J.D.M. Stewart Launches The Prime Ministers

Welcome to an exciting joint event: The Prime Ministers Ottawa book launch with J.D.M.Stewart followed by Canada Playbook Trivia! Two great events. Come to one, or come to both!

Both events will be held in person at the Métropolitain Brasserie Restaurant.

Book launch

6:00: Arrival

6:30: Discussion with J.D.M. Stewart about The Prime Ministers, hosted by Nick Taylor-Vaisey

6:45: Book signing. Books will be on sale facilitated by Perfect Books.

7:30: Canada Playbook Trivia

Register on Eventbrite for the book event.

For those interested in Canada Playbook Trivia, go to this Google Form. Patrons are welcome to attend either or both events.

Rebecca Hirsch Garcia launches Other Evolutions

We hope you are as excited as we are for Rebecca Hirsch Garcia’s book launch for Other Evolutions! Please join us for a conservation about this speculative wonder of a book you don’t want to miss! Hosted by Manahil Bandukwala.

With sharp human insight and unflinching prose, Other Evolutions is O. Henry Prize-winning author Rebecca Hirsch Garcia’s dark, speculative debut, perfect for readers of Iain Reid and Emily St. John Mandel.

Alma Alt, the sheltered youngest daughter of an interfaith, interracial Jewish-Mexican couple, rarely ventures far from her home on a wealthy tree-lined street in Ottawa, where nothing ever happens. The one time she did, striking out to visit her older sister, Marnie, in Montreal, things ended in disaster as she found out that beautiful, blonde Marnie had been lying about their family’s background, trying to pass herself off as white. The fallout from that betrayal leads to a devastating accident, one that claims Alma’s arm and someone’s life.

Alma is now stuck in a holding pattern, unable to move past her grief. But Alma's life is turned upside down by an encounter just steps from home with an impossible person: the boy she watched die.

Rebecca Hirsch Garcia lives in Ottawa, ON. An O. Henry Award–winning author, she has been published in The Threepenny Review, PRISM international, The Dark, and elsewhere. Her debut collection, The Girl Who Cried Diamonds & Other Stories (2023), was the runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and shortlisted for an Ottawa Book Award. Other Evolutions is her debut novel.

Lyse Doucet at Ottawa Writers Festival

Ottawa Writers Festivals welcomes Lyse Doucet and her book The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afganistan.

When the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan’s first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world. More than fifty years on, the Inter-Continental is still standing. It has endured Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a grievous civil war, a US invasion and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban. History lives within its scarred windows and walls.
 
Doucet has been checking into the Inter-Continental since 1988. And here, she uses its story to craft a richly immersive history of modern Afghanistan.

With book sales by Perfect Books.

More details and tickets available here: https://writersfestival.org/events/fall-2025/the-finest-hotel-in-kabul-a-peoples-history-of-afghanistan

Book Signing with Irina Moga

Join poet Irina Mona for a book signing for her poetry collection, Quantum, from 1-3 pm!

Quantum is a collection of poems meant to anchor readers in light-heartedness and serenity. One of the themes in the book is the view that poetry can be perceived as a field of creative energy, whose quanta surround us and in which we can immerse ourselves via the mediating power of daydreaming. Poetry is the deconstruction of reality and its recompilation into an alternate paradigm, guided by intuition, aesthetics, and the quantum mechanics of one’s own imagination. In Quantum, the author moves us through layers of sensorial cues and a discourse whose ultimate goal is healing - an everyday catharsis for life’s tough moments, held in balance by the power of words.

Irina Moga is a trilingual poet writing in English, French, and Romanian, and a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada. The author of six poetry collections, she brings a distinctive voice to contemporary literature, one that interlaces linguistic precision with lyrical depth. Her collection Variations sans palais (Éditions L’Harmattan, Paris) received the 2022 Dina Sahyouni International Literary Prize in France. Her poems have appeared widely in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France in publications such as Canadian Literature, carte blanche, New York Quarterly, and California Quarterly. Her work has been nominated for the SFPA Rhysling Award and Best of the Net. Moga’s poetry has been translated into German, Spanish, Korean and Farsi, further extending its reach across linguistic and cultural boundaries.

A Capital Mystery Book Launch

Don't miss the launch of A Capital Mystery, presented by Crime Writers of Canada, an anthology of short stories all set in Ottawa. Featuring readings and a panel with contributors Nancy Pawelek, Art Pittman, and Bernadette Hendricks, moderated by Barbara Fradkin. Audience Q&A to follow.

These mysteries, and seventeen more, can be found in A Capital Mystery, an anthology of short stories that spans the length, breadth and history of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.

Some of our mysteries are set in modern times, some reach all the way back to Bytown, Ottawa’s original settlement. But what each story features — whatever the setting — is a crime that will leave you wondering, or leave you shocked, or maybe, awake at night pondering if you should read one more. A Capital Mystery is a book that celebrates the magic, history and most of all — mystery — that is Ottawa.

Ottawa Writers Festival presents Rick Westhead

Join TSN’s Senior Correspondent Rick Westhead, for a hard-hitting and powerful look at hockey's moment of reckoning in Canada, and the ways in which a game that is so universally loved has been rocked in recent years by court cases involving sexual assault and startling incidents of hazing and abuse throughout junior hockey.
 
In We Breed Lions: Confronting Canada's Troubled Hockey Culture, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Rick Westhead does a deep-dive into the state of hockey in Canada today. He gives voice to those who have been sexually assaulted by hockey players, revealing the struggles they've had with local police officials in their efforts to seek justice. He also goes inside the dressing room to find out how attitudes of misogyny and homophobia continue to flourish, and speaks to former players who were forced to perform degrading acts of initiation in order to “be one of the guys.”

With book sales by Perfect Books.

Tickets and details here: https://writersfestival.org/events/fall-2025/we-breed-lions

David Chernushenko Book Signing

Join David Chernushenko as he signs copies of his latest book Standing with Underdogs: A Family Journey, Personal Quest, and Universal Story, a book not just about discovering his Ukrainian origins but a retracing of his life’s journey across six momentous decades.

David Chernushenko is a writer and speaker living in Ottawa, Canada. He is the author of three environmental management books and the climate breakdown thriller Burning Souls (2019). He has directed and produced several documentary films. He served on Ottawa’s City Council from 2010-18.

Amelie B. Book Signing

Join Amélie B. For a book signing from her poetry collection from 1-3pm!

the things we left unsaid is a honest and authentic collection of poetry written by two best friends, reflecting on some subjects we often struggle to voice. through its pages, you'll explore themes of trauma, healing, growth, love, friendship, and more. this book is our truth, it's all the things we left unsaid.

Amélie B. is a writer from a small town near Ottawa. She is pursuing her post-secondary education at the University of Ottawa. Amélie’s debut “lost poems” was a great success with support from her high school. When she’s not writing, Amélie enjoys reading, movies, music, having coffee dates and of course, food. Her love for writing started at an early age. At first, she didn’t like poetry but in high school, she discovered the author Rupi Kaur and that’s when she fell in love with poetry. Amélie sees her poems as honest truth about topics that we don’t talk about enough in person. She doesn’t shy away from the truth and is open about her own mental health.

Jim Mitchell Book Launch

Join Author Jim Mitchell on Monday Nov. 24th at 7pm for a Book Launch:  

Is the Canadian government contributing to its own underperformance? Join us for the launch of A New Blueprint for Government: Reshaping Power, The PMO, and the Public Service with author James Mitchell as he shares an insider’s guide to steering our nation toward greater efficiency. This event on Monday, November 24th at 7pm will be hosted by Perfect Books (258A Elgin St., Ottawa) and the author will appear in conversation with Allen Sutherland.

The book unpacks systemic failures in Canada’s governance, from stalled growth to scandals like ArriveCan and Phoenix, offering practical solutions to restore accountability and rebuild a culture of excellence. 

This event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

JIM MITCHELL, who was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, has worked as an academic, a senior public servant, and a consultant. He served 17 years in government, first as a diplomat and then as a senior official in the Privy Council Office and the Treasury Board Secretariat. Over the years he has published articles on public policy and public management and has given numerous lectures and speeches to Public Service and university audiences.

ALLEN SUTHERLAND is the president and CEO of the Institute on Governance. From May 2014 to June 2025, he was the assistant secretary, machinery of government and democratic institutions, in the Privy Council Office.  In this capacity, he provided advice to Prime Ministers Harper, Trudeau, and Carney on the structure and organization of government, including the Cabinet decision making process, relations with the King and Governor General, the interpretation and application of the constitutional principles and conventions that underpin responsible government, protecting democracy from mis and disinformation, the effective functioning of democratic institutions, and the roles and responsibilities of ministers. Mr. Sutherland has worked in the Canadian federal public service for over 25 years. 

Ottawa Writers Festival presents Alan Doyle

CBC Radio’s Alan Neal hosts an evening celebrating Newfoundland’s storied past and its ever-vibrant present with musician, actor and writer Alan Doyle.
 
Few Canadian musicians are as synonymous with their home province as Alan Doyle is to his—and even fewer once worked as tour guides. In The Smiling Land: All Around the Circle in My Newfoundland and Labrador, Alan reprises his tour-guiding role to welcome the rest of Canada to his home and take readers on an adventure: a freewheeling road trip through Newfoundland, its history, and its culture. From Fogo Island to the Southwest Coast, Labrador to Ferryland, and everywhere in between, Alan's Newfoundland awaits you.

With book sales by Perfect Books.

More details and tickets available here: https://writersfestival.org/events/fall-2025/the-smiling-land

En conversation : Sheung-King et Benoit Laflamme

Venez entendre la riche conversation entre l’auteur, Sheung-King, et le traducteur, Benoit Laflamme, du roman, Tu manges une orange. Tu es nue.

Le roman, intime et fragmenté, parle de mémoire, de souvenir, de désir. Faisant appel autant à l’actualité qu’aux contes traditionnels chinois, il déboulonne les clichés occidentaux issus de l’orientalisme. L’œuvre, dans sa version originale anglophone, a été finaliste au Prix du Gouverneur général et au Amazon First Novel Award en 2021. Sa traduction, signée Benoit Laflamme, est disponible en librairie.

Prenez part à ce rare dialogue public entre l’auteur et son traducteur qui permet de démystifier le travail de traduction. L’événement se tiendra en anglais, mais le public pourra s’exprimer dans la langue officielle de son choix lors de la séance de questions et réponses.

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Join us for a conversation between the author Sheung-King and the translator Benoit Laflamme as they discuss You are Eating an Orange. You are Naked. 

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Free event, register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/en-conversation-sheung-king-et-benoit-laflamme-tickets-1830673235929

Ottawa Writers Festival presents Terry O'Reilly

Don’t miss Terry O’Reilly, bestselling author and host of CBC Radio’s Under the Influence as he returns to the Festival stage with his latest, Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World.
 
In Terry’s bestseller, My Best Mistake, he uncovers the surprising power of screwing up. Now, he turns his incredible eye to the mavericks who go “against the grain” in their work to see what makes them tick and to explore what lessons we can learn from them.
 
People who chose to ignore conventional wisdom, found or invented a better way, questioned the status quo at great sacrifice and pushed for change against all odds. Some were drummed out of their careers for it but in the end were proven right (Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis). Some were celebrated but had to fight every inch of the way (Norman Lear). Some re-invented their industry but preferred to stay an outsider (Tom Laughlin—aka Billy Jack). Some confounded their competitors with ingenious strategies (NHL coach Roger Neilson). One even saved millions of people around the world, but was humiliated, demoted, and dismissed for her entire career (Dr. Katalin Karikó—co-creator of the COVID vaccine). All persistent visionaries, each covered in battle scars.

With book sales by Perfect Books.

Details and tickets here: https://writersfestival.org/events/fall-2025/against-the-grain

Book Signing with Barbara Sibbald

Stop by for a meet and greet with novelist Barbara Sibbald about her latest novel Almost English!

Stephen Turner was a quarter Indian, but to the late 19th century Raj he was wholly native. The Raj underpaid, underemployed and mocked him for being Eurasian or 12 annas to the rupee. But Stephen and his wife Lily never wavered in their struggle to be part of the British establishment in Northern India. This is the story of their quest and their love. It’s also the author’s story. Barbara Sibbald, the Turner’s great-granddaughter, breaks the fourth wall as the novel unfolds to recount her parallel search for community as she researches her family history.

British maltreatment of Eurasians (called Anglo Indians after 1906) is largely neglected in literature. This 85,000-word literary novel, edited and endorsed by Canadian best-selling author Diane Schoemperlen, cracks open this gap with an historically accurate and personal narrative.

BARBARA SIBBALD is an award-winning fiction author, compulsive organizer, ardent environmentalist and gardener, and relentless reader. Mostly though, she is a writer who will publish her fourth novel, Almost English, in the fall of 2025. It is the story of the racism and hardships her great-grandparents endured in the North-West Frontier of India, 1885-1912. Her other fiction books include The Museum of Possibilities, an award-winning collection of short fiction, and three novels: Regarding Wanda (shortlisted for the Ottawa Book Awards) and The Book of Love: Guidance in Affairs of the Heart and the online serial Kitchen Chronicles. Her work has also appeared in two anthologies and more than a dozen literary journals.

Carter Vance Book Signing

Join Carter Vance as he signs copies of his novel Smaller Animals!

Adam Brinkert was raised a world apart from the lights of Ottawa and the din of politics, in a small city in Northern Ontario. Pursuing justice and a way to make things better for the people he grew up with, he became an assistant to a Member of Parliament, living his youth in the offices and hallways of power. But, as he grows towards his 30s, he begins to doubt what it was all for; were his experiences all merely for self-aggrandizement and not the greater good? Twists of fate and slights of political hand will test Adam’s belief in himself, and what he believes is right, while he navigates the landscape of a country, and a world, that is changing rapidly. All the while, he struggles to define his relationships with the people around him, including his erstwhile friend-cum-political rival Truss and his ex-girlfriend and co-worker Kathleen. Adam’s journey will take him across the county and back to his home, searching for a spark to guide him where he truly belongs.

Raymond Biesinger Book Launch: 9 Times My Work Has Been Ripped Off

We are delighted to wrap up event season with a launch event for Raymond Biesinger’s latest work, published by Drawn and Quarterly: 9 Times My Work Has Been Ripped Off. Don’t miss this veteran illustrator imparting practical advice for the working creative with candid humor! In conversation with Emmanuel Sayer.

New York Times and New Yorker illustrator Raymond Biesinger has over twenty years of experience as a self-employed creative. You might say he’s been through it all: from chasing down a concert promoter for payment on a fifty-dollar Megadeth poster design, to a regular stint at Monocle, to confronting a government agency for stylistic theft. Biesinger’s ingenuity for solving the most unexpected issues extends far beyond his primary task of filling the page.

Sure, everything an aspiring creative needs to know might be at their fingertips. But the question of what to do when their work has been exploited remains. In 9 Times My Work Has Been Ripped Off, Biesinger undertakes the challenge of answering that ever-present question by revisiting some of the most unforgettable—and at times—irrationally absurd moments in his career with a wink and an encouraging nudge. 9 Times… proves time and time again that creative problems will more often than not require creative solutions.

This portable, and elegantly illustrated guide to navigating and maneuvering the least glamorous aspects of the creative industry is a future classic suitable for everybody from the earnest novice to the seasoned professional.

RAYMOND BIESINGER is a Montréal-based illustrator, artist, and author. He has completed more than one thousand assignments for magazines, newspapers, and ad agencies since 2002. Other interests of his include minimalism, maximalism, world and local history, equality, diversity, economics, music, science fiction, historic buildings, pictorial maps, Canadiana, and preserving a 145-year-old home, etc. His 2022 collection of drawings 305 Lost Buildings of Canada was a national non-fiction best-seller and his latest joy is a noteperfect and 2:3 scale recreation of a 1960 Civil Defence booklet titled Your Basement Fallout Shelter.