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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251020
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251027
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SUMMARY:2025 Festival
DESCRIPTION:Click here to browse all Festival events.\nOur flagship Festival returns from October 20–26\, 2025\,  featuring 130 local and international authors in 85+ events for youth and adults that will spark empathy\, action\, and transformation. \nThis year’s Festival program will explore the issues and themes dominating the cultural and political sphere\, and open the door to wider understanding. It will dig deep into what it means to be Canadian\, and our role in a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. Most of all\, it will offer readers of all ages an opportunity to hear from some of the finest authors working today\, and discover new books from every genre that deserve a place on your shelf. \nWe’re thrilled to welcome this year’s Guest Curator\, Canisia Lubrin\, author of The World After Rain and Code Noir\, the latter of which won the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the Danuta Gleed Literary Award this year. She has curated four events that will offer a refreshing perspective on our particularly unstable present world.  \nGet your tickets to hear from celebrated\, bestselling authors such as Elamin Abdelmahmoud\, Margaret Atwood\, Mona Awad\, Kate Beaton\, Chloe Dalton\, Kiran Desai\, Cory Doctorow\, Emma Donoghue\, Christine Estima\, Chris Hadfield\, Bob Joseph\, Guy Gavriel Kay\, R.F. Kuang\, Eve Lazarus\, Dennis Lee\, Jen Sookfong Lee\, Silvia Moreno-Garcia\, Walter Mosley\, Susan Orlean\, Arundhati Roy\, Merilyn Simonds\, Niigaan Sinclair\, Curtis Sittenfeld\, Saeed Teebi\, Madeleine Thien\, Miriam Toews\, and many more!
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/2025-festival-event
LOCATION:BC
CATEGORIES:Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240918T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240918T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20240808T200014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240812T230131Z
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SUMMARY:Liane Moriarty in Conversation with Eddy Boudel Tan
DESCRIPTION:Australian author Liane Moriarty has a gift for writing smart\, sensational page-turners that have the entertainment industry waiting on speed dial. Her novel Big Little Lies was the inspiration behind the HBO limited series that won eight Emmy Awards; Nine Perfect Strangers and Apples Never Fall were also turned into star-studded TV adaptations. She joins us in Vancouver to launch Here One Moment\, a riveting new novel that follows a group of passengers on a seemingly ordinary domestic flight\, who learn how and when they are going to die. If you knew your future\, would you try to fight fate?   \nA modern-day Jane Austen\, Moriarty asks profound questions and humorously skewers social mores\, while spinning a web of mystery. She speaks with Eddy Boudel Tan at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, followed by an audience Q&A and signing.  \nBooks can be purchased during check-out\, or at the event\, courtesy of Book Warehouse. \nYouth under 25 can purchase a discounted ticket for $20! \n\nVancouver Writers Fest is proud to recognize SFU as a cultural partner.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/liane-moriarty
LOCATION:Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts\, 149 W Hastings St\, Vancouver
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240627T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240627T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20240524T170836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240524T173500Z
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SUMMARY:Ali Velshi in Conversation with Ian Hanomansing
DESCRIPTION:As the Chief Correspondent for MSNBC\, a weekly economics contributor to NPR\, and host of his own news show\, “Velshi”\, Ali Velshi has covered multiple U.S. Midterm and Presidential elections and significant stories around the globe. In Small Acts of Courage\, he fuses the personal and the political\, tapping into 125 years of family history to advocate for social justice as a living\, breathing experience—a way of life more than an ideology.  \nMore than a century ago\, Velshi’s great-grandfather sent his seven-year-old son to live at Tolstoy Farm\, Gandhi’s ashram in South Africa. This difficult decision would change the trajectory of his family history forever. From childhood\, Velshi’s grandfather was imbued with an ethos of public service and social justice—ideals that his children carried forward as they escaped apartheid\, emigrating to Kenya and ultimately Canada and the United States.  \nSmall acts of courage matter. Sometimes\, they change the world. Velshi’s story will inspire a commitment to fight for change\, as he sits down for an eye-opening conversation with Ian Hanomansing\, host of CBC’s The National. \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. \n 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/ali-velshi
LOCATION:Waterfront Theatre\, 1412 Cartwright St.\, Vancouver\, British Columbia\, BC V6H 3R7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240514T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240514T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20231204T185714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240220T231644Z
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SUMMARY:An Evening with David Sedaris
DESCRIPTION:Click here to book tickets. \nTicket sales for this event are not managed by the Vancouver Writers Fest. If you have questions about purchasing your tickets\, please call 312-274-1800.\nDavid Sedaris returns to the Vancouver Writers Fest this spring!  \nWith sardonic wit and incisive social critiques\, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humour writers. The New York Times bestselling author joins us on May 14\, 2024 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for an evening of unexpected\, hilarious\, and poignant storytelling. \nHis latest collection Happy-Go-Lucky captures recent upheavals both public (our global pandemic) and personal (the passing of his father). Time called it “some of his darkest—and most astute—writing yet… No topic is out of bounds for Sedaris’ acerbic humor and sharp observations.” \nThe event will be followed by an audience Q+A and book signing.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/an-evening-with-david-sedaris
LOCATION:Queen Elizabeth Theatre\, 630 Hamilton St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6B 5N6\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240509T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240509T193000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20240327T165655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240327T165655Z
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SUMMARY:Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and Gabor Maté in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Over the past twenty years\, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has been an ambassador and advocate for mental\, emotional\, and physical health. Now\, she invites readers on a deeply personal journey toward self-knowledge and acceptance in her empowering debut memoir. Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves\, Loving Each Other draws on the expertise of top psychologists\, psychiatrists\, scientists\, and thought leaders\, including physician and renowned author Gabor Maté. The two friends and celebrated speakers take the stage for a conversation about nothing less than how to change our lives. \nTrudeau met Maté in the early stages of writing what would become this book\, and his mentorship—as an in-demand expert on addictions\, trauma\, and other topics related to his five bestselling books—became invaluable to her in the process. In his own words\, Closer Together “casts fresh light on human development and mental health even as it invites insightful and playful self-reflection.” Alongside scientific health information and exclusive interviews with experts\, Trudeau shares heartfelt moments from her own life’s journey. \nTheir conversation is sure to be candid\, wise\, and insightful—just like this book. Join us for a thoughtful exploration of the questions that matter for our individual and collective growth.   \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/sophie-gabor
LOCATION:Frederic Wood Theatre\, 6354 Crescent Rd\, Vancouver\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240501T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240501T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20240320T160034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240325T221147Z
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SUMMARY:Wade Davis in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs.\n\n\n\nTravel into the heart of humanity with one of the foremost thinkers of our time. Wade Davis’s awe-inspiring career includes being the renowned author of 23 books\, Professor of Anthropology\, Member of the Order of Canada\, and former Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. He joins the Vancouver Writers Fest with a new collection that dives into a timely and eclectic array of topics from across the planet.  \nThe essays in Beneath the Surface of Things came about during the unhurried months when one who had traveled incessantly was obliged to stay still\, even as events flared on all sides in a world that never stops moving. Davis brings his unique cultural perspective to such varied topics as the demonization of coca\, the sacred plant of the Inca; the Great War and the birth of modernity; the unraveling of America; reaching beyond climate fear and trepidation; and the meaning of the sacred.  \nDescribed as a “true wayfinder” (John Vaillant) and “fearless explorer in the intellectual world\, as in the physical” (Washington Post)\, Davis is sure to ignite your curiosity. He speaks with award-winning journalist Laura Lynch\, host of CBC’s What On Earth. \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Upstart & Crow.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/wade-davis
LOCATION:Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts\, 149 W Hastings St\, Vancouver
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240409T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240409T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20240315T173105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240326T173403Z
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SUMMARY:Tiná7 Cht Ti Temíxw: We Come From This Land: A Walk Through the History of the Squamish People
DESCRIPTION:Presented by The Squamish First Nation and Vancouver Writers Fest\n\n\n\nJoin us at this extraordinary public event to discover a story of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation): past\, present\, and future. Chairperson Khelsilem\, author Stephanie Wood\, and Squamish Nation Elders will gather on-stage for a collective conversation on the history of these lands and a celebration of this fascinating book. \nOne hundred years after Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) leadership signed an amalgamation agreement that declared several communities in Squamish territory as one nation\, Tiná7 Cht Ti Temíxw: We Come from This Land offers an accessible history of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh people\, tracing stories from ancient times to the present and sharing the culmination of generations of knowledge. \nThe 6\,732-square-kilometer Sḵwx̱wú7meshulh Temíx̱w (Squamish People’s Territory) includes the watersheds of the Squamish River\, Mamquam River\, and Howe Sound in the north\, and English Bay\, False Creek\, and Burrard Inlet in the south—including the headquarters of the Vancouver Writers Fest\, and location of this event\, on Granville Island. \nFilled with stunning photos\, this new book is a powerful introduction to the vast history of these lands\, and a launching point for discovering more about the different places\, people\, and stories offered here. \nBooks will be for sale at the event from Iron Dog Books. \nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. If you have accessibility needs\, or if the cost of tickets presents a barrier to attending\, please reach out to info@writersfest.bc.ca.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/squamish
LOCATION:Performance Works
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240223T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240223T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20240110T000040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240222T213715Z
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SUMMARY:Dr. Jen Gunter: The Science\, Medicine\, and Mythology of Menstruation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Period Pantry and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.\n \nThis event includes ASL interpretation for in-person attendees. \nTrusted OB-GYN Dr. Jen Gunter has been called “Twitter’s resident gynecologist” for her fierce advocacy for women’s health\, and viral online threads debunking misinformation about the vagina. The #1 bestselling author of The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto returns to the Vancouver Writers Fest with Blood: The science\, medicine\, and mythology of menstruation. \nMost of us know as much about how the uterus and ovaries function as we do about how the liver works. Add in societal shame around the menstrual cycle and it’s not surprising that misinformation is widespread. In Blood\, Dr. Gunter offers a clear\, no-nonsense guide to reproductive anatomy and answers all the questions you never knew you had about menstrual bleeding. Filled with Dr. Gunter’s expertise and trademark wit\, this new book is “the brilliant and long needed corrective that we have waited for\, since the first time we stuffed a box of pads into a three-ply paper bag and slunk out of a pharmacy. Never again.” —Samantha Bee \nIn conversation with award-winning Globe and Mail journalist Andrea Woo\, Dr. Gunter will debunk myths and challenge patriarchal attitudes toward this natural bodily process. Join us at this free event for a funny and candid evening of biological education and smashing the patriarchy.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/jen-gunter
LOCATION:Reliance Theatre\, 520 E 1st Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, V5T 1A7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231201T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231201T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20230908T162647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231129T204848Z
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SUMMARY:Miss Chief Eagle Testickle Presents Her Memoir: Kent Monkman and Gisèle Gordon in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with the Vancouver Art Gallery and Eastside Arts Society. \nAn unmissable event for all those interested in a gloriously queer\, art-drenched\, Indigenous look at the “true” history of North America/Turtle Island with a special appearance by Miss Chief Eagle Testickle.Join celebrated Cree artist Kent Monkman and his long-time collaborator Gisèle Gordon as they discuss their new work The Memoirs of Miss Chief Eagle Testickle: A True and Exact Accounting of the History of Turtle Island\, a genre-defying work based on the paintings of one the most important painters working today that will remake readers’ understanding of the land called North America. A story of this continent that reframes the narrative as a deeply Cree and gloriously queer understanding of our shared world\, its past\, its present\, and its possibilities. \nAfter the reading with Miss Chief\, Monkman and Gordon will be be in conversation with beloved Canadian broadcast Shelagh Rogers. \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Iron Dog Books.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/monkman-gordon
LOCATION:The Vancouver Playhouse
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231118T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231118T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20230817T150010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230907T201240Z
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SUMMARY:Canadian Dream Team: Rick Mercer and Jann Arden
DESCRIPTION:Tickets for this event are sold through the Chan Centre. Click here to purchase your tickets.\n\nIf you run into issues while purchasing your tickets\, please contact the Chan Centre box office directly. \nThe Chan Centre Box Office\nHours: 12–4pm Tue–Fri\nEmail: chan.tickets@ubc.ca\nPhone: (604) 822-2697 \n  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPresented in partnership with Scotia Wealth Management and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. \nTickets to this extra special event include a copy of both The Road Years AND The Bittlemores! What a rare opportunity to pick up signed copies of both books\, and hear these two friends in conversation once again. \nFor years\, viewers across the country tuned into the The Rick Mercer Report to spend their evenings with Rick Mercer and Jann Arden\, one of his favourite recurring guests. Relive the laughter\, antics\, and camaraderie at this Vancouver Writers Fest Special Event\, where Rick and Jann will reunite to toast each other on the publication of each of their new books.  \nTheir first meeting in Jann’s hometown of Calgary ignited a friendship that would take the two 1\,168 feet above the ground atop the CN Tower EdgeWalk; ziplining at Canada Olympic Park; and bull-riding at a Calgarian rodeo—all with an amused audience watching. Their mutual adoration is rivaled only by their legendary banter\, and there will be plenty of both in this entertaining conversation.   \nBoth of these icons have published numerous books\, alongside their dizzying lists of other accomplishments. Mercer’s memoir\, Talking to Canadians\, was an instant national bestseller and left readers wanting more. The Road Years: A Memoir\, Continued… picks up the story with the greenlighting of what would become the Rick Mercer Report\, and follows him coast to coast to coast in search of the best stories from everyday Canadians. \nMulti-platinum musician Jann Arden’s bestselling nonfiction books include Feeding My Mother and If I Knew Then. Now\, she’s releasing her anticipated debut novel\, The Bittlemores. A rural fairytale\, a coming-of-age story\, and a prairie mystery all-in-one\, The Bittlemores is saturated with Arden’s observations of the world she grew up in\, and her deep connection to the animals we exploit. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/mercer-arden
LOCATION:The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts\, 6265 Crescent Rd\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6T 1Z1\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231003T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231003T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20230629T212630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231003T232913Z
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SUMMARY:Brent Butt in Conversation with Charlie Demers
DESCRIPTION:SOLD OUT\nBrent Butt is one of the most well-known stand-up comedians of the past five decades. He’s appeared at major comedy festivals across the world\, and has been voted Best Male Stand-Up in Canada by his peers in the profession. He’s created and starred in two of TV’s funniest sitcoms: Corner Gas and Hiccups. But has he written an unexpectedly terrifying psychological thriller? Now he has. Butt joins the Vancouver Writers Fest with his riveting debut novel\, HUGE.  \nIt’s 1994\, and three stand-up comedians—Dale\, Rynn\, and Hobie—have embarked on a tour across a remote stretch of rural Canadian countryside. Hobie\, a hulking young man added to the bill at the last minute\, is a disaster as an opening act. But his brutal lack of ability as a comedian turns out to be the least of his companions’ problems. For Dale and Rynn\, the tour soon becomes less about getting laughs and more about getting off the road alive. \nAt the glamorous Hollywood Theatre\, grab a drink at the bar and settle into your seat to enjoy a special set of Butt’s uproarious stand-up comedy. Next\, he’ll dive into a conversation with local thriller author and Juno-nominated comedian Charlie Demers\, to discuss HUGE and the process of writing his first novel\, followed by a Q&A session with the audience. This blend of humour and horror will be a spine-tingling\, side-splitting thrill.  \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books\, and Brent Butt will sign books after the event! 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/brent-butt
LOCATION:Hollywood Theatre\, 3123 W Broadway\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6K 2H2\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230923T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230923T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20230629T212252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230818T164235Z
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SUMMARY:Zadie Smith in Conversation with Madeleine Thien
DESCRIPTION:This event is at capacity. \nIf you have a ticket you can no longer use\, please contact the Chan Centre Box Office with your order number to release the tickets\, so someone else can attend. \nThe Chan Centre Box Office\nHours: 12–4pm Tue–Fri\nEmail: chan.tickets@ubc.ca\nPhone: (604) 822-2697 \nClick here for the Chan Centre ticketing page. \n\nIf you don’t have a ticket: There will be a standby line at the venue set up two hours prior to the event\, where empty seats will be assigned on a first-come\, first-serve basis\, at showtime\, according to availability. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPresented in partnership with UBC School of Creative Writing and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. \nZadie Smith\, widely recognized as one of the finest and most influential authors writing in English today\, joins the Vancouver Writers Fest for an evening of unforgettable storytelling. This event is a celebration not only of Smith’s latest novel\, The Fraud\, but also of you: our treasured community.    \nSmith’s blockbuster debut novel\, White Teeth\, earned her comparisons to writers from Charles Dickens to Jane Austen to Salman Rushdie. It won multiple awards and was included in TIME’s All-TIME List of the 100 Best Novels (1923–2005). Her acclaimed follow-ups include On Beauty\, NW\, and Swing Time. \nBooklist has named The Fraud “her most commanding novel to date.” Set against the legal trial that divided Victorian England\, The Fraud is a dazzling novel about truth and fiction\, Jamaica and Britain\, fraudulence and authenticity\, all fused into “a triumph of historical fiction.” (Publishers Weekly) \nSmith speaks with her internationally-renowned Canadian contemporary\, Madeleine Thien\, author of the multi-award-winning novel Do Not Say We Have Nothing. \nThough we consider all of our Special Events exceptional\, this one is truly momentous for us: we are making this event free to all\, as a gift to the local community that has supported us so generously and steadfastly through these turbulent pandemic years. VWF members will receive first access to tickets\, before they become available to everyone—whether this is your hundredth time attending an event with us\, or your very first.   \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/zadie-smith
LOCATION:The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts\, 6265 Crescent Rd\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6T 1Z1\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230808T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230808T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20230621T003019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230727T225548Z
UID:10000265-1691523000-1691528400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Colson Whitehead in Conversation with Ian Williams
DESCRIPTION:SOLD OUT\nTickets to this event include a copy of Crook Manifesto\, and Colson Whitehead will be signing books after the talk! \nTwo-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead returns to the Vancouver Writers Fest this summer with the eagerly awaited continuation of his Harlem saga. Hot on the heels of Harlem Shuffle\, which delighted our audiences in 2021\, Whitehead’s new novel Crook Manifesto is another brilliantly entertaining romp through 1970s New York\, in all its seedy glory. \nIt’s 1971. Amidst a backdrop of sky-high crime and a shooting war between the NYPD and the Black Liberation Army\, furniture store owner and ex-fence Ray Carney tries to keep his head down and his business thriving. It’s strictly the straight-and-narrow for him—until he needs to hit up his old police contact Munson\, fixer extraordinaire\, for a favour. But Munson has his own favours to ask of Carney\, and staying out of the game is about to become deadly. Crook Manifesto is a darkly funny tale of a city under siege\, but also a sneakily searching portrait of the meaning of family. \nWhitehead joins Ian Williams\, author of Reproduction and Disorientation: Being Black in the World\, for a conversation inviting readers into Crook Manifesto‘s kaleidoscopic portrait of Harlem—which is sure to stand as one of the all-time great evocations of a place and a time. \n\nTickets are $45 and include a hardcover copy of Crook Manifesto (a value of $36).\nUpstart & Crow will be at the event selling additional copies and Colson Whitehead’s backlist.\n\n\n 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/whitehead-2023
LOCATION:Waterfront Theatre\, 1412 Cartwright St.\, Vancouver\, British Columbia\, BC V6H 3R7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230311T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230311T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20230202T183011Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230214T215806Z
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SUMMARY:Eleanor Catton in Conversation with Bill Richardson
DESCRIPTION:Eleanor Catton makes a highly anticipated return to the Fest with her first novel since The Luminaries was published a decade ago; the mysterious\, intricately structured tale sold 1.5 million copies worldwide\, and made her the youngest ever winner of the Booker Prize. Now\, Catton plunges readers into the world of a gripping new page-turner. Probe the urgent political issues of our times at this Vancouver Writers Fest Special Event\, featuring a literary thriller that Stephen King has called “as good as it gets.” \nBirnam Wood is a fast-paced\, character-driven\, psychologically penetrating work of climate fiction that explores the tense encounter between Birnam Wood—an internally conflicted guerrilla gardening collective\, whose members plant crops on land they don’t own—and an American billionaire who intends to use his newly purchased plot of New Zealand farmland to build an apocalypse bunker. With a title inspired by Macbeth\, Birnam Wood aims Shakespearean wit and drama at our various contemporary crises. \nCome and discover the book that The Globe and Mail\, The Guardian\, Maclean’s\, Vogue\, Kirkus Reviews and more have named one of the most anticipated of 2023. Catton joins award-winning author and esteemed moderator Bill Richardson on Saturday\, March 11 for an incisive conversation about greed\, power\, and reckoning with our global existential threat. \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Upstart & Crow. \n\n  \nStandard tickets: $30\nPremium tickets: $40\nYouth under 30: $15
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/eleanor-catton
LOCATION:Norman Rothstein Theatre\, 950 West 41st Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, V5Z 2N7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20221205T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20221205T203000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20221121T213437Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221128T184931Z
UID:10000158-1670266800-1670272200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Christine Sinclair in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:SOLD OUT\n \n\nKnown as one of the best soccer players on earth\, Christine Sinclair has made headlines for over a decade as the forward and captain of Canada’s national soccer team and a multi-World Cup athlete. A gold and bronze medalist in the Olympics with 190 lifetime goals and over 300 caps\, she is known across the world—in and out of soccer circles. She’s also\, we’re proud to say\, a local to the Lower Mainland\, born and raised in Burnaby\, BC.\n  \n\nOn December 5\, Sinclair will join the Vancouver Writers Fest in celebrating the release of her captivating memoir\, Playing the Long Game. In an event sure to be inspiring for the whole family\, the soccer superstar will speak to her exhilarating successes—and heartbreaking failures. Join us at Norman Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver for a night of insight into one of the world’s greatest athletes\, a powerful role model\, and one of Canada’s most-beloved figures.\n  \n\nHosted by CBC sports and news reporter Karin Larsen\, a BC Sports Hall of Fame inductee and former world champion and Olympian\, who has reported on the local and international sports scene for over 25 years.\n  \n\nBooks will be available for purchase before and after the event\, courtesy of Book Warehouse (a division of Black Bond Books)—including in-person signings by Christine Sinclair after the event!\n  \nStandard tickets: $30\nPremium tickets: $40\nYouth under 30: $15\nThis event is also in support of The MS Society of Canada.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/christine-sinclair
LOCATION:Norman Rothstein Theatre\, 950 West 41st Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, V5Z 2N7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
GEO:49.2334436;-123.1267212
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20221111T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20221111T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20221028T001842Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221102T181645Z
UID:10000157-1668195000-1668200400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Ian Rankin in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:The long wait is over: John Rebus\, detective inspector and the central protagonist of Edgar Award and Diamond Dagger recipient Ian Rankin’s acclaimed series\, is back this fall in A Heart Full of Headstones. In this 24th book in the now televised series\, Rankin brings new intrigue and suspense to the dark of Edinburgh\, in what Publishers Weekly is calling “one of his best Rebus novels in years.” He’ll be joined by local detective writer and Juno-nominated comedian Charles Demers for an evening discussing the craft of sleuths\, scandals\, and (of course) murder. \n\nThis event is presented in partnership with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/ian-rankin
LOCATION:Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts\, 149 W Hastings St\, Vancouver
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
GEO:49.2846966;-123.1119349
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts 149 W Hastings St Vancouver;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=149 W Hastings St:geo:-123.1119349,49.2846966
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220914T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220914T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20220812T212407Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220815T215558Z
UID:10000156-1663183800-1663189200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Namwayut—We Are All One: A Pathway to Reconciliation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Massy Books and Raincoast Books.\n \nA Special Celebration with Chief Robert Joseph\nWe all share a common humanity. No matter how long or difficult the path ahead\, we are all one. In Namwayut\, Chief Robert Joseph\, globally recognized peacebuilder and Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk People\, traces his journey from his childhood surviving residential school to his present-day role as a leader who inspires individual hope\, collective change\, and global transformation. His dedication to reconciliation has been recognized with multiple honorary degrees and awards. In this momentous event\, Vancouver Writers Fest invites our community to celebrate Chief Joseph’s legacy\, advocacy\, and wisdom on the eve of his 83rd birthday\, in conversation with his collaborator\, Lisa Thomas-Tench. \nPay-What-You-Can options are available for this event. Receive 10% off the retail price of Namwayut at this event\, courtesy of Massy Books\, who will be providing on-site sales.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/namwayut
LOCATION:Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts\, 149 W Hastings St\, Vancouver
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
GEO:49.2846966;-123.1119349
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts 149 W Hastings St Vancouver;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=149 W Hastings St:geo:-123.1119349,49.2846966
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220628T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220628T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20220427T233004Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220527T235606Z
UID:10000238-1656444600-1656450000@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Run Towards the Danger with Sarah Polley
DESCRIPTION:This event has been rescheduled for Tuesday\, June 28 at 7:30pm.\n \nPresented in partnership with VIFF.\n \nCanadian writer\, director\, and Academy Award-nominated actor Sarah Polley joins the Vancouver Writers Fest in celebration of her evocative release\, Run Towards the Danger. A complex and exquisite collection of essays\, the book captures keystone moments in Polley’s life\, as well as the “fallibility of memory\, the mutability of reality in the mind\, and the possibility of experiencing the past anew\, as the person you are now but were not then.” \nWell-known for her role in the miniseries for Margaret Atwood’s novel Alias Grace (2017)\, her directorial debut Away from Her (2006)\, and her Oscar-nominated adapted screenplay for Alice Munro’s “The Bear Came Over the Mountain\,” Polley’s Hollywood credentials are significant and trail-blazing. \nRun Towards the Danger is her dialogue between her past and present\, exploring what it is to live in a body which is constantly becoming\, learning\, and changing. “These are the most dangerous stories of my life\,” says Polley. “The ones I have avoided\, the ones I haven’t told\, the ones that have kept me awake on countless nights. As these stories found echoes in my adult life\, and then went another\, better way than they did in childhood\, they became lighter and easier to carry.” \nJoin us for a dazzling special event on June 28 as Sarah Polley sits down with Vancouver Writers Fest Artistic Director Leslie Hurtig for an intimate\, one-on-one conversation. \nPrices include all taxes and fees. \nCopies of Run Towards the Danger will be on sale at the event thanks to our bookseller\, Book Warehouse. This event is in-person\, and will be located at the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema at Goldcorp Centre for the Arts in downtown Vancouver. Parking information is available here. \nThe Vancouver Writers Fest requires masks be worn indoors at all times for this event. Face masks continue to offer assurance and safety for many of the communities the VWF serves. We thank you for your understanding and consideration.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/sarah-polley
LOCATION:Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts\, 149 W Hastings St\, Vancouver
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
GEO:49.2846966;-123.1119349
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts 149 W Hastings St Vancouver;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=149 W Hastings St:geo:-123.1119349,49.2846966
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220601T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220601T190000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20220520T210012Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220520T174017Z
UID:10000242-1654110000-1654110000@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: BC and Yukon Book Prizes
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and TELUS. \nIt’s award season in BC! Join us for a celebratory night with six of the 2022 BC and Yukon Book Prize finalists from five prestigious award categories. Moderated by Megan Cole\, the Prize’s Director of Programming and Communications\, this much-anticipated panel will feature: \n\nIona Whishaw\, nominated for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award for A Lethal Lesson: A Lane Winslow Mystery (TouchWood Editions)\nHenry Doyle\, nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize for No Shelter (Anvil Press)\nCedar Bowers\, nominated for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize for Astra (McClelland & Stewart | Penguin Random House Canada)\nNicola I. Campbell\, nominated for the Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes for Spíləx̣m: A Weaving of Recovery\, Resilience\, and Resurgence (Highwater Press)\nKaren Duffek and kwəskwestən\, nominated for the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize for Where the Power Is (Figure 1 Publishing)\n\nThis event will feature the finalists reading from their books\, as well as an audience Q&A. The finalists will be announced at a gala in Vancouver on September 24. \nIncite events are free and open to the public\, but an RSVP is required. Books will be on sale at the event from our official bookseller\, Black Bond Books/Book Warehouse. \nThis event can be attended in-person or online. At checkout\, we will ask you if you plan to join us online or in-person.  \nThe Vancouver Writers Fest encourages patrons to wear face masks at its events. While not currently mandated by the BC health authority\, face masks continue to offer assurance and safety for many of the communities the VWF serves. We thank you for your understanding and consideration.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-june-1
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220518T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220518T190000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20220429T220052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220428T235720Z
UID:10000239-1652900400-1652900400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Fiction as a Tempest
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and TELUS. \nThis spring brings rare talents and heart-rending prose in the form of Janice Lynn Mather’s explosive short story collection Uncertain Kin (Doubleday Canada) and Tsering Yangzom Lama’s impassioned debut novel\, We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies (McClelland & Stewart). Joined by moderator Eddy Boudel Tan\, author of The Rebellious Tide (Dundurn Press)\, our final May Incite will feature an absorbing conversation on relationships\, displacement and longing\, as well as all of the minute and miraculous ways we find ourselves in the world. \nAbout the Books \nWe Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama \nA haunting first novel that recounts a Tibetan family’s fifty-year journey through exile and their struggles to forge new lives of dignity\, love\, and hope. Named one of Publisher Weekly‘s Writers to Watch\, and a most anticipated book of the year by The Millions and Ms. \nIn the wake of China’s invasion of Tibet throughout the 1950s\, Lhamo and her sister\, Tenkyi\, arrive at a refugee camp on the border of Nepal. As Lhamo tries to rebuild a life amid a shattered community\, hope arrives in the form of a young man named Samphel and his uncle. \nBreathtaking in scope and powerfully intimate\, We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies is a gorgeously written meditation on colonization\, displacement\, and the lengths we’ll go to remain connected to our families and ancestral lands. Told through the lives of four people over fifty years\, this beautifully lyrical debut novel provides a nuanced portrait of the world of Tibetan exiles. \nUncertain Kin by Janice Lynn Mather \nFrom Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Janice Lynn Mather comes a mesmerizing collection of linked stories that explores the beauty and brutality of being alive. \nSet against the vivid backdrop of The Bahamas\, eighteen luminous and haunting stories introduce women and girls searching for certainty and belonging as they navigate profound upheaval. The characters are bold and big-hearted\, complex and intimately familiar. They grapple with the bonds of kinship and the responsibilities of parenthood\, with grief\, longing\, betrayal\, coming of age and what it means to be a woman. \nTinged with folklore and the surreal\, Uncertain Kin is grounded by its emotional richness and breathtaking insight into our relationships with others—and ourselves. This extraordinary collection signals the debut of an important new voice in literature. \nIncite events are free and open to the public\, but an RSVP is required. We encourage you to pick up the book at your favourite independent bookseller. \nThis event can be attended in-person or online. At checkout\, we will ask you if you plan to join us online or in-person.  \nThe Vancouver Writers Fest encourages patrons to wear face masks at its events. While not currently mandated by the BC health authority\, face masks continue to offer assurance and safety for many of the communities the VWF serves. We thank you for your understanding and consideration.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-may-18
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220504T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220504T190000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20220419T230623Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T232035Z
UID:10000237-1651690800-1651690800@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Kiss the Red Stairs with Marsha Lederman
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and TELUS. \nIn 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. \nIn conversation with Kathryn Gretsinger\, another beloved moderator of the Festival\, this heart-to-heart will explore 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. \nRSVP to join us for the first in-person Incite events in two years—a momentous occasion made even more special for the friends we’ll have together on stage. If you would prefer to join us online\, register to receive the livestream link! \nFrom the publisher \nFor readers of All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay and They Left Us Everything by Plum Johnson\, Kiss the Red Stairs is a compelling memoir by award-winning journalist Marsha Lederman. Marsha was five when a simple question led to a horrifying answer. Sitting in her kitchen\, she asked her mother why she didn’t have any grandparents. Her mother told her the truth: the Holocaust. \nDecades later\, her parents dead and herself a mother to a young son\, Marsha begins to wonder how much history has shaped her own life. Reeling in the wake of a divorce\, she craves her parents’ help. But in their absence\, she is gripped by a need to understand the trauma they suffered\, and she begins her own journey into the past to tell her family’s stories of loss and resilience. Kiss the Red Stairs is a compelling memoir of Holocaust survival\, intergenerational trauma\, divorce\, and discovery that will guide readers through several lifetimes of monumental change. \nIncite events are free and open to the public\, but an RSVP is required. We encourage you to pick up the book at your favourite independent bookseller. \nThis event can be attended in-person or online. At checkout\, we will ask you if you plan to join us online or in-person.  \nThe Vancouver Writers Fest encourages patrons to wear face masks at its events. While not currently mandated by the BC health authority\, face masks continue to offer assurance and safety for many of the communities the VWF serves. We thank you for your understanding and consideration.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/kiss-the-red-stairs
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220201T210000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20220201T210000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20211215T214552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220121T235431Z
UID:10000230-1643749200-1643749200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:People Change: Vivek Shraya in Conversation with Marsha Lederman
DESCRIPTION:In partnership with PuSh Festival.  \nDirectly following the Tuesday\, February 1 one-woman performance of How to Fail as a Popstar at PuSh Festival\, acclaimed musician and author Vivek Shraya will join Vancouver Writers Fest for a one-to-one conversation with Marsha Lederman on her new work\, People Change\, a meditation on change\, from its varied manifestations to its inevitability in our lives. \nFrom the publisher: We change our haircuts and our outfits and our minds. We change names\, titles\, labels. We attempt to blend in or to stand out. We outgrow relationships\, we abandon dreams for new ones\, we start fresh. We seize control of our stories. We make resolutions. \nIn fact\, nobody knows this better than Vivek Shraya\, who’s made a career of wearing many hats: artist\, performer\, musician\, writer\, model\, teacher. In People Change\, she reflects on the origins of this impulse\, tracing it to childhood influences from Hinduism to Madonna. What emerges is a meditation on change itself: why we fear it\, why we’re drawn to it\, what motivates us to change\, and what traps us in place. \nAt a time when we’re especially contemplating who we want to be\, this slim and stylish handbook is an essential companion—a guide to embracing our many selves and the inspiration to discover who we’ll become next. \nThis incredible dialogue will take place in Performance Works from 9:00pm\, and will last for approximately 45 minutes\, followed by book sales of People Change\, as well as How to Fail as a Popstar.  \nIn accordance with public health orders\, the venue will be seated at 50% capacity\, masks must be worn at all times\, and proof of vaccination will be required for entry. Book early—tickets will sell quickly!
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/vivek-shraya
LOCATION:Performance Works
CATEGORIES:Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T190000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T203557Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211004T234453Z
UID:10000225-1635102000-1635102000@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Danny Ramadan Presents: A Night of Storytelling
DESCRIPTION:The Night of Storytelling returns in its seventh year with a new home at the Vancouver Writers Fest. Join Syrian-Canadian author Danny Ramadan as he brings Queer\, Trans\, and Two-Spirit authors to the Revue Stage for a night of readings\, stories\, and joy under the theme “Evil Exes.” Each of the four authors will read from their work\, before talking candidly about what constitutes an evil ex\, and the tipping point between lovers and foes (they might even spill the tea on an ex or two). \nDanny Ramadan will be joined by Amber Dawn\, Jaz Papadopoulos\, David Ly\, and Brandi Bird. \n\nPresented thanks to the support of UBC Creative Writing.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/danny-ramadan-presents-a-night-of-storytelling
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T153000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T153000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T202408Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211007T182219Z
UID:10000141-1635089400-1635089400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:The Afternoon Tea with Myriam Chancy\, Linden MacIntyre\, Casey Plett\, Jael Richardson\, Ian Williams\, and Alix Ohlin
DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT\nOne of the Festival’s signature events returns as a live\, Live event! Nibble on scones with clotted cream and jam\, munch on sandwiches and quiches\, and quaff carefully chosen tea selections as you listen to celebrated writers reading their latest works. This year’s featured authors include some of CanLit’s favourite names\, including Myriam Chancy (What Storm\, What Thunder: A Novel)\, Linden MacIntyre (The Winter Wives)\, Casey Plett (A Dream of a Woman)\, Jael Richardson (Gutter Child)\, Ian Williams (Disorientation)\, and Alix Ohlin (We Want What We Want). What better way to enjoy the return of our physical Festival with fellow bibliophiles? \n\n\n\n\nHosted by Bill Richardson. \n\n\n\n\n\nGenerously sponsored by the Faris family in memory of Yulanda Faris. \nYouth discounts not available for this event. \nUpdate: Please note that Zoe Whittall\, originally scheduled for this event\, can no longer attend.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/the-afternoon-tea-with-myriam-chancy-linden-macintyre-casey-plett-jael-richardson-ian-williams-and-zoe-whittall
LOCATION:Performance Works
CATEGORIES:Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T201456Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210916T215437Z
UID:10000140-1635084000-1635084000@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Blending Genres With Hiromi Goto\, Harold R. Johnson\, and Renée Sarojini Saklikar
DESCRIPTION:It’s achievement enough to publish a literary work\, but one that combines genres—and excels in all of them—is a talent that few possess. Hiromi Goto has produced acclaimed poetry and novels—and now Shadow Life\, a graphic novel that’s steeped in literary fiction with poetic magical realism. Harold R. Johnson is an acclaimed fiction and non-fiction writer. In The Björkan Sagas\, he merges myth\, fantasy\, and history into an epic of exploration and adventure. Renée Sarojini Saklikar is an award-winning author\, lawyer\, and poet whose latest work was 10 years in the making. Bramah and the Beggar Boy is intellectually\, geographically\, and temporally wide-ranging: ambitious in scope. As the publisher explains\, “The portal is deep. The portal is open. Take a deep breath. Jump.” \n\n\n\n\nModerated by Rachel Rose. \n\n\n\n\n\nAward Ceremony\nFollowing this event\, the Vancouver Writers Fest is proud to host the VMI Warland Between Genres Award. Vancouver Manuscript Intensive directors Rachel Rose and Elee Kraljii Gardiner are pleased to introduce the inaugural VMI Warland Between Genres Award\, judged by Wayde Compton. Named in honour of Betsy Warland\, this award celebrates works that disrupt convention about what a book should be\, how it should read\, what it should sound like\, and what subject matter is acceptable. This award honours Warland’s trajectory and ethos by celebrating the importance of the hybrid and unclassifiable.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/blending-genres-with-hiromi-goto-harold-r-johnson-and-renee-sarojini-saklikar
LOCATION:Waterfront Theatre\, 1412 Cartwright St.\, Vancouver\, British Columbia\, BC V6H 3R7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Theatre
GEO:49.2701014;-123.1355423
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T103000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211024T103000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T195448Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211021T204010Z
UID:10000135-1635071400-1635071400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Gripping Tales With Linwood Barclay\, Cherie Jones\, and Eddy Boudel Tan
DESCRIPTION:These authors write in different genres but one thing connects them all: their ability to create spellbinding stories. Linwood Barclay is a household favourite for his prolific output of unputdownable thrillers. He returns with Find You First. Cherie Jones’ How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House has earned comparisons to Zadie Smith and Marlon James. The critically acclaimed debut follows four people in Barbados\, each desperate to escape their legacy of violence in a so-called “paradise.” Eddy Boudel Tan’s debut\, After Elias\, cemented him as an author to watch. He returns with The Rebellious Tide\, described as a “propulsive\, unpredictable adventure.” Discover three new works you’ll be recommending as soon as you turn the last page. \nModerated by Rob Wiersema. \n\nPresented in partnership with the BCIT Alumni Association. \nLinwood Barclay (appearing virtually)\nCherie Jones (appearing in-person)\nEddy Boudel Tan (appearing in-person)\nRob Wiersema (appearing in-person)
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/gripping-tales-with-linwood-barclay-cherie-jones-and-eddy-boudel-tan
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Theatre
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T200000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T194319Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211022T234013Z
UID:10000223-1635019200-1635019200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Binge: Douglas Coupland  in Conversation with Lisa Christiansen
DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT\nUpdate: This event will no longer feature ASL interpretation. \n“If you love Doug’s fiction\, this collection is like rain on the desert\,” says the publisher of Douglas Coupland’s first work of fiction since 2013\, Binge. And certainly\, for the millions of readers for whom Coupland’s existentialism\, profundity\, and hilarity was generation-defining\, this is a welcome collection to devour. A collection of 60 stories featuring myriad characters—from the maudlin to the absurd—they ask us to question how we should be living. The bestselling author speaks with CBC producer Lisa Christiansen about his latest. \n\nCommunity partner: Opus Art Supplies
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/binge-douglas-coupland-in-conversation-with-lisa-christiansen
LOCATION:Waterfront Theatre\, 1412 Cartwright St.\, Vancouver\, British Columbia\, BC V6H 3R7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Theatre
GEO:49.2701014;-123.1355423
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Waterfront Theatre 1412 Cartwright St. Vancouver British Columbia BC V6H 3R7 Canada;X-APPLE-RADIUS=500;X-TITLE=1412 Cartwright St.:geo:-123.1355423,49.2701014
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T200000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T194114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20211022T234246Z
UID:10000222-1635019200-1635019200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Float Like a Butterfly\, Drink  Mint Tea: Alex Wood in Conversation with Charles Demers
DESCRIPTION:Update: This event will feature ASL interpretation! \nAlex Wood doesn’t do things by half. After being on a dedicated fast track to die young (and drunk)\, the drug-addicted\, alcoholic comedian decided to quit… everything. Wood gave up alcohol\, drugs\, red meat\, dairy\, social media\, porn\, credit cards\, nail-biting\, and gossip—all at once. He speaks with Robin’s Egg imprint publisher\, comedian\, and friend Charles Demers about this transition—and the heartbreak\, relapses\, and abuse along the way\, alongside love\, support\, and lots of laughter. With humour and candour\, Wood shares the deep shame of addiction\, and how he began to overcome it in order to survive. They say that humour is the best medicine. This conversation between two of the funniest folks in Vancouver is sure to offer entertaining insights into banishing one’s demons.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/float-like-a-butterfly-drink-mint-tea-alex-wood-in-conversation-with-charles-demers
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Theatre
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T200000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T193718Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210917T175249Z
UID:10000221-1635019200-1635019200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:The Literary Cabaret With Mona Awad\, Gary Barwin\,  Marcello Di Cintio\, Omar El Akkad\,  Christa Couture\, and Darrel McLeod
DESCRIPTION:THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT\nOf all the delights of returning to physical Festival stages\, this one feels the sweetest: the return of the Festival’s flagship event\, the Literary Cabaret. It’s a magical coalescence of author readings and improvised songs; an atmospheric\, immersive evening of art. Returning at the helm of these fusions is Sally Zori: Musical Director and lead in Sally Zori & The Allegories. The band will accompany critically acclaimed author Mona Awad (All’s Well); writer\, composer\, and poet Gary Barwin (Nothing the Same\, Everything Haunted); award-winning journalist and author Marcello Di Cintio (Driven); bestseller and award-winner Omar El Akkad (What Strange Paradise)\, lauded memoirist Christa Couture (How To Lose Everything); and award-winning\, inspirational voice\, Darrel McLeod (Peyakow). Welcome back. \n\n\n\n\nHost and Musical Director: Sally Zori and The Allegories. \n\n\n\n\n\nYouth discounts not available for this event.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/the-literary-cabaret-with-mona-awad-gary-barwin-marcello-di-cintio-omar-el-akkad-christa-couture-and-darrel-mcleod
LOCATION:Performance Works
CATEGORIES:Theatre
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20211023T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T020234
CREATED:20210907T192310Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210916T214310Z
UID:10000216-1634997600-1634997600@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Short Stories\, Great Tales with Norma Dunning\, Alix Ohlin\, and Casey Plett
DESCRIPTION:The short story: the hardest narrative to craft and an often-underrated form\, it’s one of the Festival’s favourite areas to explore in events. Rediscover the beauty of these slim delights with an event exploring the crafting behind them. Norma Dunning draws on both lived experience and cultural memory to weave six new short stories centred on modern-day Inuk characters in Tainna; The Unseen Ones. Two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalist\, Alix Ohlin is incapable of writing a story that’s anything other than a masterclass in craft. We Want What We Want is populated by bad parents and inescapable old flames. Lambda Literary Award winner Casey Plett’s collection\, A Dream of a Woman\, is one of the most anticipated books of the season. Her work buzzes with quiet intensity and intimate complexities as Plett centers transgender women seeking stable\, adult lives. \n\n\n\n\nModerated by Bill Richardson.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/short-stories-great-tales-with-norma-dunning-alix-ohlin-and-casey-plett
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Theatre
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