“One of Canada’s most respected non-fiction writers, has not only delivered his best book, but probably one of the finest books of the year… an absolutely compelling read.” – Toronto Star

John Vaillant’s acclaimed, award-winning nonfiction books, The Golden Spruce and The Tiger, were national bestsellers. His debut novel, The Jaguar’s Children, was a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. Vaillant has received the Governor General’s Literary Award, British Columbia’s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction, the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, and the Pearson Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. He has written for, among others, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and The Walrus.

His latest book is the eerily timely Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast. In this stunning account of the colossal wildfire that ravaged Fort McMurray in 2016, John takes us on a riveting journey through the intertwined histories of North America’s oil industry and the birth of climate science, to the unprecedented devastation wrought by modern forest fires, and into lives forever changed by these disasters. In its review, the Walrus says “the book fills a hole in the best climate reportage to date. It may prove to do more than any book that came before by evoking horror on every page: horror at the world we’ve tarnished, horror at the greed that we’ve let rule.”

He lives in Vancouver.

John’s appearance is supported by Author Patron Jennifer Foster of Ryder-Burbidge Hurley Foster.

Appearing in 10. Fire Weather