FRESH CROP OF AUTHORS AT THE SPRING SEASON OF TORONTO LIT UP

The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) announced the Spring 2022 Season of Toronto Lit Up, a joint initiative with Toronto Arts Council to spotlight Toronto writers.

The Spring Season, taking place now through June, will feature digital and in-person events that celebrate the launch of eight new books by nine local authors/illustrators.

The selected authors and books for the Spring 2022 Season are:

Mahak Jain and Anu Chouhan (illustrator), Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes (Annick Press).

Robert McGill, Suitable Companion for the End of Your Life (Coach House Books).

Neil Besner, Fishing With Tardelli: A Memoir of Family in Time Lost (ECW Press).

Terri Favro, The Sisters Sputnik (ECW Press).

Adrienne Todd, City of Sensors (Now Or Never Publishing).

S.L. Klassen, Menno-Nightcaps: Cocktails Inspired By That Odd Ethno-Religious Group You Keep Mistaking For the Amish, Quakers Or Mormons (TouchWood Editions).

Margaret DeRosia, Eight Strings (Simon & Schuster).

Sonya Singh, Sari, Not Sari (Simon & Schuster).

The next season of Toronto Lit Up will take place between July 2022 and March 2023. This is an extended season, taking into account that many book launches were delayed during the past two years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Toronto Lit Up is a valuable initiative that gives Toronto writers the spotlight they deserve, providing them with much needed resources to celebrate and promote their accomplishments after publishing a book,” said Claire Hopkinson, Director and CEO, Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation. “Toronto Arts Council is pleased to partner with TIFA as we salute the nine authors/ illustrators for the spring season, and we look forward to new and exciting submissions in the future.”

“Toronto has an abundance of sparkling literary talent and we are delighted to present some of it this spring through Toronto Lit Up,” said Ayesha Chatterjee, Toronto Lit Up committee member. “We are also very much looking forward to seeing new books submitted for Toronto Lit Up’s fall season. It is always exciting, in often wonderfully surprising ways, to see how Torontonians represent the world and the times through their strong, vivid writing. Whether they’re debut authors or established in their genre, we are proud to support Toronto authors by bringing their work to wider audiences.”

All submissions are reviewed by the Toronto Lit Up committee, composed of Ayesha Chatterjee (past president, League of Canadian Poets), Alison Jones (Quill and Quire) and Hazel Millar (Literary Press Group).

For event listings and details, visit FestivalofAuthors.ca/Toronto-Lit-Up. As always, Toronto Lit Up events are open to the public and free to attend.