BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Vancouver Writers Fest - ECPv6.15.18//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Vancouver Writers Fest
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Vancouver
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20220313T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20221106T090000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20230312T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20231105T090000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20240310T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20241103T090000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0800
TZOFFSETTO:-0700
TZNAME:PDT
DTSTART:20250309T100000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0700
TZOFFSETTO:-0800
TZNAME:PST
DTSTART:20251102T090000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230923T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20230923T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20230629T212252Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230818T164235Z
UID:10000266-1695497400-1695502800@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Zadie-Smith_sold-out.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231003T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231003T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20230629T212630Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231003T232913Z
UID:10000267-1696361400-1696366800@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023_BrentButt_social-banner-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231016
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20231023
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20230908T174916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230908T180127Z
UID:10000270-1697414400-1698019199@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:2023 Festival
DESCRIPTION:Discover the 2023 Festival Lineup! \nOur 36th annual Festival takes place October 16–22\, on Granville Island and beyond\, with all youth events available both in-person and online. \nFestival Week will feature 125+ authors in 85 events\, including five curated by our 2023 Guest Curator\, CBC Commotion host Elamin Abdelmahmoud. In addition\, we’re thrilled to welcome our returning Spoken Word Curator\, Jillian Christmas; and our new Musical Director\, Benjamin Millman\, who will lead our signature Literary Cabaret event alongside his band\, Benjamin Millman and the Oxymorons! \nGather with us at the Festival to revel in the words of Naomi Klein\, Cherie Dimaline\, Esi Edugyan\, Michael Crummey\, Kai Thomas\, Silvia Moreno-Garcia\, Patrick deWitt\, John Vaillant\, Rebecca Solnit\, Celeste Ng\, Paul Harding\, Michelle Good\, Kevin Chong\, Aisha Harris\, Lauren Groff\, and many more. \nTickets on sale September 18 to the public — September 11 to VWF Members.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/2023-festival
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-Festival-web-header-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231018T150000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231020T180000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20231011T181552Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231011T235108Z
UID:10000271-1697641200-1697824800@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Writing Consultations with Aren X. Tulchinsky
DESCRIPTION:In partnership with the Vancouver Public Library and Upstart & Crow\, we’re thrilled to offer one-on-one consultations to aspiring writers with VPL writer in residence Aren X.Tulchinsky\, as part of #VWF2023!\n  \n\nConsultation appointments will be held on October 18 and 20 between 3–6pm at the Upstart & Crow writers’ studio on Granville Island. \n  \n\nTo request a 20-minute consultation appointment\, please email programs@vpl.ca with the subject line “Writer in Residence 2023” and the following information:\n\n\n\nA brief introduction including your writing experience to date\, what you hope to gain from the consultation\, and any specific aspects of your work that you would like to discuss.\nA maximum of 4 pages\, or 1\,000 words of your written work\, typed in Times New Roman (font size 12)\, and double spaced with each page numbered in the bottom right-hand corner.\n\nAren has expertise in short stories\, fiction\, creative non-fiction\, screen plays and monologues; please do not send poetry. \nConsultation appointments will be held at the Upstart & Crow writers’ studio on Granville Island. The studio is up one flight of stairs and accessible space is available on the ground floor. Please indicate in your email if accessible space is preferred. Please arrive early for your appointment. \nThis program is supported by the Friends of The Vancouver Public Library\, a community of library lovers who volunteer\, fundraise\, and advocate in support of the Vancouver Public Library. The Friends also operate book’mark\, The Library Store\, on the main level of Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/consultations-2023
LOCATION:Upstart & Crow
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023_Consultations_VWF-VPL-Upstart_banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231118T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231118T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20230817T150010Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230907T201240Z
UID:10000268-1700335800-1700341200@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023_MercerArden_blue-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231201T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20231201T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20230908T162647Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231129T204848Z
UID:10000269-1701459000-1701464400@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023_MonkmanGordon_social-banner-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20231215
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240201
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20231127T201457Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240117T222857Z
UID:10000272-1702598400-1706745599@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:2023 Digital Festival Release
DESCRIPTION:The deadline to purchase a Digital Festival Pass is midnight on Wednesday\, January 24.\nPresented in partnership with SFU Continuing Studies. \nOur flagship Festival this October brought together award-winning and emerging writers\, along with record numbers of audience members\, for an exhilarating week of celebrating books through conversations that were entertaining\, thought-provoking\, and galvanizing. We’re excited to now share a curated selection of 25 recorded events in this Digital Festival Release. Featuring a wide range of genres and formats\, these events represent some of the most outstanding offerings from our 2023 Festival. Watch and rewatch them from wherever you are\, from December 15 through January 31.   \nWe hope these events\, many of which were previously sold out prior to Festival Week\, will reach people far and wide. We’ve allocated significant resources toward recording high quality videos of our events as part of our ongoing commitment to accessibility for our community. For those unable to attend in person (or who couldn’t be in two places at once!)\, we’re proud to provide this online offering. \nThe Digital Festival pass is available as pay-what-you-can. Featuring 25 events (the average cost to attend each in-person being $25)\, we value the Digital Festival pass at $100. We invite you to consider how much you’ll watch\, as well as your ability to support our investment in accessibility efforts\, when selecting a payment option. If the options provided present a barrier to you\, please reach out to us at info@writersfest.bc.ca.  \n\n25 fully-captioned\, full-length events from the 2023 Festival are included in this all-access pass:\n\n\n\n(Click on an event title to read the full description from our October Festival program.) \n#01. The Alma Lee Opening Night Event: Page-Turning Thrills featuring Louise Candlish\, Shari Lapena\, Liz Nugent\, with moderator André Picard \n#02. Roaming featuring Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki\, with moderator Sarah Leavitt  \n#03. Inheriting Truth featuring Janika Oza\, katherena vermette\, Ada Zhang\, with moderator Elamin Abdelmahmoud \n#04. Word! featuring fanny kearse\, Em Nimetz\, D Fretter\, with host Jillian Christmas \n#05. Bestselling Teen Fiction for a Reasonfeaturing Cherie Dimaline and Jen Ferguson\, with moderator Molly Cross-Blanchard \n#06. The Company We Keep featuring Patrick DeWitt\, Catherine Hernandez\, Sean Michaels\, with moderator Robert J. Wiersema \n#07. She’s A Scream featuring Ashley Audrain\, Mona Awad\, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia\, with moderator Jael Richardson \n#08. Blackness as a Portal\, Blackness as the Frame featuring Suzette Mayr\, Christina Sharpe\, Aisha Harris\, with moderator Jasmine Sealy \n#09. Anne Berest in Conversation with Marsha Lederman \n#10. Season of the Witch featuring Cherie Dimaline\, Anna Maxymiw\, Zalika Reid-Benta\, with moderator Elamin Abdelmahmoud \n#11. Celeste Ng in Conversation with Jael Richardson  \n#12. Smells Like… 90s Lyrics Night featuring Omar El Akkad\, Chelsea Wakelyn\, John Freeman\, Jen Sookfong Lee\, Kevin Chong\, Mona Awad\, Aisha Harris\, Emma Healey\, Sean Michaels\, Michael V. Smith\, Claudia Dey\, Sam Shelstad\, William Ping\, with host Elamin Abdelmahmoud \n#13. The Best of History featuring Emma Donoghue\, Paul Harding\, Janika Oza\, Kai Thomas\, with moderator Aislinn Hunter \n#14. Book Banning in a Precarious Age featuring Aden Polydoros\, Jen Ferguson\, and Casey Plett\, with moderator Marsha Lederman \n#15. Lauren Groff in Conversation with Alix Ohlin \n#16. Landbridge in tribute to Y-Dang Troeung — featuring Dionne Brand\, David Chariandy\, Madeleine Thien\, Christopher B. Patterson\, with moderator Doretta Lau  \n#17. Rebecca Solnit in Conversation with Kathryn Gretsinger \n#18. Chinatown: Past and Future featuring Daniel Innes\, Christina Wong\, Fae Myenne Ng\, Henry Tsang\, with moderator Kevin Chong \n#19. Novel Ideas featuring Michael Crummey\, Emma Donoghue\, Elizabeth Hay\, with moderator Marsha Lederman \n#20. Michelle Good in Conversation with Carleigh Baker  \n#21. Poets on Family and Time featuring Lorna Crozier and Susan Musgrave\, with moderator Hal Wake \n#22. The Literary Cabaret featuring Patrick deWitt\, Jenny Erpenbeck\, Elaine Feeney\, Paul Harding\, Kai Thomas\, Tania James\, with musical accompaniment by Benjamin Millman and the Oxymorons \n#23. The Conversations: Jenny Erpenbeck\, Elaine Feeney with moderator Marsha Lederman \n#24. Pictures on the Wall: The Power of Art featuring Jeannie Marshall\, Max Wyman\, Michael Audain\, with moderator Sirish Rao \n#25. Not Too Late: The Climate Conversation  featuring Rebecca Solnit\, Chris Turner\, John Vaillant\, with moderator Matt Galloway
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/digital-festival-2023
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Digital
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Digital-Festival_web-event-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240124T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240124T203000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240108T211332Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240115T204850Z
UID:10000275-1706122800-1706128200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Deb Perelman in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.  \nGet inspired in the kitchen with Deb Perelman\, a self-taught home cook and the force behind SmittenKitchen.com. An international sensation among home cooks\, Perelman has authored three New York Times bestselling cookbooks\, most recently Smitten Kitchen Keepers\, and has amassed over 2.7 million followers worldwide for her comforting\, accessible recipes. For our very first Incite of the season\, Perelman will share ‘seasoned’ insights from the kitchen and her career. We know you’ll be smitten. In conversation with Bronwen Tate. \nCopies of Deb Perelman’s books will be available for sale before and after the event courtesy of Blackbond Books | Book Warehouse. \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-perelman
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Incite_2024-01_soldout.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240131
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240201
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240207T233615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240207T233615Z
UID:10000278-1706659200-1706745599@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Deb Perelman in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.  \nGet inspired in the kitchen with Deb Perelman\, a self-taught home cook and the force behind SmittenKitchen.com. An international sensation among home cooks\, Perelman has authored three New York Times bestselling cookbooks\, most recently Smitten Kitchen Keepers\, and has amassed over 2.7 million followers worldwide for her comforting\, accessible recipes. For our very first Incite of the season\, Perelman shares ‘seasoned’ insights from the kitchen and her career. We know you’ll be smitten. In conversation with Bronwen Tate.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-01-31-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/01-31-incite-multimedia.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240207
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240208
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240306T231844Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240306T231844Z
UID:10000282-1707264000-1707350399@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: CBC’s Canada Reads – Téa Mutonji and Kudakwashe Rutendo
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and CBC’s Canada Reads.\n \nCanada Reads is back! The annual battle of the books is a lively debate between five champions\, who each defend one book as the title the whole country should read this year. Celebrate this year’s contenders at Incite\, where finalist Téa Mutonji sat down with her champion\, actor and TIFF Rising Star Kudakwashe Rutendo.  \nIn Shut Up You’re Pretty\, Mutonji’s disarming debut story collection\, a woman contemplates her Congolese traditions during a family wedding; a teenage girl looks for happiness inside a pack of cigarettes; a mother reconnects with her daughter through their shared interest in fish; and a young woman decides to shave her head in the waiting room of an abortion clinic. On CBC Radio’s Commotion\, Rutendo commented: “At once feminist\, unapologetic and potent\, Shut Up You’re Pretty presents the opportunity to reconcile what we’ve been carrying at a time when it couldn’t be more needed.”
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-02-07-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/incite-multimedia-mutonji.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240207T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240207T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240127T010021Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240126T193442Z
UID:10000276-1707332400-1707336000@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: CBC’s Canada Reads – Téa Mutonji and Kudakwashe Rutendo
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and CBC’s Canada Reads.\n \nCanada Reads is back! The annual battle of the books is a lively debate between five champions\, who each defend one book as the title the whole country should read this year. Celebrate this year’s contenders at Incite\, where finalist Téa Mutonji will sit down with her champion\, actor and TIFF Rising Star Kudakwashe Rutendo.  \nIn Shut Up You’re Pretty\, Mutonji’s disarming debut story collection\, a woman contemplates her Congolese traditions during a family wedding; a teenage girl looks for happiness inside a pack of cigarettes; a mother reconnects with her daughter through their shared interest in fish; and a young woman decides to shave her head in the waiting room of an abortion clinic. On CBC Radio’s Commotion\, Rutendo commented: “At once feminist\, unapologetic and potent\, Shut Up You’re Pretty presents the opportunity to reconcile what we’ve been carrying at a time when it couldn’t be more needed.” \nCanada Reads finalists become national bestsellers. Come meet two emerging Canadian icons.  \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-mutonji
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_Incite-02-07_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240221
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240222
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240307T000227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240307T000227Z
UID:10000283-1708473600-1708559999@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Sheila Heti in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nLiterary innovator Sheila Heti—known for experimental and philosophical books such as Motherhood\, Pure Colour\, and How Should a Person Be?—returns to Incite with what might be her most intimate work yet. Discover ten years of her diaries\, curiously rearranged in Alphabetical Diaries.  \nThe New York Times called reading Alphabetical Diaries “a profound experience.” Experience it for yourself at this insightful conversation between Heti and author Molly Cross-Blanchard.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-02-21-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/incite-multimedia-heti.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240221T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240221T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240201T170055Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240131T235757Z
UID:10000277-1708542000-1708545600@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Sheila Heti in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nLiterary innovator Sheila Heti—known for experimental and philosophical books such as Motherhood\, Pure Colour\, and How Should a Person Be?—returns to Incite with what might be her most intimate work yet. Discover ten years of her diaries\, curiously rearranged in Alphabetical Diaries. \nA little over a decade ago\, Heti began looking back at the diaries she’d kept over the previous ten years\, searching for signs of deeper change inside herself. She loaded all 500\,000 words of her journals into Microsoft Excel\, to order the sentences alphabetically and seek out patterns and repetitions. With the sentences untethered from the narrative of her diaries\, she started to see herself—and the Self—in a new way. The result is something fresh and sublime.  \nThe New York Times called reading Alphabetical Diaries “a profound experience.” Experience it for yourself at this insightful conversation between Heti and author Molly Cross-Blanchard.  \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-heti
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_Incite-02-21_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240223T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240223T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240110T000040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240222T213715Z
UID:10000274-1708716600-1708722000@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2024_Jen-Gunter_web-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240306
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240307
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20241120T013546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T013546Z
UID:10000298-1709683200-1709769599@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Divine Debut Fiction
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nDebut novelists Lily Wang and Scott Alexander Howard unveil moving works of literary fiction that will enchant readers with exquisite prose\, and a touch of the otherworldly. Explore threads of memory\, longing\, loss\, and the surreal at this Incite event.   \nLily Wang’s Silver Repetition tenderly illuminates the fullness of identity despite fractures in language\, culture\, and relationships. Having left China for Canada with her parents as a child\, Yuè Yuè yearns to discover who she is as she nears the end of her degree and starts a new relationship. In urgent poetic fragments\, she seeks common ground with her Canadian-born younger sister and grieves the cousin she lost touch with back home. \nFor fans of Emily St. John Mandel\, David Mitchell\, and Kazuo Ishiguro\, The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard is a literary speculative novel set in an unnamed valley\, where bereaved residents can petition to cross a forbidden border to see their lost loved ones again. This masterful modern fable has been called “unforgettable” (Kevin Chong) and “astonishingly brilliant” (Liz Nugent).   \nOur guests speak with Tara McGuire\, author of the moving memoir Holden After & Before.   \n 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-03-06-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Incite-multimedia-.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240306T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240306T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240216T190217Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240216T224940Z
UID:10000280-1709751600-1709755200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Divine Debut Fiction with Lily Wang and Scott Alexander Howard
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nDebut novelists Lily Wang and Scott Alexander Howard unveil moving works of literary fiction that will enchant readers with exquisite prose\, and a touch of the otherworldly. Explore threads of memory\, longing\, loss\, and the surreal at this Incite event.   \nLily Wang’s Silver Repetition tenderly illuminates the fullness of identity despite fractures in language\, culture\, and relationships. Having left China for Canada with her parents as a child\, Yuè Yuè yearns to discover who she is as she nears the end of her degree and starts a new relationship. In urgent poetic fragments\, she seeks common ground with her Canadian-born younger sister and grieves the cousin she lost touch with back home. \nFor fans of Emily St. John Mandel\, David Mitchell\, and Kazuo Ishiguro\, The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard is a literary speculative novel set in an unnamed valley\, where bereaved residents can petition to cross a forbidden border to see their lost loved ones again. This masterful modern fable has been called “unforgettable” (Kevin Chong) and “astonishingly brilliant” (Liz Nugent).   \nOur guests will speak with Tara McGuire\, author of the moving memoir Holden After & Before.   \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-debuts
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024_Incite-03-06_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240320
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240321
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20241120T013827Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T013827Z
UID:10000299-1710892800-1710979199@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Cozy Mystery with Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nLooking for a murder mystery to spark that warm\, fuzzy feeling inside? Featuring amateur detectives\, fascinating supporting casts\, and a focus on solving clues over violence and gloom\, cozy mysteries have taken the publishing world by storm. Hear from some of the best in the genre at this Incite event with Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti\, authors of Bury the Lead.  \nBury the Lead follows Cat Conway\, a big-city journalist who’s recently fled her high-profile career to join the staff of a paper in cottage country. One of her first assignments is to interview legendary actor Eliot Fraser. When Eliot ends up dead onstage on the theatre’s opening night\, the curtain rises on the sleepy town’s secrets. Can Cat solve the mystery before she loses her job or becomes the next victim of a killer with a theatrical bent for vengeance? \nFor fans of Louise Penny\, Agatha Christie\, and Only Murders in the Building\, this intimate event is not to be missed. Both bestselling and acclaimed authors for their previous works\, Hilton and Renzetti speak with Globe and Mail journalist and author André Picard. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-03-20-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Incite-multimedia-2.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240320T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240320T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240227T223413Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240301T223434Z
UID:10000281-1710961200-1710964800@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Cozy Mystery with Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nLooking for a murder mystery to spark that warm\, fuzzy feeling inside? Featuring amateur detectives\, fascinating supporting casts\, and a focus on solving clues over violence and gloom\, cozy mysteries have taken the publishing world by storm. Hear from some of the best in the genre at this Incite event with Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti\, authors of Bury the Lead.  \nBury the Lead follows Cat Conway\, a big-city journalist who’s recently fled her high-profile career to join the staff of a paper in cottage country. One of her first assignments is to interview legendary actor Eliot Fraser. When Eliot ends up dead onstage on the theatre’s opening night\, the curtain rises on the sleepy town’s secrets. Can Cat solve the mystery before she loses her job or becomes the next victim of a killer with a theatrical bent for vengeance? \nFor fans of Louise Penny\, Agatha Christie\, and Only Murders in the Building\, this intimate event is not to be missed. Both bestselling and acclaimed authors for their previous works\, Hilton and Renzetti will speak with Globe and Mail journalist and author André Picard.   \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-mystery
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024_Incite-03-20_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240409T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240409T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240315T173105Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240326T173403Z
UID:10000284-1712691000-1712696400@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_We-Come-From-This-Land_web-banner-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240417
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240418
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20241120T014040Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T014040Z
UID:10000300-1713312000-1713398399@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: All About Love
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nThis Incite event is all about love—romantic\, familial\, tender\, fierce\, gut-wrenching\, and wondrous love. Three LGBTQ+ authors join us on-stage to discuss their highly anticipated novels\, which boldly explore love in all its expressions. \nIn Christina Cooke’s searing debut novel\, Broughtupsy\, Akúa returns home to Jamaica for the first time in ten years and is forced to confront the difficult reality of being gay in a deeply religious family\, and of what it means to feel at home. \nAnne Fleming’s Curiosities is a genre- and gender-bending historical novel with a modern twist. We follow a present-day amateur historian\, Anne\, as she pieces together seventeenth-century manuscripts that tell conflicting stories about two lovers\, living in a time when there were no labels for who they might truly be. \nWhat if you had the chance to rewrite the course of your relationship\, again and again\, in the hopes that it would work out? Myriam Lacroix’s How It Works Out explores just this\, as a queer love story plays out in many alternate realities to paint a darkly comic portrait of love’s many promises and perils. \nJoin us for a vivacious conversation\, as the authors sit down to discuss their books with author Candie Tanaka.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-04-17-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Incite-multimedia-3.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240417T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240417T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20240320T205856Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240322T195831Z
UID:10000286-1713380400-1713384000@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: All About Love
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nThis Incite event is all about love—romantic\, familial\, tender\, fierce\, gut-wrenching\, and wondrous love. Three LGBTQ+ authors join us on-stage to discuss their highly anticipated novels\, which boldly explore love in all its expressions. \nIn Christina Cooke’s searing debut novel\, Broughtupsy\, Akúa returns home to Jamaica for the first time in ten years and is forced to confront the difficult reality of being gay in a deeply religious family\, and of what it means to feel at home. \nAnne Fleming’s Curiosities is a genre- and gender-bending historical novel with a modern twist. We follow a present-day amateur historian\, Anne\, as she pieces together seventeenth-century manuscripts that tell conflicting stories about two lovers\, living in a time when there were no labels for who they might truly be. \nWhat if you had the chance to rewrite the course of your relationship\, again and again\, in the hopes that it would work out? Myriam Lacroix’s How It Works Out explores just this\, as a queer love story plays out in many alternate realities to paint a darkly comic portrait of love’s many promises and perils. \nJoin us for a vivacious conversation\, as the authors sit down to discuss their books with author Candie Tanaka.  \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-love
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_Incite-04-17_social-banner-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240424
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240425
DTSTAMP:20260421T023216
CREATED:20241120T014343Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T014343Z
UID:10000301-1713916800-1714003199@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: A Reading with Michael Ondaatje – A Year of Last Things
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nWith A Year of Last Things\, acclaimed novelist Michael Ondaatje returns to poetry\, where he began his career over fifty years ago. It also marks his first return to the Vancouver Writers Fest since 2018. We are thrilled to connect the Booker Prize-winning author with Vancouver readers at this free Incite event. \nBorn in Sri Lanka during the Second World War\, Ondaatje was sent as a child to school in London\, and later moved to Canada. These poems reflect the life of a writer\, traveller and watcher of the world—describing himself as a “mongrel\,” someone born out of diverse cultures. Here\, rediscovering the influence of every border crossed\, he moves back and forth in time\, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery\, love and loss.  \nA Year of Last Things has already been named “Ondaatje’s finest.” (Quill & Quire) Hear mesmerizing readings from this new work\, and a contemplative conversation between the celebrated Canadian author and his dear friend Jenny Penberthy\, a renowned scholar in the field of modern poetry and poetics.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-04-24-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Incite-multimedia-4.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240424T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240424T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20240404T163052Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240328T214917Z
UID:10000288-1713985200-1713988800@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: A Reading with Michael Ondaatje – A Year of Last Things
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nWith A Year of Last Things\, acclaimed novelist Michael Ondaatje returns to poetry\, where he began his career over fifty years ago. It also marks his first return to the Vancouver Writers Fest since 2018. We are thrilled to connect the Booker Prize-winning author with Vancouver readers at this free Incite event. \nBorn in Sri Lanka during the Second World War\, Ondaatje was sent as a child to school in London\, and later moved to Canada. These poems reflect the life of a writer\, traveller and watcher of the world—describing himself as a “mongrel\,” someone born out of diverse cultures. Here\, rediscovering the influence of every border crossed\, he moves back and forth in time\, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery\, love and loss.  \nA Year of Last Things has already been named “Ondaatje’s finest.” (Quill & Quire) Hear mesmerizing readings from this new work\, and a contemplative conversation between the celebrated Canadian author and his dear friend Jenny Penberthy\, a renowned scholar in the field of modern poetry and poetics.  \nBooks will be for sale at the event—including copies pre-signed by Ondaatje!—courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. There will be no live signing at this event. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-ondaatje
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_Incite-04-24_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240426T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240426T230000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20240212T181218Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240223T224003Z
UID:10000279-1714161600-1714172400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Whisky & Words
DESCRIPTION:General Admission early bird tickets: $125\nVIP early bird tickets (intimate early access hour featuring exclusive whiskies): $160\nEmbark on a whisky lover’s dream the 22nd Annual Whisky & Words fundraiser! Sample unlimited tastings from top distilleries across Vancouver\, British Columbia\, and the world featuring the finest spirits from Scotland\, Canada\, Japan\, and more. But that’s not all – engage in the thrill of our vibrant silent auction\, where you can bid on unique items and exclusive experiences from the best of Vancouver’s local businesses. Enjoy our culinary offerings and live music\, in an entertaining night out that supports the year-round programs of the Vancouver Writers Festival. \nExamples from last year’s featured spirits include: Writers’ Tears\, Kujira\, Shinobu\, Glasgow 1770\, Dublin City\, Kilchoman\, Glenmorangie\, Ardbeg\, Odd Society Spirits\, Shelter Point\, Glenfarclas\, Elements of Islay\, Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.\, Magnum Scotch Malt Whisky Cream Liqueur\, Forbidden Spirits\, Isle of Harris Scottish Gin\, Kyro\, Bruichladdich\, Westland American Single Malt\, Granville Island Brewing\, and more. \n***This event sells out; please purchase your tickets early to avoid disappointment!*** \nThe Vancouver Writers Fest is a registered\, non-profit charity; as such\, all ticket holders will receive a tax receipt for 75% of their ticket value. For example\, a $100 ticket means you will be issued a tax receipt in the amount of $75.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/whisky-words-2024
LOCATION:Performance Works
CATEGORIES:Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Whisky_2024_FB-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240501T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240501T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20240320T160034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240325T221147Z
UID:10000285-1714591800-1714597200@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_Wade-Davis_social-banner-1.jpg
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:20240509T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240509T193000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20240327T165655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240327T165655Z
UID:10000287-1715283000-1715283000@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024_Sophie-Trudeau_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240514T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240514T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20231204T185714Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240220T231644Z
UID:10000273-1715715000-1715720400@writersfest.bc.ca
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
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/SEDARIS_VAN_1200x627.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240515
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240516
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20241120T014615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T014615Z
UID:10000302-1715731200-1715817599@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Unforgettable Short Stories
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nShort stories pack infinite ideas\, questions\, character explorations\, and worlds into deceptively slim packages. Discover some of the season’s best in new short fiction at this Incite event featuring three intriguing releases. Our award-winning guests speak with VWF Artistic Director Leslie Hurtig. \nVincent Anioke’s stunning debut story collection offers a nuanced exploration of masculinity\, religion\, marginalization\, repressed (queer) desires\, and self-expression through the lens of (un)conditional love. Set largely in Nigeria\, the stories in Perfect Little Angels capture the shocking violence and confrontational drama in the power dynamics—between headmasters and students\, brothers and sisters\, mothers and sons—that shape our lives. \nFloods and wildfires\, toxic culture\, billionaires in outer space\, or a purse-related disaster while on mushrooms—in today’s hellscape world\, there’s no shortage of things to worry about. Last Woman\, the new collection of short fiction by Carleigh Baker\, wants you to know that you’re not alone. With sharp wit\, these stories delve into fear for the future\, intergenerational misunderstandings\, and the complexities of belonging. \nDeath by a Thousand Cuts from Shashi Bhat is a breathtaking\, sharply funny collection about the everyday trials and impossible expectations that come with being a woman. A writer discovers that her ex has published a novel about their breakup. An immunocompromised woman falls in love\, only to have her body betray her. And when a woman begins to lose her hair\, she embarks on an increasingly nightmarish search for answers. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-05-15-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Incite-multimedia-5.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240515T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20240515T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20240430T220016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240430T194758Z
UID:10000289-1715799600-1715803200@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: Unforgettable Short Stories
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n \nShort stories pack infinite ideas\, questions\, character explorations\, and worlds into deceptively slim packages. Discover some of the season’s best in new short fiction at this Incite event featuring three intriguing releases. Our award-winning guests will speak with VWF Artistic Director Leslie Hurtig. \nVincent Anioke’s stunning debut story collection offers a nuanced exploration of masculinity\, religion\, marginalization\, repressed (queer) desires\, and self-expression through the lens of (un)conditional love. Set largely in Nigeria\, the stories in Perfect Little Angels capture the shocking violence and confrontational drama in the power dynamics—between headmasters and students\, brothers and sisters\, mothers and sons—that shape our lives. \nFloods and wildfires\, toxic culture\, billionaires in outer space\, or a purse-related disaster while on mushrooms—in today’s hellscape world\, there’s no shortage of things to worry about. Last Woman\, the new collection of short fiction by Carleigh Baker\, wants you to know that you’re not alone. With sharp wit\, these stories delve into fear for the future\, intergenerational misunderstandings\, and the complexities of belonging. \nDeath by a Thousand Cuts from Shashi Bhat is a breathtaking\, sharply funny collection about the everyday trials and impossible expectations that come with being a woman. A writer discovers that her ex has published a novel about their breakup. An immunocompromised woman falls in love\, only to have her body betray her. And when a woman begins to lose her hair\, she embarks on an increasingly nightmarish search for answers.  \nBooks will be for sale at the event courtesy of Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. Can’t make the event time? Register for the livestream option and we’ll send you a link to watch the recording!  \nJoin us for Incite all season\, in-person or online! This readings series offers conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents every two weeks from January to June. Incite is free and open to all. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-short-stories
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024_Incite-05-15_social-banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240529
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240530
DTSTAMP:20260421T023217
CREATED:20241120T014841Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241120T014841Z
UID:10000303-1716940800-1717027199@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Incite: BC and Yukon Book Prizes
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library and BC and Yukon Book Prizes.\n \nWe’re closing out this season of Incite with one of our favourite events: an evening of celebrating the finalists of the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. Joining us on-stage are three lauded local authors\, each nominated in a different category of this year’s awards:  \n\nHenry Tsang\, nominated for the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award for White Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver \nSamantha Nock\, nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize for A Family of Dreamers\nBrandon Reid\, nominated for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize for Beautiful Beautiful\n\nWhite Riot: The 1907 Anti-Asian Riots in Vancouver is a thought-provoking collection of essays and photographs that documents the anti-Asian riots of 1907 in the context of contemporary anti-Asian sentiment. Samantha Nock redefines where and what “home” is in her debut poetry collection. And Beautiful Beautiful is a coming-of-age story exploring indigeneity\, masculinity\, and cultural tradition. \nThe authors discuss their shortlisted titles\, and the importance of place in each of their works\, with Megan Cole\, the Prize’s Director of Programming and Communications. Their insightful conversation is rounded out by readings and an audience Q+A. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-05-29-2024-multimedia
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Incite Event,Digital,Multimedia
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Incite-multimedia-6.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR