Join Adam Gopnik, long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, as he shares a new memoir that brims with charming erudition, rich detail, and deep insight into the particular magic of New York City in the 1980s. Adam chats with the Globe and Mail's Books Editor Mark Medley about life in the Big Apple, from the moment Adam and soon-to-be wife Martha arrived from Montreal as wide-eyed newcomers, to now, and the eyes-wide-open, settled and savvy New Yorker he’s become. 8:00…

High school life for Janna, a Muslim student, and for Sidney, a Jewish student, has many challenges. Both characters face and learn to deal with personal anxieties, along with the tension between modern attitudes they see played out around them, and the traditional expectations that do not always reflect the reality of their lives. Together, novelists S.K. Ali and Leanne Lieberman talk with Shelley Tanaka about their characters’ unique perspectives on universal themes of identity, family, friendship, and sexuality. 11:00 am – 12:00…

Award-winning authors Helen Humphreys and Kyo Maclear are acute observers of things small and significant. Their newest books both have been likened to Helen Macdonald’s H is for Hawk, in their insights and their accomplished and beautiful prose, and in the way that their chosen subject is both personal and universal. Helen has turned her attention to the humble apple, and reflects upon the link between agriculture, settlement, and human relationships. Kyo applies what she learns as a newly fledged…

Eva Stachniak shares her wondrous historical novel about the life of ballet great Bronia Nijinska, sister to the famous dancer Vladimir Nijinsky. With Cecily Ross, Eva talks about Bronia, her brother, and the many important creatives of their time whom they counted among their friends and artistic collaborators. Eva reveals her attraction to writing books about famous women, usually Polish by birth, with strong, complex characters who, despite the cultural and societal limitations of their gender and time, reached the…

Author and radio journalist Rosanna Deerchild, a member of O-Pipon-Na-Piwan Cree Nation, author Lee Maracle, a member of the Stó:lō Nation, daughter of a Métis mother and Salish father, author and activist Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg and member of Alderville First Nation and of Idle No More, join moderator Terri-Lynn Brennan, whose roots are in the Mohawk Nation. Together, they talk about their work, and the importance of contemporary Indigenous women’s literature in knowledge-making and sharing, reflecting…

Join Kingston author Ray Argyle as he and author Lawrence Scanlan chat about Ray’s newest book, a novel based on a true story. Set in rural Ontario, with elements of crime, mystery, and passion, it has been described as a “combination courtroom drama, murder mystery, and a meditation on the moral malaise of Victorian Canada.” Ray delves into the striking social and cultural changes of the time, and talks about class differences and religious and racial prejudices that strike a…

GG Award-winning authors both, biographer Karoyln Smardz-Frost and novelist Linda Spalding bring to life the extraordinary experiences of freedom seekers and those on both sides of the border who aided African refugees from the US. Danger and difficulty tested the courage and beliefs of both. Anita Jack-Davies leads a discussion of the inherent drama of the freedom seekers’ story, whether true or fictional, why this story has been mostly excluded from our literary tradition, and asks Karolyn and Linda how they see themselves,…

In the most recent example of her beautifully written, audacious, and deeply inventive work, Kathleen Winter presents two characters in one, General James Wolfe, known to most Canadian school-children as the “Conqueror of Canada”, and Jimmy, a homeless ex-soldier with PTSD in present-day Montreal. Jimmy bears more than a passing resemblance to Wolfe, who died in 1759. Join Kathleen and biographer/historian Charlotte Gray as they interrogate Kathleen’s copious research and discuss how she arrived at this striking approach to depicting anew this…

Not many men would volunteer to travel abroad to become one of Juliet’s secretaries, but author Glenn Dixon does just that, in the name of research and in a quest for understanding the elusive truth of heartbreak and healing. As he learns about himself and about the real story of Romeo and Juliet, he discovers extraordinary and unexpected truths about love. Join Glenn andBen McNally in this conversation about broken hearts, the Bard, and the beautiful tradition of Juliet’s wall of…

Award-winning screenwriter-turned-novelist Elan Mastai sends us to an alternate world, a thrilling techno-utopian paradise where flying cars and robot maids are a reality, then challenges us to ask ourselves if that reality really is better than our own, and whether we really will want the futures we now imagine. With Kingston Canadian Film Festival director Marc Garniss, Elan talks about the mechanics of time travel and the complications that can arise, the experience of adapting his own novel for screen, and…

What makes a great Canadian? Join award-winning authors Charlotte Gray and Lawrence Scanlan as they discuss the extraordinary people featured in their books. Tommy Douglas, Emily Carr, Jean Béliveau, Chris Hadfield, Elijah Harper, and others have made lasting contributions to our Canadian cultural identity. Who do you choose to include? What about unsung heroes? Alicia Boutilier, curator of Canadian historical art at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, moderates the conversation and shares visual examples of how portraiture can also commemorate, comment upon, and…

Join moderator Eric Friesen for a penetrating conversation with award-winning journalists and authors Carol Off and Doug Saunders, and debut novelist Danny Ramadan, about nations at war, the refugee experience of danger, displacement, disintegration, and intolerance, and the experience of those who try to help. They’ll discuss Canada’s track record of assistance and welcome, particularly in comparison with the US, Britain, and EU countries. Can we, and should we, do more to help? Guests of honour: Jamal Saeed, Rufaida Alakhabaz, Ray…

AuthorMerilyn Simonds shares stories that span 40 years from her new memoir, and talks about her ongoing love affair with books, reading, and writing. With author Diane Schoemperlen she explores the nature of innovation, the past and present significance of books as tangible objects, and the future of the thing that is a book. Merilyn reflects on how human communication has changed over centuries, and how it might be expected to change in the future. 9:00 – 10:00 am Islandview

Janie Chang spins a richly textured tale of a thrice-unfortunate girl – the illegitimate Eurasian daughter of a Chinese concubine – who navigates the complexities and intrigues of early twentieth-century Shanghai as the ancient imperial dynasty is collapsing. Jialing learns to rely on her own intelligence, resilience, courage, with help from a surprising spirit ally, to find purpose, to thrive, and to find belonging. Join Janie and Barbara Bell as they delve into Janie’s insights on race, identity, women’s struggle for agency,…

Join historian Tim Cook and Queen’s University HistorianDuncan McDowall as they talk about this legendary battle and its place in the Canadian national consciousness. How did Vimy, relatively insignificant in terms of the overall campaign, become enshrined in the nation's self-identity? What part did imperialism, politics, or economics play? And how do we make sense of the enormous psychic toll on Canadians who fought there? As a symbol, Vimy allows us to talk about our history, the stories we tell about ourselves,…

Forensic anthropologist and academic by day, prolific writer by night, American author Kathy Reichs has delivered a brilliant forensic crime series, featuring Temperance Brennan, that spans two decades and exceeds two dozen works of fiction. With Robert Rotenberg, Kathy reflects on her two careers and shares how it feels to say goodbye to Temperance as she launches her newest fictional creation, Sunday Night, a smart, tough, and talented heroine whose thirst for justice stems from her own dark past. This is a don’t-miss event!…