Here are all the #CanadaPerforms literary events that happened online

The National Arts Centre (NAC) has added writers to their #CanadaPerforms initiative. 

#CanadaPerforms was designed to support artists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artists, including actors, dancers, musicians and children's entertainers, shared their work online through livestreams on social media and were supported financially through a relief fund.

The expansion for writers was done in partnership with Facebook Canada, the Writers' Trust of Canada and CBC Books. 

To qualify, authors must have a book being released in spring or summer 2020 by a professional publishing house.

You can see all the literary events that were part of Canada Performs below.

Alison Wearing

When Alison Wearing's father, Joe, was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, he decided to travel to Ireland to learn about his family's heritage, and invited his daughter along. Their trip ended up not only being an exploration of their family history, but also their own relationship as they grapple with Joe's declining health. Moments of Glad Grace is a memoir that chronicles this pivotal moment in both their lives.

Wearing is a playwright, performer and author. Her other books include Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey and Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter. Confessions of a Fairy's Daughter was shortlisted for the Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction and longlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize.

Georgette LeBlanc

Georgette LeBlanc, who is originally from ​Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is a Canadian poet and is the current parliamentary poet laureate of Canada. Her works include Alma, Amédé and Le Grand Feu. Her collection Prudent, about the deportation of Acadians to Virginia, was a finalist for the 2014 Governor General's Literary Award for poetry. LeBlanc has also written for theatre, television and musical projects.

There is no replay available of this event.

Zoey Roy

Zoey Roy is a Cree-Dene-Metis poet, author, activist, educator and social entrepreneur who is currently enrolled in a PhD in education at York University. Roy is originally from Saskatoon and is currently based in Toronto. She was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

There is no replay available of this event.

Ross Belot

Ross Belot is a Canadian poet, photographer, documentary filmmaker who lives in southwest Ontario. In 2016, he was a finalist for the CBC Poetry Prize. His poetry collection Moving to Climate Change Hours is an ode to the end of our dependency on oil.

David Ly

David Ly is a poet from Vancouver. Mythical Man is his first full-length collection. He is also the author of the chapbook Stubble Burn.

Mythical Man explores masculinity, personhood, queerness, race and identity in the 21st century.

Danielle R. Graham

Danielle R. Graham is a novelist based in Vancouver. She writes romance, YA and historical fiction. Her books include To All the Cowboys I've Loved Before and the Britannia Beach series. Her latest is the novel All We Left Behind.

All We Left Behind is a work of historical fiction set during the Second World War. It tells the story of two young lovers, Hayden and Chidori, whose lives are changed by the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Chidori and her family are sent to an internment camp, while Hayden joins the air force. But will they ever see each other again?

Danny Ramadan

Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author, award-winning activist and public speaker. His first book was the novel The Clothesline Swing, which was longlisted for Canada Reads 2018. Salma the Syrian Chef is his first book for children.

In Salma the Syrian Chef, Salma wants to cook a heartwarming dish to cheer up her mama, who between English classes, job interviews and missing her husband back in Syria, always seems busy or sad. Syrian culture is depicted through the meal Salma prepares and Anna Bron's vibrant illustrations, while the diverse cast of characters speaks to the power of cultivating community in challenging circumstances. 

Gabriel Robichaud

Gabriel Robichaud is an actor, poet, playwright and singer originally from New Brunswick. He is the author of the poetry collections La promenade des ignorés and Les anodins. His latest is the poetry collection Acadie Road, which is a tribute to the classic Acadie Rock by Guy Arsenault.

Kenneth Oppel

Kenneth Oppel is a bestselling author whose books include the Silverwing trilogy, which has sold over a million copies worldwide, and Airborn, winner of the Governor General's Literary Award. His most recent books include Inkling, Every Hidden Thing and The Nest. His latest is the middle-grade novel Bloom.

Bloom is the first book in a new series about three teenagers, Anaya, Petra and Seth, who live on Salt Spring Island. After a rainfall, black plants spring up and take over the island, spouting toxic pollen that only Anaya, Petra and Seth are immune to. The trio must work together to figure out how to stop the invasion from taking over the planet. Bloom will be followed by Hatch in September 2020 and Thrive  in May 2021.

Vivek Shraya

Vivek Shraya is a writer, artist and musician from Alberta. Her books include the novel She of the Mountains, the poetry collection even this page is white, the essay I'm Afraid of Men and the comic book Death Threat. Her latest is the novel The Subtweet. 

In The Subtweet, Neela Devaki's song is covered by internet-famous artist Rukmini. When the two musicians meet, a transformative friendship begins. But, as Rukmini's star rises, jealousy creeps in, and Neela sends out a highly-destructive tweet that blows up their friendship. 

Catherine McKenzie

Catherine McKenzie is a lawyer based in Montreal who also writes bestselling thrillers. Her books include Forgotten, Hidden and Smoke and The Good Liar. Her latest is the novel You Can't Catch Me.

You Can't Catch Me is about a young woman named Jessica Williams whose identity is stolen. She decides to bring together all the other victims — all named Jessica Williams — to set a trap to catch the thief. But Jessica's notorious past as a cult member might catch up to her before it's too late.

There is no replay available for this event.

Joseph Kertes

Joseph Kertes is a novelist based in Toronto. He won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for his debut novel, Winter Tulips. His other books include The Afterlife of Stars and Gratitude. He is the dean of creative and performing arts at Humber College. His most recent book is the novel Last Impressions.

Last Impressions is about two sons, Ben and Frank, preparing for the inevitable death of their estranged father Zoltan Beck. But Zoltan discovers a terrible secret from his past that could change his family forever if he only shares it.

Jane Christmas

Jane Christmas is a Canadian author currently living in the U.K. Her memoirs include  What the Psychic Told the Pilgrim, Incontinent on the Continent and most recently Open House.

Open House looks back on Christmas's life through the one constant: moving. She's moved 32 times over the course of her life. She reflects on her final move, into dilapidated English property that needs a ton of work, alongside her previous 31 moves, which began when she was a young girl.

Michelle Good 

Michelle Good is a Cree writer and lawyer, as well as a member of Red Pheasant Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. Five Little Indians is her first book.

In Five Little Indians, Kenny, Lucy, Clara, Howie and Maisie were taken from their families and sent to a residential school when they were very small. Barely out of childhood, they are released and left to contend with the seedy world of eastside Vancouver. Fuelled by the trauma of their childhood, the five friends cross paths over the decades and struggle with the weight of their shared past. 

Eternity Martis

Eternity Martis is a Toronto-based journalist, author and senior editor at Xtra. Her work focuses on issues of race and gender and has been featured in Vice, Salon, Hazlitt, TVO.org, The Walrus, Huffington Post and CBC. They Said This Would Be Fun is her first book.

 They Said This Would Be Fun is a memoir about the difficulty of navigating through white spaces as a student of colour in university and asks us to confront the systemic issues that define the college experience for racialized and marginalized students.

Jordan Abel

Jordan Abel is a Nisga'a writer from British Columbia. He is the author of the poetry collections The Place of Scraps, Un/inhabited and Injun. In 2017, he won the Griffin Poetry Prize for Injun. His latest book is Nishga.

Blending memoir, transcriptions and photography, Nishga is an exploration of what it means to be a modern Indigenous person and how both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people engage with the legacy of colonial violence and racism.

Hannah Mary McKinnon

Hannah Mary McKinnon is a thriller writer based in Oakville, Ont. Her books include Time After Time, The Neighbors and Her Secret Son. Her latest is the novel Sister Dear.

Sister Dear is about a woman, Eleanor Hardwicke, who learns a terrible secret when her father dies: her biological father is someone else entirely. She decides to seek him out and learns about his family, which includes an infuriatingly perfect and privileged daughter: Eleanor's half-sister, Victoria. Victoria has the life Eleanor believes she deserves, and believes was stolen from her. And she wants it back.

Shani Mootoo

Shani Mootoo is a writer and visual artist who has been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. Her debut novel was 1997's Cereus Blooms at Night. Her latest book is the novel Polar Vortex.

In Polar Vortex, Priya and Alexandra attempt to give themselves a new lease on life by leaving the city for the countryside. That is, until Priya reveals that she is running from a fraught relationship with a friend who kept pursuing her: Prakash. After Priya feels safe enough to once again establish an online presence, Prakash communicates with her. Inexplicably, Priya asks Prakash to visit them. 

There is no replay available for this event.

Baron Marc-André Lévesque

is a Quebec poet. He was named one of 10 young writers to watch by Radio-Canada show Plus on est de fous, plus on lit! His most recent book is J'ai appris ça au crique.

J'ai appris ça au crique is a poetry collection about a young girl trying to survive school.

There is no replay available for this event.

Anita Daher

Anita Daher is an actor, screenwriter and children's book author from Winnipeg. She has published more than a dozen books and is the current chair of the Writers Union of Canada. Her most recent book is the YA novel You Don't Have to Die in the End.

You Don't Have to Die in the End is about a teen girl, Eugenia Grimm, who lives in the Rocky Mountains. Her father committed suicide when she was eight years old, and her mother has abandoned her. She's sent to a support program on a remote ranch, where she must face her inner demons and rebuild her life before she can truly grow up.

David Sherman

David Sherman is a singer, songwriter, producer and journalist from Quebec. He has written two novels, The Situation Womb and The Alcoholic's Daughter. His most recent project is compiling and editing the anthology Fish Wrapped: True Confessions from Newsrooms Past.

Fish Wrapped is a collection of essays from Canadian reporters, editors and journalists reflecting on what it was like to work in media before the advent of digital and social media.

Mallory Tater

Mallory Tater is an Vancouver-born poet and writer. She is also the author of the poetry collection This Will Be Good. The Birth Yard is her first novel. 

In The Birth Yard, Sable Ursu lives within the confines of a patriarchal cult and has reached the age where she is expected to breed. When she reaches her second trimester, Sable is sent to "The Birth Yard" — where they prepare for motherhood and are under constant observation by midwives. Between the girls in the Den it becomes impossible to trust each other. When Sable's safety becomes threatened, it is up to her to rebel against the system in place. 

Magali Lemèle

Magali Lemèle is a playwright, actor and author from Ontario. She has directed more than 20 plays. Her most recent project is the play Dans le bleu, which she wrote and was planning on directing and performing.

Dans le bleu is a one-woman show about four people crossing the Atlantic Ocean together in a sailboat and the emotional and physical highs and lows one experiences on such an epic journey.

Sanita Fejzić

Sanita Fejzić is a poet and playwright from Ottawa. She has written several plays, a novella called Psychomachia and the poetry book (M)other, which was illustrated by Alisa Arsenault.

(M)other is a long poem adapted from Fejzić's 2018 CBC Poetry Prize shortlisted poem. It's about a family that has two mothers and what that means for the child, and both parents.

Nadine Ltaif

Nadine Ltaif is a poet and translator from in Montreal. Her poetry books include Les Métamorphoses d'Ishtar, Le livre des dunes, Le rire de l'eau, Ce que vous ne lirez pas and Entre les fleuves. Her collection Journeys was translated into English by Christine Tipper.

Journeys explores life, regret and finding purpose.

J.R. Léveillé

J.R. Léveillé is a writer and former Radio-Canada journalist from Winnipeg. In 1999, he was inducted into the Cultural Hall of Fame in Manitoba. His books include Soleil du lac qui se couche, Poème Pierre Prière, Parade ou les autres and Nosara.

Marjorie Celona

Majorie Celona is an American-Canadian writer. She is also the author of the novels Y and How a Woman Becomes a Lake.

In How a Woman Becomes a Lake, it's New Year's Day, and in a small fishing town called Whale Bay a woman goes missing. Vera had set out on a walk with her dog, and her husband Leo took their boys on a boat to write their New Year's resolutions. In the weeks that follow, Vera's absence sets off a chain of suspicion within the town. After Leo moves south, the detective investigating the case becomes obsessed with the missing woman. 

Sigmund Brouwer

Sigmund Brouwer has written more than 30 books for both adults and children. He splits his time between Alberta and Tennessee. His books include the YA titles Rock the Boat and Wired and the novels Thief of Glory and Dead Man's Switch. His most recent book is the middle-grade novel Clan.

Clan is an adventure tale set in prehistoric times. It follows the journey of Atlatl and the saber tooth cub he rescues from a wolf attack, and the bond that forms between them. Clan will be published in August 2020.

There is no replay of this event available.

José Claer

José Claer is a French Canadian poet and novelist. His most recent book is the poetry collection Mordre jusqu'au sang dans le rouge à lèvres.

There is no replay of this event available.

C.J (Carlen) Lavigne

C.J. Lavigne is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy writer. Her first book is the fantasy novel In Veritas.

In Veritas is about an alternate reality that exists inside an old Ottawa theatre. Verity Richards must navigate this community with the help of her guides, a magician, his shadow-dog, a dying angel and a knife-edged ghost woman, in order to ensure the survival of her community. 

Roz Nay

Roz Nay is a thriller writer from British Columbia. Her debut novel, Our Little Secret, won the Douglas Kennedy Prize for best foreign thriller, and was nominated for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery and the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel Award. Her sophomore novel, Hurry Home, is coming out in 2020.

Hurry Home is about Alexandra, a woman living in a mountain resort town. Her life is quiet and fulfilling, until her long-lost sister, Ruth, shows up. Alexander lets her stay, but makes her promise to never discuss the past. But when a local child goes missing, Alexander can't hide from her past any longer.

Lana Button

Lana Button is a children's book author from New Brunswick, now living in Ontario. Her books include Willow Finds a Way, Willow's Whispers, Willow's Smile, My Teacher's Not Here! and most recently What if Bunny's Not a Bully?

What if Bunny's Not a Bully? is a rhyming story that explores how and why children are labelled bullies.

K.B. Thors, Robin Durnford, Tracey Waddleton & Horatio Harrington

K.B. Thors is a writer from Alberta. Her most recent book is the poetry collection Vulgar Mechanics.

Robin Durnford is a poet from Montreal. Her poetry collection GapToothed is coming out later in 2020.

Tracey Waddleton is a writer who divides her time between St. John's and Montreal. Her most recent book is the short story collection Send More Tourists… the Last Ones Were Delicious.

Ruth Panofsky

Ruth Panofsky is a poet and editor. She teaches Canadian Literature and Culture at Ryerson University and is the author of two books about Canada's literary history. Her most recent book is the poetry collection Radiant Shards.

Radiant Shards traces the journey of Russians immigrants struggling to survive in Winnipeg during the Depression. The poem follows Hoda, a Jewish sex worker in Winnipeg's North End during the first half of the 20th century, as she reflects on her complicated life and her suffering.

Doreen Vanderstoop

Doreen Vanderstoop is a musician and writer based in Alberta. Watershed is her first book. 

Watershed is set in a dystopian future, where water is a precious resource in Alberta due to glacial melting. All of the province's gas pipelines have been turned into water pipelines and "water terrorists" threaten to cut off supplies. Among this turmoil, Willa tries hard to keep her family's goat farm afloat. When her son, Daniel, agrees to work for a water corporation, splits threaten to fracture the desperate family. 

Genevieve Graham

Genevieve Graham writes Canadian historical fiction. Her books include At the Mountain's Edge, Tides of Honour, Come From Away and most recently The Forgotten Home Child.

The Forgotten Home Child is about a young girl named Winnifred Ellis, an orphan living in the 1930s who is sent to live with a family who sees her as a servant and not a member of the family. The Forgotten Home Child is based on the real British Home Children.

L. E. Carmichael

L. E. Carmichael writes science books for children. She has published more than 20 books, including Fox Talk, Forensics in the Real World and most recently The Boreal Forest.

The Boreal Forest is a middle-grade book that introduces readers to the largest largest land biome in the world: the boreal forest. The boreal forest covers much of Canada and northern Europe.

Amy Stuart

Amy Stuart is a Toronto-based novelist, teacher and short story writer. Stuart has written three thrillers, Still Mine, Still Water and Still Here.

In Still Here, private investigator Malcolm is gone. Colleague and fellow P.I. Clare is determined to find him, and goes to the oceanside city where he has disappeared without a trace. Not only is Malcolm gone, but so is his wife. Everyone thinks Malcolm is responsible, except for Clare — who believes there's a shady connection to his wife's family business and her father's murder. Clare needs to dig up the dark history the community would rather forget. 

You can watch this event here.

Mark Critch

This Hour has 22 Minutes star Mark Critch says being from Newfoundland and Labrador has greatly informed his life and work — an influence he explores in his new memoir, Son of a Critch. The book touches on Critch's 1980's childhood in Newfoundland, including an unfortunate moment when he got locked out of school on a fourth-floor window ledge... or that other time, when he faked an asthma attack to avoid being arrested by military police.

Traci Skuce

Traci Skuce is a writer from British Columbia. Hunger Moon is her first book.

Hunger Moon is a collection of 13 short stories, each about a different character at a turning point in their lives.

Marianne Ackerman

Marianne Ackerman is a novelist, playwright, and journalist from Ontario. She has written five novels and a dozen plays. Her most recent work is the play Triplex Nervosa.

Triplex Nervosa is three stories, each set in Montreal's legendary music hub, Mile End.

There is no replay available of this event.

Mathieu Fortin

Mathieu Fortin is a children's book author and illustrator from Quebec. His books include L'Étincelle, Maxime, Superpuissante.

Mark Leiren-Young

Mark Leiren-Young is a playwright, journalist, screenwriter, filmmaker and author from Victoria. His books include Never Shoot A Stampede Queen, The Green Chain: Nothing is Ever Clear Cut, Free Magic Secrets Revealed, The Killer Whale Who Changed the World and Orcas Everywhere.

He will be discussing his books for kids about whales, Orcas of the Salish Sea, Big Whales, Small World & Orcas Everywhere. 

Nisha Patel

Nisha Patel is a  Indo-Canadian poet, artist and public speaker. She is currently the poet laureate of Edmonton. Her most recent project is the chapbook I See You, and her first book will be published by NeWest Press in the future.

Veronica Post

Veronica Post is a furniture maker and educator in Halifax. Langosh and Peppi is her first book.

 Langosh and Peppi: Fugitive Days follows a transient man named Langosh and his loyal dog Peppi through the streets, alleys and undersides of Hungary. Langosh and Peppi discover traces of the country's war-torn history in these rarely tread places and meet people who have been forced out of their countries only to encounter hostility rather than refuge.

Greg Santos

Greg Santos is a poet from Montreal. His books include Blackbirds, Rabbit Punch! and The Emperor's Sofa.

Blackbirds is a collection of lyrical poems that explore parenthood, ethnicity, family, personal history and how we construct identities and the stories we tell ourselves.

Stephen Heard

Stephen Heard is a professor of biology at the University of New Brunswick. He has written two books, The Scientist's Guide to Writing and Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider.

Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider is a nonfiction book about species that get named after people — including David Bowie's spider, Frank Zappa's jellyfish and Beyoncé's fly — and how this happens and why.

Alex Pugsley

Alex Pugsley is a filmmaker and writer from Nova Scotia. He is the co-author of the novel Kay Darling and the author of the novel Aubrey McKee.

Aubrey McKee is the the first in a series of five autobiographical novels by Alex Pugsley. Aubrey McKee tells the story of a boy growing up in 1970s and 1980s Halifax. The second novel, which follows the narrator's arrival in Toronto as a young man, is forthcoming. 

Eva Holland

Eva Holland is a writer and editor based on Whitehorse. Her work has appeared in Outside, Wired, the Walrus and Canadian Geographic. Nerve is her first book. 

After losing her mother suddenly, Holland decides it's time to face her fears and dives headfirst into tackling them. Along the way, she explores the science of fear and tries to get answers to questions like: Can you really smell fear? What causes fear? Is it possible to be truly fearless? She chronicles this journey and shares her findings in Nerve.

Pasha Malla

Pasha Malla's debut short story collection, The Withdrawal Method, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Prize and longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. His first novel, People Park, was a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. His newest book is the novel Kill the Mall.

After writing a letter in praise of "malls," the narrator of Kill the Mall is invited to take up a residency in one. His mission: to occupy the shopping mall for several weeks, all the while engaging the public as well as creating progress reports. As mysterious events begin to take place, it is up to him to discover the mall's hidden areas. 

Monia Mazigh

Monia Mazigh is an author and academic from Ottawa. Her books include Hope and Despair, Mirrors and Mirages  and Hope Has Two Daughters. Her latest is the novel Farida, which has been released in French.

Farida is about a generation of women who have had an impact on Tunisian society and recent history.

You can watch a replay of this event here.

Michelle Parise

Michelle Parise has worked at CBC, in radio and television for more than 20 years. The film and TV rights to Parise's story were sold to Sienna Films in 2018. Alone is her first book.

Alone: a Love Story is a successful CBC podcast about learning to love yourself in the wake of an unexpected breakup. Radio producer Parise had it all: a career, a house, a husband, a kid. But when her husband ends things, Parise's world is turned upside down and she questions everything she knew about life, love and success. Alone: A Love Story is the unpublished book that inspired the podcast, now available for the first time.

There is no replay available of this event.

Paul Hammond & Christian Johnston

Christian Johnston is a songwriter and former frycook. Gary the Seagull is his first book.

Paul Hammond is a comics creator and illustrator from Halifax who now lives in Toronto.

Gary the Seagull is a laugh-out-loud picture book about a seagull named Gary, who is spending a great day at the beach. He loves nothing more than to eat lunches people bring to the beach, but will he be successful in stealing one today?

Wade Kearley

Wade Kearley is a writer, editor, journalist and poet from Newfoundland. He's the author of three poetry collections: Drawing On Water, Let Me Burn Like This and Narrow Cradle.

Narrow Cradle is a collection of poems that explores death and our relationship to it as we enter middle age.

You can watch a replay of this event here.

Eva Crocker

Eva Crocker is a novelist and short story writer. She is the author of the short story collection Barrelling Forward and the novel All I Ask

In All I Ask, Stacey wakes up to the police pounding on her door one morning. They claim they are looking for "illegal digital material" and seize her phone and computer. Worried for her safety, Stacey bands together with her friends to seek a way to an authentic, unencumbered way of life. 

Raymond Yakeleya

 Raymond Yakeleya is a Dene filmmaker, he's made several documentaries over his 40 year career, including From the Spirit and The Last Mooseskin Boat.

We Remember the Coming of the White Man is an oral history of the Dene people, told through 10 elders: Joe Blondin, John Blondin, Elizabeth Yakeleya, Mary Wilson, Isadore Yukon, Peter Thompson, Jim Edwards Sittichinli, Sarah Simon, Johnny Kaye and Andrew Kunnizzi. It includes stories about the 1918 flu pandemic, how the oil and mining industries impacted the Dene people and their land and the fallout from signing Treaty 11.

The book is a companion of Yakeleya's 1978 film We Remember.

Tara Henley

Tara Henley is a writer and broadcaster living in Toronto. She currently works as a producer at CBC Radio and has a books column in the Toronto Star. Lean Out is her first book.

Lean Out is the story of how Henley was living the dream as a journalist in Toronto, but it all fell apartment when she started to get chest pain. The diagnosis was anxiety, forcing Henley to take a step back from her busy life and career and reconsider her priorities and what it meant to live a fulfilling life.

There is no replay available for this event.

Amanda Leduc

Amanda Leduc is the communications and development coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) in Brampton, Ont. She is also the author of the novel The Miracles of Ordinary Men. She was longlisted for the 2019 CBC Short Story Prize. Her most recent book is Disfigured.

In most fairy tales, characters who have disabilities or look different are often mocked or are the villain. In Disfigured, Leduc looks at fairy classics, from the classic Brothers Grimm to the modern Disney films, and explores how the representation of disability has informed how we see the world around us from a very young age and makes a case for a new set of tales, ones that celebrate difference and inclusivity. 

Sylvie Bérard

Sylvie Bérard is a science fiction writer and poet from Quebec. Her latest book is À croire que j'aime les failles.

À croire que j'aime les failles is a collection of three poems about language and memory.

Naseem Hrab

Naseem Hrab is a Toronto-based writer and storyteller. She is the author of Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend and Ira Crumb Feels the Feelings. Her newest book is Weekend Dad, which is illustrated by Frank Viva.

In Weekend Dad, Hrab writes about what happens when parents separate and how children adapt to having two homes.

Weekend Dad is for aged 3-7.

There is no replay available for this event.

Faye Guenther

Faye Guenther is a writer living in Toronto. Swimmers in Winter is her first book.

Swimmers in Winter is a collection of six stories that explore the past and the future in order to understand the moment we are living in right now.

There is no replay available for event.

John Elizabeth Stintzi

John Elizabeth Stinzi is a novelist, poet, teacher and visual artist. They won the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for emerging writers for their work Selections From Junebat, which will be published in spring 2020. Vanishing Monuments is their first novel.

In Vanishing Monuments, Alani Baum has not seen their mother since they were 17 years old — almost 30 years ago. The non-binary photographer ran away from home with their girlfriend, but when their mother's dementia worsens Alani is forced to run back to her. In the face of a debilitating illness, Alani has to contend with painful memories from the past.

Daniel Kalla

Daniel Kalla is an emergency room doctor, as well as an international bestselling author of more than 10 books, including The Last High.

The Last High is a thriller inspired by the opioid crisis. Dr. Julie Rees is shocked when a number of teenagers from the same party arrive at the ER. She suspects the adolescents took fentanyl, but this case is unusual. Teaming up with Detective Anson Chen, Rees is determined to tackle the underground drug world and find out the source of these dangerous drugs. 

Alan Woo

Alan Woo is a children's book writer who lives in Vancouver. His books include Maggie's Chopsticks and David Jumps In.

David Jumps In is a picture book about a young boy named David who is new at school. He's nervous and doesn't know anyone but uses an ancient Chinese skipping game to make new friends. David Jumps In is illustrated by Katty Maurey.

David Jumps In is for readers aged 4-7.

Helaine Becker

Helaine Becker is an award-winning author of more than 80 children's books, including the picture books You Can Read, Sloth at the Zoom and Counting on Katherine. She has also written works of nonfiction and poetry. Her latest is the picture book Pirate Queen.

Pirate Queen is about Zheng Yi Sao, the most powerful pirate in history. She was born into poverty in Guangzhou, China, in the late 1700s. When pirates attacked her town and the captain asked to marry her, she agreed under the condition that she would get an equal share of his business. When he died six years later, she took total command of the fleet, expanding to over 1,800 ships and 70,000 men.

Pirate Queen is for ages 6 to 9.

Daniel Levitin

As a neuroscientist, Daniel Levitin found himself stumped by something: why is it that some people in their 90s maintain all their mental sharpness, while others find their cognitive abilities start to dull in their 50s and 60s? When he couldn't find any books about the subject, he decided to write one himself. Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives looks at the science and psychology of growing older and uses that to explore what aging really means — and offers advice for living your best life as you get older.

You can watch a replay of this event here.

Tim Wynne-Jones

Tim Wynne-Jones has written over 35 books — including The Starlight Claim, The Ruinous Sweep and The Maestro —and is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award. He has also received the Edgar Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award and was made an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2012.

War at the Snow White Motel and Other Stories features six new and three previously published stories. In the titular tale, War at the Snow White Motel, Rex is on vacation with his family in Vermont when a careless act pulls him into war with an older teenager at their motel. The story unfurls as a much bigger, more costly conflict — the Vietnam War — looms.

War at the Snow White Motel and Other Stories is for ages 9 to 12.

Lauren McKeon

Lauren McKeon is an editor at the Walrus and is also the author of the books F Bomb: Dispatches on the War on Feminism and No More Nice Girls.

In No More Nice Girls, McKeon looks at how far we still have to go when it comes to gender equality. She highlights how social and economic systems are designed to keep women out while highlighting those who are creating spaces for women both within patriarchal systems and outside them. McKeon's core argument is that we need to stop trying to play a game that's designed for women to lose, and start breaking the rules in order to get ahead.

Tom Moore

Tom Moore is a writer from Newfoundland. He has written novels, nonfiction, poetry and children's books. His most recent book is the novel The Sign on My Father's House.

The Sign on My Father's House is a humorous coming-of-age story about a young man named Felix Ryan who moves from rural Newfoundland to St. John's in the 1960s.

Sarah Leipciger

Sarah Leipciger is a Canadian novelist now living in London, U.K. Coming Up for Air is her first book.

Coming Up for Air is a novel about the mysterious and connected events that transpire after a young woman commits suicide in the River Seine in 1889. The story, which goes through 1950s Norway to contemporary Ottawa, explores what it means to live.

Claire Caldwell

Claire Caldwell is a poetry and editor living in Toronto. Her poetry collections are Invasive Species and Gold Rush.

The poems in Gold Rush explore being settler woman in the wilderness.

Tessa McWatt

Tessa McWatt was born in Guyana and came to Canada when she was three years old. She grew up in Toronto and spent years living in Montreal, Paris, Ottawa and London. Her heritage is Scottish, English, French, Portuguese, Indian, Amerindian, African and Chinese. Shame on Me is a memoir about identity, race and belonging by someone who spent a lot of time trying to find an answer to the question, "Who are you?" and who has endured decades of racism and bigotry while trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs. 

Sidura Ludwig

Sidura Ludwig is a fiction writer from Toronto. She is also the author of the novel Holding My Breath and the short story collection You Are Not What We Expected. 

You Are Not What We Expected  explores a Jewish family and their community in Thornhill, Ont., over 15 years. When Isaac moves back to Thornhill from Los Angeles, he becomes entangled in more family and neighborhood drama than he could have ever imagined, but also develops relationships that change everything.

Lauren Soloy

Lauren Soloy is the author and illustrator of the picture book When Emily Was Small, which is inspired by the life of B.C. artist Emily Carr. Soloy is an illustrator and currently lives in Nova Scotia.

John Elizabeth Stintzi, A.F. Moritz and Mathew Henderson

John Elizabeth Stintzi is a non-binary writer from northwestern Ontario. They won the 2019 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers and the Malhat Review's 2019 Long Poem Prize. Stintzi is also the author of two poetry chapbooks and the novel Vanishing Monuments.

A. F. Moritz is the author of 20 poetry collections. He has won the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Bess Hokin Prize and an award in literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is currently the sixth poet laureate of the City of Toronto. 

Mathew Henderson is a poet from Tracadie, Prince Edward Island. His first poetry collection, The Lease, was a finalist for the 2013 Trillium Book Award and the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award.

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Souvankham Thammavongsa

Souvankham Thammavongsa is a writer and poet. Her stories have won an O. Henry Award and appeared in Harper's, Granta, The Paris Review and NOON. She has published four books of poetry, including 2019's Cluster. Her latest is the short story collection How to Pronounce Knife.

How to Pronounce Knife is a collection of idiosyncratic and diverse stories. Exploring the daily lives of immigrants, Souvankham Thammavongsa captures their hopes, disappointments, trauma and acts of defiance.

Daniel Groleau Landry

Daniel Groleau Landry is a francophone poet, translator and multidisiplinary artist from Ontario. His translation of Euguélionne by Louky Bersianik won a Governor General Literary Award in 1997. His latest book is the collection Fragments de ciels.

Janie Brown

Janie Brown is a writer and oncology nursing expert living in Vancouver. Radical Acts of Love is her first book.

In Radical Acts of Love, Brown recounts conversations she had with 20 people as they were dying, exploring the concepts of life, death and living well. It challenges readers to face death head, to discuss it frankly and fearlessly and to be there for those facing the end of their lives.

Michel Thérien

Michel Thérien is a francophone poet and translator from Ottawa. His collections include La Fluidité des Heures, L'instant de la Fuite and most recently La poéme involontaire.

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Lindsay Wong

Lindsay Wong is the author of the memoir The Woo-Woo and the YA novel My Summer of Love and Misfortune.

My Summer of Love and Misfortune tells the story of a Chinese American teenager named Iris Wang. After not getting into college and finding out her boyfriend cheated, Iris is sent to visit family in Beijing for the summer and is swept up in the world of the city's wealthiest residents.

Ian Hamilton

Ava Lee is the centre of the bestselling mystery series created by Ian Hamilton. The strong crime-solving, debt-chasing protagonist has gained a devoted fan base since she was first introduced in 2011 in The Water Rat of Wanchai. Ava Lee has fought crime all over the world, taking on all forms of corruption involving notorious gangs and mafia members.

The Diamond Queen of Singapore is the most recent Ava Lee novel.

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Anne Simpson

Anne Simpson is the author of five collections of poetry: Light Falls Through You, Loop, Quick, Is and Strange Attractor. She won the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2004 for Loop.

Over the course of our lives, we take on many identities. Some are thrust upon us, some we cultivate for ourselves. Strange Attractor, explores how these identities emerge, form and shift from birth until after we've died.

Charlene Bearhead and Wilson Bearhead

The Sacred Eagle Feather is a picture book by Charlene Bearhead and Wilson Bearhead. 

Charlene is the director of reconcilation at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Wilson is a Nakota Elder and Wabamun Lake First Nation community member in Alberta.

The Sacred Eagle Feather is about an 11-year-old Nakota boy as he learns about the importance of eagle feathers in his culture.

Sandra B. Tooze

Sandra B. Tooze is the author of the biographies Muddy Waters: The Mojo Man and Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond, about the Band's drummer Levon Helm.

May 26, 2020 would have been Helm's 80th birthday. He died in 2012.

Candace Savage

Candace Savage is the Sask.-based author of several books, including Prairie. Her work A Geography of Blood won the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Non-Fiction.

Prairie, first published in 2004, is a natural history of the prairie region in North America. It was reissued in 2020.

Wanda Taylor

Wanda Taylor is the author of several books about the history of Nova Scotia.

It's Our Time is about the history of Preston, one of the largest black communities in Atlantic Canada, and looks at how the history of the Black Loyalists and Jamaican Maroons shaped this vibrant community.

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Gil Adamson

Gil Adamson is a writer and poet. Her first novel, The Outlander, won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and was a Canada Reads finalist in 2009, when it was championed by Nicholas Campbell. She has published several volumes of poetry, including Primitive and Ashland. 

Ridgerunner is a novel about William Moreland, the notorious thief known as Ridgerunner, as he moves through the Rocky Mountains, determined to to secure financial stability for his son. His son, Jack Boulton, is trapped in a life not of his own making. Semi-orphaned and under the care of a nun, Sister Beatrice, Jack has found himself in a secluded cabin in Banff, Alberta. Little does he know, his father is coming for him. 

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Cree singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie's long career includes an expansive catalogue of music, art and work in activism. Hey Little Rockabye is her first children's picture book.

Hey Little Rockabye conveys an important message about finding love and acceptance and shares a not-yet-released song about pet adoption from Buffy Sainte-Marie. A puppy is looking for someone to love him. A young girl rescues the little dog and tries to convince her parents to let her keep him. 

Hey Little Rockabye is for ages 3 to 7.

Madhur Anand

Madhur Anand is a poet and professor of ecology at the University of Guelph. She is the author of the poetry collection A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes and the memoir This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart.

This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart is the story of Anand's family. Her parents grow up in India. Her father had polio, which gives him a lifelong disability. Her mother loved education, and chose it over marriage. They meet, marry and come to Canada after British India was divided in India and Pakistan. Anand grows up in Canada, but is influenced by her parents, their traumas, their values, and their lived experiences.

Sue Goyette

Sue Goyette is a poet and novelist currently living in Halifax. 

Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue is the author of the 2010 novel Room, which was a finalist for the Booker Prize and adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, and The Wonder, which was nominated for the Giller Prize. Her latest book is the novel The Pull of the Stars.

The Pull of the Stars, set in a war and disease-ravaged Ireland during the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, tells the story of three women — a nurse, a doctor and an activist — working on the front lines of the pandemic in an understaffed maternity ward of a hospital, where expectant mothers infected with the virus are quarantined.