Ancient Myths, Modern Nightmares

Event Details
Date and Time
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
7:00 pm
Venue
Performance Hall
The Spire (map)
Authors
Yann Martel
with Iain Reid
Description
Experience an extraordinary evening of grand myth and psychological suspense with two of Canada’s very best: Yann Martel and Iain Reid.
Martel’s Son of Nobody reimagines the mythical Trojan War through the eyes of a common soldier as told by an academic struggling for relevancy in his field and with his family. Reid’s A New Kind of Clean (co-authored with Ellie Foumbi) is a surrealist take on envy and ambition. It follows aspiring actress Missy Djalo whose big break turns out to be anything but lucky.
Join us to uncover how these storytellers bend reality, memory, and history.
About the Authors
Yann Martel
Yann Martel is the author of Life of Pi, the global bestseller that won the 2002 Man Booker Prize and was adapted to the screen in the Oscar-winning film by Ang Lee. His other books include The High Mountains of Portugal and Beatrice and Virgil. He lives in Saskatoon.
Iain Reid
Kingston’s Iain Reid has written five books, including The New York Times bestselling novel I’m Thinking of Ending Things, which has been translated into more than twenty languages and was adapted into a film by Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman. His second novel, Foe, was also adapted to film by GarthDavis while his third, We Spread, was nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award.
More Events
The Sting
Join Leslie Bradford Scott and Kingston’s own Adrian Michael Kelly as they dismantle family secrets and personal wreckage.
Reading the Continent
Each of the three countries that occupy the place we call North America are uniquely different cultures with their own individual literatures. Join Merilyn Simonds as she explores how three classic novels, one from each country, reflect these distinctions.
A How-to Guide to Writers’ Circles
Writing doesn’t have to be a solitary act. In this interactive workshop, writers – fiction, non-fiction, memoir –– will learn practical ways to create or strengthen their writing groups and imagine a more positive approach to writing.



