The 37th edition of the International Festival of Authors begins tonight with an interview with Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, followed by over 80 events featuring more than 100 participants from 16 countries around the world. Also, according to this recent NOW Magazine article, book stores are thriving with readers seeking physical copies over online e-books.
  
Some of this year’s programming highlights include:
International bestsellers Yann Martel, Linwood Barclay, Guy Gavriel Kay, Hisham Matar, Margaret Atwood and Emma Donoghue
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and writer Chris Hedges will present The Price of Truth in Journalism in a Post-Fact World, this year’s keynote address as part of Humber Liberal Arts @ IFOA.
Robert Kanigel, Nathan Storring, and Samuel Zipp discuss Jane Jacobs’ legacy and how she changed perceptions of the neighborhood and the city with former Toronto Mayor David Miller.

Festival Spotlights
Over the next week and a half, audiences have the opportunity to see acclaimed graphic novelists, contemporary Irish writers and a great selection of non-fiction among some of the best poetry and fiction in the world.

Ireland@IFOA – A spotlight on contemporary Irish literature featuring contemporary Irish poets Julie Morrisy and Ciarán O’Rourke, Poetry Ireland’s rising generation. Learn more about the writer’s creative process in Paul B. Muldoon’s Artist Talk in partnership with Quill and Quire, see NOW Magazine’s Susan G. Cole interview Emma Donoghue, or hear Catriona Crowe give a lecture on Ireland’s revolution. 

Graphic Novels – Five Ways exhibition, curated by acclaimed Canadian cartoonist and previous Harbourfront Festival Prize winner Seth. This exhibition spotlights five diverse contemporary artists – Nina Bunjevac, Michael DeForge, Nick Drnaso, Jon McNaught, and Chris Oliveros – and their unique approach to the graphic novel as a medium of artistic expression.  Also meet the five cartoonists as they discuss the complex work of contemporary graphic novelists in the Five Artists, Five Ways: The Modern Graphic Novel round table moderated by Seth.  

Stranger Than Fiction – Get inspired by Deborah Campbell’s travels undercover in Damascus reporting on the exodus of Iraqis into Syria, or learn about ecological issues through the lens of science-fiction with Jeff VanderMeer. Alexandra Risen’s memoir on gardening sees soil as the new Prozac and Laurence Scott discusses the effects of technology on human behaviour and identity.
 
YoungIFOA – This year YoungIFOA welcomes Toronto Public Library’s Children’s Literature Festival, Book Bash, featuring Elise Gravel, Rukhsana Khan, Thao Lam, JonArno Lawson, Ruth Ohi, Kenneth Oppel, Sydney Smith and Joel A. Sutherland among other exciting performers.
 
Events take place at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre: 207 & 235 Queens Quay West. Tickets to most events are $18/$15 for supporters and free for students & youth 25 years and under with valid ID (subject to availability). Some exceptions apply. Please refer to individual event listings.
 
The Festival will be covered extensively on the IFOA blog, with author interviews and special guest posts. For a complete list of authors and events at this year’s festival click here.

To purchase tickets and for more information, call the Harbourfront Centre Box Office at 416-973-4000 or visit IFOA. For information on IFOA’s touring programme, visit IFOA Ontario.

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About the Author

Bryen Dunn is a freelance journalist with a focus on travel, lifestyle, entertainment, and hospitality. He has an extensive portfolio of celebrity interviews with musicians, actors, and other public personalities. He enjoys discovering delicious eats, tasting spirited treats, and being mesmerized by musical beats. Reach out - bryen@thebuzzmag.ca