These ambitious, bestselling, acclaimed novels are all debuts, and they come from writers you need to keep on your radar. Emma Knight’s instant bestseller The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus is a Read with Jenna Pick that has drawn comparisons to the likes of Sally Rooney and Dodie Smith. There There meets The Night Watchman in Big Chief, Jon Hickey’s monumental political novel that’s been proclaimed an instant American classic. And Eliana Ramage’s rave-reviewed To the Moon and Back, about one woman’s extraordinary quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut, is as expansive as space itself. You’ll be hearing these names again come awards season, so get to know their books now. Moderated by Margaret Gallagher.
More information about the Festival:
Box Office | Accessibility | Venue Map
Event Participants:
MARGARET GALLAGHER is the host of CBC Radio's North by Northwest, BC's highest rated weekend radio show. She's been part of the CBC family for 25 years, previously appearing on The Early Edition, On the Coast, and as the host of Hot Air. Margaret has won numerous awards, including three National RDTNAs, a Webster Award, and an Asian Heritage Month Pan Asian Recognition Award. She has a deep passion for the written arts and always has at least two books on the go.
JON HICKEY is a former Stegner Fellow in fiction and earned his MFA from Cornell University. His short fiction has appeared in many journals and prizes. He is an enrolled member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and lives in San Francisco with his family.
EMMA KNIGHT is a co-founder of Greenhouse, an organic beverage company based in Toronto. Her first novel, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus, was a number one national bestseller and a New York Times bestseller.
ELIANA RAMAGE holds an MFA in fiction from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She has received residencies and fellowships from the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, Lambda Literary, Tin House, and Vermont Studio Center. A citizen of the Cherokee Nation, she lives in Nashville with her family. To the Moon and Back is her first novel.
