2024 Festival:
October 21–27
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Incite: Kiss the Red Stairs with Marsha Lederman

Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and TELUS.

In a powerful and intimate Incite event, long-time Festival friend, moderator, and award-winning journalist Marsha Lederman returns to our in-person stages for the launch of her stunning memoir on intergenerational trauma, monumental change, and survival. Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed explores the impact of a generation’s anguish on her family, beginning when Lederman was only five years old, and asked her mother why she didn’t have any grandparents.

In conversation with Kathryn Gretsinger, another beloved moderator of the Festival, this heart-to-heart explores the rippling effect of Lederman’s family history throughout her own life, including being a mother to a young son, experiencing a difficult divorce, and an ever-present need to explore and understand the stories and experiences of those that have gone before.

Participants and Speakers

Marsha Lederman

MARSHA LEDERMAN is a columnist with The Globe and Mail, based in Vancouver. An award-winning journalist, she was previously The Globe’s Western Arts Correspondent. Prior to joining The Globe, she worked for CBC Radio, mostly in Toronto. Her memoir Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed, was published in May and was an instant national bestseller. Born and raised in Toronto, she has lived in Vancouver since 2007.

Kathryn Gretsinger

KATHRYN GRETSINGER is an associate professor of teaching at the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media. She is a long-time public broadcaster at the CBC, and has been named one of North America’s top innovative journalism educators.