At the heart of Robert Macfarlane's Is a River Alive? is a single, transformative idea: that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings, who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law. Around the world, rivers are dying from pollution, drought and damming. But a powerful “rights of nature” movement is underway to re-animate our relationships with these vast, mysterious presences whose landscapes we share. Macfarlane joined us and local environmental non-profit Pacific Salmon Foundation to discuss a radical re-imagination of not only rivers but life itself, in conversation with award-winning journalist Laura Lynch.
--------
1:13:41
--------
1:13:41
Tanya Talaga: The Knowing
We all owe a great deal of gratitude—not just admiration—to award-winning, Anishinaabe author and journalist Tanya Talaga, whose work (such as Seven Fallen Feathers and All Our Relations) has transformed Canadians’ understanding of the systemic injustices faced by Indigenous peoples across the country, and offered deeply important, actionable recommendations for how to meet and overcome such wrongs. The Knowing is another essential read: the unfolding of Canadian history unlike anything we have read before. It is the history of the country through an Indigenous lens, beginning with the life of her great-great-grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family as they experienced decades of government- and Church-sanctioned disenfranchisement and genocide. She speaks to this deeply personal, seminal work with Candis Callison, in this conversation recorded at the 2024 Vancouver Writers Fest, and presented in partnership with HarperCollins Canada Ltd.
--------
1:52
--------
1:52
Chinatown: Past and Future
Acclaimed authors Christina Wong and Daniel Innes, Henry Tsang, and Fae Myenne Ng joined us at the 2023 Vancouver Writers Fest for a discussion with Kevin Chong all about Chinatown—both what it means as a concept, and its various physical neighbourhoods in Vancouver, Toronto, and around the world. This event was presented on October 21, 2023 in partnership with the Chinatown Storytelling Centre.
--------
32:38
--------
32:38
Timothy Caulfield: The Certainty Illusion
Telling what’s real from what’s fake should be easy. In today’s world, that’s far from the case. Bestselling author and Canada Research Chair Timothy Caulfield joined the Vancouver Writers Fest to speak with Marsha Lederman about his new book, The Certainty Illusion—along with misinformation, fake news, and the noble pursuit of truth in science, academia, politics, and life.
--------
1:16:41
--------
1:16:41
Canisia Lubrin and Dionne Brand in Conversation
Code Noir, the debut fiction work from acclaimed, award-winning poet, editor, and writer Canisia Lubrin was named a best book of 2024 by CBC and The Globe and Mail. Departing from the “Code Noir” historic decrees in 17th century France which defined the conditions of slavery in the French colonial empire, the book of the same name has 59 linked fictions.
In conversation with Dionne Brand, these two literary stars discuss Lubrin’s brilliant book, writing in the long shadow of imperialism, and the intellectual and emotional vigour behind each of these stories.
Exhilarating conversations and ideas from the world’s greatest storytellers and luminaries. From the esteemed vaults of the Vancouver Writers Fest, located in beautiful British Columbia.
Ireland