VIRTUAL
In this virtual panel event, Canadian young adult authors Tanaz Bhathena, Kristen Ciccarelli, and Anna Priemaza will discuss how they balance various opposing forces in their writing, such as darkness with hope, or the freedom of fantasy with the sharpness of reality. Moderated by E. K. Johnston.
Anna Priemaza is a young adult author, lawyer, and university instructor who lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband, but grew up in Waterloo Region. She can never quite remember how old she is, as she knits like an old lady, practices law like an adult, fangirls over YouTubers like a teen, and dreams like a child. Her November 2021 release, The Forgotten Memories of Vera Glass, adds a fantasy twist to her usual contemporary storytelling.
Tanaz Bhathena writes books for young adults. She is the author of Rising like a Storm, the sequel to the 2021 White Pine Award winning novel, Hunted by the Sky, which was also named a Best Book of the Year by the CBC and USBBY. Her novel, The Beauty of the Moment, won the Nautilus Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction. Her acclaimed debut, A Girl Like That, was named a Best Book of the Year by numerous outlets including The Globe and Mail, Seventeen, and The Times of India. Her short stories have appeared in various publications including The Hindu, Blackbird, Witness, and Room. Born in India and raised in Saudi Arabia and Canada, Tanaz lives in Mississauga, Ontario, with her family.
Kristen Ciccarelli was born and raised on her grandfather’s grape farm and spent her childhood adventuring in the deep, dark woods behind his house. Her first novel, The Last Namsara, was an instant international bestseller and has now been translated into 12 languages. Her most recent novel, The Sky Weaver, was shortlisted for the 2020 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards. Kristen currently resides in a blustery seaside cove on Newfoundland’s northern peninsula where you can often find her baking bread, hiking in the headlands, or curled up by the woodstove with a good book.
E.K. Johnston (Moderator) had several jobs and one vocation before she became a published writer. If she’s learned anything, it’s that things turn out weird sometimes, and there’s not a lot you can do about it. Well, that and how to muscle through awkward fanfic because it’s about a pairing she likes. Her books range from contemporary fantasy to fairy-tale re-imaginings, from hopeful sci-fi to quiet epics, and from small town Ontario to a galaxy far, far away. She has no plans to rein anything in.
This program is in partnership with Wordsworth Books.
Registrants will receive an e-mail 24 hours before the start of the program with an invitation to join.
Programmer: Nancy
