Quotable: Ariel Levy, The Rules Do Not Apply

Wednesday 26 April 2017

"I was thirty-two—which really seemed like the tail end of my twenties, still. I felt as young as spring. When my mother was that age, she had already had me, after trying for five years. But it was different now. None of my good friends had babies. Not Emma, my second self, who had moved to Los Angeles to become an actress and live surrounded by otherworldly foliage in a little apartment on Whitley Avenue. Not Matt and Jesse, my friends since childhood; they had day jobs at websites and played in a band at bars on the Lower East Side at night. All of us still drank too much. All of us assumed we still had time for reinvention." 
— Ariel Levy, The Rules Do Not Apply

gritLIT 2017: Complete Schedule

Sunday 2 April 2017

gritLIT 2017 is kicking off tonight at the Staircase Theatre with our annual partnered event with the Lit Live Reading Series, and then we take over the Art Gallery of Hamilton for festival weekend April 6-9. We're exceptionally proud of this year's line-up. Come say hello if you're able to check out any of the following events. Tickets are available at www.gritlit.ca.

Thursday, April 6, 2016
Poetry with the HPC (6:30 pm)
gritLIT partners with the Hamilton Poetry Centre for a vibrant presentation featuring Robin Richardson (Knife Throwing Through Self-Hypnosis), Vivek Shraya (Even This Page Is White) and two team members from Hamilton Youth Poets (HYP).

War and Remembrance (8:00 pm)
Two perspectives on war on its legacy, featuring Diana Bishop (Living Up to a Legend: My Adventures with Billy Bishop’s Ghost) and Leslie Shimotakahara (After the Bloom).

The Disappeared (9:30 pm)
Gripping, unnerving stories about characters on the verge of disappearing from Iain Reid (I’m Thinking of Ending Things) and Rebecca Rosenblum (So Much Love).

Friday, April 7, 2017
Lunch with the Dewey Divas (1:00 pm at Bryan Prince Bookseller)
Join Dewey Divas Andrea Colquhoun and Rosalyn Steele for a sneak peek at the best of summer reading from Penguin Random House and HarperCollins Canada. This event is hosted by gritLIT 2017 author Diana Bishop, and lunch is included.

Justice for All? (6:30 pm)
A revealing look at the Canadian legal system and the people whose lives it affects. Featuring reporter Christie Blatchford (Life Sentence) and memoirist Diane Schoemperlen (This Is Not My Life).

Identity and Self-Determination (8:00 pm)
Join Ivan Coyote (Tomboy Survival Guide), Bev Sellars (Price Paid) and Leslie Shimotakahara (After the Bloom) for an illuminating discussion about how we identify ourselves and how we are identified by others.

Worlds Away (9:30 pm)
Novelists Guy Gavriel Kay (Children of Earth and Sky) and Lesley Livingston (The Valiant) use Renaissance Europe and the Roman Empire as inspiration for tales of adventure and intrigue, pirates, spies and female gladiators.

Saturday, April 8, 2017
Writing Workshop: Memoir Writing with Diane Schoemperlen (9:30 am)
Diane Schoemperlen, author of This Is Not My Life, looks at how to turn personal experiences into readable and relatable stories.

Author Talk: Price Paid (11:00 am)
Award-winning author Bev Sellars debunks myths and addresses misconceptions about First Nations in this riveting discussion of her book, Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival. This event is pay-what-you-can.

Reading in the Digital Age (12:30 pm)
Author Merilyn Simonds (Gutenberg’s Fingerprint) and novelist/blogger Kerry Clare (Mitzi Bytes) examine how we enter the world of stories in the digital age.

Literary Salon with Ivan Coyote (2:00 pm)
Join award-winning author and performance artist Ivan Coyote for tea, sweets and one-on-one conversation at a lively, round-table discussion where you decide the topics.

Kyo Maclear at the HPL (2:00 pm at Central Library)
Follow Kyo Maclear’s journey from urban birdwatching to inspiration in Birds, Art, Life – a joyful examination of creativity and life’s small pleasures. This event is in partnership with the Hamilton Public Library. Free admission

Our Canadian Families (3:30 pm)
Ann Y. K. Choi (Kay’s Lucky Coin Variety) and Scaachi Koul (One Day We’ll Be Dead and None of This Will Matter) offer insight into the modern Canadian family.

Writing Workshop: The Art of Blogging with Kerry Clare (5:00 pm)
Author Kerry Clare draws on her 15+ years of experience blogging to show how to build a blog that works for you. A great workshop for both beginners and people who blog at work.

Democracy (In)Action (6:30 pm)
What if it is not our political system that is broken but our understanding of it? Dale Smith discusses his book The Unbroken Machine.

Anatomy of a Marriage (8:00 pm)
An intimate look inside two imperfect marriages and their far-reaching consequences with Shari LapeƱa (The Couple Next Door) and Kate Taylor (Serial Monogamy).

Women and Power (9:30 pm)
Annette Hamm talks with Denise Donlon about her long career as a leader in the Canadian music industry and her book, Fearless as Possible (Under the Circumstances).

Sunday, April 9, 2017
Writing Workshop: The First Page with Merilyn Simonds (10:00 am)
Merilyn Simonds is the author of 16 books and a finalist for the Governor General’s Award. Join her for an in-depth look at the all-important first page including tips and techniques for drawing readers into your story from the very first line.

Writing Workshop: Historical Fiction with Kate Taylor (11:30 am)
Kate Taylor‘s first novel, Mme Proust and the Kosher Kitchen, won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for best first book (Canada/Caribbean Region). Join the author as she discusses how to use historical characters and events as building blocks for exciting, original new stories.

Youth Writing Workshop: Fantasy Fiction with Sarah Raughley (1:00 pm at Central Library)
YA Author Sarah Raughley shares tips and techniques for creating great fantasy fiction. This event is free admission but registration is required. For writers aged 13-17.

Hamilton Writes (1:00 pm)
Celebrate the work of three hometown authors with readings from Marnie Woodrow (Heyday), Jamie Tennant (The Captain of Kinnoull Hill) and Paul Benedetti (You Can Have a Dog When I’m Dead).

Telling our Own Stories (2:30 pm)
Memoir author Denise Donlon (Fearless as Possible), poet Chris Pannell (Love Despite the Ache) and graphic novelist Teva Harrison (In Between Days) share three different approaches to telling their own stories.

Drafts and Drafts (4:30 pm at Mills Hardware)
Close out festival weekend by joining authors Wayne Grady, Merilyn Simonds, Marnie Woodrow and three Hamilton writers for a drink and readings from their latest works-in-progress. To meet our 2017 Drafts and Drafts authors, click here. Tickets include one drink. $12 advance, $15 at door.

gritLIT Weekend Pass: $60
Purchase a gritLIT Festival Weekend Pass and get admission to all 16 reading events (value: $160) for only $60! Pass includes all paid reading events taking place at the Art Gallery of Hamilton plus Lunch with the Dewey Divas at Bryan Prince Bookseller. Drafts and Drafts at Mills Hardware: pass includes admission to event. Cost of drinks is extra. Writing Workshops and the Literary Salon are not included.
 
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