Savour an afternoon of outstanding readings and high tea delicacies, at this beloved Writers Fest tradition first started by our late founding artistic director, Alma Lee. The tables will be laden with scones, sandwiches, and cookies; the tea and coffee will be flowing, alongside a signature glass of sherry. Accompanying the sumptuous spread are readings of captivating fiction from celebrated authors: Katherine Ashenburg (Margaret’s New Look), Terry Fallis (The Marionette), Fiona McFarlane (Highway Thirteen), Susin Nielsen (Snap), Michael Bennett (Carved in Blood), Michael Redhill (The Trial of Katterfelto). Hosted by Sophie Lui.
This is a Premium event. The 10% discount for VWF Members does not apply.
Generously sponsored by the Faris Family in memory of Yulanda Faris.
Michael Bennett’s attendance generously supported by Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa.
Sophie Lui’s appearance supported by Global BC.
More information about the Festival:
Box Office | Accessibility | Venue Map
Event Participants:
KATHERINE ASHENBURG’s nonfiction books include The Mourner's Dance: What We Do When People Die, and The Dirt on Clean: An Unsanitized History. In 2018, she published her acclaimed debut novel, Sofie & Cecilia, and in 2021 she followed that work with the delightfully tart novel Her Turn.
MICHAEL BENNET is the author of the Barry Award nominated Better the Blood and the nonfiction book In Dark Places, both of which won Ngaio Marsh awards. He is also the author of the young adult graphic novel Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas which, along with Better the Blood, was a finalist for the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards.
TERRY FALLIS, a Toronto native and McMaster engineering graduate, is a celebrated author. His debut novel, The Best Laid Plans, won the Stephen Leacock Medal and CBC’s Canada Reads. Other notable works include No Relation, Poles Apart, and Albatross. He blogs at terryfallis.com.
SOPHIE LUI is the Anchor of Global News at 5 and Co-Anchor of Global News Hour at 6. She previously co-hosted Global News Morning and Global Weekend Mornings and still has not quite made up for the 10 years of lost sleep. Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, she has been a news junkie for as long as she can remember. A graduate of BCIT’s Broadcast Radio program, she worked at several news radio stations before turning to television news at CHEK-TV in Victoria and then moving back to Vancouver to work at Global BC.
FIONA MACFARLANE’s first novel, The Night Guest, won several prizes including the Voss Literary Prize and a New South Wales Premier’s Award. It was also shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, Miles Franklin Literary Award, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, among others. She is also the author of a short-story collection, The High Places, which won the International Dylan Thomas Prize. Her stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Zoetrope: All-Story, and Best Australian Stories. Her second novel, The Sun Walks Down, will be published in Australia (October 2022), the United States (February 2023), and the UK (March 2023). McFarlane grew up in Sydney, Australia and now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she teaches at the University of California, Berkeley.
SUSIN NIELSEN is the multiple-award-winning author of seven middle grade novels. Her books have won the Governor General’s Literary Award, the UKLA Award, and over a dozen young readers’ choice awards. Nielsen is also a prolific screenwriter: her latest award-winning TV show, Family Law, airs around the world. Snap is her first adult novel.
MICHAEL REDHILL is the author of many books including the novels Martin Sloane, shortlisted for the Giller Prize and winner of the Books in Canada First Novel Award, Consolation, long listed for the Man Booker Prize; and Bellevue Square, winner of the 2017 Giller Prize.
