October 22-25, 2013
SPREADING THE WORD 2013 Events and programs with writers from around the world for students in grades K-12. Includes La Joie de Lire events in French.
L. Marie Adeline – S.E.C.R.E.T. Amber Dawn – How Poetry Saved My Life Nadeem Aslam – The Blind Man’s Garden Dan Bar-el – Dream Boats /Not Your Typical Dragon Annie Barrows – Ivy + Bean Take the Case Susanna Basso David Baudemont – Olga/Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon Jowita Bydlowska – Drunk Mom Don Calame – Call the Shots Kevan Anthony Cameron – The Great Black North J. Edward Chamberlin – Island: How Islands Transform the World Stephen Collis – The Red Album/To the Barricades Brad Cran – Ink on Paper Dede Crane – Every Happy Family Michael Crummey – Under the Keel Rachelle Delaney – The Metro Dogs of Moscow Sarah de Leeuw – Geographies of a Lover Anthony De Sa – Kicking the Sky Viola Di Grado – 70% Acrylic 30% Wool Glenn Dixon – Tripping the World Fantastic: A Journey Through the Music of our Planet Rhéa Dufresne – Aujourd’hui, le ciel/Ma Journée, Mes humeurs/ Arachnéa, une légende grecque Deborah Ellis – Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids Tanya Evanson – The Great Black North Cary Fagan – Oy, Feh, So?/Danny, Who Fell in a Hole Julie Flett – Wild Berries Wayne Grady – Emancipation Day Charlotte Grimshaw – Soon Mathew Henderson – The Lease Helen Humphreys – Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother Jude Isabella – Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages Maureen Johnson – The Madness Underneath Andrew Kaufman –All My Friends are Superheroes/Born Weird Joanna Kavenna – Come to the Edge Shar Levine – Dirty Science: 25 Experiments with Soil Elizabeth MacLeod – A History of Just About Everything Anne Michaels – Correspondences Silvia Moreno-Garcia – This Strange Way of Dying Paul Muldoon – The Word on the Street Saleema Nawaz – Bone & Bread Corin Raymond – Bookworm Elizabeth Ruth – Matadora
Maria Semple – Where’d You Go, Bernadette Ann Shin – The Family China Ashley Spires – Binky: License to Scratch Maggie Stiefvater – The Dream Thieves Geronimo Stilton Kathy Stinson – The Man with the Violin/What Happened to Ivy Mary Swan – My Ghosts Meg Tilly – A Taste of Heaven Teresa Toten – The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B Ayelet Tsabari – The Best Place on Earth Priscila Uppal – Projections: Encounters with My Runaway Mother Eric Walters – My Name is Blessing/Power Play/Tagged Alison Wearing – Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter Alan Weisman – Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? Frieda Wishinsky – A History of Just About Everything D.W. Wilson – Ballistics Michael Winter – Minister Without Portfolio
Chris Spencer Foundation Hamber Foundation Kinder Morgan Foundation RBC Foundation
ANnie Barrows
Deborah Ellis
Andrew Kaufman
Shar Levine
Maggie Stiefvater Meg Tilly
Tanya Evanson
dan bar-el
Teresa Toten
Maureen Johnson
Ashley Spires
Eric Walters
It’s about reading, writing, books and writers
Reading with Writers Book a Festival author for your classroom!
• It’s Spreading the Word, the Vancouver Writers Fest’s education program that offers K–12 students and teachers a rare opportunity to engage with internationally renowned writers. • Step out of the classroom and onto Granville Island. Authors, students and teachers converge for four days in engaging and informal settings. • Spreading the Word events inspire students to read and write by introducing them to exciting writers from around the world.
Each year Festival authors visit local schools in need to talk with students about reading and writing, at no cost to the school. To book a writer for a classroom visit, please contact Ilona Beiks at education@writersfest.bc.ca.
36 great events for grades K–12, in English and French
Reading with Writers is sponsored by HSBC Bank Canada.
• Hear authors of all genres read from their work, talk about writing and answer questions from the audience. • La Joie de Lire events are presented entirely in French. Buy books at the venue and have them signed by the authors after the event. • A limited number of ticket subsidies, based on financial need, are available through the Cynthia Woodward Development Program. • The Bus Subsidy Fund, supported by Bonnie Mah, provides local travel assistance to groups of students attending Festival events, based on financial need. • For complete information on Spreading the Word events and programs, check our website or contact Ilona Beiks, Education Co-ordinator, at education@writersfest.bc.ca or 604.215.9726. • For information on La Joie de Lire events, please contact Brenda Berck at lajoiedelire@writersfest.bc.ca or 604.681.0315. • Festival books are available from Kidsbooks at the locations below: Tous les livres présentés dans le cadre du festival sont disponibles chez Kidsbooks: - 3083 West Broadway, Vancouver - 3040 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver - The Boulevard at South Point Exchange, 15033-32nd Avenue, Surrey - kidsbooks.com
School Group Tickets • Tickets are $8.50 per ticket for student groups and $17 for individual tickets. • Teachers and adults accompanying school groups must purchase tickets. • Online: go to writersfest.bc.ca/teachers/schoolorders • In person at the Festival box office: Festival House, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island • Fax a ticket order form to 604.681.8400. Ticket order forms are available on the Festival website, or call 604.681.6330 to request a form. Please note, faxed orders will not be processed without a credit card number. • Info: writersfest.bc.ca or 604.681.6330.
Chaque année, les auteurs francophones du Festival visitent les classes des quartiers défavorisés pour éveiller les élèves à l’importance de lire et d’écrire. Si vous êtes intéressé par la visite d’un écrivain dans votre classe au cours du mois d’octobre, veuillez communiquer avec Brenda Berck à l’adresse lajoiedelire@writersfest.bc.ca.
Spreading the Word Youth Writing Contest This is a new writing contest for young writers in grades 8–12 across BC. There are two categories: poetry and short fiction. A first and second prize will be awarded in each category. Winners will receive a cash prize and have their work published in The Claremont Review, a magazine that showcases aspiring young writers. Please see our website for details: writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest
Study Guides Make the most of your experience! Study guides that are directly tied to BC curriculum goals are available for all Spreading the Word events. Please see our website for details: writersfest.bc.ca. Guides d’études! Les activités « Spreading the Word » ont des liens directs avec les programmes d’études de la C.-B. Pour permettre aux enseignants de tirer plein parti du Festival, un guide d’études a été élaboré pour chacune des activités. Ces guides seront disponibles sur le site Web du festival en septembre.
Make a day of it! Experience the many wonders that Granville Island and False Creek have to offer: • Granville Island Public Market • Kids Market • Emily Carr University of Art + Design and the Charles H. Scott Gallery • Art and craft galleries • Bird watching and sea life spotting • Vancouver Maritime Museum (vancouvermaritimemuseum.com) • The Museum of Vancouver (museumofvancouver.ca) • False Creek and Aquabus water taxis
Author biographies and website links are available on the Festival website: writersfest.bc.ca
La Joie de Lire
Ces événements sont pour tous les âges et se tiendront exclusivement en français; il y aura beaucoup de possibilitiés d’interaction entre les élèves et les écrivains.
Raconte-nous une histoire Rhéa Dufresne, Aujourd’hui, le ciel/Ma Journée, Mes humeurs/Arachnéa, une légende grecque
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Geronimo Stilton se raconte Animatrice: France Perras Jeudi 24 octobre, 10 h – 11 h 30
32 et 38
STUDIO 1398
Mardi 22 octobre, 10 h – 11 h
STUDIO 1398
Jeudi 24 octobre, 13 h – 14 h 30
En compagnie de l’écrivaine Rhéa Dufresne, les élèves auront l’occasion de découvrir toute une gamme d’histoires et différentes manières de les raconter. Mme Dufresne lira Ma journée, mes humeurs, Aujourd’hui, le ciel et Arachnéa, la légende grecque mettant en scène Arachnéa et Athéna. Pourquoi tissent-elles? Pourquoi se disputent-elles?
IMPROV CENTRE
Pour les élèves de la maternelle à la troisième année.
Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études: • enrichir son vocabulaire et mettre en pratique les acquis. • améliorer ses aptitudes à communiquer et à écouter.
Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études: • enrichir son vocabulaire et mettre en pratique les acquis. • qméliorer ses aptitudes à communiquer et à écouter. • compréhension de lecture – comprendre et résumer une histoire.
Écrire tout haut David Baudemont, Olga/ Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon Animatrice: Jessica Heafey
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Mardi 22 octobre, 13 h – 14 h 30
STUDIO 1398
Qui est Geronimo Stilton? C’est moi! Je dirige un journal, mais ma véritable passion est l’écriture d’histoires d’aventures. Mes récits sont très drôles et savoureux. Promis! Pour les élèves de la troisième à la septième année.
D’ici et d’ailleurs David Baudemont, Olga/ Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon Animatrice: Anne-Marie McGinn
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Mercredi 23 octobre, 10 h – 11 h 30
David Baudemont crée souvent ses histoires en collaboration avec des élèves. C’est de cette manière qu’il a rédigé Olga, qui lui a valu le Prix du livre français décerné dans le cadre des Saskatchewan Book Awards. Le récit Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon découle d’une collaboration entre l’auteur et les élèves de cinquième, sixième et septième année de l’école Père Mercure de North Battleford.
IMPROV CENTRE
Olga Silberschmitt a 15 ans lorsqu’elle tombe amoureuse de Kristian, un jeune Allemand, fils d’un membre du parti nazi. Elle ne se doute pas que cette amourette va la pousser à fuir sur les routes de France et de Belgique. Que va devenir Olga?
Pour les élèves de la huitième à la douzième année.
David Baudemont a écrit des livres et des pièces primés. Il est surtout connu pour sa collaboration auprès d’étudiants pendant le développement d’une histoire. Dernièrement, il a écrit avec des élèves de cinquième, sixième et septième année de l’école Père Mercure de North Battleford. Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études: • les sciences humaines: l’histoire, l’identité, la culture • l’écriture
Pour les élèves de la huitième à la douzième année. Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études: • les sciences humaines: l’histoire, l’identité, la culture • l’écriture
Events for Primary Students Morning Train, Evening Boat Dan Bar-el, Dream Boats Julie Flett, Wild Berries Kathy Stinson, The Man with the Violin
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Stories in Good Company Dan Bar-el, Not Your Typical Dragon Ashley Spires, Binky: License to Scratch Eric Walters, My Name is Blessing
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Tuesday, October 22, 10–11:00 am
Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:00 pm
Take a trip to places you might have only dreamt about, thanks to new picture books from three successful authors. Young readers will travel onto a subway platform in Washington, DC, to imagine being swept away by music from one of the world’s finest violinists. They will float away on the dream boats that sail the seas of sleep from the Andes to St. Petersburg. Or pick wild blueberries among foxes while chatting in Cree. No passports needed for this morning’s adventures.
Veteran children’s author Eric Walters has written more than 80 books that have won more than 100 awards, so you’re in for an afternoon of great storytelling and creative genius. Walters’ newest story follows a young Kenyan boy whose disability turns out to be a blessing. He teams up with two other Canadian children’s authors who will entertain with stories about Binky the cat, who plots an escape from the vet, and Crispin, the scaly dragon who can’t even light his own birthday candles.
Suitable for grades K–3
Suitable for grades K–3
Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: literacy foundations • Visual Arts • Social Studies: First Nations, geography and global community
Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: literacy foundations • Visual Arts • Social Studies: geography • Diversity, identity and self-esteem
IMPROV CENTRE
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Events for Primary & Intermediate Students Ivy, Bean and Binky Together at Last Annie Barrows, Ivy + Bean Take the Case Ashley Spires, Binky: License to Scratch
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Tuesday, October 22, 10–11:30 am
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Mystery, Adventure and Lies Rachelle Delaney, The Metro Dogs of Moscow Cary Fagan, Danny, Who Fell in a Hole Meg Tilly, A Taste of Heaven
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Tuesday, October 22, 1–2:30 pm
Annie Barrows, beloved author of the fabulously successful Ivy + Bean series, which has sold 2.5 million copies worldwide, takes the stage this morning with illustrator and author Ashley Spires, who brings the fifth and final book in her delightful Binky series. Binky the cat, quiet, red-headed Ivy and her best—and unlikely—friend Bean are well-known to young readers, who will love meeting the active and outgoing minds who’ve created these beloved characters. Suitable for grades 2–4 This event is sponsored by Kidsbooks.
Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky, A History of Just About Everything
The metro dogs of Moscow are known for riding the subway and sniffing out food. But when a Jack Russell named JR discovers that strays are going missing, he’s on the scent immediately, thanks to Rachelle Delaney’s imagination. Cary Fagan is no stranger to creating riveting adventure stories either, and his latest begins with Danny falling into a deep construction hole, where he discovers a poetry-spouting mole. Meg Tilly’s tale surrounds two new—and fast—friends, one of whom holds a secret that could ruin everything, including trust and honesty. Suitable for grades 4–7
Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: character development • Visual Arts • Diversity, identity and self esteem
A History of Just About Everything
IMPROV CENTRE
Curriculum Connection • Language Arts: character and plot development
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A Trip of the Tongue Julie Flett, Wild Berries Jude Isabella, Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages
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Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:30 pm
Welcome to a one-stop event chronicling the history of the world, beginning six million years ago and ending in 2013. Veteran children’s authors Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky team up to bring you some of the 180 key events and people they’ve identified that have changed our world. Their book reads like an annotated timeline for young readers, making history and its impact come alive.
How many different languages are spoken in your classroom? Eight? Ten? This afternoon, artist and writer Julie Flett introduces you to the language of her grandmother—Cree—complete with a pronunciation guide to help with some of the tongue-twisty vocabulary in her book Wild Berries. Well-known science writer Jude Isabella turns her attention to how languages originate and change over time. Her new book, Chitchat, looks at everything from monkey talk to lost languages and the newest human languages.
STUDIO 1398
IMPROV CENTRE
Suitable for grades 3–6 Curriculum Connections • Social Studies: history and geography • Science
The World of Ivy + Bean Annie Barrows, Ivy + Bean Take the Case Thursday, October 24, 10–11:00 am
30
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Ivy + Bean fans, come one, come all! This morning Annie Barrows brings you the 10th and latest adventure in the series, Ivy + Bean Take the Case. When asked what she wants children to take away from her books, Barrows says, “I just want to give them a laugh.” The series has sold 2.5 million books, has been translated into six languages and has provided laughs, giggles and smiles since its launch in 2006. If you’re discovering this pair of unlikely friends for the first time, you’re in for a treat. Suitable for grades 1–4 Curriculum Connections • Language Arts • Identity, diversity and self-esteem
Suitable for grades 3–6 Curriculum Connections • Language Arts • Social Studies: First Nations and history • Cultural Studies: ethnic diversity
People Who Changed the World
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Dirty Science
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Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky, A History of Just About Everything
Shar Levine, Dirty Science: 25 Experiments with Soil
Thursday, October 24, 10–11:30 am
Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky, authors of A History of Just About Everything, know that it’s people that make history and they’ve looked at the lives of some of the most incredible explorers, musicians, scientists, writers and world leaders throughout time. If you’ve ever thought about the “how” and “who” of history rather than the “what,” you’ll love spending a morning with these two creative, entertaining, awardwinning authors who are curious about who’s made the world the way it is. Come with your questions!
There’s more to the dirt beneath your feet than, well, dirt. Vancouver’s very own “Science Lady,” Shar Levine, is here to reveal what’s going on behind, or beneath, the scenes—like discovering the hundreds of invisible bugs in a handful of dirt. Levine’s passion is infectious. “I want to make people love science,” she says. There’s a budding scientist in every kid, and Levine is happiest when she’s working hands-on with a group of future Einsteins. Kids and teachers, come prepared to be more than onlookers this afternoon. This is a chance to get your hands dirty and leave hooked on science.
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Suitable for grades 4–7 Curriculum Connections • History • Social Studies • Science
STUDIO 1398
Suitable for grades 3–5 Curriculum Connection • Science
Events for Intermediate & Secondary Students Odysseys Worth Repeating Glenn Dixon, Tripping the World Fantastic Deborah Ellis, Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids
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Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Glenn Dixon travelled the globe for a year to explore how and why people make music. From a tour of Bob Marley’s house, to sitar lessons in India, to the talking drums of West Africa, he sought out music in its various forms to try to understand how playing and creating music is a form of communication. Deborah Ellis spent two years travelling across the United States and Canada, interviewing Aboriginal children and giving them an opportunity to share their lives and their hopes. Come and hear fascinating stories from around the world from two authors who’ve been there and done that. Suitable for grades 7–10 Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: non-fiction • Social Studies: First Nations, geography, history and cultural studies
Tripping the World Fantastic Glenn Dixon, Tripping the World Fantastic Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:30 pm
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STUDIO 1398
Travel writer and guitarist Glenn Dixon has toured the globe exploring how and why people make music and has returned with some fascinating finds. Remove your earbuds this morning and listen up as Dixon takes you on a musical odyssey, from sitar lessons on the banks of the Ganges, to the sounds of African drumming in Ghana, to the wild electric rhythms of Cuban dance music. Suitable for grades 7 and up Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: non-fiction • Fine Arts: music • Social Studies: geography, history and global cultural community
Sworn to Secrecy Meg Tilly, A Taste of Heaven Eric Walters, Tagged
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Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS
In Tagged, veteran author Eric Walters creates a fast-paced mystery about who might be spray painting graffiti murals around town. Is it art or vandalism? And could the guerrilla artist be a close friend? In Meg Tilly’s novel A Taste of Heaven, secrets threaten to ruin a friendship. Why won’t Alyssa talk about her family? Why has she never invited her best friend over? And how big is the price of celebrity? Tilly, herself an award-winning actress who famously turned her back on Hollywood, is well-acquainted with the cost of fame and secrecy. But it’s no secret that Walters and Tilly are masters at weaving great stories loaded with believable characters—and keeping audiences well entertained. Suitable for grades 6–8 Curriculum Connection • Language Arts: character and plot development • Events for Secondary Students
Events for Secondary Students
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Magic and Mayhem – Cynthia Woodward Young Readers Legacy Maureen Johnson, The Madness Underneath Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves Moderator: Nancy Lee GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
“Magic and storytelling can transcend boundaries,” says Maggie Stiefvater, whose books have been translated into 34 languages. Her Shiver trilogy spent 40 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Adventure, individuality and independence are aplenty in her new series, starting with The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves. Maureen Johnson, also a New York Times bestselling writer with thousands of Twitter followers, will entrance readers with her Shades of London series. Based on the story of Jack the Ripper, her series is set amongst ghost hunters and the historic sewers of London and filled with secret passages and bodies. Suitable for grades 9–12 Curriculum Connection • Language Arts: creative writing process and fantasy/historical plot development
Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Deborah Ellis in conversation with Joseph Boyden Tuesday, October 22, 1–2:30 pm
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WATERFRONT THEATRE
Tuesday, October 22, 1–2:30 pm
Maggie Stiefvater in Conversation with Shannon Ozirny
Voices of Native Youth
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Master storyteller Maggie Stiefvater saw herself as an outsider. She was home-schooled and graduated at 16; “I wasn’t interested in high school at all.” But one thing she has always been passionate about is writing; it’s her way of processing the world. Before starting college, Stiefvater had written 30 unfinished novels. Fast-forward 10 years and behold a YA author whose books have sold 2 million copies worldwide, with hits including the Shiver series, The Scorpio Races and now The Raven Boys cycle. Stiefvater takes the stage this morning to talk about her books, rebellion, early fame, the creative process and anything else that fans might want to ask. Suitable for grades 8–12 Curricululm Connection • Language Arts: fantasy genre and creative writing process
For two years, renowned author Deborah Ellis travelled all over North America interviewing Aboriginal children aged 9 to 18 for her new book, Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids. The result is a compelling collection of interviews from Iqaluit to Texas, Haida Gwaii to North Carolina. Ellis briefly introduces each, then lets the kids speak directly to the reader, talking about their daily lives, the things that interest them and how being Native informs who they are and how they see the world. Suitable for grades 8–10 Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: non-fiction • Social Studies: First Nations, global community and cultural identity
A Taste of the Real Thing Maureen Johnson, The Madness Underneath Silvia Moreno-Garcia, This Strange Way of Dying
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Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Nowadays, vampires are often cast as romantic characters, but their true origins are much more menacing. They’re emblems of the plague, creatures that shed their skin and roam the night, and they come alive in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s short story collection This Strange Way of Dying. Tapping into England’s history of chilling creatures, Maureen Johnson spent countless months researching the life that tromps through London’s sewer system, the chilling case files of Jack the Ripper and ghost lore. Part contemporary novel, part paranormal thriller, Johnson’s The Madness Underneath will have you on the edge of your seat. Watch out, Edward Cullen, this is the real thing! Suitable for grades 9–12 Curriculum Connections • Creative Writing: fantasy and historical • Social Studies: history, geography, cultural studies • Applied Skills: research & analysis
Tough and Topical Kathy Stinson, What Happened to Ivy Teresa Toten, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B Eric Walters, Power Play Moderator: Shannon Ozirny
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Thursday, October 24, 10–11:30 am
High Octane Don Calame, Call the Shots Andrew Kaufman, All My Friends are Superheroes
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Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE
The authors at today’s event tackle tough issues head-on to start conversations that lead to understanding. In Eric Walters’ 81st book, Power Play, the tough topic is sexual abuse among young hockey players. Kathy Stinson tackles both sides of the question of mercy killing in What Happened to Ivy through the eyes of David, whose sister is severely disabled by cerebral palsy. Teresa Toten takes on obsessive-compulsive disorder in The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. Says Walters, “Books have the power to change lives, what we think and what we do.” There will be plenty to think about after this morning.
Screenwriters as well as successful novelists, Don Calame and Andrew Kaufman take the stage in an event that’s sure to be high-energy and very funny. Calame’s uproarious trio of high-school buddies Coop, Sean and Matt return with a scheme to make a low-budget horror movie that’s guaranteed to make them rich—and magnets for girls. Call the Shots crackles with fast-paced raunchy fun, and a gross-out warning for good measure. The 10th anniversary illustrated edition of the worldwide cult favourite All My Friends are Superheroes brings Kaufman to the Writers Fest for the first time, and with him the Ear, the Spooner, the Impossible Man and Tom’s wife, the Perfectionist. If you haven’t been introduced to these everyday superheroes before, don’t miss this chance.
Suitable for grades 9–12
Suitable for grades 10–12
Curriculum Connections • Creative Writing • Humanities: ethics, identity and diversity • Social Justice
Curriculum Connections • Creative Writing: character and plot development • Fine Arts: drama and screenwriting
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Grades 10 – 12, Teachers & Parents
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With A Little Help from My Friends Viola Di Grado, 70% Acrylic 30% Wool Teresa Toten, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B Tuesday, October 22, 10–11:30 am
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Viola Di Grado’s first novel 70% Acrylic 30% Wool, written when she was just 23, was a finalist for Italy’s top literary prize. Teresa Toten has been twice-nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award for her thoughtful books for young adults. Characters from the minds of these two authors are often outsiders—kids with social anxiety disorders, young adults coping with silent parents. These authors don’t preach, but rather address the experiences with which young people everywhere must cope. Suitable for grades 10–12 and adults Curriculum Connections • Creative Writing: character development • Humanities: identity and diversity
Word! Tanya Evanson Corin Raymond, Bookworm Alison Wearing, Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter
13 & 34
Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Tanya Evanson is an award-winning spoken word artist who combines language, rhythm and sound to lift poetry off the page. She appears this morning with Alison Wearing, who performs excerpts from her onewoman show Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter, a multimedia monologue balancing intimacy with truth and humour. Canadian folksinger Corin Raymond also performs excerpts from his one-man show Bookworm, an engaging meditation on reading, childhood and his father’s love of books. Suitable for grades 8–12 and adults Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes. Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: poetry and spoken word • Fine Arts: drama and music
Worlds Arising, Worlds in Peril
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Formwork
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J. Edward Chamberlin, Island: How Islands Transform the World Alan Weisman, Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? Moderator: Kathryn Gretsinger
L. Marie Adeline, S.E.C.R.E.T. J. Edward Chamberlin, Island: How Islands Transform the World
Thursday, October 24, 10–11:30 am
Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
The story of islands, as J. Edward Chamberlin tells it, is also the story of our planet, from the cycles of climate change to seismic upheavals. Chamberlin looks through different lenses—culture, mythology, geography, navigation—to see how islands fit into the human understanding of our existence on earth. Alan Weisman follows his bestselling book The World Without Us with Countdown, a look at the future of humankind in the face of overpopulation. There’ll be plenty of opportunity for questions as you meet two writers who have given serious thought to questions of whether, and how, we can survive here on earth. Suitable for grades 10–12 and adults
All stories, true or imagined, begin with an idea but must take on a shape to grow. Is this a short story? A poem? Non-fiction? Or ... ? Though J. Edward Chamberlin, professor emeritus of English and comparative literature, is well aware of the many forms available to tell his story, he’s chosen nonfiction for Island. Brad Cran finds poetic essays the best form for his startling observations in Ink on Paper. Under the pseudonym L. Marie Adeline, Lisa Gabriele, author of two literary novels, was determined to write her new novel in the genre form of erotica. Anne Michaels, best known as a novelist for Fugitive Pieces, now presents her readers with a long poem in Correspondences, which appears alongside portraits by Bernice Eisenstein.
Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: non-fiction • Science: environmental stewardship • Social Studies: global community, geography and ethics
Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: poetry, non-fiction, short stories and novels • Creative Writing: inspirations and processes
IMPROV CENTRE
The Interviews Anthony De Sa, Kicking the Sky Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette Host: Marsha Lederman
Brad Cran, Ink on Paper Anne Michaels, Correspondences Moderator: Merilyn Simonds
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
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Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Pure Poetry
46
Kevan Anthony Cameron, The Great Black North Stephen Collis, To the barricades Mathew Henderson, The Lease Michael Crummey, Under the Keel Ann Shin, The Family China Sarah de Leeuw, Geographies Host: Brad Cran of a Lover Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
The Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman talks to three authors writing out of vastly different experiences. Primarily a non-fiction writer and translator, Wayne Grady looks at race relations and family secrets in Emancipation Day, inspired by a secret in Grady’s own family. Anthony De Sa grew up in Toronto’s Portuguese enclave. He sets his novel in the same rough-and-tumble neighbourhood in 1977, the year a 12-yearold shoeshine boy was murdered and Toronto the Good was changed forever. Former TV comedy writer Maria Semple wrote her masterfully satirical tale Where’d You Go, Bernadette shortly after moving to Seattle, when she was struck by the peculiarities of the place.
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Curriculum Connection • Creative Writing: journalism, non-fiction and fiction
Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
Six of Canada’s poets show off the universal power of the well-chosen word. Kevan Anthony Cameron, aka Scruffmouth, veteran of the North American poetry slam scene, joins Sarah de Leeuw and Stephen Collis, both recipients of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Michael Crummey’s Under the Keel is his first poetry collection in a decade. Mathew Henderson’s hard-hitting debut The Lease has garnered ecstatic reviews, and filmmaker Ann Shin pushes poetry into new territory with The Family China. This is a celebration of poetry that is fresh and startling—and doesn’t waste a word. Curriculum Connection • Language Arts: poetry, poetic devices and structure
Grades 10 – 12, Teachers & Parents CONTINUED Drunk Mom Jowita Bydlowska in conversation with Andreas Schroeder
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Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
STUDIO 1398
“Drunk Mom is an imperfect account of the events that occurred from 2009 to 2010 when I relapsed after three and a half years of sobriety,” says Jowita Bydlowska. While many might attempt to hide the binge drinking and blackouts, the chaos and confusion of alcoholism, Bydlowska bares it all in her controversial memoir. “This has been a painful story to tell. I wrote it ... because I hope it will help those who are struggling with similar issues, and give others a glimpse into what that struggle is like.” Meet a brutally honest author and mother who has met the glares of those who don’t understand and the criticism of those who say she’s bared too much. Curriculum Connection • Language Arts: memoir and personal narrative
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All in the Family Dede Crane, Every Happy Family Andrew Kaufman, Born Weird Saleema Nawaz, Bone & Bread Mary Swan, My Ghosts Moderator: Angie Abdou Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
Improv Centre
When it comes to family dynamics, the dramatic possibilities are endless. Andrew Kaufman’s Born Weird brings us the five Weird siblings, reunited as their evil grandmother dies. Saleema Nawaz brings us orphaned sisters Beena and Sadhana Sing, growing up above a bagel shop in Montreal, in Bone & Bread. Mary Swan’s latest, My Ghosts, breathes life into a household of Scottish orphans trying to make their way in Toronto in 1879. And Dede Crane gives us a modern-day family in Victoria, BC, whose reality is quite different from outside appearances. You thought your family was crazy? Meet some new families in all their humorous and heartbreaking glory. Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: fiction • Health and Career: family and community dynamics
In the Beginning Amber Dawn, How Poetry Saved My Life Jowita Bydlowska, Drunk Mom Helen Humphreys, Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother Priscila Uppal, Projections: Encounters with My Runaway Mother Moderator: Andreas Schroeder
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Faces in the Conflict Nadeem Aslam, The Blind Man’s Garden Ayelet Tsabari, The Best Place on Earth D.W. Wilson, Ballistics Michael Winter, Minister Without Portfolio
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Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 pm
Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE
What might begin as a private journal, a way to understand personal events and emotions, sometimes has such power that it demands to be published. Helen Humphreys began Nocturne as a private letter to her deceased brother when grief prevented her from writing fiction. Amber Dawn wrote some of her memoir about her experiences as a sex worker almost a decade ago, then shelved them. Priscila Uppal, poet, novelist, anthologist, essayist, felt compelled to write her memoir after an intensely emotional reunion with the mother who had abandoned her. Jowita Bydlowska began Drunk Mom as fiction until she realized she had to own, and own up to, the story.
Four writers put the personal story into global conflicts in a way that brings new understandings and connections. Nadeem Aslam, setting his novel in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the months following 9/11, brings us the story of foster brothers Jeo and Mikal. Michael Winter’s Henry Hayward is the character that gives us insight into the personal effect of roadside conflict in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ayelet Tsabari, formerly a soldier in the Israeli army, gives us short stories peopled with those living “life on the verge of an emergency” to show an Israel people may not have seen in the news. And D.W. Wilson’s US army deserter, Archer, suffers from both psychological and physical scars caused by his participation in the Vietnam War.
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Curriculum Connection • Language Arts: journal, memoir and personal narrative
Found in Translation Susanna Basso Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day Paul Muldoon, The Word on the Street Moderator: Genni Gunn
Curriculum Connection • Social Studies: global community, current history and human geography
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Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 pm
STUDIO 1398
Italian translator Susanna Basso has devoted much of the past 10 years translating Alice Munro’s collections of stories into Italian but has never visited Canada until now. Irish poet Paul Muldoon, who’s won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and is the poetry editor for the New Yorker, translates poetry from Gaelic to English. Canadian author Wayne Grady has translated 15 novels from French and won a Governor General’s Literary Award for his translations. What are the challenges in translating works for readers in another country with a different culture? Or for readers within the same country divided by culture or politics? Curriculum Connections • Language Arts • Cultural Studies
Bodies Politic Stephen Collis, The Red Album Charlotte Grimshaw, Soon Joanna Kavenna, Come to the Edge
Elizabeth Ruth, Matadora Moderator: Dennis Bolen
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Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 PM
IMPROV CENTRE
Elizabeth Ruth challenges the dominant assumptions of 1930s Spain in her novel Matadora, with a female bullfighter who dreams of entering the ring despite political and cultural opposition. The world of political parties and backroom power politics is the subject of New Zealand criminal lawyer Charlotte Grimshaw’s novel Soon, a bold and biting satire on wealth and pretentiousness. Stephen Collis’ first novel, The Red Album, questions historical authenticity by confronting alternate versions of the narratives of social struggle and revolution in Spain’s history. And Joanna Kavenna’s dark comedy Come to the Edge looks at the British countryside as a place of notable contrasts; the rural poor can barely afford to stay in their homes while the rich buy up second homes and barely use them. Everything is political, and these four authors will tell you why. Curriculum Connections • Language Arts: literary evaluation and analysis • Social Studies: history