The International Festival of Authors begins

Ontario-wide event offers up a few queer bits


The International Festival of Authors (IFOA) starts today, Oct 16, and runs until Nov 2, but you won’t see much evidence of it in Toronto until this coming weekend. Most of the early events take place outside Toronto at various Ontario locales.

The first Toronto event, the annual PEN Canada Benefit, is Oct 18.

Below are some authors and events of note for queer audiences:

Nora Young, a CBC radio host, will read from her new book, The Virtual Self, on the afternoon of Oct 20. Young will share the stage with Jian Ghomeshi Oct 20 for a group interview conducted by Sook-Yin Lee. Lee gained experience with group work with her role in the movie Shortbus.

Author Kamal Al-Solaylee, who has been nominated for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for his book Intolerable, will be joined by other nominees on Oct 21 in an event moderated by Rachel Giese.

Emma Donoghue will read from her new collection of short stories, Astray, on Oct 28 and take part in a panel discussion on Oct 27.

Below is a recent interview with Kamal Al-Solaylee and an interview with Emma Donoghue and Colm Tóibin from 2008.

On occasion, the number of editors and other staff who contribute to a story gets a little unwieldy to give a byline to everyone. That’s when we use “Xtra Staff” in place of the usual contributor info. If you would like more information on who contributed to a particular story, please contact us here.

Read More About:
Culture, Books, Arts, Toronto

Keep Reading

A still image of Anne, played by Amybeth McNulty, in braids and a coat, looking at another child in Anne with an E.

Why the adaptation ‘Anne with an E’ speaks to queers and misfits of all kinds

The modern interpretation of Anne of Green Gables reflected queer and gender-diverse people’s lives back at them 
Karla Sofía Gascón as Emilia Perez in Emilia Perez. Gascón wears black with colourful embroidery, has long hair, and a brown purse and delicate chain.

Trans cartel musical ‘Emilia Pérez’ takes maximalist aesthetic to the extreme

REVIEW: The film’s existence raises intriguing questions about appropriate subjects for the playful machinations of French auteurs
Dorothy Allison sits behind a microphone. She has long, light-coloured hair and wears glasses and a patterned button-up shirt.

5 things to know about Dorothy Allison

The lesbian feminist writer passed on Nov. 6

‘Solemates’ is a barefoot stroll through the history of our fetish for feet

Queer historian Adam Zmith’s newest book allows us to dip our toes into the past of a common, yet stigmatized, kink