Ottawa Writers Festival springs into action soon
Pre-fest appearances begin with Ted Barris on March 23
Spring must be right around the corner because the lineup for the Ottawa Writers Festival is being unveiled.
In addition to pre-festival appearances by writers such as Jane Urquhart, the main festival, which begins April 22, will showcase such literary figures as the thinker, writer and 2008 Pulitzer Prizewinner for fiction, Junot Díaz; Ottawa native Sean Michaels who won the Giller Prize for his book Us Conductors; Governor General’s Award-winner Raziel Reid, whose book for young adults When Everything Feels Like The Movies sparked a minor flurry of controversy over its subject, which involves teenage homosexuality; the brilliant Guy Vanderhaeghe, who has a new collection of stories called Daddy Lenin and Other Stories; and musician David Usher, who is exploring what it means to be an artist in his book called Let The Elephants Run.
But for regulars at the writers festival, the biggest news might just be a new location for most events. In the past, most panels have been in Knox Church at Lisgar and Elgin streets, but that venue was a bit cramped.
This year, the event moves to Christ Church Cathedral on Sparks Street near Bay Street.
For the festival’s artistic director the move is a relief. “It’s clean, climate controlled and fully wheelchair accessible. There’s more room to breathe and more room to continue the conversation. We’re close to public transit, bike lanes and parking,” Sean Wilson wrote in an email to patrons.
Wilson says this festival has a “decidedly musical spin, with ... a special focus on the brain and learning.”
There are political panels, poetry gatherings and lots of prose.
For all information about the festival including ticket prices, go to writersfestival.org
BEFORE THE FESTIVAL
Monday, March 23 at 7 p.m. Ted Barris (Christ Church)
Monday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. Eibhear Walshe at University of Ottawa
March 3 at 7 p.m. Sheila WattCloutier (Southminster)
April 9 at 7 p.m. Jane Urquhart hosted by Charlotte Gray (Christ Church), followed by a lunch on April 10 at the Metropolitain Brasserie, 700 Sussex Dr.
April 16 at 8 p.m.: House of Anansi Poetry Bash at the Black Sheep with the Hilotrons OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL WRITERS FESTIVAL: 2015 SPRING EDITION All events at Christ Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks St.
Wednesday, April 22 , 6:30 p.m. Teaching for the 21st Century with Joel Westheimer and John Mighton
Thursday, April 23, 6:30 p.m. One on One with Junot Díaz
8 p.m. All In A Day Songwriters Night hosted by Alan Neal
Friday, April 24, Noon. Poetry in Translation with Liana Langa and Margita Gailitis
6:30 p.m. The Sound and the Fury with Russell Smith, Neil Smith and Sean Michaels featuring new music by Mike Dubue.
8:30 p.m. Pride and Prejudice with Michael V. Smith and Raziel Reid with special musical guest Glenn Nuotio
Saturday, April 25 , Noon. Brave New World with Mark Bourrie, Brooke Jeffrey and Brent Rathgeber
2 p.m. Headscarves and Hymens with Mona Eltahawy
4 p.m. The Redeeming Things with Kara Stanley and Peter Kavanagh
6:30 p.m. The Time to Make It Shorter with Mark Anthony Jarman, Steven Hayward, Heather O’Neill and Guy Vanderhaeghe
6:45 p.m. Dying to Better Themselves: West Indians and the Building of the Panama Canal with Olive Senior
8:30 p.m. Nurturing Creativity with David Usher
Sunday, April 26 , 2 p.m. The Teenage Brain with Frances E. Jensen
4 p.m. Parenting Exceptional Children with Ann Douglas and Kristine Barnett
6:30 p.m. A Natural History Of Alzheimer’s And Aging with Jay Ingram
6:45 p.m. BookThug Spring Launch with Carellin Brooks, Mike Steeves, Pearl Pirie, Jake Kennedy and Kevin McPherson Eckhoff
8:30 p.m. Sense and Sensibility with Obi Simic, Nina Berkhout and Beth Powning
Monday, April 27 , Noon. Poetry as a Practice: Don McKay in Conversation with David O’Meara
6:30 p.m. Close Encounters with the Natural World with Jennifer Kingsley and Deni Bechard
6:45 p.m. Book Launch: Town & Train with James Moran
8:30 p.m. Poetry Cabaret with Marie Annharte Baker, Marilyn Dumont and Don McKay
Tuesday, April 28, Noon. Brain Gain with John Jung
6:30 p.m. Ontario Scene Presents Close to Home with Rhonda Douglas, Helen Humphreys and James Bartleman 6:45 p.m. Blog Out Loud 8:30 p.m. Crime and Punishment with Michael Christie, Chigozie Obioma and Linden MacIntyre
POST FESTIVAL
May 14 , at noon. Liter ary Luncheon with Sharon Johnston May 19, at 7 p.m. Jeffrey Deaver (location TBA).