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All events take place at the Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington St., unless otherwise noted.
Tickets for individual events are available from our Box Office at 613-562-1243, or visit Nicholas Hoare Books (419 Sussex Drive) or Collected Works (1242 Wellington St. West.)
There is an online Discussion Board for discussion and debate about any of our events and authors - click here to join the conversation.
YEAR ROUND Events
wednesday, may 7
6:00 PM
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- SIR MARTIN GILBERT ON ISRAEL
Tickets: $15 General / $12 Students and Seniors
Free for Festival Members
“Israel: A History, well written and unencumbered by academic jargon, adds a great deal to our understanding of the forces that have shaped present-day Israel. It should be required reading for anyone interested in the causes of the present impasse in the peace process and in the internal politics that continue to fragment Israeli society.”
- The Philadelphia Inquirer
Israel is a small and relatively young country, but since the day of its creation sixty years ago, its turbulent history has placed it at the centre of the world stage. Join us for a discussion with Sir Martin Gilbert, the author of more than seventy books and a leading historian of the modern world, who traces Israel’s history from the struggles of its pioneers in the nineteenth century to the present day. Along the way, he describes the defining moments in the history of the Jewish people, among them the Balfour Declaration of 1917, the United Nations Partition Resolution of 1947, and the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. Guiding us through the events that have shaped modern-day Israel, Gilbert examines not only Israel’s political history and personalities from Ben-Gurion to Rabin, Peres, and Netanyahu, but also its society, culture, and economy.
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wednesday, may 14
7:30 PM
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- THE BIG IDEA: WHAT IS CANADA'S PLACE ON THE WORLD STAGE?
Mel Hurtig in conversation with Lawrence Martin
Tickets: $12 General / $10 Students and Seniors
Free for Festival Members
Mel Hurtig, author of The Truth About Canada, in conversation with acclaimed journalist and author Lawrence Martin. Join the conversation on how Canada has changed in the last twenty years. Renowned as a passionate Canadian, Mel Hurtig, bestselling author and member of the Order of Canada, has combed through world statistics to see how Canada really measures up — and his results are astonishing, and often shocking.
How do we rank in the world in voter turnout? Try 109th. Number of physicians per 100,000 population? Try 54th. Our rank in reducing pollution? 126th out of 146 countries. Is this the Canada we want? If not, how can Canada become the nation we want it to be?
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Saturday, may 17
3:30 PM
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- INTERNATIONAL ENCOUNTERS:
Pico Iyer on Global Journeys with the Dalai Lama
At Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities,
314 Saint Patrick
Presented with help from the Royal Netherlands Embassy
Tickets: $15 General / $12 Students and Seniors
Free for Festival Members
One of the most acclaimed and perceptive observers of globalism and Buddhism shares an intimate portrait of the Dalai Lama’s work and ideas as a politician, scientist, and philosopher.
Pico Iyer has been engaged in conversation with the Dalai Lama (a friend of his father’s) for the last three decades—an ongoing exploration of his message and its effectiveness. Now, in this insightful, impassioned book, Iyer captures the paradoxes of the Dalai Lama’s position: though he has brought the ideas of Tibet to world attention, Tibet itself is being remade as a Chinese province; though he was born in one of the remotest, least developed places on earth, he has become a champion of globalism and technology. He is a religious leader who warns against being needlessly distracted by religion; a Tibetan head of state who suggests that exile from Tibet can be an opportunity; an incarnation of a Tibetan god who stresses his everyday humanity.
Moving from Dharamsala, India—the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile—to Lhasa, Tibet, to venues in the West, Pico Iyer, author of The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, illuminates the hidden life, the transforming ideas, and the daily challenges of a global icon.
Dinner will be available onsite between these two events, provided by Haveli Indian Restaurant.
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7:00 PM
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- THE ANCIENT TEA HORSE ROAD:
Writer and
photographer Jeff Fuchs on his 8-month, 6000 km journey through the Himalayas
At Saint Brigid’s Centre for the Arts and Humanities,
314 St. Patrick
Tickets: $15 General / $12 Students or Seniors / Free for Festival Members
Having lived for much of the past decade in Asia, Jeff Fuchs' work has centered on indigenous mountain peoples, Asian traditions, with a particular addictive emphasis on tea. Jeff has just penned a book of his 8-month, 6000 km journey through the Himalayas, along Asia's fabled Tea Horse Road. The Ancient Tea Horse Road, a twelve-hundred-year-old route, winds its way through some of the most unforgiving terrain on earth. Documenting his travels in rich and eloquent detail, with stunning photography, Fuchs brings to life a path that has been an escape route, trade highway, and an adventure destination, battling frostbite, snow blindness, and hunger along the way. His vibrant photos and stories have appeared in World Geographic, The Earth, Voyage, New Ideas, Outdoor Exploration, New Traveler, Outpost and the China Post newspaper. Work has taken him to the Arctic, South America, Asia, Europe and ultimately found him a home in the eastern Himalayas.
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FRIday, june 6
7:30 PM
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- AN EVENING WITH JAAP BLONK
Saint Brigid's Centre for the Arts and Humanities
(Saint Patrick at Cumberland)
Presented with the Royal Netherlands Embassy
and the AB Series
Tickets: $15 General / $12 Students and Seniors
Free for Festival Members
With an introductory performance by the Max Middle Sound Project (Max Middle and John Lavery.)
Dutch composer, performer and sound poet Jaap Blonk is unique for his powerful stage presence and almost childlike freedom in improvisation, combined with a keen grasp of structure. He has performed in many European countries, as well as in the U.S. and Canada, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa and Latin America. With the use of live electronics the scope and range of his concerts has acquired a considerable extension.
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Upcoming Festivals
2008 Fall Edition: October 18 to 26
2009 Spring Edition: May 2 to 9
2009 Fall Edition: October 18 to 25
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