41. So the Story Goes

Short stories are one of our favourite forms of storytelling at the Festival, and the authors of these three exceptional collections have gifted us with a bounty of astonishing worlds, multifaceted characters, and profound insights to fill our hearts and our shelves. The clever, wry stories in Dina Del Bucchia’s Tougher Than the Rest investigate the ripple effects of wealth disparity on women. Chanel Sutherland traces the lives of Caribbean immigrants navigating life and identity in Canadian cities in her linked short story collection, Layaway Child. Amal El-Mohtar offers glimpses into gleaming worlds and fairy tales with teeth, and a plethora of award-winning stories, in Seasons of Glass and Iron. Moderated by Corinna Chong.

Presented in partnership with Room Magazine.

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Corinna Chong

CORINNA CHONG lives on unceded Syilx/Okanagan territory (Kelowna, BC) and teaches creative writing, English literature, and fine arts at Okanagan College. Her first novel, Belinda’s Rings, was published by NeWest Press in 2013. She won the 2021 CBC Short Story Prize, and her stories have been published in magazines across Canada. Her second book, a collection of stories called The Whole Animal, and her latest novel, Bad Land, were released in 2023 and 2024 with Arsenal Pulp Press.

Dina Del Bucchia

DINA DEL BUCCHIA (she/her) is the author of the story collections Tougher Than the Rest and Don't Tell Me What to Do (Arsenal Pulp Press) and five collections of poetry: Coping with Emotions and Otters, Rom Com (written with Daniel Zomparelli), It's a Big Deal!, You're Gonna Love This (all Talonbooks), and Blind Items (Insomniac Press). She lives in Vancouver, BC.

Amal El-Mohtar

AMAL EL-MOHTAR is a Hugo Award-winning author of science fiction, fantasy, poetry and criticism. Her books include The River Has Roots and the New York Times bestseller This is How You Lose the Time War, written with Max Gladstone, which has been translated into over ten languages. Her reviews and articles have appeared in the New York Times and on NPR Books. She lives in Ottawa, Canada.

Chanel Sutherland

CHANEL SUTHERLAND is a Vincentian Canadian writer of fiction and creative nonfiction. She won the 2025 Commonwealth Short Story Prize, which she was also longlisted for in 2022. Chanel is also the winner of the 2021 CBC Nonfiction Prize and the 2022 CBC Short Story Prize and was named one of CBC Books 30 Writers to Watch in 2022. Chanel lives in Montreal.