Though divorce rates are at their lowest in decades, readers have never been more enamoured with the stories that come from humans parting ways. From fiction to memoir, women are exploring how ending a partnership can reclaim agency, challenge patriarchy—or even release unbridled and long-held rage. Haley Mlotek, as the daughter of a divorced marriage counselor, weaves the story of her separation with profound inquiries into family, friendship, and love in No Fault. Sarah Manguso’s Liars, an NPR Book of the Year, subverts the usual narratives as a dissatisfied wife proves marriage makes liars out of all. Plum Johnson’s memoir, The Trouble with Fairytales, examines how we so often fall for the notion of “happily ever after,” and how it can take a lifetime to fulfill the most important relationship—the one with ourselves. Moderated by Cori Howard.
Sarah Manguso’s attendance made possible thanks to the generous support of an anonymous patron.
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CORI HOWARD is a journalist, essayist and poet based in Vancouver, BC. Her writing has appeared in a wide range of publications across the US, Canada and the UK, including the New York Times, Washington Post, National Post, Globe and Mail, among others. Her first book, Between Interruptions: Thirty Women Tell the Truth About Motherhood, was a bestseller. Her first collection of poetry, The Fifth Season, is forthcoming with Caitlin Press in 2026.
PLUM JOHNSON is a Canadian writer, artist and entrepreneur, author of The Trouble with Fairy Tales. Her previous bestselling memoir, They Left Us Everything, won the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize and the 2016 Evergreen Award.
SARAH MANGUSO is the author of nine books, most recently the novels Liars and Very Cold People. Her work has been recognized by an American Academy of Arts and Letters Literature Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Hodder Fellowship, and the Rome Prize. She lives in Los Angeles.
HALEY MLOTEK is a writer and editor. Her work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, among others. She’s a founding member of the Freelance Solidarity Project in the National Writers Union, teaches English and Journalism at Concordia University, and is the editorial lead at Feeld.
