They say the rain is about to start – perfect timing for The Vancouver Writers Festival to get started. We can’t think of a more appropriate way to spend a cool, wet autumn afternoon than curling up with a good book, except perhaps, to sit in on an inspiring talk given by the author of that good book.

Ticket prices are fair and the 2012 Writers Fest line up is pretty sweet: Author Martin Amis will be here to talk about his new novel. Junot Díaz – Pulitzer Prize winner for The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao – will also be knocking about. So will Dennis Lee (Alligator Pie), Margaret Atwood, A.L. Kennedy and David Suzuki. Local author Annabel Lyon will be talking about her eagerly anticipated follow-up to The Golden Mean (The Sweet Girl) and  Chris Cleave(Incendiary, Little Bee) has come from the UK to talk about his new book Gold. Oh, and spoken word too – C.R. Avery, Ivan E. Coyote and Lemn Sissay (details) hit the Granville Island Stage a few times.

There are galas, panel discussions, interviews, author readings and a little bit of theatre. Events are selling out, so take some time out to plan which gigs you would like to catch before every opportunity slips away. The Festival At A Glance page gives a good overview of events, so get on it today!

October 16-21 | times & locations vary (mostly Granville Island) | Details