Meet the Writers

Naomi Klein’s new book, Doppelganger, deals with issues of identity in a polarized and polarizing society. She will be in conversation with This is VANCOLOUR host Mo Amir.

Author and journalist Sarah Cox brings us Signs of Life, stories from the front lines as biologists, conservationists, and ordinary people race to save hundreds of species before it’s too late.

Charlene Carr is the youngest of four children and the only girl. Living in a house full of boys taught her to fight for what she wants and to always reach higher.

The Fire Still Burns is the powerful story of Sam George’s experiences at St. Paul’s Indian Residential School in North Vancouver. Sam will be in conversation with co-author Jill Yonit Goldberg.

Iona Whishaw is a former educator and social worker whose mother and grandfather were both spies during their respective wars. She is the award-winning author of the Lane Winslow Mystery series.

Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation.
He’s written four books, most notably the Number 1 bestselling novels Moon of the Crusted Snow and Moon of the Turning Leaves.

Brent Butt has made his home in Vancouver for thirty years, but was born and raised in Tisdale, Saskatchewan. He is considered one of the funniest people in Canada, with a career in stand-up comedy that stretches into five decades.

Our Coast Writes event features writers who live, work and write on the Sunshine Coast. David Roche’s essay collection, Standing at the Back Door of Happiness, explores the beauty found in unusual places while award-winning author Marion McKinnon Crook returns with Always on Call, a fascinating portrait of the hectic life of a rural nurse.

Susan Juby is the award-winning, bestselling author of Mindful of Murder, which features Buddhist butler-detective Helen Thorpe. Mindful of Murder debuted at number one on the independent bookstores’ bestseller list and was nominated for the Leacock Medal for Humour.

Kara Stanley is a writer of fiction and non-fiction, a lyricist, and a movement teacher. Simon Paradis is a musician who has been playing in blues, rock, and roots bands across Canada for 30 years. A serious fall in 2008 resulted in life-altering injuries, but after a long rehabilitation process, he has returned to music again. Their latest collaboration is The Pain Project: A Couple’s Story of Confronting Chronic Pain, a wide-ranging exploration of the definitions, treatments, science, myths, and meanings of the mysterious and multi-faceted force that is pain

Kevin Chong is the award-winning author of several books of fiction and nonfiction. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Rumpus, and more. He currently lives in Vancouver and is an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus.

The Festival of the Written Arts’ annual poetry event features Lorna Crozier, one of Canada’s pre-eminent poets, and debut poet Jess Housty (‘Cúagilákv), a parent, writer and grassroots activist with Heiltsuk (Indigenous) and mixed settler ancestry.

Ann-Marie MacDonald is a novelist, playwright, actor, and broadcast host. Her work has been honoured with numerous awards.

Journalist and author Gregor Craigie delivers this year’s Rockwood Lecture. His newest book, Our Crumbling Foundation, investigates Canada’s housing crisis and offers inspired solutions for creating new homes.

Deborah Kimmett is a trailblazer in Canadian comedy. She has been a guest on CBC’s The Debaters for seventeen years and has a regular spot in CBC’s Winnipeg Comedy Festival and Laugh Out Loud.

Join us as we celebrate 50 years of excellent books from Harbour Publishing. Howard White, Grant Lawrence and Betty Keller bring their unique perspectives to the inner workings of this independent publisher. This event is moderated by Andreas Schroeder.

Shelley Wood is a writer and journalist whose fiction and nonfiction have been published internationally. Her debut novel, The Quintland Sisters, was an instant number one Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller. Her second novel, The Leap Year Gene, will be published by HarperCollins Canada and Union Square Press (US), in August 2024.

This year’s New Voices event features two authors with remarkable debut memoirs. Carly Butler’s memoir, Apocalypse Child, tells of her conspiracy-filled upbringing and the struggle to find her true self. Tara Sidhoo Fraser’s memoir, When My Ghost Sings, recounts her fight to recall and regain her life after a stroke left her with amnesia. New Voices is moderated by Megan Cole.

In his latest collection of essays, Beneath the Surface of Things, anthropologist Wade Davis brings his unique cultural perspective to a variety of topics, including the endless conflict in the Middle East.

Jill Barber is the winner of a 2024 Canadian Folk Music Award for best producer of the year and a three-time Juno Award nominated singer-songwriter. Her critically acclaimed repertoire spans a transformative spectrum from folk, to vocal jazz, to pop, and includes songs in both French and English. An unforgettable and enchanting performer, Jill has over 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has headlined iconic venues such as Toronto’s Massey Hall and Roy Thompson Hall, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, Vancouver’s Vogue Theatre and Tokyo’s Blue Note and Cotton Club.