Authors Onstage
Welcome to Kingston WritersFest Authors Onstage, where you’ll discover writers both familiar and new, with fresh stories you’ve never heard before—stories of resistance and reconciliation, of the human will to survive and the undeniable urge to gather in community. Mysteries, fashion, politics, ethics; poetry, fiction, memoir, biography—there is something here for everyone. In one way or another, all books touch and change us.
Resistance and Refuge
Madeleine Thien’s Book of Records casts a
curious girl and her secretive father in a
speculative fable of migration. Uncertain of
any future, the child is rescued by books,
migrants’ tales, and fragments of famous
past lives. Canisia Lubrin’s debut novel,
which won the 2025 Carol Shields Prize,
is rooted in the Code Noir of 1685 that
governed slavery and shaped the modern
world. Her diverse characters from the past,
present and future, struggle to live free of
history.
What We Carry
A profound and stylistically daring debut novel from an accomplished poet, We, the Kindling maps the terrain of brutality and survival, suffusing the worlds of these girls and women with an unforgettable humanity.
Stories narrated by six fictional women give voice to the real-life victims of a reign of child kidnappings that terrorized Uganda for decades. Many did not return; those who did bore the weight of unspeakable burdens to family and communities that preferred to look away.
Projections and Reflections
Event DetailsFriday, September 19, 20251:30 - 3:00 pmLimestone City BallroomKingston Marriott...
You Can’t Read That!
Libraries culled, titles dropped from the curriculum, authors accused of indoctrination – censorship is on the rise, fed by political agendas left and right. In On Book Banning, Ira Wells argues that the solution to opposing viewpoints is not outright expurgation—and that freedom of expression makes both art and democracy possible.
Bushwhacked by Inspiration: Short Stories
“A short story,” wrote Lorrie Moore, “is a love affair, a novel is a marriage.” Indeed, short stories are intense, compressed nuggets of revelation, but the best of the them are never fleeting: their impact can last a lifetime. In Skin, Catherine Bush is haunted by global crises and the complexities of human connection. Deepa Rajagopalan mines the quotidian for the universal. Jamal Saeed’s stories, written while a political prisoner, search for truth in the imaginary. Sarah Tsiang reads from Sacred Rage: Selected Stories, a posthumous collection by Steven Heighton, who said, “I simply wrote stories whenever I got bushwhacked by inspiration.”
Follow the Threads
Haute couture and a tapestry of family stories mingle in two delectable reads. In Margaret’s New Look by Katherine Ashenburg, a controversial exhibition of Christian Dior’s 1947 collection exposes personal and political mysteries. Jeanne Beker’s Heart on My Sleeve explores a wardrobe of high-fashion memory and thrift-store artefacts that reveal a remarkable life well worn.
Mystery at the Marriott
Witty, twisty, the best in murderous–and highly contemporary–cozies. Nita Prose’s latest, The Maid’s Secret, is a spirited heist caper and unexpected love story. Kate Hilton’s (& Elizabeth Renzetti’s) Widows and Orphans is a zingy whodunit, replete with suspect wellness gurus and devious influencers.
Soldiers Go to War
Linden MacIntyre’s enthralling biography of Sir Hugh Tudor (An Accidental Villain) traces a brilliant military career turned tragic when Churchill sends him to the 1920 Irish rebellion. Jack Wang’s fictional WWII paratrooper, Josiah Chang (The Riveter), serves on the front lines in hopes of earning Canadian citizenship and the right to vote. Two soldiers, one real, one fictional, caught up in the maelstroms of war and intractable prejudice.
52 Ways to Reconcile
With warmth and humour, Indigenous YA author and memoirist David A. Robertson provides the essential guide to small but attainable acts that can make a genuine difference on the path to reconciliation and a healthier country. “For every Canadian who ever asked, what can I do? this is the book you’ve been waiting for.” – Shelagh Rogers.
The Mind Mappers
In his bestselling book The Mind Mappers: Friendship, Betrayal, and the Obsessive Quest to Chart the Brain, award-winning Globe and Mail Quebec reporter Eric Andrew-Gee pursues the tortured friendship between world-famous neurologist Wilder Penfield and his forgotten co-researcher William Cone. Don’t miss this riveting and revealing conversation!
Elbows Up! and After
The Elbows Up movement is the Canadian political story of the year, a swell of national pride confronting an existential threat and inspiring Canada’s sharpest and most influential minds to ask and answer: how do we meet the moment? Join Elamin Abdelmahmoud, editor of the new anthology Elbows Up!: Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, and contributors Off, Robertson, and Moscrop for a lively, candid discussion of the phenomenon and its future.
Inside Story
Anne Collins, Executive Editor at Random House Canada, has been editor to some of the top writers in the world, including Julian Barnes, Robert Macfarlane, Richard Powers, Douglas Coupland, Roméo Dallaire, Michelle Good, Chris Hadfield, Linden MacIntyre, Carol Off, Eden Robinson, Ian Williams, and more.
Books & Bites
Knowledgeable, generous, and always delightful, Ben McNally of Toronto’s Ben McNally Books is our reliable guide to the best titles of the season. His picks range across genres, with insights on popular bestsellers and recommendations of lesser-known gems. Lose yourself in a good book – but register early: seating is limited at this popular event.
Wild Rides
You’ve Changed, the eagerly awaited new novel by Giller Prize winner Ian Williams, is a sharp, inventive, and absurdly funny dissection of a marriage between people who can no longer recognize each other. In Endling—a mix of extinction science, the international bride trade, and Russia’s war against Ukraine—Maria Reva spins fiction with all-too-real life. Join a conversation between the creators of two of the most dazzling and buzz-worthy novels of the year.
Walking with Beth
In the spring of 2021, Merilyn Simonds asked her friend Beth Robinson if she’d like to go for a walk. Simonds had just turned 70, entering what struck her as a mysterious, even frightening stage of life. Beth, a vibrant centenarian, was as awake to the world as a person half her age. Who better to ask what might come next? Walking with Beth is a unique take on longevity and friendship, full of wisdom, tenderness, joy, and the passions that sustain a long life.