Aug 8, 2024

Yuval Noah Harari, Toshikazu Kawaguchi, Liane Moriarty, Michael Ondaatje, Lily Chu, Bob McDonald, Roddy Doyle, Anne Michaels, Carol Off, Andrew O’Hagan, Murray Sinclair, Souvankham Thammavongsa, Jane Urquhart, Ian Williams and more

The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), is delighted to announce this year’s festival of engaging talks, readings, masterclasses, performances and exhibits. Creating a home for readers, writers and story-makers from Toronto and around the world, TIFA’s entertaining 11-day event takes place from September 19 – September 29. Tickets go on sale to the public on August 15 at FestivalofAuthors.ca.

The 2024 Festival explores the concept of “writing home” – from books and stories about the places we all call home, to the ideas, cultures and conflicts that inform what home means to us. TIFA presents a dynamic lineup of conversations and readings with the best fiction and non-fiction writers, movie screenings, food tastings, kids’ activities, poetry slams, and writing masterclasses. Over 100 artists and authors from 11 countries will be featured.

TIFA presents three special events at Koerner Hall in the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning with international superstars, Yuval Noah Harari, Liane Moriarty and The Moth. Popular programme streams return including Pop Fiction celebrating romance, horror and all things genre; delicious food conversations are to be discovered with Bite the Book; Critical Conversations discuss our contemporary world; and TIFA Kids offers fun-filled weekends of activities and stories. The Festival is honoured to present a new programme stream celebrating Indigenous stories from across Canada including Murray Sinclair, Angela Sterritt and Amanda Peters. The city we all call home is celebrated with a night of readings, music and food as TIFA launches Write the Neighbourhood, a collection of specially commissioned stories published by Book*hug.

“For each one of us, ‘home’ means something a little different; somewhere we belong, somewhere we long for. In a city as multicultural as Toronto we wanted to delve into how our writers and artists explore this idea through stories, food, music, identity, language and illustration,” said Roland Gulliver, Toronto International Festival of Authors Director. “Each year, we imagine ways to bring guests from around the world to encounter fellow Canadian writers and audiences, to immerse themselves in storytelling of all forms, exciting book lovers and inspiring new readers through the power of stories.”

TIFA welcomes bestselling authors to share their captivating stories and unpack critical conversations sparked by current events. With some of the most inspiring writers in fiction, graphic novels, short stories, poetry, political science, and history. Including:

• Yuval Noah Harari (Nexus): International publishing phenomenon, author of Sapiens will present his latest book at Koerner Hall on September 13.
• Liane Moriarty (Here One Moment): Bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers, brings her latest brilliantly constructed page-turner in which each passenger on a flight learns when they are going to die—changing their lives forever.
• Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Before the Coffee Gets Cold): Japanese writer will talk about this BookTok sensation and the beloved sequels which transport readers to Tokyo's whimsical Café Funiculi Funicula.
• Michael Ondaatje (A Year of Last Things): One of Canada’s literary giants will discuss his return to poetry with a new collection exploring displacement and memory through intimate moments and fragments of his life.
• Roddy Doyle (The Women Behind the Door): This Booker Prize-winner and one of Ireland’s most celebrated authors discusses his iconic character, Paula Spencer, and delves into the rich, emotional layers of his storytelling.
• Andrew O’Hagan (Caledonian Road): The finalist for the 2024 Orwell Political Fiction Book Prize has captivated readers around the globe due to the Scottish author's masterful storytelling and sharp analysis of British class, politics and money.
• Anne Michaels (Held): Bestselling Canadian novelist and poet Anne Michaels offers personal reflections in, a breathtaking and mysterious new novel recently longlisted for the Booker Prize.
• Ben Macintyre (The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Crisis and the Daring Special-Forces Operation That Shocked the World): Historian and novelist applies his unique brand of storytelling to give a full account of a siege and gripping rescue that marked a fundamental turning point in global history.
• Bob McDonald (Just Say Yes): Throughout his career the widely popular CBC Radio show Quirks and Quarks love of science has burned bright. He’ll discuss his remarkable journey from a challenging childhood to becoming a leading science communicator.
• Ian Williams, 2024 CBC Massey Lecturer (What I Mean to Say: Remaking Conversation in Our Time): Award-winning novelist and poet will join TIFA Director Roland Gulliver in a fascinating discussion about how we connect and communicate in the age of hurried scrolls, clicks and swipes.
• Graeme Gibson Talk and the PEN Canada Awards: Multi-award-winning non-fiction writer John Vaillant (Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast) will join Catherine Abreu, one of Canada’s most influential thinkers on global climate policy, to discuss the burning questions and challenges facing our global climate crisis. Moderated by CBC Ideas host Nahlah Ayed with an introduction from Margaret Atwood.
• The Moth: After a sold out show in 2023, the 2024 festival kicks off with the return of The Moth on September 19 at Koerner Hall.
• The World In Other Words: The multilingual programming with a focus on Arabic writers returns for the second consecutive year featuring Danny Ramadan, Sinaan Antoon, Noor Naga, Barrack Zailaa Rima and more.

POP FICTION
Spotlighting the best in genre fiction including fantasy, romance, science fiction, graphic novels and horror, Pop Fiction invites readers to celebrate stories of sweeping sagas, heroes and villains, soulmates, and whatever else makes story-loving hearts POP!

• Lily Chu (The Takedown) and Jackie Lau (Love, Lies and Cherry Pie): Meet Mr. Perfect, fall in love and don’t mess it up. These Toronto-based romance writers discuss their latest hilarious stories about strong Asian female characters.
• J.M. Miro (Bringer of Dust): The world of the dead is closer than you think in J.M. Miro’s (pen name of award-winning author Steven Price) highly anticipated dark fantasy, the second novel in the Talents Trilogy, Bringer of Dust.
• Mason Coile (William) and Marcus Kliewer (We Used to Live Here): These Canadian authors will open the door into the eerie worlds of their latest spine-chilling horror novels.
• Stephanie Wrobel (Hitchcock Hotel): The bestselling author pays homage to Hitchcock, the master of the craft in her latest suspense novel, followed by a screening of the Alfred Hitchcock classic Rear Window.

BITE THE BOOK
Exploring the connection between food and community, experts including authors, chefs, food critics, and nutritional scientists participate in delicious conversations.

• Justin Giovannetti Lamothe (Poutine: A Deep Fried Road Trip of Discovery): A fun and flavourful evening as the Quebec writer explores the rich and complex history to this iconic dish, with free poutine served.
• Lauren Beck and Margaret Augustine (Mitji - Let's Eat!): These cookbook writers will discuss their new collection of recipes that celebrate the traditions of Mi’kmaw cuisine, featuring delicious dishes that honour the culture and knowledge shared through generations.
• Geraldine DeRuiter (If You Can't Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury): A James Beard Award-winning blogger best known for her scathing essay on misogyny in the food industry, presents her book of essays and stories about her adventures in gastronomy.

FESTIVAL OF INDIGENOUS STORIES
A special two-day mini-festival celebrating Indigenous authors, creators and thinkers, creating space for voices to be heard and important conversations to be shared. Including:

• Senator Murray Sinclair (Who We Are) and Niigaan Sinclair (Winipek): An enlightening event with two trailblazing Sinclairs. They discuss their books, share their personal journeys and explore resilience, justice and the search for truth.
• Angela Sterritt (Unbroken) and Brandi Morin (Our Voice of Fire): These powerhouse storytellers will share how they use their platforms to shine a light on Indigenous issues, demand justice and celebrate the brilliance of their communities.
• Amanda Peters (Waiting for the Long Night Moon: Stories) and Carleigh Baker (Last Woman: Stories): These award-winning authors will share the inspirations behind their latest short story collections and discuss how fiction can be a powerful tool for dissecting and understanding the world around us.

TIFA KIDS
Featuring the Children’s Book Bank of Toronto, children and families can enjoy fun-filled weekends with free author readings, illustrator workshops and hands-on activities with a variety of storytellers including Lien-En Lin, Yolanda T Marshall, Germany’s Efua Traore and Geraldo Valerio.

CREATIVE WRITING MASTERCLASSES
TIFA presents its popular series of daily professional writing masterclasses in partnership with The Humber School for Writers. Led by its renowned faculty members and acclaimed authors, each 90-minute class focuses on a specific aspect of writing craft.

Masterclasses include: Antanas Sileika on Fact to Fiction; Adam Sol on Poetry; Shyam Selvadurai on Point of View; Nina Dunic on Writing with Instinct and Emotion’ Alison Pick on Character Development; David Bezmozgis on How Much Is Too Much: On The Power of Withholding and Restraint in Writing.

For the full Festival programme and schedule, and to book passes please visit FestivalofAuthors.ca. Box office opens Thursday, August 15 and donating TIFA Friends can book all tickets now.