A FESTIVAL TO WRITE HOME ABOUT 

The Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA) announced this year’s festival of engaging talks, readings, masterclasses, performances and exhibits taking place from September 19 - September 29. 

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.

“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,” says Roland Gulliver, TIFA 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.”

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 with over 100 artists and authors from 11 countries will be featured.

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.

Highlights include:

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): The host of the widely popular CBC Radio show Quirks and Quarks will 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 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.

Literary conversations. Join Deepa Rajagopalan and Zoe Whittall for a conversation on their witty and insightful short story collections exploring the joys, challenges and societal expectations experienced by women, perspectives on femininity, privilege, survival and finding a safe place to call home.

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. Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma and Devan Rajkumar discuss their latest cookbooks. From the recipes to the stories to the photos, discover the ingredients that go into a book good enough to eat!

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!) discuss their new collection of recipes that celebrate the traditions of Mi’kmaw cuisine, honour the culture and knowledge shared through generations.

Geraldine DeRuiter (If You Can’t Take the Heat: Tales of Food, Feminism, and Fury): A 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. 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 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 storytellers including Lien-En Lin, Yolanda T Marshall, Germany’s Efua Traore and Geraldo Valerio.

Creative Writing Masterclasses. TIFA presents its popular series of 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; Alison Pick on Character Development; David Bezmozgis on How Much Is Too Much: On The Power of Withholding and Restraint in Writing.

For full festival programme and schedule, and to book passes, visit FestivalofAuthors.ca.             

DESI AUTHORS IN ATTENDANCE

Michael Ondaatje

Shyam Selvadurai

Deepa Rajagopalan

Devan Rajkumar

Saumiya Balasubramaniam

Tasneem Jamal

Sadi Muktadir

Nazneen Sheikh