2019 PROGRAM
PRE-FESTIVALWriters in School
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Colette is a biographical drama based upon the life of the French novelist Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, played by the talented Keira Knightley. She initially ghostwrites a series of wildly successful books under her celebrity husband’s name but eventually decides to fight over its creative ownership and the gender roles of her time. In the process, Colette overcomes societal constraints and goes on to make a significant mark in the literary world. Rated R. |
THURSDAY, MAY 23
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MARJOLAINE BEAUCHAMP is a poet, slam poet, comedian and dramatist. In 2018 she won the CALQ award for Best original work of art in Outaouais for her play M.I.L.F., produced by Théâtre du Trillium. Marjo’s work is “poignant, caustic and imbued with forceful poetry.”
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FRIDAY, MAY 24
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With 15 albums to her credit, composer, producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist LYNN MILES kicks off the evening with a selection of her original music. One of Canada’s most accomplished and beloved singer/songwriters, Lynn is known for creating and performing music with unbridled feeling and vulnerability.
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SATURDAY, MAY 25
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The Authors Brunch offers an eclectic sample of great Canadian writers. LINDA SPALDING chronicles the human condition and "how the societies we create—just or profoundly unjust—set the parameters for the people we become." Her 2018 masterpiece A Reckoning calls on personal family history as slave owners.
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SATURDAY, MAY 25
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On stage together … two-time Scotiabank Giller winner ESI EDUGYAN for Half-Blood Blues and Washington Black, and DAVID CHARIANDY, winner of the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize for Brother. Both are eloquent, thought-provoking and compelling, and illuminate vital contemporary issues.
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SUNDAY, MAY 26
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Sometimes called “the war correspondent for the world’s women”, SALLY ARMSTRONG covers zones of conflict—her beat is to find out what happens to women and girls. A passionate journalist and human rights activist, speaker and talented storyteller, Sally will read from and speak to a selection of her works, which include Ascent of Women, The Nine Lives of Charlotte Taylor, and Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power of the Women of Afghanistan, Bitter Roots, Tender Shoots: The Uncertain Fate of Afghanistan's Women.
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SUNDAY, MAY 26
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Toronto Star columnist and award-winning author TANYA TALAGA shares Indigenous stories from across Canada and the world, humanizing the legacy of cultural genocide and sharing her hope for a more inclusive and equitable future. She will read from and discuss her books Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City, which chronicles the stories of seven Indigenous high school students who mysteriously died between 2000 and 2011 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward, which explores the alarming rise of youth suicide in Indigenous communities in Canada, Norway, Brazil, Australia and the United States.
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SUNDAY, MAY 26
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