Has the shift in seasons also triggered a deep-set biological inclination to refresh your home ‘library’ with stimulating new reading material? Good news: The Vancouver Writers Fest is returning this month for a week containing dozens of bookish events, offering up more than enough literary inspiration to get you through the grey months ahead…

From one-on-one author interviews to themed multi-panelist discussions, workshops, performances and more, this year’s Fest is jam-packed with reasons to (briefly) hoist yourself out of your comfy chair, and get your blood pumping and your brain working. We’ve perused the entire week-long calendar in order to give you our top picks to attend. Events are selling out already, though, so don’t idle on snagging your tickets!

GET SPOOKY

Scarily Brilliant: An Evening of Literary Horror | A horror-themed discussion with local authors, Yeji Y. Ham and Jen Sookfong Lee, and visiting authors, Elliott Gish (from Halifax) and Adam Pottle (from Saskatoon) – ideal for getting into the Halloween spirit! With their respective work, all four writers tackle the horror genre from different tacts, the common denominator being their abilities to effectively tap into readers’ fear…For this event, they’ll be talking about the concept, nuances and devices of “real” fear, and how they are able to communicate it so well on the page. DETAILS

IN CONVERSATION WITH…

Heather O’Neill in Conversation | To date, I’ve seen Montreal-based author, Heather O’Neill, speak twice: once in the role of interviewee, and the other time as the interviewer (of fellow Montreal-born author, Mona Awad). As such, I’ve deduced that she is a reliably entertaining, witty, smart, fascinating, unabashed and articulate speaker/personality – no matter which side of the Q&A she’s on. Even if you aren’t familiar with O’Neill’s oeuvre – or if you are, but haven’t yet been in one of her audiences – I recommend jumping on this opportunity to witness her in-person in conversation with fellow fiction author, Shaena Lambert. And in the meantime, there’s still a bit of time to be inducted into O’Neill’s distinct, historical-fantastical literary world by snatching up anything by the author that you can get your hands on. DETAILS *Also, for more about her latest novel, The Capital of Dreams, check out Vol. 15 of our Scout Book Club here.

HANDS ON + HIGH OCTANE

Night Class: A Workshop with UBC School of Creative Writing | Five members (both teachers and authors) of UBC School of Creative Writing – Whitney French, Frances Koncan, Mandy Len Catron, Jen Moss and Alix Ohlin – assemble for 90 minutes of quick, fun and intense writing and thought exercises, crossing genres and styles “from poetry and song to comics and speculative fiction.” Not published? No problem! Fellow writers and newbies are all invited to attend! DETAILS

BOOKS FOR BREAKFAST

Food for Thought | If you’re the sort of person who doesn’t like to combine appetites, or thinks that food and literature are a messy mix, then skip over this one. On the other hand, if you agree that there’s nothing like being seated around a table full of good food with other bookish folks to stimulate the appetite for conversation, then take note: this year’s Vancouver Writers Fest has two opportunities to do just that! Although The Afternoon Tea is already sold out, there are still tickets available for Food for Thought. Rouse yourself early on Sunday morning to wake up with some interesting conversation over continental breakfast and mimosas, with six non-fiction writers exploring different yet pertinent environmental, political, cultural, and nutritional topics. Sounds like a great way to start the morning, to me! DETAILS

HOT TOPICS

Knowing Who We Are (And Who We Can Be) | For me, Niigaan Sinclair’s new collection of essays about Indigenous futures dispatched from the heart of Canada, Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre, is a non-negotiable “must read” – not least of all because it focuses on our shared hometown, Winnipeg. But regardless of your own connection with the book’s titular city, diving into the latest offering from the well-respected journalist and editor should be a priority of anyone living in Canada. In light of its recent release, Sinclair is joining Tanya Talaga – whose own recently published book, The Knowing, continues her mission of delving into the country’s extensive history of the oppression of Indigenous people – for a discussion on the themes explored in both Wînipêk and Who We Are, the epic new work of non-fiction by Sinclair’s father (Senator Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission). I expect nothing less than brilliance. DETAILS

Ecosystems for Change | Two well-respected, knowledgeable scientists and authors – Diana Beresford-Kroeger and Dr. Jennifer Grenz – go head-to-head to discourse on a topic they both share a passion and (differently focussed) expertise for: the human-environment connection. The Writers Fest describes it as “a remarkable event probing how we use scientific lessons from both Indigenous and western thought”.DETAILS

FREE!

The Wall Between | A virtual conversation with Raja G. Khouri and Jeffrey Wilkinson, led by Leslie Hurtig, riffing off of the former pair’s recently published co-authored book, The Wall, about the multi-layered Palestinian-Isreali dynamic. “In this nuanced and courageous pre-recorded event, available throughout the Festival, the authors continue the essential conversation for us all about how Jews and Palestinians speak (and listen) differently to each other, and the importance of empathy and understanding trauma.” Sign up on the event page to have access to the video from October 21st through November 4th. DETAILS | For a more in-depth exploration of the subject, you can also attend a PYWC (starting at $10) live screening of the video, followed by an in-person Q&A session with Khouri. DETAILS

WRITERS GONE WILD

Highway to the Danger Zone: Lyrics Night | Wondering what, after a long day of in-depth discussion, Writers Fest writers do to “let loose”? Block off your Friday night to find out! That’s when no less than ten of this year’s participating authors will be getting on the Performance Works stage to perform their personal takes on famous movie soundtrack songs. DETAILS Extend the fun and take to the dance floor by joining the ensuing Dance Party, which kicks things up a notch immediately afterwards, beginning at 9:30pm.