Vancouver Writers Fest announces 2021 program
Guest curator Lawrence Hill, as well as authors such as Miriam Toews, Esi Edugyan, and Omar El Akkad participate in hybrid festival with more than 70 events
VANCOUVER WRITERS FEST is taking place October 18 to 24, both in person at Granville Island and online.
The program includes five events highlighting Black and Indigenous authors from this year’s guest curator, Lawrence Hill. Hill will moderate a discussion about Caribbean literature with Cherie Jones and Myriam Chancy; interview poet Chantal Gibson; and have a one-to-one with Lisa Bird-Wilson and Katherena Vermette, among others.
Other events include Indigenous author and playwright Tomson Highway speaking about his new memoir, Permanent Astonishment; authors Mona Awad, Zoe Whittall, and Rachel Yoder addressing the complexity of womanhood; two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Esi Edugyan discussing her Massey Lecture, Out of the Sun; New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean talking about On Animals with the Globe and Mail’s Mark Medley; and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Doerr in conversation with the Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman about his latest work, Cloud Cuckoo Land.
The Afternoon Tea features featuring Myriam Chancy, Linden MacIntyre, Casey Plett, Jael Richardson, Ian Williams, and Zoe Whittall, while the Literary Cabaret features with Mona Awad, Gary Barwin, Christa Couture, Marcello DiCitio, Omar El Akkad, and Darrel McLeod.
Vancouver Writers Fest will also host special events throughout the fall, including the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould in conversation with Dana Gee on September 15, and Colson Whitehead in conversation with CBC What On Earth host Laura Lynch about Harlem Shuffle for the Fall Book Club on September 26.
Youth Education Programming includes the Writers in the Classroom program, which allows Lower Mainland teachers to sign up for free author conversations with their classes through Zoom. This season’s roster includes 15 events (for students kindergarten to grade 12) featuring authors such as George Elliott Clarke, Wab Kinew, Adam Sol, and Uzma Jalaluddin.
“In a year when our worlds became so small, and doorways closed, it was through art, music, and books that many of us found new pathways,” Vancouver Writers Fest artistic director Leslie Hurtig said in a release. “Now, we invite you to join us on Granville Island, and from your homes, as we present the works of over 115 extraordinary authors.”
A PDF version of the program guide is available here.
For more information, see Vancouver Writers Fest.
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