Reading may seem like a solitary experience, but LitFest: Edmonton’s Nonfiction Festival (October 15 – 25) pushes you out of your armchair by bringing the authors to you! This year’s featured authors and books cover an assorted blend of topics that will satisfy any interest. Have you recently been publicly shamed and are wondering how to cope? Author and festival headliner Jon Ronson, who wrote The Men Who Stare at Goats, may have some advice for you in his new book So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, as he explores how and why public shaming (once done through pillories and scarlet letters) has re-emerged on social media. This is his first-ever visit to Western Canada, and you won’t want to miss his dry humour and adept storytelling!
Another engaging author to catch is Sean Michaels, who won the Giller Prize for his first novel Us Conductors and who will be dishing on the Canadian music scene and the hype around critics. If you love laughing with The Debaters on CBC Radio, you need to see comedian Charles Demers talk about his new collection of essays, The Horrors. Some of Demers’ stories will be brought to life and animated by local improviser and host Ben Gorodetsky!
For those who’ve become so hungry while reading about food that they’ve considered eating the book, the Food Matters event is for you! Cinda Chavich, author of The Waste Not Want Not Cookbook, will be leading a demonstration on cooking to prevent waste with Gold Metal Plates–winning chef Ryan O’Flynn. Guests will then enjoy a dinner at The Westin’s newly renovated restaurant. So, hop up from your chair, let your Earl Grey tea go cold, and head to one of these fantastic literary experiences!
CONTEST ALERT
WHERE Edmonton is giving away two (2) tickets to Jon Ronson’s event at LitFest on Tuesday, October 20! To enter to win, follow us on Twitter (@whereedmonton) and watch for tweets about the contest. We will draw for the tickets on Thursday, October 8, at 2 pm.
