT #77 Emma Donoghue and Sarah 8:00 pm Waters in Conversation Waterfront Theatre Who I Really Am EVENT #70
EVENT #62
Books Beget Books
The Life and Times
Emma Donoghue, Musharraf Ali Farooqui, David Homel, Jane Smiley
EVENT #73
1:30 pm Improv Centre
2:00 pm Waterfront Theatre
Thomas King, Lee Maracle, Richard Wagamese
10:30 am Waterfront Theatre
The Poetry Bash
The Germ of an Idea
8:00pm St. Andrew's-Wesley
EVENT #80
Lee Henderson, Nancy Lee, Tom Rachman
The Literary Cabaret
EVENT #61
George Bowering, Brian Brett, John Hulcoop, Eve Joseph, Daphne Marlatt, Sharon Thesen
EVENT #76
EVENT #68
Caroline Adderson, Michael Crummey, Lee Henderson, Shani Mootoo, Heather O’Neill, Sjón
10:00 am Studio 1398
10:30 am Improv Centre
EVENT #60
8:00 pm Performance Works
2:00 pm Improv Centre
Ken Babstock, George Bowering, Colin Browne, Brad Cran, Michael Crummey, Charlie Demers, Maxine Gadd, Aislinn Hunter, Daphne Marlatt, Billeh Nickerson, Sina Queyras, Rob Taylor, Sharon Thesen, Fred Wah, Howard White
The Way We Live Now
Martha Baillie, Sjón, Kathleen Winter
8:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
Rabih Alameddine, Nadia Bozak, Tom Rachman
Sebastien de Castell, A.M. Dellamonica, William Gibson
Angie Abdou, Dionne Brand, Charles Foran
The Magnetic North
EVENT #55
1-2:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
10:30 am Granville Island Stage
EVENT #71
2:00 pm Studio 1398
1:30pm Studio 1398
Dinaw Mengestu, Shani Mootoo, Tom Rachman, Kim Thúy 8:00 pm Studio 1398
The Interviews
The Best Laid Plans – The Musical
Katrina Dunn, Benjamin Elliott, Terry Fallis, Anton Lipovetsky, Vern Thiessen 3:30 pm Performance Works
Hilary Davidson, David Homel, K.D. Miller, Eliza Robertson, Kim Thúy, Colm Tóibín EVENT #86
Esther Freud, Herman Koch, Christos Tsiolkas
8:00 pm Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage The Fitting Finale
Jane Smiley, Colm Tóibín Bruce Cockburn
Monday, November 10th at 7:30 pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
Alan Doyle
Thursday, November 13th at 7:30 pm Waterfront Theatre 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
Conrad Black
Thursday, November 13th at 7:30pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs (5 tickets minimum | phone sales only)
PLUS SERVICE CHARGES
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Friday, October 24
Not a Mystery Herman Koch, Carrie Snyder, Russell Wangersky, Ian Weir Moderator: timothy taylor
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10–11:30 am
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10–11:30 am
STUDIO 1398 $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Three authors for whom books are the real stuff of life talk about the influence of literature—and particular books—on living. Great novels don’t set out to be didactic, but read at the right time, they can increase our empathy, invite new insights and open our minds. Nadia Bozak says she writes “in the shadows of everything I have ever read…The impact of Cormac McCarthy is one I can’t shake.” Damon Galgut’s Arctic Summer teaches us how to read E.M. Forster afresh, but he also deliberately inserts himself and his 21st-century parallels into the novel. For Rebecca Mead, thinking about Middlemarch “helps you think about how to live for yourself. Isn’t that what literature is for, to make you see the world beyond yourself.”
Sometimes readers and writers don’t want to let fictional people go. Thus is born the “linked” short story collection. Four authors discuss the contrasting challenges and pleasures that come from either linking short stories or taking free range to explore a wide variety of characters and themes in the short story form. Caroline Adderson’s Ellen in Pieces is billed as a novel, but was published in pieces, with individual chapters winning magazine prizes. K.D. Miller’s All Saints features plots and characters linked to a fictional Toronto Anglican church where the funerals outnumber the baptisms. New short story collections by Kathleen Winter and George McWhirter go in a different direction, with a mix of unique characters and creative scenarios. To link or not to link? For these four authors, that really is the question.
Turning the Page
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Cory Doctorow in conversation with Charlie Smith
10–11:30 am
IMPROV CENTRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
It’s a time of immense change in the publishing world, from self-publishing to the digitization of books themselves. With these changes have come positive outcomes, including the opportunity for writers to take control of their work and the ways it’s distributed. But there are questions about the future of the industry—particularly digital copyright issues, the future of publishing houses and the changing ways that people read. Award-winning science fiction writer and technology activist Cory Doctorow has first-hand experience navigating these changes. In Information Doesn’t Want to Be Free, Doctorow addresses the “pitfalls, and the opportunities, creative industries (and individuals) are confronting today.” Curious about how creativity and the Internet are interacting? Come and find out from someone known for being on the cutting edge.
This event is supported by the Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation.
Pure Poetry Kris Demeanor, Eve Joseph, Anne Kennedy, Christopher Levenson, Sina Queyras, Katherena Vermette Host: Chris gilpin
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10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS $17 / $8.50 for student groups
The authors in this event haven't written traditional mysteries but that doesn't mean that the levels of intrigue aren't high. Dutch novelist Herman Koch’s gathering of not-so-nice characters (one of whom ends up dead) and Carrie Snyder’s part historical pageturner, part contemporary “mystery” about family and memory are tense at every turn. Russell Wangersky brings us a dark psychological thriller about a man who pokes into people’s lives through their abandoned grocery lists. And Ian Weir’s narrator keeps his secrets to himself through the dark alleyways of 1816 London. These authors use the elements of a good mystery as a way of telling stories, slowly disclosing information, building suspense and tickling your brain. But, as Koch says, “the important question is what the characters are going to do with their knowledge.”
Nadia Bozak, Damon Galgut, Rebecca Mead Moderator: Angie Abdou
Caroline Adderson, George McWhirter, K.D. Miller, Kathleen Winter moderator: Shaena lambert
10–11:30 am
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Better Living Through Books?
To Link or Not to Link
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Confessional, lyrical, lavish and spare, the poets reading this morning are as varied as the tools of expression at their disposal. Kris Demeanor, Calgary’s first Poet Laureate, draws on classic folk storytelling and spoken word to get his message across. Eve Joseph “employs a lean, streamlined lyric” in her BC-rooted poetry. In his new collection, Night Vision, Vancouver’s Christopher Levenson tackles the “political” poem. Narrative energy is at the heart of New Zealand author Anne Kennedy’s work. The poems in Sina Queyras’s MxT combine “lyric homage and social critique.” And Governor General’s Literary Award winner Katherena Vermette astounds with her minimalist style. This is an occasion to sit back and savour every perfectly placed word, as well as revel in its delivery.
Writing Back to the Self Eve Joseph, Alison Pick, Michael Pond, Kathleen Winter moderator: andreas schroeder
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1–2:30 pm
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
“Writing is a way back to the self,” says Eve Joseph. Spend time with four insightful authors whose personal journeys reveal larger truths for us all. Alison Pick learned accidentally of her Jewish heritage, concealed for years by her father. In reclaiming her identity as a Jew, she raises larger questions about faith and family. Joseph’s memoir and meditation on dying, based on her experience working in a hospice for two decades, explores our estrangement from this very normal part of life. After decades of serving addictions clients, therapist Michael Pond succumbed to alcoholism, losing everything. His memoir of his journey to sobriety and renewal calls for a more compassionate approach to addictions treatment. And Kathleen Winter’s memoir reflects her journey across the storied Northwest Passage, which changed her relationship with this planet forever.
Header left Books Beget Books Rabih Alameddine, Nadia Bozak, Tom Rachman Moderator: john freeman
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1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
Not every writer would agree that everything you’ve read somehow becomes a part of you. But how else to explain the lasting impact of words on a page? Rabih Alameddine’s character Aaliyah keeps company exclusively with her writers—living and dead. They are her companions, with whom she shares her thoughts, in the midst of the Siege of Beirut. Nadia Bozak is clear that her trilogy is based closely on the works of McCarthy, Coetzee and Conrad—taking the core elements from a classic work of each of these authors and reworking them in light of her own race, gender and experience. Tom Rachman’s character Tooly, inhabiting the World’s End bookshop, reflects that readers keep their books “because these objects contained the past—each volume a piece of one’s intellect.” These three writers’ books are permeated by what they have read and loved.
The Tangled Web Martha Baillie, Arjun Basu, Kate Pullinger moderator: lee henderson
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1–2:30 pm
STUDIO 1398 $17 / $8.50 for student groups
We are only minutes into a new millennium of digital interplay and already, brave and imaginative authors such as Arjun Basu, Martha Baillie and Kate Pullinger are testing the waters. “I wanted to explore how authors and readers relate to each other in our time,” says Baillie, explaining why she sent her novel out to readers bit by bit on postcards, to be reposted, with aural enhancements, on the Internet. Pullinger’s Landing Gear can be accessed with an interactive map that pins extracts from the novel to the relevant locations. Basu is the author and inventor of “twisters,” 140-character (tweet length) short stories, which he says have “spiraled out of control.” In his novel, he explores the brave new world of social media, plunging his character into a culture of compulsive sharing.
Celebrating 40 Years of Harbour Publishing Robert (Lucky) Budd, Katherine Palmer Gordon Host: Howard White
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READ SNYDER
READ BOZAK
1–2:30 PM
IMPROV CENTRE $17 / $8.50 for student groups
For 40 years Harbour Publishing has been publishing BC born-and-bred books, full of authentic knowledge about life on the coast. This afternoon, publisher Howard White is joined by two of his authors, whose new books exemplify Harbour’s considerable contribution to BC’s life story. Robert (Lucky) Budd’s Echoes of British Columbia combines text, archival photographs and original sound recordings to tell the stories of some of BC’s remarkable and inspiring pioneers. In We Are Born with the Songs Inside Us, Katherine Palmer Gordon reveals 16 candid stories of young First Nations people living in BC—stories of people whose unshakable belief in the importance of their cultural heritage adds to their well-being and success. Come celebrate Harbour and our BC heritage.
READ WINTER #READWOMEN2014 houseofanansi.com
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Friday, October 24
Familiar Haunts Jacqueline Baker, Eric McCormack, Russell Wangersky Moderator: Peter Darbyshire
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6–7:15 pm
Martha Baillie, Sjón, Kathleen Winter moderator: Ian weir
Ready for some hair-raising tales from three frightfully good Canadian writers? Meet Jacqueline Baker, whose compelling, creepy novel features the ailing, impoverished and frightening H.P. Lovecraft, a true historical figure who was America’s first horror writer. Eric McCormack’s masterpiece of literary Gothicism stars a man haunted, literally and figuratively, by his past in an isolated Scottish village. And Russell Wangersky’s dark psychological thriller spotlights a grocery store cleaner who collects the shopping lists people leave behind, providing him with an invisible net to throw over those who leave traces of their life in his path. This is perfect fodder for a fall Friday.
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8:00 pm
St. Andrews-Wesley United Church $26
The young leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, joins us to talk about his personal and candid memoir. In conversation with Stephen Quinn of CBC Radio, Trudeau will share the experiences that have shaped him–from his childhood at 24 Sussex to his McGill days during the tumultuous time of the Charlottetown Accord to his first campaign in Papineau to his role as Liberal leader today–and how his passion for Canada and its people took root. As the fourth leader of his party in less than a decade, Trudeau faces the challenge of rebuilding the party and engaging with Canadians in what will be a hotly contested election. Come hear what he believes has prepared him for the task.
The Literary Cabaret
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Caroline Adderson, Michael Crummey, Lee Henderson, Shani Mootoo, Heather O’Neill, Sjón
6–7:15 pm
8:00 pm
As research, Martha Baillie hiked on Baffin Island to the Turner Glacier and back before staying in a hamlet where the main language is Inuktitut. Her resulting novel is a hallucinatory journey to the Arctic and through time. Sjón has called Iceland his home his entire life and the country oozes out of everything he writes. His books, plays and poetry are filled with myths, legends, gremlins and spirits that all inhabit the Icelandic history and psyche. Kathleen Winter journeyed across the Northwest Passage, where “the whole majesty and the power of that land and everything in it completely ambushed me.” Her memoir bears witness to the melting North, and the animals and people who live there. Why does the North have such an impact on creative imaginations?
Even if you’re a “Lit Cab” regular, you might not know that chameleonic band Poetic License only has half an hour to rehearse with each of the authors before tonight’s event. What happens during those 30 minutes can only be described as alchemy. Each of these authors takes the spotlight to “perform” alongside the band, with music that fits each reading like a warm kid glove over a guiding hand. Audiences are guaranteed a sensory spectacle they won’t soon forget. Don’t miss out on the fun—get your tickets early because they are sure to go quickly.
STUDIO 1398 $20
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
Justin Trudeau in conversation with Stephen Quinn
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The Magnetic North
The Story So Far
PERFORMANCE WORKS $35
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Thomas King, Lee Maracle, Richard Wagamese Moderator: kathryn gretsinger
8:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
“The story of Canada is the story of her relationship with Native people,” says Richard Wagamese. “If we lean over the back fence and share part of that story with the person on the other side of the fence, we bring each other closer.” Tonight we hear stories from writers and activists who have spent their lifetimes exploring perspectives on being Native in Canada. Wagamese’s novel explores a common experience of many First Nations children, growing up without their fathers’ influence. Thomas King, after the success of The Inconvenient Indian, has written his first literary novel in 15 years, bringing into focus issues of environmental disaster and reserves. Lee Maracle, an outspoken voice for decades, focuses her novel on one Native family’s harrowing experiences and their search for regeneration.
This event is sponsored by Tangerine Bank.
An Intimate Evening with Miriam Toews
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8:30 pm
STUDIO 1398 $26
If you’ve wondered how Miriam Toews’ characters can range from the tough-talking, funny, sarcastic Naomi in A Complicated Kindness to the freedomyearning Irma Voth to the despondent, suicidal Elfrieda in her latest novel, All My Puny Sorrows, spend an hour with Toews tonight. She’s funny, self-effacing, thoughtful and articulate—and she’s had more than her share of heartache. Her new novel is her most autobiographical, she easily admits. “It was a way of keeping my sister alive and in my imagination and in my memory, where she still resides.” Toews writes from the heart, and speaks from the heart, too. Her honesty has touched readers worldwide.
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Saturday, October 25
Probables and Impossibles Sebastien de Castell, A.M. Dellamonica, William Gibson Moderator: Peter Darbyshire
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Ann-Marie MacDonald in Conversation with Jerry Wasserman
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More or Less Solved Hilary Davidson, Ian Hamilton, Michael Robotham Moderator: Lonnie Propas
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10:30 am
10:30 am
10:30 am
What’s the difference between fantasy and science fiction? Fantasy can’t happen. Science fiction is something that hasn’t happened, but could. Two fantasy writers and one science fiction writer talk about the worlds of the probable and the impossible that they’ve imagined onto the pages of their new novels. William Gibson’s The Peripheral is his latest invention in a long string of inventive novels that have earned him rave reviews and a worldwide following over three decades. Working in the world of the impossible are fantasy writers A.M. Dellamonica and Sebastien de Castell. Travel to Dellamonica’s Stormwrack, an oceanbased world on the other side of the portal. Or duck the barbarians at the borders of de Castell’s Tristia. Good thing these worlds are impossible—and very entertaining.
An author, actor, playwright and broadcaster, whose novels have been international bestsellers and prizewinners and have been translated into almost 20 languages—Ann-Marie MacDonald has, it seems, succeeded at everything she turns her hand to. She has won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. Fall On Your Knees won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize. The Way the Crow Flies was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Adult Onset, her first novel in more than a decade, explores crucial themes— motherhood, the dark undercurrents that break families apart, what holds families together and the power and pressures of love—that are also an integral part of her own life. “We need our stories,” MacDonald says. “Remember who we are. Remember where we come from. Don’t skip over anything. Celebrate but never forget.”
Author of the Lily Moore crime series, Hilary Davidson presents a standalone crime novel, Blood Always Tells. “There’s a kind of safety harness in place when you’re writing a series. Writing the standalone was like jumping off a cliff by comparison.” Award-winning writer Michael Robotham’s new crime novel is also a standalone thriller. Life or Death, he says, is “a story that I’ve nurtured and turned over in my mind for more than 20 years.” Ian Hamilton introduced readers to Ava Lee three years ago, and now she’s starred in six crime novels. “I have even more affinity for my characters now than when I started,” he admits. Three seasoned crime writers talk about keeping characters as old friends, making new acquaintances, and the pleasures and challenges of each.
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE $20
The Way We Live Now Angie Abdou, Dionne Brand, Charles Foran Moderator: Sirish Rao
PERFORMANCE WORKS $26
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10:30 am STUDIO 1398 $20
Anthony Trollope, the great English novelist, believed that the most important role for a writer was to write about the way we live now. These three writers have taken up the challenge. In Dionne Brand’s new novel, Love Enough, four urban characters face contemporary issues from geopolitical conflict to how hard love really is if you want to do it right. Angie Abdou’s Between satirizes the way today’s competing pressures on upper middle-class parenthood, career and marriage are seemingly solved by the ubiquitous international nanny. And Charles Foran gives us a novel of consequences in the unfolding digital age, written in the language of social media—blog posts, Facebook comments, tweets and text messages. Giving us insight into the way we live now is still a noble endeavor.
The Germ of an Idea Lee Henderson, Nancy Lee, Tom Rachman moderator: cathy ostlere
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
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10:30 am
IMPROV CENTRE $20
Tom Rachman began to write his new novel with an image in mind: “I saw a kid being led into a small room and the door closing after her. I kept trying to figure out how she got there, and what happened next.” Nancy Lee began The Age writing her protagonist as a teenage boy. Everything changed six years into the project after advice from her writing group. “It meant turning the entire novel inside out.” Lee Henderson wanted to be a cartoonist, so he thought it would be easy to write his novel about a character who’s only ever wanted to draw comics. Six drafts in six years proved him wrong. Just like a real germ, the germ of an idea can mutate and spread in uncontrollable fashion, but with very satisfying results.
Emma Donoghue and Sarah Waters in Conversation
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host: annabel lyon
2:00 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $26
It’s a hallmark of the Writers Fest to put intelligent, thoughtful, articulate authors on stage together and watch as magic happens. This will be an event that will leave you delighted to have been there. Emma Donoghue’s fiction has been translated into more than 40 languages. Room was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and Orange Prize, and won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. She’s also a literary historian and playwright. Sarah Waters has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize three times and her books are sold in more than 30 countries. From her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, through to her latest, The Paying Guests, Waters has demonstrated a superb gift for storytelling. Who knows what stories these two will tell on stage?
Header left Clearly Personal Angie Abdou, Alison Pick, Miriam Toews Moderator: Shelagh Rogers
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2:00 pm
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The Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman chats with three authors writing out of widely different experiences. Author of eight novels, Esther Freud was named one of the 20 “Best Young British Novelists” by Granta magazine. Her first novel, Hideous Kinky, was adapted into a film starring Kate Winslet. Dutch comedy actor Herman Koch is the author of The Dinner, which was translated into 21 languages, sold more than a million copies and will be produced as an English-language film. Australia’s outspoken Christos Tsiolkas wrote The Slap, which won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and was adapted into an Australian TV series. Lederman is a pro at drawing great stories out of a conversation, and this is sure to be a trio of entertaining interviews.
The Ventriloquists Ian Hamilton, Eliza Robertson, Carrie Snyder, Patricia Young moderator: anne fleming
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5–6:30 pm
5–6:30 pm
A writer engagée is how the poet, novelist and essayist Dionne Brand defines herself—engaged with the world’s big issues. Her work is threaded with contemporary concerns, especially those of race and gender. Thomas King has criticized policies of the American and Canadian governments in both his fiction and non-fiction books. The Inconvenient Indian was, he says, a conversation “that I’ve been having with myself for most of my life.” Prolific and outspoken, Lee Maracle infuses her work with her views on Canadian First Nations culture and history. Australia’s Christos Tsiolkas is unafraid to both chronicle and critique his homeland. Four writers discuss the choices they make to be involved in social and political issues. At what point does engagement enter your work and how does it affect the art that you’re producing?
“Write what you know,” goes the classic adage. Four authors who have thrown that advice out the window talk about stretching their imaginations well beyond the bounds of what they know. Ian Hamilton, a former journalist, diplomat and businessman, writes crime novels that star a stylish young lesbian ChineseCanadian forensic accountant. Eliza Robertson’s short stories play with varying voices, and feature swindlers and gritty survivors who know how to trap hummingbirds, feed raccoons without getting bitten and several other backwoods skills that likely required considerable research on her part. Carrie Snyder’s Girl Runner is the story of Aganetha Smart, a former Olympic athlete who, at 104, lives in a nursing home. Patricia Young’s new poetry collection gives hilarious and poignant voice to animals, birds, fish and insects as they go about their mating dance.
PERFORMANCE WORKS $20
A Celebration of Phyllis Webb George Bowering, John Hulcoop, Eve Joseph, Daphne Marlatt, Sharon Thesen Host: Brian Brett
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2:00 pm
STUDIO 1398 $20
No matter if it is fiction or memoir, writing is often a compelling drive to sort through and come to terms with personal experience. Miriam Toews’ All My Puny Sorrows was “emotionally gruelling” to write, she admits, but she used it as a way to work through her sister’s suicide. Angie Abdou’s own personal story is just under the surface of Between. Born from her conflicted feelings about hiring a foreign nanny to care for her children, she raises questions of privilege, class and culture. And Alison Pick’s memoir Between Gods is an outright grappling with questions of identity, religion, family and secrets. How much of your own life do you put in your writing? Are there boundaries? And what are the costs—and benefits—of writing so close to the heart?
Dionne Brand, Thomas King, Lee Maracle, Christos Tsiolkas moderator: rhea Tregebov
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Esther Freud, Herman Koch, Christos Tsiolkas Host: Marsha Lederman
2:00 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
Rules of Engagement
The Interviews
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
This event is sponsored by The Vancouver Sun.
IMPROV CENTRE $20
Phyllis Webb’s 1980 collection Wilson’s Bowl was hailed by Northrop Frye as “a landmark in Canadian poetry.” In 1982 she won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry for Selected Poems: The Vision Tree, and in 1999 she received the BC Gas Lifetime Achievement Award. Webb became a member of the Order of Canada in 1992. This year, Talonbooks has released Peacock Blue: The Collected Poems of Phyllis Webb, and today we invite you to recognize and celebrate one of Canada’s greats along with six notable poets and academics, all of whom have been greatly influenced and inspired by her work. Webb herself will be in attendance and available to sign copies of her new book following the event.
This event is organized in collaboration with the Canada Council for the Arts to mark the 2014 edition of the Governor General’s Literary Awards.
Ad Men Arjun Basu, Terry Fallis Moderator: Andreas Schroeder
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5–6:30 pm STUDIO 1398 $20
Move over, Don Draper. Two new (m)ad men are in town, minus the cigarettes and scotch. Terry Fallis, a PR man himself, is a winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. His fourth novel features a middle-aged New York City copywriter named, unfortunately, Earnest Hemmingway, with an extra “a” and an extra “m.” But when Hem decides to launch his own writing career, he turns to a support group of other unfortunates who also share names with the famous. Arjun Basu’s novel stars a New York City ad exec who is increasingly dissatisfied with his long list of marketing coups. On the instructions of a “voice,” he sits on his front steps to wait, accruing a media circus and mass following in the process. It’s a contemporary world of ad men gone mad.
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Saturday, October 25
The Poetry Bash
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Ken Babstock, George Elliott Clarke, Billeh Nickerson, Sina Queyras, Katherena Vermette, Patricia Young HosT: Brad Cran
8:00 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $26
This year’s Bash features poets from coast to coast, some launching careers and some who’ve been earning accolades for decades. Toronto’s Ken Babstock is back with poems inspired by time spent in Berlin. Traverse is Halifax-born George Elliott Clarke’s book-length poem comprising 61 free verse “rap sonnets.” Artificial Cherry heralds the return of local poet Billeh Nickerson. Montreal’s Sina Queyras’ MxT proposes a formula to quantify grief: Feeling = Memory x Time. Winnipeg’s Katherena Vermette won the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry with her north end love songs. And Victoria native Patricia Young’s 12th collection, Summertime Swamp Love, explores the mating habits of birds, fish and insects to “hilarious and poignant effect.” Tonight is your cross-country checkup, proof that all is thriving in the world of Canadian poetics.
Who I really am
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Dinaw Mengestu, Shani Mootoo, Tom Rachman, Kim Thúy
8:00 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
The search for identity is a quintessential human experience, and makes for good fiction as well. In his third novel, Dinaw Mengestu’s protagonist Isaac is intoxicated by the new beginnings that the move from Africa to America seemingly offers. But the cost could be the erasure of the self. A pivotal scene in Shani Mootoo’s new book involves a woman named Sid trudging through the Toronto snow on her way to the hospital for sex reassignment surgery. Tom Rachman’s central character Tooley was stolen from home as a child, adopted by crooks and raised around the globe. The novel is propelled not so much by the question what happens next as what once happened. And Kim Thúy’s novel features a young Vietnamese woman sent to marry a lonely restaurateur in Montreal. The road to self-discovery isn’t always clear-cut, as these four authors well know.
An Intimate Evening with Thomas King
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8:00 pm
STUDIO 1398 $26
Thomas King’s The Inconvenient Indian, a reflection on the Native experience, was a sensation in 2012. It won the RBC Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction and the British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction and was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize. Now King returns with his first literary novel in 15 years. The Back of the Turtle is set on an abandoned reserve after an environmental disaster has killed all the inhabitants. Gabriel, a Native scientist working for a company called DowSanto, believes his work may have led to the catastrophe and returns to the reserve to take his own life. There he is drawn into a mission to save lives, rather than take his own. Come hear King bring his brilliant characters to life, with his trademark wit and wordplay.
This event is sponsored by HarperCollins Canada Ltd.
Don’t miss these amazing authors! MICHAEL ROBOTHAM Oct. 22—6pm: Crime Without Borders Oct 25—10:30am: More or Less Solved
Joshua Ferris Oct 21—6pm: Waking From The American Dream Oct. 21—8pm: Grand Openings
louise welsh Oct 21—8pm: Grand Openings Oct. 22—6pm: Crime Without Borders
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vancouver writers fest & RANDOM HOUSE CANADA present
Bruce Cockburn Legendary Canadian singer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn talks about his long-awaited memoir, Rumours of Glory—a chronicle of faith, fear, and activism that is also a lively cultural and musical tour through the late twentieth century.
Monday, November 10 at 7:30pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs* PLUS SERVICE CHARGES *5 tickets minimum; phone sales only
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com
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Sunday, October 26
A Conversation with Dinaw Mengestu
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10:00 am
Emma Donoghue, Musharraf Ali FarooqI, David Homel, Jane Smiley
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10:30 am
STUDIO 1398 $20
WATERFRONT THEATRE $20
Born in Ethiopia, American author Dinaw Mengestu is a literary star. At 36, Mengestu has garnered an impressive list of accomplishments. He’s been named one of The New Yorker’s “20 under 40” gifted young writers, received a National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35” Award and, in 2012, he received a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant. He has written three novels, including the acclaimed All Our Names. Like his two previous novels, this is a story about finding out who you are in a new world. Mengestu is a thoughtful and hard-hitting chronicler of the African diaspora. Join him in conversation about his new book, his ever-present themes of dislocation and reinvention, and what it means to be a young, African-American writer making a big splash in the book world.
The Al Purdy Show: Vancouver Edition
The Life and Times
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Host: Charlie Demers
1:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE $26*
This is a special afternoon of comedy, poetry, talk, film and storytelling in celebration of Canadian poet Al Purdy, and the A-Frame Association— the effort dedicated to restoring Purdy’s house and encouraging a new generation of Canadian writers. Hosted by writer and stand-up comedian Charlie Demers, this event is a who’s who of Canadian writers including Ken Babstock, George Bowering, Colin Browne, Brad Cran, Michael Crummey, Maxine Gadd, Aislinn Hunter, Daphne Marlatt, Billeh Nickerson, Sina Queyras, Rob Taylor, Sharon Thesen, Fred Wah, and Howard White.
*Please note, there are no member or student/senior discounts for this event. All proceeds will be donated to the Al Purdy A-Frame Association.
Angie Abdou, Nancy Lee, Richard Wagamese, Rudy Wiebe
George Elliott Clarke, Terry Fallis, Esther Freud, Aislinn Hunter, Johanna Skibsrud, Rudy Wiebe Host: Bill Richardson
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11:00 am
David Homel’s The Fledglings tells the cultural history of Russian émigrés and American bootleggers. Jane Smiley’s new novel casts a panoramic eye on the monumental cultural changes from post-World War I America through the early 1950s, as experienced by an American farm family. In Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s novel, two fading artists yearn for the time before the Partition of India and Pakistan, which ruptured common cultural values such as loyalty, acceptance and honour. Emma Donoghue’s Frog Music is based on a real murder in 1876 San Francisco, and among her fictional creations walk many real people who defied the norms of Victorian-era society. It’s the rich personal details behind events that change history from dusty dates and battles to riveting stories. Come hear four of the best.
The Tie That Binds
The Sunday Brunch
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1:30 pm
IMPROV CENTRE $20
Being a parent isn’t something you can train for, but the repercussions of doing it badly can last for generations. You’ll feel the push and pull of that job as four novelists discuss the expectations held by both parents and children, and the intricate give-and-take that inevitably results. Angie Abdou provides a window on modern motherhood and guilt as she comically and tragically tackles the issue of international nannies. Nancy Lee’s novel looks at parenting through the eyes of a daughter trying to escape her home, burdened by her anxious mother. Richard Wagamese looks at both sides of the relationship with a father who’s been a heartbreaking disappointment to his son, until their healing walk together. And Rudy Wiebe’s Come Back is a novel of loss, memory and the limitless nature of family love.
PERFORMANCE WORKS $35
The Sunday Brunch is a hallmark of the Festival, one of the first events to sell out, and for very good reason: mimosas, croissants and coffee, not to mention readings by six fine authors whose work you may or may not have encountered, but who will leave you wanting more. Come with a friend or make a new one, and raise a glass of bubbly to the exceptional line-up of literati set to take the stage.
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate specific dietary restrictions. This event is sponsored by Penguin Random House Canada
The Best Laid Plans – The Musical
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Katrina Dunn, Benjamin Elliott, Terry Fallis, Anton Lipovetsky, Vern Thiessen
1:30 pm
Studio 1398 $20
The peccadilloes of Parliament Hill are the subject of Terry Fallis' first novel The Best Laid Plans, currently being developed into a musical by Vancouver’s Touchstone Theatre and Patrick Street Productions. This buoyant political satire will be transformed from page to stage, with Governor General’s Awardwinning playwright Vern Thiessen writing the book, and songs and lyrics by local young hot shots Benjamin Elliott and Anton Lipovetsky. In this mash up of a staged reading and a panel discussion, Katrina Dunn (Artistic Director of Touchstone) leads Fallis and the adapting artists through a freewheeling discussion of the pleasures and pitfalls of transforming literary material for the stage, punctuated by scenes and songs from the musical performed by local artists.
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The Afternoon Tea Hilary Davidson, David Homel, K.D. Miller, Eliza Robertson, Kim Thúy, Colm Tóibín Host: Paul Grant
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3:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS $35
For those of you who enjoy a little indulgence on the weekend, here’s an event for you. Sleep in, go for an autumnal stroll and make your way down to Granville Island for treats and authors galore. It’s an afternoon spilling over with stories in all their glorious forms—short stories, stories within stories, linked stories, whodunits and stories grand in scope. It might be brisk outside, but inside the tea will be hot, the Devonshire cream decadent and the stories, oh, the stories—scintillating!
Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate specific dietary restrictions.
The Fitting Finale Jane Smiley, Colm Tóibín Moderator: Bill Richardson
UBC THEATRE & OPERA SEASON 2014/15 theatre opera
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8:00 pm
Coach House Books www.chbooks.com
NOVEMBER 13–16, 2014 | OLD AUDITORIUM
NAKED CINEMA
theatre
JANUARY 26 & 27, 2015
THE BACCHAE 2.1 by Euripides, adapted by Charles Mee
JAN 22 – FEB 7, 2015
FREDERIC WOOD THEATRE
opera
THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO FEBRUARY 5–8, 2015
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte CHAN CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
musical theatre
THE TRIUMPH OF LOVE book: James Magruder, music: Jeffrey Stock,
MAR 19 – APR 4, 2015
lyrics: Susan Birkenhead | FREDERIC WOOD THEATRE
opera
Sina Queyras Ken Babstock
THE BARTERED BRIDE by Bedřich Smetana
original collective creations | NORM THEATRE
CHB_VWFProgram_Layout 1 14-07-07 9:29 PM Page 1
Bright poets, bright covers.
SEPT 25 – OCT 11, 2014 | FREDERIC WOOD THEATRE
film
STANLEY INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCE STAGE $26
Two titans on the literary landscape come together in a fitting finale to this year’s Festival. Ireland’s beloved and acclaimed Colm Tóibín comes to the Writers Fest—his first visit ever—with his eighth novel, Nora Webster, which exquisitely details the intimate lives of an Irish family. Tóibín won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award for The Master and has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize three times. Jane Smiley, author of 15 novels, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for A Thousand Acres. In 2001 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2006 she received the PEN USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. Her latest is Some Luck. We consider it to be more than some luck to have these two brilliant minds together tonight.
TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare
LAGiuseppe TRAVIATA Verdi, libretto by Francesco Maria Piave JUNE 20, 21, 25–28, 2015
OLD AUDITORIUM
Subscription packages from $33 / Flexible options available online! BOX OFFICE: 604.822.2678
www.theatre.ubc.ca | www.ubcopera.com
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Author Biographies ANGIE ABDOU
MArtha baillie
BRITISH COLUMBIA, Events 67, 70, 83
Ontario, Events 56, 59
Angie Abdou has a PhD in English literature from the University of Calgary and teaches full time at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook. Her first novel, The Bone Cage, was a finalist in the CBC’s 2011 Canada Reads competition. She is also the author of The Canterbury Trail, Anything Boys Can Do, and most recently, Between. Abdou lives in Fernie, British Columbia with her husband and two young children. @angie_abdou, abdou.ca
Martha Baillie is the author of five novels, most recently The Search for Heinrich Schlögel. Her novel The Incident Report was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, was a Globe and Mail Top 100 book for 2009 and is being adapted into a screenplay. She has written about contemporary visual art for Brick magazine and other publications. She lives in Toronto. marthabaillie.ca
Caroline adderson
jacqueline baker
BRITISH COLUMBIA, Events 4, 35, 50, 60
british columbia, Events 47, 58
Caroline Adderson is the author of four novels (Ellen in Pieces, A History of Forgetting, Sitting Practice and The Sky Is Falling), two short story collections (Bad Imaginings and Pleased to Meet You) and many books for young readers. Her work has received numerous prize nominations, including the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, two Commonwealth Writers’ prizes, the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist, the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Winner of two Ethel Wilson Fiction Prizes and three CBC Literary Awards, Adderson also received the 2006 Marian Engel Award for mid-career achievement. She lives in Vancouver. carolineadderson.com
Jacqueline Baker is the author of the novels The Horseman’s Graves and The Broken Hours. Her story collection A Hard Witching and Other Stories won the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the City of Edmonton Book Prize and the Howard O’Hagan Award for Short Fiction. She was also a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Baker has been the writer-in-residence at MacEwan University in Edmonton and teaches at the Banff Centre for the Arts. hardwitching.blogspot.ca Arjun basu Quebec, EVENTs 56, 75
RABIH ALAMEDDINE LEBANON/UNITED STATES, Events 44, 55
One of the most celebrated voices of the Middle East, Rabih Alameddine is the author of the story collection The Perv and the novels Koolaids, The Hakawati, I, the Divine, and most recently, An Unnecessary Woman. He divides his time between San Francisco and Beirut. @rabihalameddine, rabihalameddine.com Rabih Alameddine's appearance is supported by the US Consulate General Vancouver. Ken babstock Ontario, Events 76, 82
Ken Babstock is the author of Methodist Hatchet, which won the 2012 Griffin Poetry Prize. His previous titles, Mean, Days into Flatspin and Airstream Land Yacht, hold nominations for the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Winterset Award. Poems from his highly anticipated new collection, On Malice, have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. He lives in Toronto. @KBabstock linda bailey BRITISH COLUMBIA, Events 17, 23
Linda Bailey has written more than 20 books for children in a number of different genres, including the bestselling Stanley the Dog series, The Farm Team, the Stevie Diamond Mysteries, the Good Times Travel Agency series, and, new this year, If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur. Bailey has garnered a long list of honours in both Canada and the United States, including the Ontario Blue Spruce Award, the Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the California Young Reader Medal and the Georgia Children’s Picture Storybook Award. lindabaileybooks.com
Arjun Basu is a writer and editor. His stories have been published in many literary journals, including Matrix Magazine and Joyland. In 2008, he published Squishy, a collection of short stories that was shortlisted for the ReLit Awards. He has also won a Shorty Award for his 140-character short stories on Twitter, which he calls Twisters. These stories make up his first novel, Waiting for the Man. Basu lives in Montreal with his wife, son and dog. @ArjunBasu arjunbasu.com Helaine becker ONTARIO, EVENTS 2, 18
Helaine Becker is an award-winning children’s author of more than 50 books, including AlphaBest, The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and Zoobots. She is in high demand as a presenter and performer at schools across North America and has twice been selected for the Canadian Children’s Book Week Cross Country tour. She lives in Toronto. @helainebecker, helainebecker.com Tessa Bourguignon British Columbia, EVENT 36
Tessa Bourguignon est écrivaine bilingue, membre de l’équipe de poètes slam pour la jeunesse. Empreinte des influences artistiques vancouvéroises, montréalaises et new-yorkaises, elle résume en quelques mots ce que ressentent et pensent les jeunes sans toujours pouvoir l’exprimer. Mme Bourguignon présente un poème axé sur la dualité que représente grandir en français dans un milieu anglophone. Tessa Bourguignon is a bilingual writer and member of the 2010 Youth Poetry Slam Team, and a founding member of Salt Spring Island’s G.I.S.S. Theatre Program. She has soaked up the artistic influences of Vancouver, Montreal and New York. Currently a facilitator for Word Play, poetry in schools, Tessa offers performance poetry workshops throughout Metro Vancouver.
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Nadia bozak ONTARIO, EVENTS 52, 55
Nadia Bozak is the author of Orphan Love and El Niño, the first two novels in her Border Trilogy. She is currently working on the third novel in the trilogy, english.motion, which is a timely retelling of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. She is also the author of The Cinematic Footprint: Lights, Camera, Natural Resources, a work of film theory. She lives in London, Ontario. @BozakNadia, nadiabozak.com
vancouver writers fest & MINOTAUR present
Dionne brand ONTARIO, EVENTS 67, 73
Dionne Brand’s most recent book of poetry is Ossuaries, which won the 2011 Griffin Poetry Prize; her nine other works of poetry have garnered such prizes as the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Trillium Book Award and the Pat Lowther Memorial Award. In 2006, Brand was awarded the Harbourfront Festival Prize for her contribution to the world of books and writing, and she was Toronto’s Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2012. Her new book is Love Enough. Robert (lucky) budd BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 57
Robert (Lucky) Budd has digitized many high-profile oral history collections, including that of the Nisga’a First Nation, and is the founder of Memories to Memoirs. He is a regular contributor to CBC Radio’s North by Northwest and is the co-author of the immensely popular Northwest Coast Legend series, including Raven Brings the Light and Cloudwalker. Budd’s new book is Voices of British Columbia: Stories from Our Frontier, a sequel to his bestselling Voices of British Columbia george elliot Clarke ONTARIO, EVENTs 76, 81
George Elliott Clarke’s many honours include the Portia White Prize for artistic achievement, the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry, a National Magazine Gold Medal for Poetry, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award and the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship prize. He is a member of the Order of Nova Scotia, an Officer of the Order of Canada and holds eight honorary doctorates. He is a pioneering scholar of African-Canadian literature and the E.J. Pratt professor of Canadian Literature at the University of Toronto. Clarke was appointed a visiting professor at Harvard University and Poet Laureate of Toronto. His new book of poetry is Traverse. Michael crummey NEWFOUNDLAND, EVENTS 44, 60, 82
Michael Crummey’s first novel, River Thieves, was a finalist for the 2001 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and his second novel, The Wreckage, was a national bestseller and a finalist for the 2005 Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. His third novel, Galore, won the 2010 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize (Canada and the Caribbean) and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Crummey’s latest novel is Sweetland. He lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland. @MichaelCrummey
Louise Penny The New York Times bestselling author Louise Penny is back with her latest Chief Inspector Gamache book, The Long Way Home. “Penny dexterously combines suspense with psychological drama, overlaying the whole with an all-powerful sense of landscape as a conduit to meaning...Another gem from the endlessly astonishing Penny.” —Booklist (starred review)
Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:30 pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs* PLUS SERVICE CHARGES *5 tickets minimum; phone sales only
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com
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Author Biographies Hilary davidson
Emma donoghue
United states, EVENTs 66, 85
ontario/ireland, EVENTS 69, 80
Hilary Davidson won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel for The Damage Done, which also earned a Crimespree Award and was named as a finalist for the Arthur Ellis and Macavity Awards. Davidson’s widely acclaimed short stories have been featured in publications from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine to Thuglit and in many anthologies. A Torontoborn travel journalist and the author of more than 18 non-fiction books, she now lives in New York City. Her latest mystery is Blood Always Tells. @hilarydavidson, hilarydavidson.com
Emma Donoghue has published eight novels, including the internationally acclaimed and bestselling Slammerkin; Life Mask; and The Sealed Letter, which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize; and Room, which won the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize. Her new book, Frog Music, is set in 1876 in San Francisco, the freewheeling “Paris of the West.” Born in Ireland, Donoghue lives in London, Ontario. @EDonoghueWriter, emmadonoghue.com
SEBASTIEN DE CASTELL BRITISH COLUMBIA,EVENTS 8, 33, 64
SARAH ELLIS
Sebastien de Castell started out as an archaeologist but left the field to pursue a career in music, interaction design, fight choreography, teaching, acting and product strategy. He lives in Vancouver, where he is Director of Strategic Program Development at the Vancouver Film School. Traitor’s Blade is his first novel. @decastell, decastell.com
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 2, 40
MAYLIS DE KERANGAL
Sarah Ellis has won the Governor General’s Literary Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and was recently nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the richest children’s book prize in the world. She is a masthead reviewer for The Horn Book Magazine and teaches in the MFA program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Ellis’ new book is Outside In. sarahellis.ca
France, events 12, 25, 30
Maylis de Kerangal spent her childhood in Le Havre, France. Her novel Naissance d’un pont, translated into English as Birth of a Bridge, was the winner of the Prix Franz Hessel and Prix Médicis in 2010. Her novella Tangente vers l’est was the winner of the 2012 Prix Landerneau. In 2014, her fifth novel, Réparer les vivants, was published to wide acclaim, winning the Grand Prix RTL-Lire award and the student choice novel of the year from France Culture and Télèrama. Maylis de Kerangal’s appearance is made possible by the Consulat général de France. A.M. Dellamonica Ontario, EVENTS 39, 64
A.M. Dellamonica is the author of Indigo Springs, winner of the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, and its concluding sequel, Blue Magic. Her short stories have appeared in a number of fantasy and science fiction magazines and anthologies, and on Tor.com. Her next full-length project is a trilogy, The Hidden Sea Tales. The first book in the series is Child of a Hidden Sea. @AlyxDellamonica, alyxdellamonica.com Kris demeanor Alberta, events 15, 38, 51
Kris Demeanor is a songwriter and performer who writes and sings about the funny, the dark, the absurd, the maddening and the joyful aspects of life. Kris has released six CDs of original music, two award-winning videos, and has created and performed for the theatre. He has toured clubs and folk festivals around Canada, Australia and Europe, both solo and with his Crack Band. His music draws on classic folk storytelling, spoken word/rap and pop tunes. krisdemeanor.com cory doctorow ONTARIO/UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 1, 20, 53
Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist, journalist and blogger, as well as the co-editor of the influential website Boing Boing. He is the author of several young adult novels such as Homeland, Pirate Cinema, Little Brother and In Real Life, as well as novels for adults, including Rapture of the Nerds and Makers. Doctorow is the former European director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founder of the UK Open Rights Group. He lives in London. @doctorow, craphound.com, boingboing.net
JAMES ELLROY UNITED STATES, EVENT 29
James Ellroy is the author of the Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy— American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand and Blood’s A Rover—and the L.A. Quartet novels, The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz. American Tabloid was Time magazine’s Best Book (fiction) of 1995; his memoir, My Dark Places, was a Time Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Notable Book for 1996. The Cold Six Thousand was a New York Times Notable Book and a Los Angeles Times Best Book of 2001. His new book is Perfidia. He lives in Los Angeles. jamesellroy.net TERRY FALLIS ONTARIO, EVENTS 75, 81, 84
Terry Fallis’ first book, The Best Laid Plans, began as a podcast and was self-published. After winning the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, it was re-published by McClelland & Stewart to great reviews and was selected as the 2011 winner of CBC’s Canada Reads competition. In his fourth novel, No Relation, Fallis’ sharp wit takes readers into the world of identity, inheritance and belonging, begging the question: what’s in a name? He lives in Toronto with his wife and two children. @TerryFallis, terryfallis.com MUSHARRAF ALI FAROOQI PAKISTAN, EVENTS 45, 80
Musharraf Ali Farooqi is a novelist and translator. He was born in 1968 in Hyderabad, Pakistan, and now divides his time between Toronto and Karachi. His latest novel, Between Clay and Dust, was shortlisted for the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize and longlisted for the 2013 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. He also writes children’s literature (including Pakistan’s first English-language novel for children) and critically acclaimed translations of Urdu classics. @microMAF, mafarooqi.com Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s appearance is made possible by a generous donation to the Alma Lee Legacy Fund by Jab Sidhoo.
45 JOSHUA FERRIS UNITED STATES, EVENTS 11, 12
Joshua Ferris is the bestselling author of three novels, Then We Came to the End, The Unnamed and To Rise Again at a Decent Hour. He was a finalist for the National Book Award, a winner of the Barnes & Noble Discover Award and the PEN/Hemingway Award, and was named one of The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 writers in 2010. His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, Tin House and The Best American Short Stories. He lives in New York City. joshuaferris.com Joshua Ferris' appearance is supported by the US Consulate General Vancouver. LEE EDWARD FÖDI BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 21, 41
Lee Edward Födi is an author and illustrator of books for children, most notably The Chronicles of Kendra Kandlestar series. He is a founding member of the Creative Writing for Children Society and teaches workshops for elementary-aged children around the world. His new Kendra Kandlestar book is The Search for Arazeen. Födi lives in Vancouver. @leefodi, leefodi.com CHARLES FORAN ONTARIO, EVENTS 13, 67
Charles Foran is an award-winning journalist and the author of 11 books, including five previous novels. His biography Mordecai: The Life and Times won the 2011 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction, the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Literary Nonfiction and the Helen and Stan Vine Canadian Jewish Book Award. Foran holds degrees from the University of Toronto and University College Dublin. His new novel is Planet Lolita. He lives in Toronto. charlesforan.com ESTHER FREUD UNITED KINGDOM,EVENTS 71, 81
Esther Freud’s first novel, Hideous Kinky, was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and made into a film starring Kate Winslet. After the publication of her second novel, Peerless Flats, Granta named her one of the Best of Young British Novelists under 40. She has since written seven novels, including The Sea House, Love Falls and Lucky Break. Her most recent book is Mr. Mac and Me. She lives in London with her husband, actor David Morrissey, and their three children. @estherfreudrite, estherfreud.co.uk DAMON GALGUT SOUTH AFRICA, EVENTS 47, 52
Damon Galgut’s most recent novels include In a Strange Room; The Impostor, a regional finalist for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book; and The Good Doctor, winner of a regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book, and a finalist for the Man Booker Prize and the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Galgut’s new novel, Arctic Summer, is about E.M. Forster during the 12 years he was writing A Passage to India. Galgut lives in Cape Town, South Africa. STEVEN GALLOWAY BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 12, 47
Steven Galloway is the author of four novels, most recently The Confabulist. His novel The Cellist of Sarajevo was an international bestseller and was called “the work of an expert” by The Guardian. His work has been published in over 30 countries and optioned for film. Galloway is the Acting Chair of UBC’s Creative Writing Program and Associate Professor of Fiction. @CptLinkHogthrob
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Author Biographies MARIE-LOUISE GAY QUEBEC, EVENTS 4, 17, 22
Marie-Louise Gay est auteure et illustratrice de livres pour enfants. Elle a composé la célèbre série Stella qui a été traduite dans plus de quinze langues et qui a vendu plus d’un million de livres dans le monde entier. Pour écrire ses livres, Mme Gay s’inspire de son enfance, de ses propres enfants, de ses voyages et surtout de son imaginaire. Marie-Louise Gay is a world-renowned author and illustrator of children’s books. She has won many prestigious awards, including two Governor General’s Literary Awards and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. Her books have been translated into more than 15 languages and are read by children all over the world. Her newest book is Any Questions? She lives in Montreal. marielouisegay.com WILLIAM GIBSON BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 33, 64
William Gibson is a novelist, essayist and short story writer who was born in Conway, South Carolina. He has been called the father of the cyberpunk subgenre of science fiction, having coined the term “cyberspace” in 1982 and popularized it in his first novel, Neuromancer. Gibson has since written more than nine critically acclaimed novels (one in collaboration) including Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and Zero History. His new novel is The Peripheral. He lives in Vancouver. @GreatDismal, williamgibsonbooks.com Katherine palmer Gordon British columbia, EVENT 57
Katherine Palmer Gordon is the author of five books, including several British Columbia bestsellers: We Are Born With the Songs Inside Us: Lives and Stories of First Nations People in British Columbia, The Slocan: Portrait of a Valley, The Garden That You Are and Made to Measure: A History of Land Surveying in British Columbia, which won the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Book Prize in 2007. She is also an award-winning freelance journalist and lives on Gabriola Island. NICK GRAY UNITED KINGDOM, EVENT 16
Nick Gray is a television producer who has been making award-winning documentaries for more than 30 years. His book Escape from Tibet first existed as a documentary that he filmed on the Nepal-Tibet border. He wanted to tell the story of the thousands of Tibetan refugees who risk their lives to escape political oppression. Gray is a Visiting Professor of Documentary Production at University of Lincoln, England. escapefromtibet.org FABIAN GRÉGOIRE FRANCE, EVENTS 19, 22
Auteur belge de romans à caractère historique, à mi-chemin entre le documentaire et la fiction, Fabian Grégoire donne la parole au personnage principal de ses récits destinés aux élèves de la 3e à la 7e année. Diplômé en arts appliqués et en arts plastiques avec spécialisation en illustration, M. Grégoire écrit et illustre tous ses romans. Depuis plus de 10 ans, il dessine la réalité à travers les yeux d’un gamin et crée des histoires où vie d’enfant et passé s’entremêlent. Fabian Grégoire writes and illustrates books for youth, and is best known for his graphic novels. He has a degree in fine arts with a major in illustration from the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels. His work focuses on history, as well as scientific and technical themes. Grégoire lives in Auvergne, France.
47 IAN HAMILTON ONTARIO, EVENTS 66, 74
Ian Hamilton is the author of seven novels in the Ava Lee series, including The Two Sisters of Borneo and The Water Rat of Wanchai, which was the winner of the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel. He lives in Burlington, Ontario with his wife Lorraine. @avaleebooks, ianhamiltonbooks.com
vancouver writers fest & RANDOM HOUSE CANADA present
LEE HENDERSON BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 45, 60, 68
Lee Henderson is the award-winning author of The Broken Record Technique and The Man Game. For a decade, he has written about contemporary Canadian artists for Border Crossings. He has exhibited artwork across Canada and has curated shows of contemporary art and experimental music, including the inaugural selection for Hamish Hamilton Canada’s online gallery, The Looking Glass. He teaches creative writing at the University of Victoria. His new novel is The Road Narrows As You Go. @LeeHendy, leehenderson.com CRISTINA HENRÍQUEZ UNITED STATES, EVENTS 11, 25
Cristina Henríquez is the author of the story collection Come Together, Fall Apart, which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection, and the novels The World in Half and her latest, The Book of Unknown Americans. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The American Scholar, Glimmer Train, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, AGNI and Oxford American, as well as in various anthologies. She lives in Chicago, Illinois. @crishenriquez, cristinahenriquez.com DAVID HOMEL QUEBEC, EVENTS 80, 85
David Homel is a writer, journalist, filmmaker and translator. He is the author of five previous novels, including The Speaking Cure, which won the J.I. Segal Award of the Jewish Public Library and the Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction from the Quebec Writers’ Federation. He has translated several French works, twice receiving the Governor General’s Award for Translation. Homel was born and raised in Chicago and resides in Montreal. His new novel is The Fledglings.
David Mitchell in conversation with Hal Wake An elegant conjurer of interconnected tales, David Mitchell returns to the genre-skipping, globe-trotting, techno-spiritual ambitions of his astonishing Cloud Atlas with his new novel, The Bone Clocks.
C.C. HUMPHREYS BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 8, 28
C.C. Humphreys was born in Toronto and grew up in Los Angeles and London. A third-generation actor and writer on both sides of his family, he has written nine historical novels, as well as The Runestone Saga, a trilogy for young adults. His new book is Plague. Humphreys lives on Salt Spring Island with his wife and son. @HumphreysCC, cchumphreys.com AISLINN HUNTER BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 46, 81, 82
Aislinn Hunter’s collection of stories What’s Left Us was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the ReLit Award. Her poetry collection Into the Early Hours was shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and won the Gerald Lampert Award. Her novel Stay was a Globe and Mail Top 100 book, a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and has recently been made into a feature film. The World Before Us is her first book of fiction in 12 years. Hunter lives and teaches in Vancouver. @AislinnHunter, aislinnhunter.com
Saturday, September 27th at 7:30 pm St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs* PLUS SERVICE CHARGES *5 tickets minimum; phone sales only
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com This event is sponsored by Vancouver Film School.
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Author Biographies MARTHE JOCELYN ONTARIO, EVENTS 6, 23, 34
HarperCollins Canada
Marthe Jocelyn has written or illustrated nearly 30 children’s books. Her most recent books include the novels Viminy Crowe’s Comic Book and What We Hide. She was the 2009 recipient of the prestigious Vicky Metcalf Award for her body of work in children’s literature. Her novel Mable Riley won the inaugural TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and her picture book Hannah’s Collections was nominated for a Governor General’s Award for Illustration. Jocelyn divides her time between in Stratford, Ontario, and New York City. @scissorhouse, marthejocelyn.com
Welcomes Our Authors to the Vancouver Writers Fest
EVE JOSEPH BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 51, 54, 72
Caroline Adderson
Justin Trudeau
Jacqueline Baker
Eve Joseph is the author of two books of poetry, The Startled Heart and The Secret Signature of Things, both of which were nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. She was awarded the P.K. Page Founder’s Award for Poetry in 2010. Her non-fiction has been shortlisted for The CBC Creative Nonfiction Prize and won in the gold category of the Western Magazine Awards. Her non-fiction book In the Slender Margin was released in 2014. evejoseph.wordpress.com ANNE KENNEDY NEW ZEALAND, EVENTS 12, 45, 51
Emma Donoghue
Patricia Cornwell
Anne Kennedy’s most recent novel is the acclaimed The Last Days of the National Costume. Her poetry collection The Darling North won the 2013 New Zealand Post Book Award for Poetry. She has also won the BNZ Katherine Mansfield Short Story Award. After several years at the University of Hawai'i, Kennedy now teaches fiction and screenwriting at Manukau Institute of Technology. She is the 2014 University of Auckland Michael King writing resident.
Charles Foran
Anne Kennedy’s appearance is made possible by Creative New Zealand and the New Zealand Book Council. THOMAS KING ONTARIO, EVENTS 62, 73, 78
Thomas King’s bestselling fiction includes Medicine River, Truth and Bright Water, One Good Story, That One and A Short History of Indians in Canada. In addition to its many awards, Green Grass, Running Water was named to Quill & Quire’s Best Canadian Fiction of the Century list. A member of the Order of Canada and the recipient of an award from the National Aboriginal Foundation, King is a retired English professor formerly at the University of Guelph in Ontario. His new novel is The Back of the Turtle.
Eve Joseph
Thomas King
Heather O’Neill
KARL OVE KNAUSGAARD NORWAY, EVENTS 13, 24, 30
Karl Ove Knausgaard’s first novel, Out of the World, was the first debut novel to win the Norwegian Critics’ Prize for Literature, and his second novel, A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven, was widely acclaimed. A Death in the Family, the first of the My Struggle cycle of novels, received the prestigious Brage Prize. The six novels of the My Struggle cycle can be read independently or as one hugely ambitious project. This breathtaking cycle has been the greatest literary sensation in Norway in decades. Karl Ove Knausgaard’s appearance is made possible by NORLA.
Christos Tsiolkas
Tim Winton
A
49 HERMAN KOCH THE NETHERLANDS, EVENTS 30, 49, 71
Herman Koch is the author of eight novels and three collections of short stories. The Dinner, his sixth novel, has been published in 25 countries and was an international bestseller. His most recent work translated into English is Summer House with Swimming Pool. He lives in Amsterdam. Herman Koch’s appearance is made possible by the Dutch Foundation for Literature. NANCY LEE BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 68, 83
Nancy Lee is the author of the critically acclaimed short story collection Dead Girls and teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia. She recently served as writer-in-residence for the city of Vincennes, France. The Age is her first novel. Lee lives in Vancouver with her husband, writer John Vigna. @pantsmclee JANICE LEE ONTARIO, EVENTS 15, 37, 38
Janice Lee is a poet, spoken word artist, singer-songwriter and community organizer based in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario. She has toured nationally and is the Artistic Director of the KW Poetry Slam. She performs music with her soul-folk band, Janice Lee and the Free Radicals, and released an album called Drown the Earth. Her poetry is joyful, satirical and inspired by community. @JaniceJoLee, janicejolee.ca CHRISTOPHER LEVENSON BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 51
Christopher Levenson taught English, comparative literature and creative writing at Carleton University in Ottawa, and now lives in Vancouver. He has published more than ten books of poetry. Arriving at Night won the Archibald Lampman Award in 1978. He was co-founder and the first editor of Arc Poetry Magazine and series editor of Carleton University Press’s Harbinger imprint for first books of poetry. His latest collection is Night Vision. DANIEL J. LEVITIN QUEBEC, EVENT 32
Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, is the James McGill Professor of Neuroscience and Behavioural Neuroscience at McGill University—where he also teaches in the graduate school of business—and is Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute. He is the author of two New York Times bestselling non-fiction books, This Is Your Brain on Music and The World in Six Songs. His new book is The Organized Mind. @danlevitin, daniellevitin.com MARIE LU UNITED STATES, EVENTS 26, 39
Marie Lu is the author of The New York Times bestselling Legend trilogy of novels, set in a dystopian and militarized future. The first book in her new fantasy trilogy will be released in October 2014. The Young Elites is set in a Renaissance-like world, where young children who survive the blood fever are often gifted with god-like powers. Lu lives in Los Angeles, California. @Marie_Lu, marielu.org Marie Lu's appearance is supported by the US Consulate General Vancouver.
Peacock Blue
THE CO L L E C T E D POEMS OF P H Y LL I S W E B B Edited by
John Hulcoop
Join us at the Vancouver Writers Fest Sat, Oct 25, 2 pm, for a Celebration of Phyllis Webb This year Talonbooks has released Peacock Blue: The Collected Poems of Phyllis Webb and today we invite you to recognize and celebrate one of Canada’s greats along with six notable poets and academics, Webb herself will be in attendance and available to sign copies of her new book following the event. George Bowering, John Hulcoop, Eve Joseph, Daphne Marlatt, Sharon Thesen Host: Brian Brett
www.Talonbooks.com Find us on Facebook and Twitter
50
Author Biographies ANN-MARIE MACDONALD
BOB MCDONALD
ONTARIO, EVENTS 12, 65
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 5
Ann-Marie MacDonald’s first novel, Fall On Your Knees, was an international bestseller, won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, was shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and won the People’s Choice Award and Canadian Booksellers Association Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year. It was also an Oprah’s Book Club selection and has been translated into 19 languages. Her second novel, The Way the Crow Flies, was an international bestseller, a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and a Good Morning America Book Club pick. Adult Onset is her much anticipated new novel. MacDonald is host and narrator of the CBC’s Doc Zone. She lives in Toronto. annmariemacdonald.com
Bob McDonald is the host of Quirks & Quarks and a passionate space geek/journalist. He is a regular science commentator on the CBC News Network and the science correspondent for The National. His book Measuring the Earth with a Stick was shortlisted for the Canadian Science Writers’ Association Book Award. He has been honoured with the Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion, the Sandford Fleming Medal and the McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science. In 2011, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. His new book is Canadian Spacewalkers. He lives in Victoria, British Columbia. @CBCQuirks GEORGE MCWHIRTER
JEAN-PIERRE MAKOSSO BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 42
Né à Pointe-Noire en République du Congo (Brazzaville), JeanPierre Makosso est écrivain, poète, acteur de théâtre, metteur en scène, conteur et professeur d’écriture. Grâce à ses multiples casquettes, M. Makosso parvient toujours à faire vivre l’Afrique hors de ses frontières. Selon lui, l’Afrique est le continent de l’espoir dont les richesses souvent ignorées de tous forment la pierre angulaire du « réveil de l’Afrique ». Jean-Pierre Makosso is a French-English bilingual poet, playwright, actor, director, storyteller, comedian and teacher. He has written and directed plays for Canada World Youth and is the founder of Makosso Village, which performs and facilitates workshops in writing, storytelling and performance in schools, libraries and at festivals around the world. LEE MARACLE ONTARIO, EVENTS 62, 73
Lee Maracle’s writing has been published in anthologies and scholarly journals worldwide, and she is the author of a number of critically acclaimed literary works. Maracle is the Traditional Teacher for First Nations House and an instructor at the University of Toronto, the Centre for Indigenous Theatre and the Banff Centre for the Arts. She has received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work promoting writing among Aboriginal youth and an honorary doctor of letters from St. Thomas University. Celia’s Song is her new novel. @MaracleLee EIMEAR MCBRIDE UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 10, 13
Eimear McBride was born in Liverpool to Northern Irish parents. At the age of 27, she wrote her first novel, A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing, in just six months. It took nine years for her to find a publisher, and this year it won the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. McBride lives in Norwich with her husband and daughter. ERIC MCCORMACK ONTARIO, EVENTS 46, 58
Eric McCormack was born in a small village in Scotland. He moved to Canada in 1966 and attended the University of Manitoba. He taught English for more than 30 years at St. Jerome’s College at the University of Waterloo, specializing in 17th-century and contemporary literature. He has been a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award. His new book is Cloud. He lives in Kingston, Ontario.
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 50
George McWhirter was born and raised in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has lived and worked in England, Germany, Spain and Mexico. He is the author of ten books of poetry, eight books of short and long fiction, and has translated four books of poetry. Literary recognitions include the Commonwealth Poetry Prize (shared with Chinua Achebe), the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the F.R. Scott Translation Award. He also served as Vancouver’s inaugural Poet Laureate. McWhirter’s new book is a collection of stories, The Gift of Women. www3.telus.net/GeorgeMcWhirter REBECCA MEAD UNITED KINGDOM/UNITED STATES, EVENTS 43, 52
Rebecca Mead is a staff writer for The New Yorker. She is the author of One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding and, most recently, My Life in Middlemarch, a work of biography, reporting and memoir. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives in Brooklyn. @Rebeccamead_NYC, rebeccamead.com DINAW MENGESTU UNITED STATES, EVENTS 77, 79
Dinaw Mengestu is the author of three novels, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears, How to Read the Air and All Our Names. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia University’s MFA program in fiction, and the recipient of a 5 Under 35 Award from the National Book Foundation and a 20 Under 40 Award from The New Yorker. His journalism and fiction have appeared in Harper’s, Granta, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal. He is the recipient of a 2012 MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant and lives in New York City. @dinawmengestu K.D. MILLER ONTARIO, EVENTS 50, 85
K.D. Miller is the author of two short story collections, Give Me Your Answer and A Litany in Time of Plague, and an essay collection, Holy Writ. Her work has twice been collected in The Journey Prize Anthology and Best Canadian Stories, and she has been nominated for a National Magazine Award for Fiction. Her new book is All Saints. She lives and writes in Toronto. dawnwriter.com
Van_festival_ad.pdf 1 7/28/2014 11:34:43 AM
SHANI MOOTOO ONTARIO, EVENTS 60, 77
Shani Mootoo is the much-loved author of the novels Cereus Blooms at Night, shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize; He Drown She in the Sea, longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; and Valmiki’s Daughter, longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Mootoo was born in Ireland and grew up in Trinidad. She immigrated to Vancouver more than 30 years ago and now lives near Toronto. Moving Forward Sideways Like a Crab is her latest novel. @shanimootoo BILLEH NICKERSON BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 76, 82
Billeh Nickerson was born in Halifax and raised in Langley, British Columbia. He is the author of the poetry collections The Asthmatic Glassblower, McPoems, Impact: The Titanic Poems and Artificial Cherry, as well as the humour collection Let Me Kiss It Better. He is co-editor of Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets and past writer-in-residence at both Queen’s University and Berton House. He is also a silver medallist at the Canadian Gay Curling Championships and chair of the Creative Writing Department at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. @BillehN, billeh.com HEATHER O’NEILL QUEBEC, EVENTS 44, 60 C
Heather O’Neill’s first novel, Lullabies for Little Criminals, earned accolades around the world, including winner of Canada Reads 2007 and the HughM MacLennan Prize for Fiction, and was named as a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction and the Orange Prize. She is a regularY contributor to CBC Books, CBC Radio, National Public Radio, The New York CM Times Magazine, The Montreal Gazette and The Walrus. The Girl Who Was Saturday Night is her MY new novel. She lives in Montreal. @lethal_heroine EVAN OSNOS UNITED STATES, EVENT 9
CY
CMY
Evan Osnos is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he served as the K Beijing correspondent from 2008 to 2013. He is the winner of two Overseas Press Club awards and the Asia Society’s Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia. He worked at the Chicago Tribune, where he was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in 2008. His new book is Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China. @eosnos ALISON PICK ONTARIO, EVENTS 54, 70
Alison Pick is a noted poet and the author of the novel Far to Go, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, won the Canadian Jewish Book Award for Fiction, and was named a Top 10 of 2010 book by NOW Magazine and the Toronto Star. Her new book, Between Gods, is an unflinching, moving and unforgettable memoir about family secrets and the rediscovered past. Pick lives in Toronto. @alisonpick, alisonpick.com Alison Pick’s appearance is made possible by a generous donation to the Alma Lee Legacy Fund by Dr. Yosef Wosk.
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Author Biographies MARY PINKOSKI
ELIZA ROBERTSON
ALBERTA, EVENTS 15, 37, 38
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 74, 85
Mary Pinkoski is an award-winning spoken word poet and Edmonton’s current Poet Laureate. In 2013, she placed third at the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Championship. In 2011, she won the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word national slam championship as captain of the Edmonton slam team and was voted Most Valuable Poet. In 2008, she was the winner of the national CBC Poetry Face-off. When not performing across North America, Pinkoski leads workshops for youth and adults. @onelastpoem, marypinkoski.com
Eliza Robertson pursued her MA in prose fiction at the University of East Anglia, where she received the Man Booker Prize Scholarship and the Curtis Brown Award for best writer. She was a finalist for the 2013 CBC Short Story Prize and won the 2013 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her piece “We Walked on Water,” for which she was also shortlisted for the 2013 Journey Prize. Wallflowers is her debut book. @ElizaRoberts0n MICHAEL ROBOTHAM AUSTRALIA, EVENTS 27, 66
MICHAEL POND BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 54
Michael Pond was born in Chapleau, Ontario, and grew up on Canadian Armed Forces bases. Pond’s first job was at the Centennial Centre for Mental Health, which fuelled his fascination with the human mind. After stints working in BC government-related mental health fields, Pond began a private psychotherapy practice in Penticton, but lost his business and family to alcoholism. After becoming sober in August 2009, he opened a new practice in Vancouver, with a specialty in addictions. His memoir is The Couch of Willingness. @PondMichael, michaelpond.ca KATE PULLINGER UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 25, 56
Kate Pullinger’s novel The Mistress of Nothing won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction. Her prize-winning digital fiction projects Inanimate Alice and Flight Paths: A Networked Novel, on which her most recent novel, Landing Gear, is based, have reached audiences around the world. She collaborated with Jane Campion on the novelization of The Piano and has written for film, television and radio. She is a professor of creative writing and digital media at Bath Spa University and lives in London, England. @katepullinger, katepullinger.com SINA QUEYRAS QUEBEC, EVENTS 51, 76, 82
Sina Queyras is the author of the Lambda Award-winning Lemon Hound, Expressway (shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award) and the novel Autobiography of Childhood (shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award). She writes for the Poetry Foundation and runs the online journal Lemon Hound. Queyras has taught creative writing at Rutgers, Haverford and Concordia University in Montreal, where she now resides. Her latest poetry collection is MxT, or “Memory x Time.” @sinaqueyras, @lemonhound, sinaqueyras.com, lemonhound.com TOM RACHMAN UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 55, 68, 77
Tom Rachman is the author of two novels, The Rise and Fall of Great Powers and The Imperfectionists, an international bestseller translated into 25 languages. Rachman studied journalism at Columbia University. He joined the Associated Press as a foreign-desk editor in New York City, and then became a correspondent in Rome. From 2006–2008, he was an editor at the International Herald Tribune in Paris. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Slate and the New Statesman. He lives in London. tomrachman.com
Michael Robotham has been an investigative journalist in Britain, Australia and the United States. One of the world’s most acclaimed authors of thriller fiction, his books have been translated into 22 languages and published in more than 50 countries. His new book is Life or Death. He lives in Sydney with his wife and three daughters. @michaelrobotham, michaelrobotham.com SJÓN ICELAND, EVENTS 30, 48, 59, 60
Sjón is an award-winning novelist, poet and playwright, whose work has been translated into 25 languages. He is the President of the Icelandic PEN Centre and the Chairman of the Board of Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature. Also a lyricist, he has written songs for Björk, including for her most recent project, Biophilia. Sjón was nominated for an Oscar for the lyrics he co-wrote (with Lars von Trier) for Dancer in the Dark. He lives in Reykjavik. @Sjonorama, sjon.siberia.is Sjón’s appearance is supported by the Icelandic Literature Center. JOHANNA SKIBSRUD NOVA SCOTIA/UNITED STATES, EVENT 81
Johanna Skibsrud is the author of two collections of poetry. The Sentimentalists, her first novel, was awarded the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Originally from Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Skibsrud currently lives in Tucson, Arizona. Her new novel is Quartet for the End of Time. johannaskibsrud.com JANE SMILEY UNITED STATES, EVENTS 80, 86
Jane Smiley is the author of many novels, including A Thousand Acres, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, as well as five works of non-fiction and a series of books for young adults. In 2001, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2006, she received the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award for Literature. Her new novel is Some Luck. therealjanesmiley.com Jane Smiley's appearance is supported by the US Consulate General Vancouver. CARRIE SNYDER ONTARIO, EVENTS 49, 74
Carrie Snyder is the author of two books of short fiction. Her first, Hair Hat, was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award. Her second, The Juliet Stories, was a finalist for the 2012 Governor General’s Literary Award. Girl Runner is her first novel. Snyder lives in Waterloo, Ontario. @carrieasnyder, carrieannesnyder.blogspot.ca
53 ELIZABETH STEWART BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 20, 40
Elizabeth Stewart’s young adult novel The Lynching of Louie Sam received the best mystery and best historical novel prizes at the 2013 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards and was listed in the 2013 White Ravens Catalogue, selected by specialists from the International Youth Library, Munich. Her new book, Blue Gold, explores the human cost of smart phones from the perspective of three teens living on three different continents. Stewart is also a screenwriter. Her television movie Luna: Spirit of the Whale has been screened around the world.
PAcific MfA in Writing An exceptional low-residency program in the Pacific Northwest
Poetry — Fiction — creative nonFiction
MARIKO TAMAKI ONTARIO, EVENTS 1, 34
Mariko Tamaki is a writer and performer. Her work includes the novella Cover Me, creative non-fiction collections True Lies and Fake ID, comics Emiko Superstar (with Steve Rolston) and Skim (with Jillian Tamaki), and young adult novel (You) Set Me On Fire. Her latest book, again with Jillian Tamaki, is This One Summer. @marikotamaki, marikotamaki.blogspot.ca MATTHEW THOMAS UNITED STATES, EVENTS 11, 14
Work with award-winning writers through brief residencies and one-on-one correspondence.
Matthew Thomas was born in the Bronx and grew up in Queens. A graduate of the University of Chicago, he has an MA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University and an MFA from the University of California, Irvine, where he received the Graduate Essay Award. He lives with his wife and twin children in New Jersey. We Are Not Ourselves is his first novel. KIM THÚY QUEBEC, EVENTS 77, 85
Kim Thúy has worked as a seamstress, interpreter, lawyer and restaurant owner. Her debut novel, Ru, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for French-Language Fiction in 2010. An English edition was published in 2012 and was shortlisted for the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the 2013 Amazon.ca First Novel Award. Her new novel is Mãn. Thúy lives in Montreal, where she devotes herself to writing. MIRIAM TOEWS ONTARIO, EVENTS 63, 70
Miriam Toews is the author of five bestselling novels: Summer of My Amazing Luck, A Boy of Good Breeding, A Complicated Kindness (Canada Reads 2006, Canada Reads Canadian Bestseller of the Decade 2010), The Flying Troutmans and Irma Voth. She is also the author of Swing Low: A Life, a work of non-fiction. She is a winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, the Libris Award for Fiction Book of the Year, the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the Writers’ Trust Marian Engel/Timothy Findley Award. Her new novel is All My Puny Sorrows. She lives in Toronto. @MiriamToews COLM TÓIBÍN IRELAND, EVENTS 85, 86
Colm Tóibín is the author of seven internationally acclaimed novels, including the Man Booker Prize finalist The Blackwater Lightship; The Master, winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, the Prix du meilleur livre étranger and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction; Brooklyn, winner of the Costa Novel Award, finalist for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and soon to be a major motion picture; and The Testament of Mary, finalist for the Man Booker Prize. His two celebrated short story collections are The Empty Family and Mothers and Sons. His new novel is Nora Webster. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Ben Percy Author of The Wilding
www.pacificu.edu/mfa
Some students memorize. Others analyze. Leo recites. Poetry In Voice is a recitation contest that begins in the classroom. Students choose poems and get to know them — intellectually, emotionally, and even viscerally. The hook? Your students compete for $75,000 in travel and prizes. The payoff? They’ll make the poems their own and remember them forever. Teachers, sign up your school for the 2015 competition poetryinvoice.com lesvoixdelapoesie.com
LEO CHANG FROM VANCOUVER RECITES “CONSTANTLY RISKING ABSURDITY (#15)” BY LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI
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Author Biographies J. TORRES ONTARIO, EVENTS 3, 21, 35
J. Torres is the award-winning writer of the Alison Dare, Bigfoot Boy and Power Lunch graphic novel series. He has written comics for Archie, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Batman, Degrassi and Teen Titans, among others. He also helped edit the True Patriot: Canadian Comic Book Adventures and Yo Gabba Gabba: Comic Book Time anthologies. @jtorrescomics Justin Trudeau Ontario, Event 61
Justin Trudeau is the twice-elected Member of Parliament for Papineau and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Prior to his role as an elected official, Trudeau was a teacher in British Columbia and an advocate for the environment and for youth. Trudeau is the eldest son of the late former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair Trudeau Kemper. His candid new memoir will reveal the experiences that have shaped him over the course of his life and show how his passion for Canada and its people took root. CHRISTOS TSIOLKAS AUSTRALIA, EVENTS 14, 71, 73
Christos Tsiolkas is the author of five novels: Loaded, which was made into the feature film Head On; The Jesus Man; Dead Europe, which won the Age Fiction Prize and the Melbourne Best Writing Award; The Slap, which won the Commonwealth Writers Prize, the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal and the Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction, and was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize; and Barracuda, his most recent. He is also a playwright, essayist and screenwriter. He lives in Melbourne, Australia. Christos Tsiolkas’ appearance is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Council for the Arts, its funding and advisory body. KATHERENA VERMETTE MANITOBA, EVENTS 51, 76
Katherena Vermette is a Métis writer of poetry, fiction and children’s literature. Her first book, north end love songs, won the 2013 Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and compilations, including Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water and The Exile Book of Native Canadian Fiction and Drama. She holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and lives in Winnipeg. @katherenav Katherena Vermette’s appearance is supported by the Whistler Readers and Writers Festival. Anne Villeneuve QUEBEC, EVENTs 4, 7, 23
For as far back as she can recall Anne Villeneuve has held a pencil or brush in her hand. She’s written and illustrated close to 40 books in both French and English, and has received considerable recognition along the way. In 1998 she won the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, in 2000 she was awarded the Governor General’s Literary Award and the Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles Literary Award, in 2005 and 2009 she won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and she was recently awarded the 2014 Ruth and Sylvia Book Award. Anne Villeneuve lives in Montreal with her husband and daughter. Her new book in English is Loula and the Sister Recipe.
Anne Villeneuve s’est toujours vue avec un stylo ou un pinceau au bout des doigts. Anne a écrit et illustré plus de 40 livres en Français eten Anglais et a reçu de nombreuses marques de reconnaissance tout au long de sa carrière. Elle a remporté le prix Christie en 1998, le prix du Gouverneur Général du Canada et de QuébecWallonie-Bruxelles en 2000, le prix TD du meilleur livre canadien en 2005 et 2009 et tout récemment le prix Ruth et Sylvia Schwartz (2014). Anne vit à Montréal avec son mari et sa fille. Son nouveau livre en Français s’intitule Loula et la recette fantasformidable. RICHARD WAGAMESE BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 62, 83
Richard Wagamese has been a newspaper columnist and reporter, a radio and television broadcaster and producer, and a documentary producer. He is the author of 12 novels, including Keeper’n Me and Indian Horse, which was a recent Canada Reads finalist. He is also the author of several acclaimed memoirs, including For Joshua, the bestselling One Native Life and One Story, One Song, which won the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Wagamese’s new novel is Medicine Walk. He lives in the mountains outside of Kamloops, British Columbia. @richardwagamese RUSSELL WANGERSKY NEWFOUNDLAND, EVENTS 49, 58
Russell Wangersky is a writer, editor and columnist from St. John’s, Newfoundland. His five books include Whirl Away, finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and winner of the Thomas Head Raddall Award for Fiction; Burning Down the House: Fighting Fires and Losing Myself, a Globe and Mail Top 100 book and winner of the BC National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction and the Edna Staebler Award for Creative NonFiction; and The Glass Harmonica, winner of the BMO Winterset Award. Walt is his latest novel. russellwangersky.com SARAH WATERS UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 46, 69
Sarah Waters is the author of five novels. Tipping the Velvet won the Betty Trask Award, and Affinity won the Somerset Maugham Award and The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Fingersmith was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize, and won the CWA Historical Dagger Award, as well as three Author of the Year awards. The Night Watch was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Orange Prize. The Little Stranger was published to rave reviews around the world, was an immediate bestseller in Canada and in the United Kingdom, and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Her new novel is The Paying Guests. Waters lives in London. sarahwaters.com PHYLLIS WEBB BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 72
Phyllis Webb was educated at the University of British Columbia and McGill University. She worked as a writer and broadcaster for the CBC, where she created the radio program Ideas in 1965. Webb received the BC Gas Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999, the Order of Canada in 1992 and the Governor General’s Literary Award in 1982 for Selected Poems: The Vision Tree. In 1980, Webb was awarded a prize of $2,300 by fellow Canadian poets in recognition of her book Wilson’s Bowl, which was overlooked for a Governor General’s Award nomination that year. Her new book of collected poems is Peacock Blue.
55 IAN WEIR
RUDY WIEBE
BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 46, 49
ALBERTA, EVENTS 81, 83
Ian Weir is a novelist, playwright and screenwriter. His debut novel Daniel O'Thunder was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for First Book, the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction. Weir has won two Gemini Awards, four Leo Awards and a Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award for his work in television. His new novel is Will Starling. He lives in Langley, British Columbia. @Ian_Weir, ianweir.net LOUISE WELSH
Rudy Wiebe is an Officer of the Order of Canada. He has won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction twice, for The Temptations of Big Bear and A Discovery of Strangers. He is also the co-author of the bestseller Stolen Life, which won the Viacom Canada Writers’ Trust Non-Fiction Prize, the Saskatchewan Book Award for NonFiction and the Alberta Book Award, and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction. His memoir, Of This Earth, won the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction and was a national bestseller. His new novel is Come Back.
SCOTLAND, EVENTS 12, 27
Louise Welsh is is the author of six novels: The Cutting Room, Tamburlaine Must Die, The Bullet Trick, Naming the Bones, The Girl on the Stairs, and, released this year, A Lovely Way to Burn. She has also produced many short stories and articles, and written for radio and the stage, including a libretto for opera. Welsh was writer-in-residence for the University of Glasgow and Glasgow School of Art from November 2010 until April 2012. @louisewelsh00, louisewelsh.com ROBERT PAUL WESTON
KATHLEEN WINTER QUEBEC, EVENTS 50, 54, 59
Kathleen Winter’s novel Annabel became a number one bestseller in Canada and has been translated around the world. Her story collection boYs was edited by John Metcalf and won numerous awards. Her Arctic travel memoir Boundless will appear in the fall of 2014, as will her story collection The Freedom in American Songs. Born in the United Kingdom, Winter now lives in Montreal after spending many years in Newfoundland. @supremetronic
UNITED KINGDOM, EVENTS 6, 26, 34
Robert Paul Weston’s first novel, Zorgamazoo, won the Silver Birch Award, the Audie Award, the California Young Reader Medal and an E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Dust City was a Canadian Library Association Young Adult Honour Book and was shortlisted for the Red Maple Award and Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. Prince Puggly of Spud was a CLA Honour Book of the Year and was nominated for the Children’s Book Council Book of the Year and a Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award. His latest books are Blues for Zoey and The Creature Department. Born in Canada, Weston now lives in London. @rpWESTON, robertpaulweston.com
TIM WINTON AUSTRALIA, EVENTS 14, 31
Tim Winton, one of the pre-eminent Australian novelists of his generation, is the author of the bestselling Cloudstreet, The Riders and Dirt Music, among many other books. He has won the Miles Franklin Literary Award four times (for Shallows, Cloudstreet, Dirt Music and Breath) and has twice been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize (for The Riders and Dirt Music). His new novel is Eyrie. He lives in Western Australia. PATRICIA YOUNG BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENTS 74, 76
JACK WHYTE BRITISH COLUMBIA, EVENT 28
Jack Whyte was born and raised in Scotland and emigrated to Canada in 1967. He is an actor, orator, singer and poet, and was awarded an honorary doctor of letters for his contribution to Canadian popular fiction. He is the author of the A Dream of Eagles series (nine Arthurian novels set in Roman Britain), the Templar Trilogy (featuring the legendary Knights Templar) and, most recently, the Guardians Trilogy (set in medieval Scotland). He lives in Kelowna, British Columbia. @authorjackwhyte, camulod.com
Patricia Young’s 12th collection of poetry is Summertime Swamp Love. Her awards include the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, a CBC Literary Prize, the Pat Lowther Award, the Confederation Poet’s Prize, the Bliss Carmen Award and Arc’s Poem of the Year Contest. She has twice been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Her collection of short fiction, Airstream, won the inaugural Metcalf-Rooke Award and was named one of The Globe and Mail’s best books of the year. patriciayoung.ca
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vancouver writers fest & RANDOM HOUSE CANADA present
Travel Assistance
Annick Arsenal Pulp Press Australian Council for the Arts Biblioasis Coach House Books Cormorant Books Consulat général de France à Toronto Cormorant Books Creative New Zealand Diffusion Dédicaces Doubleday Canada Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. Dutch Foundation for Literature ECW Press Exile Editions Freehand Books Groundwood Books Hachette Book Group Canada Harbour Publishing HarperCollins Canada House of Anansi Icelandic Literature Center Kids Can Press Knopf Canada L’École des Loisirs McClelland & Stewart NORLA Palimpsest Press Pedlar Press Penguin Group Canada Publishers Group Canada Raincoast Books Random House of Canada Simon & Schuster Canada The Betty & Ralph Gustafson Chair of Poetry at Vancouver Island University Talon Books
Conrad Black From the acclaimed biographer and historian Conrad Black comes a major new reexamination of the history of Canada—a revealing, groundbreaking account of the people and events that shaped a nation. Beginning from Canada’s first inhabitants and the early explorers, Rise to Greatness challenges our perception of our history and Canada’s role in the world.
St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church Burrard Street at Nelson
—prairie fire review of books
Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs*
Summertime Swamp-Love
—freefall magazine
“Young has chosen to play—with language… and with our expectations. She is exuberant and funny…”
Foundations
Al Roadburg Foundation Hamber Foundation Kinder Morgan Foundation KMC Foundation Leon & Thea Koerner Foundation RBC Foundation R.J. Nelson Foundation In-Kind Donors
A La Mode Bean Around the World at Point Grey Village Benton Brothers Fine Cheese Canadian Linen & Uniform Service Cats Social House Consulate of Australia in Vancouver Consulate of New Zealand in Vancouver Curry 2 U Daniel Le Chocolat Belge Duso’s Italian Foods Fraser Valley Juice & Salad Granville Island Florist Granville Island Tea Company Kaisereck Delicatessen Kin’s Farm Market La Tortilleria Laurelle’s Fine Foods Lee’s Donuts Mix the Bakery Muffin Granny Olde World Fudge Company Oyama Sausage Company Pacific Coastal Airlines Pane e Formaggio Planet Veg Restaurant Quality Fruit Growers Sunrise Produce Taco Shack Terra Breads The Milkman The Salmon Shop Top Ten Market Zara’s Italian Deli & Fresh Pasta
A Dram Come True Donors
Benton Brothers Fine Cheese Blackcomb Aviation Brougham Interiors Ltd. Cheryl Berge & Brian Fearncombe Dave Mason Eagrainie Yuh East India Carpets Fets Whisky Kitchen Granville Island Brewing Hastings House Country House Hotel Kavalan Leslie Hurtig Lesperance Mendes Lawyers Liberty Distillery Paul Whitney Richard & Virginia Angus Sally Harding Sandi Case Sandra Jakab & Robert Lesperance Shirley Lew Spirit Ridge Vineyard Resort & Spa The Listel Hotel The Wickaninnish Inn Tinhorn Creek Vij’s Restaurant Wedgewood Hotel & Spa Yaseen Al-Salam Yasmeen Strang Xoxolat
Palimpsest Press is pleased to release Summertime Swamp-Love by Patricia Young
Praise for PATRICIA YOUNG “Accute and quirky observation which cumulates at insight.”
Community Partners
Patr icia Yo ung
Thursday, November 13th at 7:30pm
In Summertime Swamp-Love, Young examines the mating habits of mammals, birds, fish, and insects with a sense of awe and bemusement. The poems in this collection address, embody, and sometimes become the animals through which they speak. Merging scientific evidence with speculative love stories, the poems are playful, insightful, and ripe with reflections of our own animal selves. Young plays unabashedly with her readers’ erotic imaginations to hilarious and poignant effect. Muscular, exotic, dense, rich and elastic—these poems are miniature, wildlife docudramas.
Tundra Books Whistler Readers & Writers Festival
“Young’s poetic voice, rich in linguistic foreplay, has arrived ripe to its subject.” —winnepeg Free Press
PLUS SERVICE CHARGES
Patricia Young has published eleven books of poetry, most recently, NightEater, which was shortlisted for the Dorothy Livesay Award in 2010. Two of her collections have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award.
*5 tickets minimum; phone sales only
“Young plays unabashedly with her readers’ erotic imaginations to hilarious and poignant effect.” www.palimpsestpress.ca
. / .
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com
Palimpsest Press www.palimpsestpress.ca
Young-Cover REVISED.indd 1
08/03/14 2:11 PM
Writing Contest
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The Sixteenth Annual Vancouver Writers Fest Poetry & Short Story Contest
vancouver writers fest & RANDOM HOUSE CANADA present
Submit your finest prose and poetry to the Festival’s Poetry & Short Story Contest. The Rewards Prizes will be awarded to the top two entries in poetry and fiction. 1ST PRIZE IN EACH CATEGORY: $500 2ND PRIZE IN EACH CATEGORY: $350
First prize winners will published in subTERRAIN and on the Festival website at writersfest.bc.ca.
Enter online at writersfest.bc.ca/writingcontest. Please note, we accept only electronic entries. Entries must be uploaded and payment confirmed by 5:00 pm on Sunday, October 26, 2014.
sponsored by
Alan Doyle Proud Sponsor of the Vancouver Writers Fest Alan Doyle, singer-songwriter and front man of the Canadian band Great Big Sea, talks about his new memoir, Where I Belong.
Discover Thousands of Books by Canadian Authors Visit amazon.ca/books Visit amazon.ca/canadianbooks
Doyle describes his journey from his childhood in the tiny fishing village of Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, to the greatest musical adventure of his life as lead singer of the acclaimed folkrock band Great Big Sea.
Thursday, November 13th at 7:30 pm Waterfront Theatre
Proud Sponsor of the Vancouver Writers Fest Island 1412 Cartwright Street, Granville Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs* PLUS SERVICE CHARGES
FREE Two-Day Shipping on Millions of Eligible Items with Amazon Prime Amazon Prime FREE Two-Day ts for membership fee fee of Amazon Prime is is aa membership membership program program that that gives gives you you fast fast and and FREE Two-DayShipping Shippingand and other otherfast fast shipping shipping benefi benefits for eligible eligible purchases purchases for for an an annual annual membership of CDN CDN $79. $79. Eligible customers customers can try out a membership by starting a free trial. See site for details. Eligible 2013 Inc. All All rights rights reserved. reserved.Amazon.ca, Amazon.ca,Amazon AmazonPrime Primeand andthe theAmazon.ca Amazon.calogo logoare aretrademarks trademarksororregistered registered trademarks Amazon.com, or its 2014 Amazon.com.ca, Amazon.com.ca, Inc. trademarks of of Amazon.com, Inc.Inc. or its affiaffiliates. liates.
*5 tickets minimum; phone sales only
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com
Discover Thousands of Books by Canadian Authors Visit amazon.ca/canadianbooks
Proud Sponsor ofProud the Vancouver Sponsor ofWriters Proud the Vancouver Sponsor Fest Proud of Writers the Sponsor Vancouver Festof theWriters Vancouver FestWriters Fest
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Stickboy: From Page to Stage Tuesday, October 7th at 7:30 pm Frederic Wood Theatre 6354 Crescent Road, UBC Vancouver Opera General Director James Wright in conversation with Stickboy author Shane Koyczan, musical dramaturge and conductor Leslie Dala and libretto dramaturge and director Rachel Peake. Join us for an enlightening look at the process of transforming Stickboy, a book by world-renowned spoken word artist Shane Koyczan, into a contemporary opera. The tumultuous inner life of a young boy is at the heart of this moving and meaningful new work. Two members of the Stickboy cast will perform a selection from the opera.
Tickets: $25 adults / $23 students & seniors/$21 book clubs* PLUS SERVICE CHARGES *5 tickets minimum; phone sales only
604.629.8849 or vancouvertix.com Vancouver Opera presents Stickboy On stage at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre October 23–November 7, 2014. Music composed by Neil Weisensel Libretto by Shane Koyczan
Stop Dickens around. Get your Wordsworth. EXPLORE WRITING AND LITERATURE AT LANGARA
Whether you’re looking to hone your cra or start a literary conversation, we’ve got the University, Career, and Continuing Studies programs and courses to help you find the right words. Choose from fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, graphic narrative, creative writing, playwriting, screenwriting, songwriting, copywriting, journalism, publishing, and much more. Join our community of readers and writers.
Apply now. www.langara.bc.ca
CELEBRATE 40 years of Penguin Canada at this year’s Vancouver Writers Fest
JOHANNA SKIBSRUD | LEE HENDERSON | WILLIAM GIBSON DANIEL J. LEVITIN | ELIZA ROBERTSON | MARIE LU ESTHER FREUD | JACK WHYTE | ROBERT PAUL WESTON SEBASTIEN De CASTELL | ERIC McCORMACK
years in
Canada