spreading the word 2013 - Vancouver Writers Fest

October 22-25, 2013
SPREADING THE WORD 2013
Events and programs with writers from around the world for
students in grades K-12. Includes La Joie de Lire events in French.
L. Marie Adeline – S.E.C.R.E.T.
Amber Dawn – How Poetry Saved My Life
Nadeem Aslam – The Blind Man’s Garden
Dan Bar-el – Dream Boats /Not Your Typical Dragon Annie Barrows – Ivy + Bean Take the Case
Susanna Basso
David Baudemont – Olga/Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon
Jowita Bydlowska – Drunk Mom
Don Calame – Call the Shots
Kevan Anthony Cameron – The Great Black North J. Edward Chamberlin – Island: How Islands Transform the World
Stephen Collis – The Red Album/To the Barricades
Brad Cran – Ink on Paper
Dede Crane – Every Happy Family
Michael Crummey – Under the Keel
Rachelle Delaney – The Metro Dogs of Moscow
Sarah de Leeuw – Geographies of a Lover
Anthony De Sa – Kicking the Sky
Viola Di Grado – 70% Acrylic 30% Wool Glenn Dixon – Tripping the World Fantastic: A Journey Through
the Music of our Planet
Rhéa Dufresne – Aujourd’hui, le ciel/Ma Journée, Mes humeurs/
Arachnéa, une légende grecque Deborah Ellis – Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids
Tanya Evanson – The Great Black North
Cary Fagan – Oy, Feh, So?/Danny, Who Fell in a Hole Julie Flett – Wild Berries
Wayne Grady – Emancipation Day
Charlotte Grimshaw – Soon
Mathew Henderson – The Lease
Helen Humphreys – Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother
Jude Isabella – Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages
Maureen Johnson – The Madness Underneath
Andrew Kaufman –All My Friends are Superheroes/Born Weird
Joanna Kavenna – Come to the Edge
Shar Levine – Dirty Science: 25 Experiments with Soil Elizabeth MacLeod – A History of Just About Everything
Anne Michaels – Correspondences
Silvia Moreno-Garcia – This Strange Way of Dying
Paul Muldoon – The Word on the Street
Saleema Nawaz – Bone & Bread
Corin Raymond – Bookworm
Elizabeth Ruth – Matadora
Maria Semple – Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Ann Shin – The Family China
Ashley Spires – Binky: License to Scratch Maggie Stiefvater – The Dream Thieves
Geronimo Stilton
Kathy Stinson – The Man with the Violin/What Happened to Ivy
Mary Swan – My Ghosts Meg Tilly – A Taste of Heaven Teresa Toten – The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Ayelet Tsabari – The Best Place on Earth
Priscila Uppal – Projections: Encounters with My Runaway Mother
Eric Walters – My Name is Blessing/Power Play/Tagged
Alison Wearing – Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter
Alan Weisman – Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?
Frieda Wishinsky – A History of Just About Everything
D.W. Wilson – Ballistics
Michael Winter – Minister Without Portfolio
Chris Spencer Foundation
Hamber Foundation
Kinder Morgan Foundation
RBC Foundation
ANnie Barrows
Deborah Ellis
Andrew Kaufman
Shar Levine
Maggie Stiefvater
Meg Tilly
Tanya Evanson
dan bar-el
Teresa Toten
Maureen Johnson
Ashley Spires
Eric Walters
It’s about reading, writing,
books and writers
Reading with Writers
Book a Festival author for your classroom!
• It’s Spreading the Word, the Vancouver Writers
Fest’s education program that offers K–12 students
and teachers a rare opportunity to engage with
internationally renowned writers.
• Step out of the classroom and onto Granville Island.
Authors, students and teachers converge for four days in
engaging and informal settings.
• Spreading the Word events inspire students to read
and write by introducing them to exciting writers from
around the world.
Each year Festival authors visit local schools in need to talk
with students about reading and writing, at no cost to the
school. To book a writer for a classroom visit, please contact
Ilona Beiks at [email protected].
36 great events for grades
K–12, in English and French
Reading with Writers is sponsored by HSBC Bank Canada.
• Hear authors of all genres read from their work, talk
about writing and answer questions from the audience.
• La Joie de Lire events are presented entirely in French.
Buy books at the venue and have them signed by the
authors after the event.
• A limited number of ticket subsidies, based on financial
need, are available through the Cynthia Woodward
Development Program.
• The Bus Subsidy Fund, supported by Bonnie Mah,
provides local travel assistance to groups of students
attending Festival events, based on financial need.
• For complete information on Spreading the Word events
and programs, check our website or contact Ilona Beiks,
Education Co-ordinator, at [email protected] or
604.215.9726.
• For information on La Joie de Lire events, please
contact Brenda Berck at [email protected] or
604.681.0315.
• Festival books are available from Kidsbooks at the
locations below:
Tous les livres présentés dans le cadre du festival sont
disponibles chez Kidsbooks:
- 3083 West Broadway, Vancouver
- 3040 Edgemont Boulevard, North Vancouver
-The Boulevard at South Point Exchange,
15033-32nd Avenue, Surrey
-kidsbooks.com
School Group Tickets
• Tickets are $8.50 per ticket for student groups and $17 for
individual tickets.
• Teachers and adults accompanying school groups must
purchase tickets.
• Online: go to writersfest.bc.ca/teachers/schoolorders
• In person at the Festival box office:
Festival House, 1398 Cartwright Street, Granville Island
• Fax a ticket order form to 604.681.8400. Ticket order
forms are available on the Festival website, or call
604.681.6330 to request a form. Please note, faxed orders
will not be processed without a credit card number.
• Info: writersfest.bc.ca or 604.681.6330.
Chaque année, les auteurs francophones du Festival visitent
les classes des quartiers défavorisés pour éveiller les élèves
à l’importance de lire et d’écrire. Si vous êtes intéressé par
la visite d’un écrivain dans votre classe au cours du mois
d’octobre, veuillez communiquer avec Brenda Berck à l’adresse
[email protected].
Spreading the Word Youth
Writing Contest
This is a new writing contest for young writers in grades
8–12 across BC. There are two categories: poetry and short
fiction. A first and second prize will be awarded in each
category. Winners will receive a cash prize and have their
work published in The Claremont Review, a magazine that
showcases aspiring young writers.
Please see our website for details:
writersfest.bc.ca/youthwritingcontest
Study Guides
Make the most of your experience! Study guides that are
directly tied to BC curriculum goals are available for all
Spreading the Word events. Please see our website for
details: writersfest.bc.ca.
Guides d’études! Les activités « Spreading the Word » ont des liens
directs avec les programmes d’études de la C.-B. Pour permettre
aux enseignants de tirer plein parti du Festival, un guide d’études
a été élaboré pour chacune des activités. Ces guides seront
disponibles sur le site Web du festival en septembre.
Make a day of it!
Experience the many wonders that Granville Island and
False Creek have to offer:
• Granville Island Public Market
• Kids Market
• Emily Carr University of Art + Design and
the Charles H. Scott Gallery
• Art and craft galleries
• Bird watching and sea life spotting
• Vancouver Maritime Museum
(vancouvermaritimemuseum.com)
• The Museum of Vancouver (museumofvancouver.ca)
• False Creek and Aquabus water taxis
Author biographies and website links are available on the
Festival website: writersfest.bc.ca
La Joie de Lire
Ces événements sont pour tous les âges et se tiendront exclusivement en français;
il y aura beaucoup de possibilitiés d’interaction entre les élèves et les écrivains.
Raconte-nous une histoire
Rhéa Dufresne, Aujourd’hui, le ciel/Ma Journée,
Mes humeurs/Arachnéa, une légende grecque
3
Geronimo Stilton se raconte
Animatrice: France Perras
Jeudi 24 octobre, 10 h – 11 h 30
32 et 38
STUDIO 1398
Mardi 22 octobre, 10 h – 11 h
STUDIO 1398
Jeudi 24 octobre, 13 h – 14 h 30
En compagnie de l’écrivaine Rhéa Dufresne, les élèves auront
l’occasion de découvrir toute une gamme d’histoires et différentes
manières de les raconter. Mme Dufresne lira Ma journée, mes humeurs,
Aujourd’hui, le ciel et Arachnéa, la légende grecque mettant en scène
Arachnéa et Athéna. Pourquoi tissent-elles? Pourquoi se disputent-elles?
IMPROV CENTRE
Pour les élèves de la maternelle à la troisième année.
Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études:
• enrichir son vocabulaire et mettre en pratique les acquis.
• améliorer ses aptitudes à communiquer et à écouter.
Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études:
• enrichir son vocabulaire et mettre en pratique les acquis.
• qméliorer ses aptitudes à communiquer et à écouter.
• compréhension de lecture – comprendre et résumer
une histoire.
Écrire tout haut
David Baudemont, Olga/ Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon
Animatrice: Jessica Heafey
7
Mardi 22 octobre, 13 h – 14 h 30
STUDIO 1398
Qui est Geronimo Stilton? C’est moi! Je dirige un journal, mais ma
véritable passion est l’écriture d’histoires d’aventures. Mes récits sont très
drôles et savoureux. Promis!
Pour les élèves de la troisième à la septième année.
D’ici et d’ailleurs
David Baudemont, Olga/ Celui qui dormait
entre les pattes du dragon
Animatrice: Anne-Marie McGinn
17
Mercredi 23 octobre, 10 h – 11 h 30
David Baudemont crée souvent ses histoires en collaboration avec des
élèves. C’est de cette manière qu’il a rédigé Olga, qui lui a valu le Prix du
livre français décerné dans le cadre des Saskatchewan Book Awards. Le récit
Celui qui dormait entre les pattes du dragon découle d’une collaboration entre
l’auteur et les élèves de cinquième, sixième et septième année de l’école
Père Mercure de North Battleford.
IMPROV CENTRE
Olga Silberschmitt a 15 ans lorsqu’elle tombe amoureuse de Kristian, un
jeune Allemand, fils d’un membre du parti nazi. Elle ne se doute pas que
cette amourette va la pousser à fuir sur les routes de France et de Belgique.
Que va devenir Olga?
Pour les élèves de la huitième à la douzième année.
David Baudemont a écrit des livres et des pièces primés. Il est
surtout connu pour sa collaboration auprès d’étudiants pendant le
développement d’une histoire. Dernièrement, il a écrit avec des élèves
de cinquième, sixième et septième année de l’école Père Mercure de
North Battleford.
Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études:
• les sciences humaines: l’histoire, l’identité, la culture
• l’écriture
Pour les élèves de la huitième à la douzième année.
Lien avec les objectifs du programme d’études:
• les sciences humaines: l’histoire, l’identité, la culture
• l’écriture
Events for Primary Students
Morning Train, Evening Boat
Dan Bar-el, Dream Boats
Julie Flett, Wild Berries
Kathy Stinson, The Man with the Violin
4
Stories in Good Company
Dan Bar-el, Not Your Typical Dragon
Ashley Spires, Binky: License to Scratch
Eric Walters, My Name is Blessing
19
Tuesday, October 22, 10–11:00 am
Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:00 pm
Take a trip to places you might have only dreamt about, thanks to new
picture books from three successful authors. Young readers will travel
onto a subway platform in Washington, DC, to imagine being swept
away by music from one of the world’s finest violinists. They will float
away on the dream boats that sail the seas of sleep from the Andes to St.
Petersburg. Or pick wild blueberries among foxes while chatting in Cree.
No passports needed for this morning’s adventures.
Veteran children’s author Eric Walters has written more than 80 books
that have won more than 100 awards, so you’re in for an afternoon
of great storytelling and creative genius. Walters’ newest story follows
a young Kenyan boy whose disability turns out to be a blessing. He
teams up with two other Canadian children’s authors who will entertain
with stories about Binky the cat, who plots an escape from the vet, and
Crispin, the scaly dragon who can’t even light his own birthday candles.
Suitable for grades K–3
Suitable for grades K–3
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: literacy foundations
• Visual Arts
• Social Studies: First Nations, geography and global community
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: literacy foundations
• Visual Arts
• Social Studies: geography
• Diversity, identity and self-esteem
IMPROV CENTRE
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Events for Primary & Intermediate Students
Ivy, Bean and Binky Together at Last
Annie Barrows, Ivy + Bean Take the Case
Ashley Spires, Binky: License to Scratch
1
Tuesday, October 22, 10–11:30 am
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Mystery, Adventure and Lies
Rachelle Delaney, The Metro Dogs of Moscow
Cary Fagan, Danny, Who Fell in a Hole
Meg Tilly, A Taste of Heaven
8
Tuesday, October 22, 1–2:30 pm
Annie Barrows, beloved author of the fabulously successful Ivy +
Bean series, which has sold 2.5 million copies worldwide, takes the stage
this morning with illustrator and author Ashley Spires, who brings the
fifth and final book in her delightful Binky series. Binky the cat, quiet,
red-headed Ivy and her best—and unlikely—friend Bean are well-known
to young readers, who will love meeting the active and outgoing minds
who’ve created these beloved characters.
Suitable for grades 2–4
This event is sponsored by Kidsbooks.
Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky,
A History of Just About Everything
The metro dogs of Moscow are known for riding the subway and
sniffing out food. But when a Jack Russell named JR discovers that strays
are going missing, he’s on the scent immediately, thanks to Rachelle
Delaney’s imagination. Cary Fagan is no stranger to creating riveting
adventure stories either, and his latest begins with Danny falling into a
deep construction hole, where he discovers a poetry-spouting mole. Meg
Tilly’s tale surrounds two new—and fast—friends, one of whom holds a
secret that could ruin everything, including trust and honesty.
Suitable for grades 4–7
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: character development
• Visual Arts
• Diversity, identity and self esteem
A History of Just About Everything
IMPROV CENTRE
Curriculum Connection
• Language Arts: character and plot development
16
A Trip of the Tongue
Julie Flett, Wild Berries
Jude Isabella, Chitchat: Celebrating the World’s Languages
21
Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:30 pm
Welcome to a one-stop event chronicling the history of the world,
beginning six million years ago and ending in 2013. Veteran children’s
authors Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky team up to bring
you some of the 180 key events and people they’ve identified that have
changed our world. Their book reads like an annotated timeline for
young readers, making history and its impact come alive.
How many different languages are spoken in your classroom? Eight?
Ten? This afternoon, artist and writer Julie Flett introduces you to the
language of her grandmother—Cree—complete with a pronunciation
guide to help with some of the tongue-twisty vocabulary in her book
Wild Berries. Well-known science writer Jude Isabella turns her attention
to how languages originate and change over time. Her new book,
Chitchat, looks at everything from monkey talk to lost languages and the
newest human languages.
STUDIO 1398
IMPROV CENTRE
Suitable for grades 3–6
Curriculum Connections
• Social Studies: history and geography
• Science
The World of Ivy + Bean
Annie Barrows, Ivy + Bean Take the Case
Thursday, October 24, 10–11:00 am
30
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Ivy + Bean fans, come one, come all! This
morning Annie Barrows brings you the
10th and latest adventure in the series, Ivy
+ Bean Take the Case. When asked what she
wants children to take away from her books,
Barrows says, “I just want to give them a
laugh.” The series has sold 2.5 million books,
has been translated into six languages and has
provided laughs, giggles and smiles since its
launch in 2006. If you’re discovering this pair
of unlikely friends for the first time, you’re in
for a treat.
Suitable for grades 1–4
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts
• Identity, diversity and self-esteem
Suitable for grades 3–6
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts
• Social Studies: First Nations and history
• Cultural Studies: ethnic diversity
People Who Changed the World
31
Dirty Science
37
Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda Wishinsky,
A History of Just About Everything
Shar Levine, Dirty Science:
25 Experiments with Soil Thursday, October 24, 10–11:30 am
Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
Elizabeth MacLeod and Frieda
Wishinsky, authors of A History of Just
About Everything, know that it’s people that
make history and they’ve looked at the lives
of some of the most incredible explorers,
musicians, scientists, writers and world leaders
throughout time. If you’ve ever thought about
the “how” and “who” of history rather than
the “what,” you’ll love spending a morning
with these two creative, entertaining, awardwinning authors who are curious about who’s
made the world the way it is. Come with
your questions!
There’s more to the dirt beneath your
feet than, well, dirt. Vancouver’s very own
“Science Lady,” Shar Levine, is here to
reveal what’s going on behind, or beneath,
the scenes—like discovering the hundreds of
invisible bugs in a handful of dirt. Levine’s
passion is infectious. “I want to make people
love science,” she says. There’s a budding
scientist in every kid, and Levine is happiest
when she’s working hands-on with a group
of future Einsteins. Kids and teachers, come
prepared to be more than onlookers this
afternoon. This is a chance to get your hands
dirty and leave hooked on science.
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Suitable for grades 4–7
Curriculum Connections
• History
• Social Studies
• Science
STUDIO 1398
Suitable for grades 3–5
Curriculum Connection
• Science
Events for Intermediate & Secondary Students
Odysseys Worth Repeating
Glenn Dixon, Tripping the World Fantastic
Deborah Ellis, Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids
15
Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Glenn Dixon travelled the globe for a year to explore how and why
people make music. From a tour of Bob Marley’s house, to sitar lessons in
India, to the talking drums of West Africa, he sought out music in its various
forms to try to understand how playing and creating music is a form of
communication. Deborah Ellis spent two years travelling across the United
States and Canada, interviewing Aboriginal children and giving them an
opportunity to share their lives and their hopes. Come and hear fascinating
stories from around the world from two authors who’ve been there and
done that.
Suitable for grades 7–10
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: non-fiction
• Social Studies: First Nations, geography, history and cultural studies
Tripping the World Fantastic
Glenn Dixon, Tripping the World Fantastic
Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:30 pm
20
STUDIO 1398
Travel writer and guitarist Glenn Dixon has toured the globe exploring
how and why people make music and has returned with some fascinating
finds. Remove your earbuds this morning and listen up as Dixon takes you
on a musical odyssey, from sitar lessons on the banks of the Ganges, to
the sounds of African drumming in Ghana, to the wild electric rhythms of
Cuban dance music.
Suitable for grades 7 and up
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: non-fiction
• Fine Arts: music
• Social Studies: geography, history and global cultural community
Sworn to Secrecy
Meg Tilly, A Taste of Heaven
Eric Walters, Tagged
35
Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS
In Tagged, veteran author Eric Walters creates a fast-paced mystery
about who might be spray painting graffiti murals around town. Is it art or
vandalism? And could the guerrilla artist be a close friend? In Meg Tilly’s
novel A Taste of Heaven, secrets threaten to ruin a friendship. Why won’t
Alyssa talk about her family? Why has she never invited her best friend over?
And how big is the price of celebrity? Tilly, herself an award-winning actress
who famously turned her back on Hollywood, is well-acquainted with the
cost of fame and secrecy. But it’s no secret that Walters and Tilly are masters
at weaving great stories loaded with believable characters—and keeping
audiences well entertained.
Suitable for grades 6–8
Curriculum Connection
• Language Arts: character and plot development
• Events for Secondary Students
Events for Secondary Students
5
Magic and Mayhem – Cynthia Woodward Young Readers Legacy
Maureen Johnson, The Madness Underneath
Maggie Stiefvater, The Dream Thieves
Moderator: Nancy Lee
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
“Magic and storytelling can transcend boundaries,” says Maggie Stiefvater,
whose books have been translated into 34 languages. Her Shiver trilogy
spent 40 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Adventure, individuality
and independence are aplenty in her new series, starting with The Raven
Boys and The Dream Thieves. Maureen Johnson, also a New York Times
bestselling writer with thousands of Twitter followers, will entrance readers
with her Shades of London series. Based on the story of Jack the Ripper, her
series is set amongst ghost hunters and the historic sewers of London and
filled with secret passages and bodies.
Suitable for grades 9–12
Curriculum Connection
• Language Arts: creative writing process and fantasy/historical plot
development
Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Deborah Ellis in conversation with Joseph Boyden
Tuesday, October 22, 1–2:30 pm
6
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Tuesday, October 22, 1–2:30 pm
Maggie Stiefvater in Conversation with Shannon Ozirny
Voices of Native Youth
14
Master storyteller Maggie Stiefvater saw herself as an outsider. She was
home-schooled and graduated at 16; “I wasn’t interested in high school at
all.” But one thing she has always been passionate about is writing; it’s her
way of processing the world. Before starting college, Stiefvater had written
30 unfinished novels. Fast-forward 10 years and behold a YA author
whose books have sold 2 million copies worldwide, with hits including the
Shiver series, The Scorpio Races and now The Raven Boys cycle. Stiefvater
takes the stage this morning to talk about her books, rebellion, early fame,
the creative process and anything else that fans might want to ask.
Suitable for grades 8–12
Curricululm Connection
• Language Arts: fantasy genre and creative writing process
For two years, renowned author Deborah Ellis travelled all over
North America interviewing Aboriginal children aged 9 to 18 for her
new book, Looks Like Daylight: Voices of Indigenous Kids. The result is a
compelling collection of interviews from Iqaluit to Texas, Haida Gwaii
to North Carolina. Ellis briefly introduces each, then lets the kids speak
directly to the reader, talking about their daily lives, the things that
interest them and how being Native informs who they are and how
they see the world.
Suitable for grades 8–10
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: non-fiction
• Social Studies: First Nations, global community and cultural identity
A Taste of the Real Thing
Maureen Johnson, The Madness Underneath
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, This Strange Way of Dying
18
Wednesday, October 23, 1–2:30 pm
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Nowadays, vampires are often cast as romantic characters, but their
true origins are much more menacing. They’re emblems of the plague,
creatures that shed their skin and roam the night, and they come alive
in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s short story collection This Strange Way of
Dying. Tapping into England’s history of chilling creatures, Maureen
Johnson spent countless months researching the life that tromps
through London’s sewer system, the chilling case files of Jack the Ripper
and ghost lore. Part contemporary novel, part paranormal thriller,
Johnson’s The Madness Underneath will have you on the edge of your seat.
Watch out, Edward Cullen, this is the real thing!
Suitable for grades 9–12
Curriculum Connections
• Creative Writing: fantasy and historical
• Social Studies: history, geography, cultural studies
• Applied Skills: research & analysis
Tough and Topical
Kathy Stinson, What Happened to Ivy
Teresa Toten, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Eric Walters, Power Play
Moderator: Shannon Ozirny
29
Thursday, October 24, 10–11:30 am
High Octane
Don Calame, Call the Shots
Andrew Kaufman, All My Friends are Superheroes
36
Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE
The authors at today’s event tackle tough issues head-on to start
conversations that lead to understanding. In Eric Walters’ 81st book,
Power Play, the tough topic is sexual abuse among young hockey players.
Kathy Stinson tackles both sides of the question of mercy killing in What
Happened to Ivy through the eyes of David, whose sister is severely disabled
by cerebral palsy. Teresa Toten takes on obsessive-compulsive disorder
in The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B. Says Walters, “Books have the power to
change lives, what we think and what we do.” There will be plenty to think
about after this morning.
Screenwriters as well as successful novelists, Don Calame and Andrew
Kaufman take the stage in an event that’s sure to be high-energy and
very funny. Calame’s uproarious trio of high-school buddies Coop, Sean
and Matt return with a scheme to make a low-budget horror movie
that’s guaranteed to make them rich—and magnets for girls. Call the Shots
crackles with fast-paced raunchy fun, and a gross-out warning for good
measure. The 10th anniversary illustrated edition of the worldwide cult
favourite All My Friends are Superheroes brings Kaufman to the Writers
Fest for the first time, and with him the Ear, the Spooner, the Impossible
Man and Tom’s wife, the Perfectionist. If you haven’t been introduced to
these everyday superheroes before, don’t miss this chance.
Suitable for grades 9–12
Suitable for grades 10–12
Curriculum Connections
• Creative Writing
• Humanities: ethics, identity and diversity
• Social Justice
Curriculum Connections
• Creative Writing: character and plot development
• Fine Arts: drama and screenwriting
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Grades 10 – 12, Teachers & Parents
2
With A Little Help from My Friends
Viola Di Grado, 70% Acrylic 30% Wool
Teresa Toten, The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Tuesday, October 22, 10–11:30 am
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Viola Di Grado’s first novel 70% Acrylic 30% Wool, written when she
was just 23, was a finalist for Italy’s top literary prize. Teresa Toten has
been twice-nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award for her
thoughtful books for young adults. Characters from the minds of these two
authors are often outsiders—kids with social anxiety disorders, young adults
coping with silent parents. These authors don’t preach, but rather address
the experiences with which young people everywhere must cope.
Suitable for grades 10–12 and adults
Curriculum Connections
• Creative Writing: character development
• Humanities: identity and diversity
Word!
Tanya Evanson
Corin Raymond, Bookworm
Alison Wearing, Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter
13 & 34
Wednesday, October 23, 10–11:30 am
Thursday, October 24, 1–2:30 pm
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Tanya Evanson is an award-winning spoken word artist who combines
language, rhythm and sound to lift poetry off the page. She appears this
morning with Alison Wearing, who performs excerpts from her onewoman show Confessions of a Fairy’s Daughter, a multimedia monologue
balancing intimacy with truth and humour. Canadian folksinger Corin
Raymond also performs excerpts from his one-man show Bookworm, an
engaging meditation on reading, childhood and his father’s love of books.
Suitable for grades 8–12 and adults
Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: poetry and spoken word
• Fine Arts: drama and music
Worlds Arising, Worlds in Peril
33
Formwork
44
J. Edward Chamberlin, Island: How Islands Transform the World
Alan Weisman, Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth?
Moderator: Kathryn Gretsinger
L. Marie Adeline, S.E.C.R.E.T.
J. Edward Chamberlin, Island: How
Islands Transform the World
Thursday, October 24, 10–11:30 am
Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
The story of islands, as J. Edward Chamberlin tells it, is also the story
of our planet, from the cycles of climate change to seismic upheavals.
Chamberlin looks through different lenses—culture, mythology, geography,
navigation—to see how islands fit into the human understanding of our
existence on earth. Alan Weisman follows his bestselling book The World
Without Us with Countdown, a look at the future of humankind in the face
of overpopulation. There’ll be plenty of opportunity for questions as you
meet two writers who have given serious thought to questions of whether,
and how, we can survive here on earth.
Suitable for grades 10–12 and adults
All stories, true or imagined, begin with an idea but must take on a shape to
grow. Is this a short story? A poem? Non-fiction? Or ... ? Though J. Edward
Chamberlin, professor emeritus of English and comparative literature, is
well aware of the many forms available to tell his story, he’s chosen nonfiction for Island. Brad Cran finds poetic essays the best form for his startling
observations in Ink on Paper. Under the pseudonym L. Marie Adeline,
Lisa Gabriele, author of two literary novels, was determined to write her
new novel in the genre form of erotica. Anne Michaels, best known as
a novelist for Fugitive Pieces, now presents her readers with a long poem in
Correspondences, which appears alongside portraits by Bernice Eisenstein.
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: non-fiction
• Science: environmental stewardship
• Social Studies: global community, geography and ethics
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: poetry, non-fiction, short stories and novels
• Creative Writing: inspirations and processes
IMPROV CENTRE
The Interviews
Anthony De Sa, Kicking the Sky
Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day
Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Host: Marsha Lederman
Brad Cran, Ink on Paper
Anne Michaels, Correspondences
Moderator: Merilyn Simonds
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
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Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
PERFORMANCE WORKS
Pure Poetry
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Kevan Anthony Cameron, The Great Black North
Stephen Collis, To the barricades
Mathew Henderson, The Lease
Michael Crummey, Under the Keel
Ann Shin, The Family China
Sarah de Leeuw, Geographies
Host: Brad Cran
of a Lover
Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
The Globe and Mail’s Marsha Lederman talks to three authors writing
out of vastly different experiences. Primarily a non-fiction writer and
translator, Wayne Grady looks at race relations and family secrets in
Emancipation Day, inspired by a secret in Grady’s own family. Anthony
De Sa grew up in Toronto’s Portuguese enclave. He sets his novel in the
same rough-and-tumble neighbourhood in 1977, the year a 12-yearold shoeshine boy was murdered and Toronto the Good was changed
forever. Former TV comedy writer Maria Semple wrote her masterfully
satirical tale Where’d You Go, Bernadette shortly after moving to Seattle,
when she was struck by the peculiarities of the place.
WATERFRONT THEATRE
Curriculum Connection
• Creative Writing: journalism, non-fiction and fiction
Warning: Content in this event may not be suitable for all classes.
Six of Canada’s poets show off the universal power of the well-chosen
word. Kevan Anthony Cameron, aka Scruffmouth, veteran of
the North American poetry slam scene, joins Sarah de Leeuw and
Stephen Collis, both recipients of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize.
Michael Crummey’s Under the Keel is his first poetry collection in
a decade. Mathew Henderson’s hard-hitting debut The Lease has
garnered ecstatic reviews, and filmmaker Ann Shin pushes poetry into
new territory with The Family China. This is a celebration of poetry that is
fresh and startling—and doesn’t waste a word.
Curriculum Connection
• Language Arts: poetry, poetic devices and structure
Grades 10 – 12, Teachers & Parents CONTINUED
Drunk Mom
Jowita Bydlowska in conversation with
Andreas Schroeder
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Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
STUDIO 1398
“Drunk Mom is an imperfect account of the events that occurred from
2009 to 2010 when I relapsed after three and a half years of sobriety,”
says Jowita Bydlowska. While many might attempt to hide the
binge drinking and blackouts, the chaos and confusion of alcoholism,
Bydlowska bares it all in her controversial memoir. “This has been a
painful story to tell. I wrote it ... because I hope it will help those who
are struggling with similar issues, and give others a glimpse into what that
struggle is like.” Meet a brutally honest author and mother who has met
the glares of those who don’t understand and the criticism of those who
say she’s bared too much.
Curriculum Connection
• Language Arts: memoir and personal narrative
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All in the Family
Dede Crane, Every Happy Family
Andrew Kaufman, Born Weird
Saleema Nawaz, Bone & Bread
Mary Swan, My Ghosts
Moderator: Angie Abdou
Friday, October 25, 10–11:30 am
Improv Centre
When it comes to family dynamics, the dramatic possibilities are endless.
Andrew Kaufman’s Born Weird brings us the five Weird siblings,
reunited as their evil grandmother dies. Saleema Nawaz brings us
orphaned sisters Beena and Sadhana Sing, growing up above a bagel
shop in Montreal, in Bone & Bread. Mary Swan’s latest, My Ghosts,
breathes life into a household of Scottish orphans trying to make their
way in Toronto in 1879. And Dede Crane gives us a modern-day family
in Victoria, BC, whose reality is quite different from outside appearances.
You thought your family was crazy? Meet some new families in all their
humorous and heartbreaking glory.
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: fiction
• Health and Career: family and community dynamics
In the Beginning
Amber Dawn, How Poetry Saved My Life
Jowita Bydlowska, Drunk Mom
Helen Humphreys, Nocturne: On the Life and Death of My Brother
Priscila Uppal, Projections: Encounters with My Runaway Mother
Moderator: Andreas Schroeder
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Faces in the Conflict
Nadeem Aslam, The Blind Man’s Garden
Ayelet Tsabari, The Best Place on Earth
D.W. Wilson, Ballistics
Michael Winter, Minister Without Portfolio
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Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 pm
Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 pm
WATERFRONT THEATRE
What might begin as a private journal, a way to understand personal events
and emotions, sometimes has such power that it demands to be published.
Helen Humphreys began Nocturne as a private letter to her deceased
brother when grief prevented her from writing fiction. Amber Dawn
wrote some of her memoir about her experiences as a sex worker almost a
decade ago, then shelved them. Priscila Uppal, poet, novelist, anthologist,
essayist, felt compelled to write her memoir after an intensely emotional
reunion with the mother who had abandoned her. Jowita Bydlowska
began Drunk Mom as fiction until she realized she had to own, and own up
to, the story.
Four writers put the personal story into global conflicts in a way that
brings new understandings and connections. Nadeem Aslam, setting
his novel in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the months following 9/11,
brings us the story of foster brothers Jeo and Mikal. Michael Winter’s
Henry Hayward is the character that gives us insight into the personal
effect of roadside conflict in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ayelet Tsabari,
formerly a soldier in the Israeli army, gives us short stories peopled with
those living “life on the verge of an emergency” to show an Israel people
may not have seen in the news. And D.W. Wilson’s US army deserter,
Archer, suffers from both psychological and physical scars caused by his
participation in the Vietnam War.
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Curriculum Connection
• Language Arts: journal, memoir and personal narrative
Found in Translation
Susanna Basso
Wayne Grady, Emancipation Day
Paul Muldoon, The Word on the Street
Moderator: Genni Gunn
Curriculum Connection
• Social Studies: global community, current history and
human geography
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Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 pm
STUDIO 1398
Italian translator Susanna Basso has devoted much of the past 10
years translating Alice Munro’s collections of stories into Italian but has
never visited Canada until now. Irish poet Paul Muldoon, who’s won
the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and is the poetry editor for the New Yorker,
translates poetry from Gaelic to English. Canadian author Wayne
Grady has translated 15 novels from French and won a Governor
General’s Literary Award for his translations. What are the challenges in
translating works for readers in another country with a different culture?
Or for readers within the same country divided by culture or politics?
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts
• Cultural Studies
Bodies Politic
Stephen Collis, The Red Album
Charlotte Grimshaw, Soon
Joanna Kavenna, Come to the Edge
Elizabeth Ruth, Matadora
Moderator: Dennis Bolen
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Friday, October 25, 1–2:30 PM
IMPROV CENTRE
Elizabeth Ruth challenges the dominant assumptions of 1930s Spain in
her novel Matadora, with a female bullfighter who dreams of entering the
ring despite political and cultural opposition. The world of political parties
and backroom power politics is the subject of New Zealand criminal lawyer
Charlotte Grimshaw’s novel Soon, a bold and biting satire on wealth
and pretentiousness. Stephen Collis’ first novel, The Red Album, questions
historical authenticity by confronting alternate versions of the narratives of
social struggle and revolution in Spain’s history. And Joanna Kavenna’s dark
comedy Come to the Edge looks at the British countryside as a place of notable
contrasts; the rural poor can barely afford to stay in their homes while the
rich buy up second homes and barely use them. Everything is political, and
these four authors will tell you why.
Curriculum Connections
• Language Arts: literary evaluation and analysis
• Social Studies: history