The Lakefield Literary Festival, returning on Friday, July 14th and Saturday, July 15th after a three-year pandemic hiatus, has announced this year’s line-up of Canadian authors.
This year’s authors include acclaimed novelist Sheila Heti (winner of the 2023 Governor General’s Award for literature), novelist and screenwriter Iain Reid (recently proclaimed “Hollywood’s favourite Canadian” by The Globe and Mail), Anishinaabe author Waubgeshig Rice (who will introduce the sequel to his recent bestseller), and Harley Rustad (whose latest book recounts the tragic true story of an ill-fated spiritual quest in the Himalaya mountains).
Over two days at the Bryan Jones Theatre at Lakefield College School, the authors will present their latest works, engage in spirited conversations with a moderator, respond to audience questions, and sign their books. Admission to individual events is $35, or $90 for a pass to all the events.
Tickets are available at Happenstance Books and Yarns at 44 Queen Street in Lakefield or online at lakefieldliteraryfestival.com.
The festival’s opening event takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 14th at the Bryan Jones Theatre with Waubgeshig Rice and Kai Thomas.
Rice is an author, journalist, and former CBC radio host from Wasauksing First Nation on Georgian Bay who will present Moon of the Turning Leaves, the soon-to-be-published sequel to his bestselling novel Moon of the Crusted Snow that earned critical acclaim for its depiction of a post-apocalyptic future in a remote Anishinaabe community.
Thomas is an Ottawa farmer and educator whose debut novel In the Upper Country tells the intertwined stories of Black and Indigenous people living in the shadow of slavery in 19th-century Canada.
At 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 15th, the festival features Toronto authors Sheila Heti and Harley Rustad.
Heti, who has written 10 novels including Pure Colour that won the 2022 Governor General’s Award for literature, will present her new novel Alphabetical Diaries, which has been optioned for a Hulu television series.
Rustad, a non-fiction writer who came to national prominence for his 2018 debut Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada’s Last Great Trees, has earned international acclaim for 2022’s Lost in the Valley of Death: A Story of Obsession and Danger in the Himalaya that explores the unsolved disappearance in 2016 of American backpacker Justin Alexander Shetler in India’s remote Parvati Valley.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Kingston’s Iain Reid and Napenee’s Catherine Hernandez will take the stage at the Bryan Jones Theatre.
Raid, whose debut novel I’m Thinking of Ending Things was a New York Times bestseller adapted into a Netflix film by Charlie Kaufman and whose second novel Foe has also been adapted for a feature film, will present his latest psychological suspense bestseller We Spread, which tells the tale of an elderly artist who finds herself losing her grip on reality after moving into a unique retirement home.
Hernandez, who adapted her breakout debut novel Scarborough into a screenplay that was first runner-up for the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and won eight Canadian Screen Awards, will present her latest novel The Story of Us, focusing on the extraordinary friendship between a Filipina caregiver and her elderly client as narrated by an infant onlooker.
In addition to the ticketed author events, the Lakefield Literary Festival will also host its popular free Children’s Tent in Lakefield’s Cenotaph Park on Saturday morning.
Renowned children’s author Liz Macleo will present Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie, the latest book in her 10-part series introducing important Canadians to kids. Award-winning author, teacher, and performer Ted Staunton will present two of his books, including The Good Fight.
For more information about the Lakefield Literary Festival and for passes and tickets, visit lakefieldliteraryfestival.com.
