Author Talks
Event schedule
Mississauga Library’s Author Talk series features a wide range of talented writers. Hear authors read from their books, ask questions, learn about the writing process, and find out more about their craft of telling captivating stories. For ages 13 and over.
Check out author talk highlights from previous sessions on our YouTube page.
Event schedule
September 15: Phyllis Webstad
Date: September 15 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Canada’s first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day is September 30. This day inspired by Phyllis Webstad, a residential school survivor, founder of Orange Shirt Day and author of books about her Residential School experience.
Join us for a conversation with Phyllis to hear her story and learn how to authentically and effectively support and promote the message that Every Child Matters.
September 22: Marissa Stapley
Date: September 22 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Internationally bestselling author, Marissa Stapley’s novel, The Last Resort, was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis award, and Oprah Magazine and New York Post favourite, and optioned for TV. She taught creative writing and editing, and her journalism appeared in newspapers and magazines across North America. Her latest novel is Lucky.
September 29: Uzma Jalaluddin
Date: September 29 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Uzma Jalaluddin is the author of Ayesha at Last and her latest, Hana Khan Carries On was an instant Canadian bestseller. A high school English teacher, she is also a Toronto Star columnist and a contributor to the Atlantic. Her first novel was published in the US, the UK, Australia and India and was optioned for film.
October 6: Aminder Dhaliwal
Date: October 6 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Aminder Dhaliwal is a native of Brampton, Ontario and received a Bachelors of Animation from Sheridan College. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she has directed, storyboarded and written for Disney TV Animation, Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. She was named one of the Top Ten Animators to Watch in 2020 by Variety. Her first graphic novel Woman World was nominated for an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Online Comic. Her second graphic novel Cyclopedia Exotica is in stores now. She continues to update her Instagram with comics weekly.
October 13: Stephanie Cooke
Date: October 13 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Stephanie Cooke is a writer and editor based out of Toronto, Canada where she lives with her snuggly cat that she is very allergic to. She is the writer of ParaNorthern and the co-writer of Oh My Gods! Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @hellocookie.
October 20: Sanya Anwar
Date: October 20 | 7 pm | Register now
Sanya Anwar is a freelance comic creator and illustrator based out of Toronto, Canada. Sanya’s self-published comic 1001 is written, drawn and colored entirely by her! It is a modern retelling of One Thousand and One Arabian Nights. Sanya also works on great titles from Wonder Woman, Archie Comics, Assassin’s Creed, DC, Vertigo, Dr. Who and more!
October 27: Ann Shin
Date: October 27 | 7-8 pm | Register now
A filmmaker, and an award-winning writer, Ann’s documentary My Enemy, My Brother was shortlisted for a 2016 Academy Award, and nominated for an Emmy. She has directed programs for CBC, Discovery Channel, HGTV, History Channel, W Network, PBS, etc. Join us for a conversation about her latest novel, The Last Exiles, which offers a rare glimpse at life inside the guarded walls of North Korea.
November 3: Zoe Whittall
Date: November 3 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Zoe Whittall is the author of several novels including the Giller-shortlisted The Best Kind of People, which is being adapted as a limited series. Her novel, Holding Still for as Long as Possible, won a Lambda Award for trans fiction, and Bottle Rocket Hearts, won the Dayne Ogilvie Prize. She has worked as a TV writer on the Emmy Award-winning comedy Schitt’s Creek and she won Canadian Screen Award for Baroness von Sketch Show. Her latest novel is The Spectacular.
November 10: Krista Foss
Date: November 10 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Krista Foss’s short fiction has appeared in Granta and has twice been a finalist for the Journey Prize. Her first novel, Smoke River, won the Hamilton Literary Award. She’s an award-winning essayist who has worked as a journalist, and teacher. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. Her latest novel is Half Life.
November 17: Katherine Ashenburg
Date: November 17 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Katherine Ashenburg is the best selling author of Her Turn -listed in Maclean’s 20 books you should read this summer and The Globe and Mail’s 40 hot reads that will captivate you. She is author of two novels, four non-fiction books and hundreds of articles on subjects that range from travel to mourning customs to architecture.
November 24: Elisabeth De Mariaffi
Date: November 24 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Elisabeth De Mariaffi’s poetry and short fiction have been widely published in magazines across Canada. Her first novel, The Devil You Know, was named one of the Best Books of 2015 by the Globe and Mail and the National Post. Her debut book of short stories, How to Get Along with Women, was longlisted for the 2013 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Her latest novel is The Retreat.
December 1: Shashi Bhat
Date: December 1 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Shashi Bhat’s short fiction has appeared in a variety of literary journals. Editor-in-chief of EVENT magazine, Shashi holds an MFA in fiction and teaches creative writing at Douglas College. Her debut novel, The Family Took Shape, was a finalist for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award. Her most recent novel The Most Precious Substance on Earth, is a story about fraught relationships between those who take and those who have something taken. The novel is an unforgettable portrait of how silence can shape a life.
December 8: Daniel Kalla
Date: December 8 | 7-8 pm | Register now
Daniel Kalla is a physician was the director of Emergency Medicine at St. Paul’s Hospital in British Columbia. He has written several popular novels in the thriller and historical fiction genres, all with medical themes. His latest book, Lost Immunity takes a deep and unflinching look at the anti-vaccine movement. Kalla has created the ultimate cautionary tale of the dangers of vaccine hesitancy.