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The write stuff

What to expect from the 24" Vancouver International Writers Festival

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By Angela Espinoza, Arts Editor

r the past 24 years, writers
hailing from all over have
been making their way to the

Vancouver International Writers
Festival (VIWF). Operating under
the aim of providing literary events
to Vancouver’s reading crowd (with
an emphasis on young adults), the
non-profit VIWF has built its way up
to being one of the largest literature
festivals in Canada. This year, nearly
100 respected authors will be the
subjects of 70 events happening over
the course of six days, from October
18-23.

Writers from all forms of literate
media will be making appearances.
One such person is Nova Scotia’s Kate
Beaton, creator of the popular web
comic Hark! A Vagrant. Another is
Russell Banks, whose novel The Sweet
Hereafter (1991) was adapted into an
Academy Award-nominated film, and
will be promoting his latest book, Lost

8

Memory of Skin. Then there’s Martin
Espada, whose last collection of poetry
(The Republic of Poetry (2006)) was
a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and
will also be promoting his latest work,
The Trouble Ball. Espada will also be
making an appearance at the Douglas
College Literature Alive event this
Wednesday afternoon (details below).
Taking place throughout Granville
Island, the VIWF intends for its
audiences to listen and interact with
the authors in intimate and casual
settings. The events are organized from
solo author-focused presentations to
discussions between multiple authors,
often under a theme. Some examples
of these events are the aptly titled An
Intimate Evening with Russell Banks;
Crime Time, featuring a round table

- discussion between crime writers Stuart

MacBride, Denise Mina, Ian Rankin
(all based in Scotland), Peter Robinson
(Ontario), and newcomer Wayne
Arthurson (Alberta); and Polyphony,
where several authors (Pauline

AGI

Holdstock, Steven Price, Michael V.
Smith, and Timothy Taylor all based
in BC) will be reading select portions
from their debut novels.

Another important event to make
note of is the Governor General’s
Award Party (details below). The Award
Party is both the festival’s closing
event and a celebration for the 75"
anniversary of the Governor General’s
Award—the highest recognition a
writer can receive in Canada. Four past
winners (Joan MacLeod, John Pass,
John Vaillant (all based in BC), and
Nino Ricci (Ontario)) will be making
presentations, reading from their
award-winning books, discussing how
the prize has affected their careers, and
commenting on the concept of awards
in literary culture; the event will be
hosted by Hal Wake, VIWF’s current
Artistic Director.

When all is said and done though,
that will not mean the end of the
VIWF’s hand in local events for the
year. Taking place after the festival

 

will be four major events featuring
authors and cultural figures Anthony
Bourdain (October 29), David Sedaris
(November 5), Wade Davis (November
10), and finally, Chuck Palahniuk
(November 30), who will be promoting
his latest novel, Damned.

Make sure to keep in the know by
visiting Www.writersfest.bc.ca and get
tickets for all these epic events (yes,
there are still tickets) before it’s too
late!

What: Literature Alive with Martin Espada
Where: Douglas College, New West
campus, Rm. 3343

When: October 19 @ 8 p.m.

Cost: Free!

What: Governor General’s Award Party
Where: Waterfront Theatre, 1412
Cartwright Street (Granville Island)
When: October 23 @ 8 p.m.

Cost: $19 ($2 off for students with
valid ID) :