Five Must-See Events at The Vancouver Writer’s Festival

The Vancouver Writer’s Festival is just around the corner (October 17-23) and there’s still time to get in on the creative extravaganza before tickets sell out! Vita has helped narrow down your search by highlighting five festival events not to miss. —Michelle Gadd

Learning From Life

Maybe you don’t have a fiction novella inside of you but there’s always a memoir hidden just below the surface. Join authors Ivan Coyote, Teva Harrison, Craig Davison and Noah Richler as they share their own memoir writing experiences. From the everyday life of driving a bus for disabled kids to humorous yet heart-wrenching tales of a “young butch,” you’ll be inspired to tell your own tale. www.writersfest.bc.ca

Friday, October 21, 2016 – 10:00am to 11:30am
Granville Island Stage
$17 – Purchase tickets here

In-Between Days: Teva Harrison in Conversation With Shaena Lambert

This is a conversation you’ll want to join in on as Teva Harrison discussed the birth of In-Between Days, a graphic novel complete with short stories on her battle against terminal breast cancer. Harrison will touch you with her ability to express humor in the midst of suffering and Joseph Boydon called her book, “sly and brutal and funny and crushing.” That’s no small feat.

Friday, October 21, 2016 – 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Studio 1398
$20 – Purchase tickets here

Wit Craft

Female comedy writers are having a heyday and four of them will share their wit craft at this event. Author’s Marni Jackson, Amy Jones, Lisa Moore and Maria Semple have a way with words that will make you laugh-out-loud when you least expect it.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016 – 6:00pm to 7:15pm
Performance Works
$20 – Purchase tickets here

Chimes of Freedom

Yaa Gyasi’s high profile debut novel, Homegoing, came with a much talked about seven-figure advance. At only 26 years old, Yaa Gyasi proves that youth and maturity can go hand in hand with her ability to reach deep into the story of slavery through the generations. Colson Whitehead also brings a tale of trial and freedom through The Underground Railroad, a book that transforms the metaphorical railway into a story about real, underground tracks. In a time where ethnic divides still ring true, this event will help coalesce two stories into a cause for dialogue about relevant issues today.

Thursday, October 20, 2016 – 8:30pm
Performance Works
$20 – Purchase tickets here

The Natural Way of Things: Charlotte Wood in Conversation with Aislinn Hunter

Having already won two of Australia’s prestigious literary awards, The Natural Way of Things by author Charlotte Wood explores topics of misogyny, corporate control and being visible and female in Western society. We’ve come along way but not far enough in the area of women’s rights and this conversation will help keep important issues in the forefront of our minds for years to come.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016 – 8:30pm
Studio 1398
$20 – Purchase tickets here

All events are $20 and can be purchased online.