Next week kicks off the 30th Anniversary of the International Festival of Authors. The festival runs from October 21 to 31 at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre, and this year's theme is "Writing Scotland." Famous Scottish poet Robert Burns was born in 1759, so 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of his birth. Click here for a list of Scotland-related readings and events!
Here are some highlights for kidlit fans:
Saturday, October 24
- 11 a.m.: TD Canadian Children's Literature Award finalists Nicola Campbell (Shin-Chi's Canoe) and Cary Fagan (Thing-Thing) read from their books
- 1 p.m.: TD Canadian Children's Literature Award finalists Alma Fullerton (Libertad), Susin Nielsen (Word Nerd), and Shane Peacock (Death in the Air) read from their books
- 4 p.m.: Round Table with the five authors listed above (moderator: Ken Setterington of the Toronto Public Library), on the topic "All Play and No Work: The Art of Creating Books for Children and Young Adults"
Tuesday, October 27
- 10:30 a.m.: Lynn Johnston talks about her new picture book Farley Follows His Nose
- 12:30 p.m.: Nicola Campbell reads from her picture book Shin-Chi's Canoe; illustrator Kim LaFave will also be available to answer questions
Thursday, October 29
- 10:30 a.m.: Kean Soo talks about his Jellaby series
- 12:30 p.m.: Cary Fagan discusses his new contribution to the late Mordecai Richler's Jacob Two-Two series: Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas
Friday, October 30
- 10:30 a.m.: Jennifer Cowan leads a conversation about her book earthgirl (which has its own blog!)
- 12:30 p.m.: Gitty Daneshevari talks about her book School of Fear
You can see a PDF of the complete schedule here and purchase tickets here. If you're on Twitter, you can follow @IFOA for extra news, updates, and more.
