Against pandemic odds, Greenwood’s StoryFest has reinvented itself as a virtual online experience with authors from across Canada and as far away as England. Authors and participants will join us via Zoom.

This special literary festival will take place every Thursday during October on Zoom. The regular time will be 7pm Eastern time, with one exception….the event with Margaret McMillan will take place at 2pm Eastern time, as she is joining us from London. The final event with Tommy Schnurmacher takes place Sunday, Nov. 1st at 2pm ET.

Ticket are free, and can be reserved at greenwoodstoryfest.com . Please follow the directions on the website to get a virtual ticket and a Zoom Webinar ID number.

We are very excited about this year’s stellar lineup. Here it is…...

Joan Thomas, the winner of the 2019 Governor General’s Award for Fiction for her unique novel Five Wives, will be StoryFest’s first guest. Thomas' brilliant novel tells the story of a real event which occurred in 1956 when five American missionary families moved into the territory of the reclusive Waorani people of Ecuador. Thomas has written three previous novels which depict characters in times of rapid social change, Reading by Lightning, The Opening Sky and Curiosity.

Annabel Lyon is the author of Consent, which was published in late September, and is already longlisted for the prestigious Scotiabank Giller Prize. The novel tells the story of two sets of sisters whose lives are braided together when tragedy changes them forever. Annabel Lyon is the author of the bestseller, The Golden Mean, a short story collection called Oxygen, and a book of novellas, The Best Thing for You, and two juvenile novels All-Season Edie and Encore Edie.

Margaret MacMillan is an emeritus professor of international history at Oxford and a professor of history at the University of Toronto, a Massey Lecturer, a Governor General award winning author and a member of the Order of Canada. Her new book which debuts this fall is entitled War: How Conflict Shapes Us. In it, MacMillan explores the ways in which changes in society have affected the nature of war and how in turn wars have changed the societies that fight them. Her previous books include Paris 1919: The War that Ended Peace, Nixon and Mao, Dangerous Games, and Women of the Raj.

Emily Urquhart’s new book, published Sept.1st, is The Age of Creativity: Art, Memory, My Father and Me. It is a moving portrait of a father and daughter relationship, and a case for late-stage creativity. Emily’s father is the world renowned contemporary artist Tony Urquhart (and her mother is the Canadian icon, Jane Urquhart!) She is also the author of Beyond the Pale: Folklore, Family and the Master of Our Hidden Genes.

Michelle Good’s book Five Little Indians was recently long listed for the prestigious Scotia Giller Prize for 2020. It is a fictional look at the real Canadian legacy of residential schools and Good’s debut novel. A lawyer who spent three decades of working with Indigenous communities and organizations, Good’s voice is compassionate, authentic and insightful.

Tommy Schnurmacher’s latest book Makeup Tips from Auschwitz: How Vanity Saved my Mother’s Life, is a remarkable story of courage in the face of adversity, and of a very glamorous mom. An acclaimed radio host for more than 20 years in Montreal, Tommy’s previous books include Are We On Yet, Canada is Not a Real Country, The Anglo Guide to Survival in Quebec, Great Canadian Characters and Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

Writer’s Workshop with Michaela Di Cesare: Autobiographical Story-Telling Playwright and performer, Michaela is in residence at the Centaur Theatre for the 2019 season, writing Terroni or Once Upon a Time in the South. Previous shows include FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), Extra/Beautiful, Successions, In Search of Mrs. Pirandello and 8 Ways my Mother was Conceived.

For more information about each of these guests, please visit greenwoodstoryfest.com

Below are links to Hudson-related websites: