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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251216
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DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
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SUMMARY:2025 Digital Festival
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with BCIT School of Business + Media and Libro.fm\, and with the generous support of Hotfusion Communications Inc. \n\nBinge-watching worthy of book lovers — get front-row\, online access to the 2025 Vancouver Writers Fest!  \nThis year’s flagship Festival brought together celebrated authors from across Canada and the world\, inspiring brilliant dialogues to spark empathy\, action\, and transformation. Now\, experience it again—or for the very first time—with the Digital Festival: a curated selection of 26 outstanding\, full-length events from our 2025 Festival\, each professionally-recorded and fully captioned. Watch on your own schedule from wherever you are\, from December 16 through February 2. \nBuy a pass\, get a free audiobook! You’ll receive a free audiobook credit from our friends at Libro.fm when you purchase a Digital Festival pass at regular price ($100). Your credit can be used for an audiobook of your choice from their catalog of 500\,000+ audiobooks. Credits will be e-mailed once the Digital Festival ends.  \n\n\n\n\nGive the gift of literature! Enjoyable over the winter holidays and beyond\, the Digital Festival makes a meaningful gift for any book lover\, and can be delivered by email as soon as you purchase it\, or whenever you choose. Print this festive gift certificate if you’d like to give your recipient something that can be slipped in a card or stocking.\n\n\n\nSliding Scale Pricing:$100 – Regular Price Pass$25–50 – Pay What You Can$10 – Accessible Price Pass \nIf the payment options provided present a barrier to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca. \nJoin the global audience. We hope these events\, many of which were sold out weeks prior to the Festival\, will reach people far and wide. These events represent the world-class standards we hold ourselves to in sharing books and ideas with our community\, including recording high quality videos of our events and livestreaming Youth events for free during the Festival. 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 for a limited time. \n2025 Digital Festival Line-Up\n26 full-length events from the 2025 Vancouver Writers Fest are included in this all-access pass (click the title to view the description from our October Festival program): \n01. Ahead By A Century: Lyrics NightFeaturing Holly Brickley\, Jill Yonit Goldberg\, Claire Cameron\, Yiming Ma\, Marcello Di Cintio\, David A. Robertson\, Antonio Michael Downing\, Haley Mlotek\, Georgia Toews\, Eddy Boudel Tan\, Bindu Suresh\, Terry Fallis\, David Moscrop\, and Paul Vermeersch. Hosted by Elamin Abdelmahmoud with DJ Ice B.  \n02. Blood in the Pen: Stories\, Crises\, Repair\, and the WriterFeaturing Madeleine Thien\, Saeed Teebi\, and Otoniya J. Okot Bitek. Moderated by Guest Curator Canisia Lubrin. \n03. Gems of the Emerald IsleFeaturing Emma Donoghue and Eimear McBride\, with harp music by Rebecca Blair. Moderated by Robert J. Wiersema. \n04. It Runs in the Family: Georgia and Miriam ToewsModerated by David A. Robertson.  \n05. Danielle Leavitt on Seven Lives and One Year in UkraineIn conversation with Maria Reva. \n06. Ronald Deibert on Cyber Espionage and the Fight for DemocracyIn conversation with William Johnson.  \n07. Reconciliation and YouFeaturing David A. Robertson and Bruce McIvor. Moderated by Michelle Cyca. \n08. Saeed Teebi: You Will Not Kill Our ImaginationIn conversation with Adel Iskandar.  \n09. Cory Doctorow: EnshittificationIn conversation with David Moscrop. \n10. Writing in Today’s AmericaFeaturing Jess Walter\, Curtis Sittenfeld\, and Anne de Marcken. Moderated by John Freeman. Regrets: Leila Mottley.  \n11. Indigenous Voices: A Steady Brightness of BeingFeaturing Kyle Edwards\, David A. Robertson\, and Niigaan Sinclair. Moderated by Stephanie Sinclair.  \n12. Visions of ChinatownFeaturing Donna Seto and Carol Lee. Moderated by Anna Ling Kaye.  \n13. On Book Banning and CensorshipFeaturing Ira Wells\, Mike Curato\, and Jeremy Tiang. Moderated by Marian Botsford Fraser. \n14. Elbows Up!Featuring Jen Sookfong Lee\, David Moscrop\, Niigaan Sinclair\, and Leslie Hurtig. Moderated by Elamin Abdelmahmoud.  \n15. The ConversationsFeaturing Elaine Feeney\, Jack Wang\, and Ian Williams. Moderated by Tara McGuire.  \n16. Curtis Sittenfeld in Conversation with Alix Ohlin  \n17. The Feminine GrotesqueFeaturing Mona Awad\, Jen Sookfong Lee\, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Moderated by Mattea Roach.  \n18. Verses of TransformationFeaturing Danez Smith\, Billy-Ray Belcourt\, Karen Solie\, Cecily Nicholson\, Junie Désil\, and Paul Vermeersch. Moderated by Guest Curator Canisia Lubrin.  \n19. Building SuspenseFeaturing Terry Fallis\, Jonathan Lethem\, and Eddy Boudel Tan. Moderated by Robert J. Wiersema.  \n20. Crosscurrents of HistoryFeaturing Kyle Edwards\, Maria Reva\, and Jeremy Tiang. Moderated by Guest Curator Canisia Lubrin.  \n21. The Lit CabFeaturing Anne de Marcken\, Fiona McFarlane\, Danez Smith\, Antonio Michael Downing\, and Michael Bennett. Original music by Benjamin Millman and the Oxymorons. Regrets: Michael Redhill. \n22. On Tyranny: Timothy SnyderIn conversation with John Freeman.  \n23. Global Political NarrativesFeaturing Sheung-King\, Jeremy Tiang\, and Maria Reva. Moderated by Renée Sarojini Saklikar.  \n24. Kiran Desai in Conversation with Eleanor Wachtel \n25. A Trio of Vast IdeasFeaturing Claire Cameron\, elin kelsey\, and Niigaan Sinclair. Moderated by Minelle Mahtani.  \n26. Closing Night Event: Susan Orlean with The Current’s Matt Galloway
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/digital-festival-2025
LOCATION:Digital (YouTube)
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Digital
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260121T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260121T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20251222T180014Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251222T190201Z
UID:10000334-1769023800-1769028300@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Paul Myers on John Candy
DESCRIPTION:Community Partner: VIFF\n\n\n\n  \nBooks & Ideas returns to Granville Island in the new year with headliner cultural icons: Paul Myers\, Charlie Demers\, and the enduring figure of John Candy. One of comedy’s most beloved stars\, Candy captivated audiences with his roles in Hollywood classics like Planes\, Trains and Automobiles\, The Great Outdoors\, Spaceballs\, and Uncle Buck. Now\, for the first time since Candy’s tragic death\, bestselling biographer Paul Myers tells the full story of the man behind the laughs.  \nCanadian author and musician Paul Myers has written the definitive biographies of The Kids in the Hall\, Todd Rundgren\, Barenaked Ladies\, and more. In John Candy: A Life in Comedy\, he draws on extensive research and exclusive interviews with many of Candy’s closest friends and colleagues—including Dan Aykroyd\, Chevy Chase\, Tom Hanks\, Ron Howard\, Steve Martin\, Catherine O’Hara\, and Martin Short—to celebrate the comedian’s life and unparalleled talent. \nJoin us to start the new year with laughs and literary inspiration\, as Myers sits down with author and comedian Charlie Demers\, whose latest book is The Eh Team: A Celebration of Canadianisms from Elbows Up to Poutine\, a laugh-out-loud guide to what it means to be unapologetically Canadian. \nBooks will be for sale at the event from Book Warehouse\, with a book signing after the talk.   \n\nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/paul-myers
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260206T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260206T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20251201T173034Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260130T005551Z
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SUMMARY:George Saunders in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Booker Prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo\, and one of Time’s one hundred most influential people in the world\, George Saunders writes books that are both irreverent and momentous—and utterly unique. To read his work is to grow “more empathetic” (San Francisco Chronicle)\, and to “feel as though you are reading fiction for the first time” (Khaled Hosseini). He joins us in Vancouver with his anticipated new novel\, Vigil. \nVigil transports us\, careening\, through the wild final evening of a complicated man: an oil company CEO in the twilight hours of his life. Visitors begin to arrive (worldly and otherworldly\, alive and dead)\, clamoring for a reckoning. \nWith the wisdom\, playfulness\, and explosive imagination we’ve come to expect\, George Saunders takes on the gravest issues of our time—the menace of corporate greed\, the toll of capitalism\, the environmental perils of progress—and\, in the process\, spins a tale that encompasses life and death\, good and evil\, and the thorny question of absolution. \nSaunders speaks with acclaimed author Alix Ohlin\, whose work has been shortlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Both authors are also revered writing instructors—Saunders at Syracuse University\, and Ohlin at the University of British Columbia—and this conversation\, followed by an audience Q+A\, will be filled with essential insights for readers and writers\, and all of us living through these patently absurd times. \nBooks will be for sale at the event by our official bookseller Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books\, with a signing after the event.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/george-saunders
LOCATION:St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church\, 1022 Nelson St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6E 4S7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260210T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260210T200000
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260119T071729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T071729Z
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SUMMARY:Incite: Maggie Helwig on Encampment
DESCRIPTION:Presented in partnership with Vancouver Public Library.\n\n\n\nThe housing crisis plaguing major urban centres across Canada has sent countless people into the streets. In spring 2022\, some of them found their way to the yard beside the Anglican church in Toronto’s Kensington Market\, where Maggie Helwig is the priest. They pitched tents\, formed an encampment\, and settled in. Known as an outspoken social justice activist\, Helwig has spent the last three years getting to know the residents and fighting tooth and nail to allow them to stay. \nWinner of the 2025 Toronto Book Award and one of CBC Books’ and the Globe and Mail’s best books of 2025\, Encampment tells the story of Helwig’s life-long activism as preparation for her fight to keep her churchyard open to people needing a home. More importantly\, it introduces us to the Artist\, to Jeff\, and to Robin: their lives\, their challenges\, their humanity. It confronts our society’s callousness in allowing so many to go unhoused and demands\, by bringing their stories to the fore\, that we begin to respond with compassion and grace.  \nHelwig shares her story and theirs\, and answers audience questions\, with The Tyee senior editor Jackie Wong\, whose journalism on housing and drug policy has been published widely. Books will be for sale at the event by Upstart & Crow\, with a signing afterwards.  \nAbout Incite\nPresented by the Vancouver Writers Fest and Vancouver Public Library\, Incite is a free quarterly series offering fascinating conversations with celebrated authors and emerging talents. Incite is open to all\, in-person at the VPL’s central branch or online. Books will be for sale at the event\, and most events will have a signing after the talk. Can’t make the date? Sign up for the livestream to receive the recording in your inbox! 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/incite-helwig
LOCATION:Vancouver Public Library – Central Library
CATEGORIES:Incite Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260225T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260225T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260129T194545Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260223T184714Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Joanna Cheek in Conversation with Gabor Maté
DESCRIPTION:SOLD OUT\nAs our world clashes and collapses around us\, it’s no surprise we’re feeling an acute effect on our mental health. Psychiatrist\, UBC Faculty of Medicine professor\, and mental health speaker Dr. Joanna Cheek joins us on Granville Island to offer a survival guide of personal and collective mental health tools for our disordered world\, in conversation with world renowned physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté\, who wrote the book’s foreword.  \nIn her new release\, It’s Not You\, It’s the World\, Dr. Cheek argues that we’re not broken or doing it wrong when we’re stressed or struggling. As our systems are pushed to the brink of collapse\, self-improvement alone neglects the source of our suffering. Instead\, to care for ourselves\, we must heal the imbalances in our wider systems that keep making us all sick. With practical action to empower\, connect\, and instill hope in the reader\, It’s Not You\, It’s the World is the go-to guide for anyone feeling depressed\, anxious\, enraged\, numb\, or sick from adapting to a world on fire. \nJoin us for an evening of recovery in community\, as Cheek speaks with Maté on-stage\, followed by an audience Q+A. Books will be for sale at the event from Upstart & Crow\, with a book signing after the talk.  \n\nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/joanna-cheek
LOCATION:Performance Works
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260312T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260312T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260210T173029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260210T211755Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Michael Ondaatje in Conversation with Madeleine Thien
DESCRIPTION:Update: This event is sold out. If additional tickets become available\, we’ll send an announcement via our weekly newsletter. Subscribe here. \nAmong the many international honours from Michael Ondaatje’s long and storied career: he is the only winner in history of the Golden Man Booker\, awarded to the best work of fiction from the first five decades of the prize\, for The English Patient. His other renowned books include Anil’s Ghost\, In the Skin of a Lion\, The Cinnamon Peeler\, and Warlight. Now\, he joins the Vancouver Writers Fest with a magnificent new collection that gathers some of his finest poems from the past fifty years.  \nIn The Distance of a Shout\, Michael Ondaatje navigates his own past\, beginning with memories of his childhood in Sri Lanka and his eccentric family\, to his life in rural southern Ontario with its beloved rivers\, celebrations of treasured friends\, the close ties of children. Here is a singular poetic memoir that invokes the arc of an astonishing journey\, and offers us a glimpse into the interwoven life and art of one of our most cherished poets and novelists. \nOndaatje will speak with a fellow icon of Canadian letters: Madeleine Thien\, the author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing. Get a head start on enjoying National Poetry Month\, at this intimate evening of readings and conversation. Books will be for sale at the event from Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books.  \n\nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/michael-ondaatje
LOCATION:Waterfront Theatre\, 1412 Cartwright St.\, Vancouver\, British Columbia\, BC V6H 3R7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260413T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260413T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260313T000140Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T172430Z
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SUMMARY:Ibram X. Kendi in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Tickets for this event are sold through the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Click here to buy tickets.\nStandard tickets: $45\nYouth under 25 or Students: $25 \nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. If the payment options provided present a barrier to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca. \nClick here to buy tickets from the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.  \nFor questions about how to purchase tickets\, contact The Chan Centre: 604-822-2697 or chan.tickets@ubc.ca \n\nIbram X. Kendi is one of the world’s foremost historians of racism and a leading antiracist scholar. Eleven of his seventeen books have been New York Times bestsellers\, including the international bestseller How to Be an Antiracist\, which was named essential reading and one of the best books of the year by multiple publications. He makes a rare appearance in Vancouver for one night only with his latest pivotal work of nonfiction\, Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age.  \nThis highly anticipated new work from the National Book Award-winning author charts how the “great replacement theory” has become a dominant political idea of our time and ushered in an antidemocratic age. Coined in 2011 by a French novelist who argued that Black and Brown immigrants were “invading” Europe\, this dangerous theory has been seized by popular and ruling politicians in every region of the world to erode democratic norms in the name of preventing demographic change\, spreading with alarming speed to countries as distinct as the USA\, Russia\, El Salvador\, Brazil\, Italy\, and India.  \nIn this unmissable conversation with Terri Givens—Professor of Political Science at UBC and the author of Radical Empathy: Finding a Path to Bridging Racial Divides and Reckoning: Creating Positive Change through Radical Empathy—Kendi offers an unsettling but indispensable global history of how great replacement theory brought humanity into this authoritarian age—and how we can free ourselves from it. \nBooks will be for sale at the event by our official bookseller Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books. \n 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/ibram-x-kendi
LOCATION:The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts\, 6265 Crescent Rd\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6T 1Z1\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260415T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260415T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260227T173129Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260303T174612Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Yann Martel — Son of Nobody
DESCRIPTION:Yann Martel’s 2001 philosophical adventure\, Life of Pi\, was a runaway global phenomenon—it won the Booker Prize and CBC’s Canada Reads\, spent more than a year on the New York Times bestseller list\, and was adapted to an Oscar-winning film and a Tony-winning play. The Canadian author continued to achieve success with Beatrice and Virgil\, The High Mountains of Portugal\, and now\, his highly anticipated fifth novel: Son of Nobody. \nSon of Nobody is a brilliant retelling of the Trojan War from two commoners: an ancient soldier and modern scholar. While studying an obscure collection of papyrus fragments\, academic Harlow Donne discovers a lost account of the Trojan War. He names the epic poem The Psoad\, after its protagonist\, a Greek commoner identified as Psoas of Midea\, but known to all as son of nobody. The text unlocks echoes of Ancient Greece into the present day\, unfolding “a powerful meditation on life\, death\, and the vanity of human wishes\, all illustrated by a poem that would do Homer proud.” (Kirkus Reviews\, starred review) \nDon’t miss Yann Martel in Vancouver for one night only at the Lindsay Family Stage (formerly known as the Granville Island Stage)\, in conversation with award-winning writer and educator Aislinn Hunter\, whose most recent book is the bestselling novel The Certainties. Books will be for sale at the event from Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books\, with an audience Q+A and book signing after the talk.  \nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\n\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/yann-martel
LOCATION:Lindsay Family Stage (FKA Granville Island Stage)\, 1585 Johnston St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6H 3S2
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260423T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260423T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260220T210251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260312T232456Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Tayari Jones — Kin
DESCRIPTION:Update: This event on April 23 has unfortunately been cancelled\, due to a schedule change for the author. All ticket holders will be refunded.\nHowever\, we’re pleased to share that Tayari Jones will appear at our flagship Festival this October! Stay tuned for further details.\n\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/tayari-jones
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://writersfest.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026_Tayari-Jones_banner.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260427T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260427T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260311T160058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T193331Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Melissa Auf der Maur
DESCRIPTION:This event is sold out. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know if any additional tickets are released.\n\n\n\n\nCommunity Partner: Red Cat Records\n\n\n\nAn acclaimed musician\, photographer\, curator and producer\, Melissa Auf der Maur is best known as the former bassist of rock bands Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. Even the Good Girls Will Cry is a remarkable debut memoir from the ’90s Alternative era icon—and a vivid dispatch from the last analog decade.  \nPart rock memoir\, part travel diary\, and part psychedelic scrapbook\, Even the Good Girls Will Cry begins with Auf der Maur’s bohemian upbringing in Montreal\, where a thrown beer bottle and a long-shot fan letter scored her band a life-changing opening slot for The Smashing Pumpkins. Whisked from her local scene by Billy Corgan and thrust into the eye of a hurricane of grief\, she joined Hole for the band’s 1994 Live Through This world tour just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and Hole’s prior bassist\, Kristen Pfaff\, with Courtney Love at the center of it all. This soulful memoir is “a crucial generational document of what it meant to be a woman in a band (and not just a band: the band).” —Matthew Specktor \nDon’t miss this intimate event with Melissa Auf der Maur\, who sits down for a conversation about the music and memories of a bygone era with CBC Radio host Lisa Christiansen. Books will be for sale at the event from Book Warehouse\, a division of Black Bond Books\, with an audience Q+A after the talk.  \n\nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/auf-der-maur
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260507T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260507T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260331T163045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T231617Z
UID:10000344-1778182200-1778186700@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: The Next Bestsellers
DESCRIPTION:These three remarkable new novels follow women who take a stand\, rebel against conventions\, and take gripping personal risks to protect their communities\, their families\, or mother nature. You’ll be hearing the authors’ names again in future bestseller lists and award nominations\, so come and meet these rising talents now at an intimate Books & Ideas event.  \nA female driller takes charge of an isolated offshore oil rig with an entirely male crew in At Sea\, Y.M. Abdel-Magied’s adult fiction debut novel about ambition\, greed\, and the capitalist endeavors that overlook the concerns of women—and of Mother Nature herself.  \nWild People Quiet by ReLit Novel Award-shortlisted author Tara Gereaux is an instant national bestseller\, exploring the harrowing repercussions of a woman’s decision to hide her Métis identity while living in a small\, predominantly white prairie town in the 1940s. \nAnd in Liz Johnston’s moving debut\, The Fall-Down Effect\, a young activist follows in her mother’s footsteps\, committing a radical act of environmental activism that leaves her loved ones struggling to make sense of her actions. “Its characters and hopes are seared into my memory.” —Madeleine Thien  \nThey will share their page-turning new books in conversation with Tara McGuire\, author of Holden After and Before. Books will be for sale by Book Warehouse\, and an audience Q+A and book signing after the talk.  \n\nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/next-bestsellers
LOCATION:Revue Stage
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260513T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260513T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20251103T180042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251103T174929Z
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SUMMARY:An Evening with David Sedaris
DESCRIPTION:Click here to book tickets. \nPresale code: VWF25\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.\n\nNew York Times bestselling author David Sedaris returns to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on May 13 \nThe acclaimed humorist and bestselling author of Calypso\, Theft By Finding\, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls\, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk\, Me Talk Pretty One Day\, Happy-Go-Lucky\, and more joins us in Vancouver for one night only!
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/sedaris-2025
LOCATION:Queen Elizabeth Theatre\, 630 Hamilton St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6B 5N6\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event,Theatre
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260521T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260521T204500
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260402T163016Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T232852Z
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SUMMARY:Books & Ideas: Suzanne Simard in Conversation with Robert Moor
DESCRIPTION:With her bestselling book Finding the Mother Tree\, Suzanne Simard advanced a revelatory—and now broadly accepted—new paradigm for the profound intelligence of trees and their relationships with each other. Now\, the renowned forest ecologist joins the Vancouver Writers Fest with a new trailblazing work of environmental nonfiction. When the Forest Breathes is an emboldening declaration that when we take responsible steps\, reversing the effects of climate change is within reach. \nPowered by rigorous science but infused with authenticity and warmth\, When the Forest Breathes: Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World shares the findings of one of the most ambitious climate research projects ever conceived. Simard examines the forces that threaten forest ecosystems\, highlights wisdom from the sophisticated knowledge systems of Indigenous peoples\, and offers a pragmatic and hopeful vision for a responsible relationship with the forests that sustain us. \nDiscover a powerful vision for the future of our forests\, from a scientist who has spent years studying British Columbia’s ecosystems. Simard speaks with Robert Moor\, the bestselling author of On Trails and the new book In Trees\, which explores how trees—from the mightiest sequoia to the tiniest bonsai—can teach us to grow wise. Books will be for sale at the event\, with an audience Q+A and signing after the talk.  \n\nWe do our best to make our events low-barrier\, accessible experiences for our community. A limited number of accessibly priced tickets are available for purchase. To discuss other ways we can make these events more accessible to you\, please reach out to us at boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca or 604-681-6330.\nAbout Books & Ideas\nLaunched in January 2025\, Books & Ideas is an event series from the Vancouver Writers Fest\, bringing literary talent and thought-provoking conversations to Granville Island—home of the Writers Fest’s celebrated annual literary festival—from January to June. With an intimate theatre venue and a pop-up bar for socializing\, attendees are invited to connect more deeply with other members of the local literary community\, and meet the esteemed authors who grace the stage\, in a modern space for exchanging ideas. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/suzanne-simard
LOCATION:Lindsay Family Stage (FKA Granville Island Stage)\, 1585 Johnston St\, Vancouver\, BC\, V6H 3S2
CATEGORIES:Books & Ideas
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260526T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260526T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260302T170534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T164632Z
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SUMMARY:Carley Fortune in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:For years\, #1 New York Times bestselling author Carley Fortune was told that international readers weren’t interested in books with rural\, authentic Canadian settings. And ever since she published her first novel in 2022\, her meteoric success has told a different story. The Ontarian author’s swoonworthy romance novels have sold millions of copies\, and her captivating characters and lush descriptions of Canadian landscapes delight readers around the world. She joins the Vancouver Writers Fest for one night only with her latest book\, Our Perfect Storm (set in Tofino!)\, in conversation with her best friend\, Meredith Marino. \nEach ticket includes: \n\nAccess to an on-stage conversation and audience Q&A with Carley Fortune\nOne pre-signed copy of Our Perfect Storm (no personalization or signing of additional merchandise)\nAccess to a photo op with Carley Fortune!\n\nOur Perfect Storm will be available from Penguin Random House Canada on May 5. Tickets for this event will be released on March 19. Subscribe to our mailing list so you don’t miss the announcement! \nAbout the Book\nFrankie and George have been best friends since they were eight years old. Both passionate\, impulsive\, and headstrong—they’ve always clashed… and come back together. Until now. It’s the eve of Frankie’s wedding weekend\, and she doesn’t know where they stand or even if George will show up as her best man. \nThen\, at the start of the festivities\, in walks George. For one glorious evening\, surrounded by her loved ones\, Frankie’s life is finally perfect. But it all comes crashing down when her fiancé dumps her the next morning\, leaving only a note as an explanation. \nCrushed and confused\, Frankie returns to her family’s home to wallow. But George has a different idea and a plan for healing Frankie’s broken heart. He wants her to go on her honeymoon. With him. For one week\, to the lush rainforests and misty beaches of Tofino. \nFrankie agrees\, seeing the trip for what it really is: one last chance to repair their friendship. Even if it means unearthing secrets and long buried feelings neither knows how to handle. Even if it means falling apart for good. 
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/carley-fortune
LOCATION:Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema\, SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts\, 149 W Hastings St\, Vancouver
CATEGORIES:Special Event
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260713T193000
DTEND;TZID=America/Vancouver:20260713T210000
DTSTAMP:20260421T144332
CREATED:20260218T184710Z
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UID:10000338-1783971000-1783976400@writersfest.bc.ca
SUMMARY:Ann Patchett in Conversation
DESCRIPTION:Save the date! Ann Patchett joins the Vancouver Writers Fest on Monday\, July 13\, 2026. Tickets will be released this spring (date TBA). Make sure to subscribe to our free mailing list to be the first to know when tickets go on sale. You can sign up for infrequent event updates only\, or consider signing up for our excellent weekly newsletter to receive regular literary news and hand-picked cultural events.\nThe award-winning and bestselling author of Tom Lake\, Bel Canto\, and The Dutch House\, Ann Patchett joins us in Vancouver for one night only with her anticipated new novel\, Whistler. \nWhen Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art\, they notice an older\, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett\, her former stepfather. Now fifty-three\, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years\, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again\, time falls away; while their relationship was brief\, it had a profound impact on them both\, and now that they are reunited\, they have no intention of ever being separated again. \nWhistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made\, and the choices that were made for them. Beautiful in its simplicity\, it is ultimately about how love endures\, and how the feeling of being known by one other person\, even for a short period of time\, can change everything. \nWhistler will be available from HarperCollins Canada on June 2\, and books will be for sale at the event from Upstart & Crow. Tickets for this event will be released this spring (date TBA). Subscribe to our mailing list so you don’t miss the announcement! \nAnn Patchett\nANN PATCHETT is the author of novels\, most recently the #1 New York Times bestselling Tom Lake\, works of nonfiction\, and children’s books. She has been the recipient of numerous awards\, including the PEN/Faulkner\, the Women’s Prize for Fiction in the UK\, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her novel The Dutch House was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages\, and Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. President Biden awarded her the National Humanities Medal in recognition of her contributions to American culture. She lives in Nashville\, Tennessee\, where she is the owner of Parnassus Books.
URL:https://writersfest.bc.ca/event/ann-patchett
LOCATION:Vancouver Playhouse\, 600 Hamilton St\, Vancouver\, British Columbia\, V6B 2P1\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Special Event
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