Gertrude Stein’s salon at 27 rue de Fleurus in the 6th arrondissement of Paris is the stuff of literary legend. A place that once entertained and fostered the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse, but also where Stein herself forged her literary legacy with her partner Alice […]
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From the bestselling, prize-winning author Linden MacIntyre comes An Accidental Villain, an engrossing, page-turning exploration of the little-known life of Sir Hugh Tudor, a man who changed the course of Irish history. Appointed by his friend Winston Churchill, Tudor led the police in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence, becoming commander of the notorious […]
Join Vinh Nguyen and Jeremy Tiang for a conversation on stories of family and politics in the midst of two wars. In Nguyen’s memoir, The Migrant Rain Falls in Reverse, the author tells the story of his family’s journey from Vietnam at the end of the war, and his father’s disappearance. Mixing memories with imagination, […]
From journalist Karen Bartlett comes a new book on the never-before-told story of the Afghan women judges who fought for justice, and to escape the Taliban. Bartlett was able to contact many of the women involved, those who fled the country and those who didn’t. Join the author for a conversation on Escape from Kabul: […]
Join acclaimed author Kiran Desai for a conversation on her latest novel, the Booker Prize long-listed The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, a spellbinding tale of lovers growing apart only to come back together again. Sonia and Sunny, embarassed by a matchmaking attempt made by their families, move on with their lives only to find […]
Two groundbreaking authors come together to discuss how their new works push the boundaries of imagination and storytelling. Acclaimed South Korean writer Bo-Young Kim will discuss her celebrated collection, I’m Waiting for You: And Other Stories, which blends speculative wonder with emotional depth, weaving tales of love, time, and human connection across galaxies. Jacquelyn Zong […]
Nine years after her award-winning novel, Madeleine Thien returns with her latest novel, The Book of Records, an exciting and engaging story of family and history. The novel, which was one of ten titles on Barack Obama’s 2025 summer reading list, follows a girl and her ailing father as they seek refuge at a place […]
Dive into the books you picked up over the course of the festival, by participating in a reading party on Sunday evening! Join 50 readers for a Reading Party hosted by Reading Rhythms Toronto. There will be dedicated time for reading to low-fi background music, and facilitated discussion to connect with other readers. Bring any […]
As the days grow shorter and the air cools, it’s time to slow down, turn inward, and take stock. This 90-minute workshop blends grounding yoga with journaling using prompts inspired by our festival programme. Led in a welcoming, mixed-ability environment, the session draws on the long tradition of autumn as a season for storytelling, quiet […]
Join two genre-defying voices for a spellbinding conversation on the role of historical imagination, the architecture of language, and how fiction can traverse borders. Portuguese author Maria João Lopo de Carvalho newest work Santarém, combines heritage photography with iconic writers, evocatively capturing the essence of Portugal in one book. Set against the rich tapestry of […]
Join us for an electrifying event with two acclaimed authors who bring fresh perspectives to the thriller genre. Michael Bennett presents Carved in Blood: A Hana Westerman Thriller, the latest installment in his gripping series following detective Hana Westerman as she confronts danger, history, and justice in a story that’s as thoughtful as it is […]
Step into the chilling world of psychological suspense with New York Times bestselling author Joy Fielding as she discusses her latest thriller, Jenny Cooper Has a Secret. Seventy-six-year-old Linda Davidson is reeling from her husband’s death and her best friend’s dementia diagnosis, when she meets Jenny Cooper, a ninety-two-year-old memory care patient who claim to […]
In their books, Property and Runs in the Blood both Kate Cayley and Matthew J. Trafford write about queer experiences as they relate to chosen families. Join us as they talk about the various themes, such as the complexity of intimacy and interpersonal relationships, that surface when writing about family, chosen or otherwise. Moderated by […]
Join Terese Mason Pierre and Chinelo Onwalu as they confront and expand society’s preconceived notions around Blackness, particularly as it relates to Canadians. Let’s dig into what that means, how that works, and where we go from here. Moderated by Zilla Jones Diaspora Dialogues (DD) supports emerging voices from across Canada to turn their craft […]
Patchen Barss is a Toronto-based science journalist, author, and speaker. His biography, The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the Cost of Genius, was named one of the top science and technology books for 2024 by Kirkus Reviews, The Financial Times, and The Telegraph. It tells the story of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist who would prove […]
Join Palestinian Canadian writer and filmmaker Ziyad Saadi and acclaimed Jordanian author and activist Fadi Zaghmout for a powerful conversation on masculinity, identity and the quiet revolutions of everyday life. Darkly funny, and full of surprises, Saadi’s Three Parties pays twisted homage to Virginia Woolf’s literary classic, Mrs. Dalloway – gleefully upending the western coming-out […]
Join Giller Prize-winning authors Souvankham Thammavongsa and Ian Williams for a rich conversation on intimacy, agency, loneliness, labour, and class. Thammavongsa’s Pick a Colour traces a single day in a nail salon, where Ning, a former boxer, contends with power, class, and invisibility, and explore the interior worlds of characters navigating systems that seek to […]
Step into two fraught periods of history, and join authors Nathan Harris and Patrick Tarr for a gripping conversation about survival, memory, and the haunting legacies of war. Harris’s Amity plunges readers into the perilous aftermath of the Civil War, following emancipated siblings Coleman and June as they attempt to reunite across the deserts of […]
Delve into two unforgettable stories of love and transformation with Alejandro Heredia and David Wright Faladé. Heredia’s spellbinding debut, Loca, follows Sal and Charo, two best friends from Santo Domingo, as they navigate migration, queerness, and chosen family in 1990s New York City. In contrast, The New Internationals transports readers to post-war Paris, where young […]
As a regular columnist for the Globe & Mail, Andrew Coyne is one of Canada’s most esteemed political thinkers, and is perfectly positioned to offer wisdom and insight into the threats facing Canada’s identity and sovereignty in 2025. In The Crisis of Canadian Democracy, he offers a powerful examination of the nation’s democratic institutions, the […]
From the gender pressures and injustices rife in 1920s Korea, to those that persist in modern day Korean society, Ann Y. K. Choi and Cho Nam-Joo offer up stories with deeply human portrayals of female resilience. Choi’s sweeping journey through historical Korea, All Things Under the Moon, follows one seemingly ordinary, uneducated young woman living […]
Step into history, love, and stories of resilience with authors Christine Estima and Martha Bátiz. Estima’s debut novel Letters to Kafka brings to life translator and resistance fighter Milena Jesenská, whose intense correspondence and fleeting romance with Franz Kafka reveal the struggles of a woman torn between love, marriage, and intellectual freedom in post-war Europe. […]
Sit down with Pulitzer-prize finalist Adam Haslett and four-time Giller Prize nominee Shani Mootoo for an illuminating talk on the power of storytelling to confront memory, reshape identity, and test the familial bonds that define who we are. In his latest novel, Mothers and Sons, Haslett follows Peter, a solitary immigration lawyer, and his estranged […]
Grab a slice of cake, a cup of tea, and spend the morning with Catherine Newman and Zeina Sleiman, whose new novels explore the bonds and fractures of family life. Wreck, Newman’s warm and witty follow-up to Sandwich, turns a sharp eye to marriage, parenting, and the absurdities of everyday life. Alongside her, Sleiman will […]
