Afterwords boasts impressive virtual lineup

For its second straight year, the Afterwords Literary Festival is virtual.

However, the move has allowed them to put on an event with international appeal and a stellar lineup of speakers.

“I'm feeling so good about this year. It's our third festival, and our second presenting things virtually,” said co-founder Stephanie Domet.

“We decided to do it this way in August, and I think we made the right decision. We have a fantastic lineup of writers, and I'm so excited to hear some of these conversations.”

The festival is meant to present and bring in audiences for conversations that allow writers to discuss the craft, their ideas and perceptions about writing, and what made them into the authors they are.

“As a reader and a fan of books, this is so exciting. I'm so excited about this kind of work and programming. We start out with a huge list of writers we want, and try to get them,” said Domet.

“It's so funny how there are always reversals of fortune. The push-and-pull is exciting, and when things shake out I'm astonished at the writers who took a chance on this festival.”

Some of those included this year are Avni Doshi, Lawrence Hill, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Mark Critch and more.

“I'm really excited by these pairings. I think these will all be amazing, and there is going to be so much to hear and there are a ton of local writers also,” she said.

“This lineup is crammed to the rafters, and once we got started filling this event up, we didn't stop. I probably won't be sleeping during, as I'll be bathing in glory of these incredible writers bringing their time and talent to these events.”

They are three years into Afterwords, though they only ever got to do one festival in person.

“It's hard to measure our growth. In our second year we got to present Roxane Gay, and we never could have brought her here in year two. To be able to do that was incredible. This year we have Avni Doshi, who is based in the Middle East. That's not something we could pull off in person,” said Domet.

“We don't have the resources and infrastructure for that yet, but this virtual platform gave us a way. We have grown in many different ways, and my co-conspirator and co-founder Ryan Turner and I have a better handle on just how to put this on, too.”

One of the authors involved is Megan Gail Coles. The Newfoundland and Labrador writer is a playwright, and her debut novel, Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club was shortlisted for the 2019 Giller Prize.

“In the literary arts, you form a relationship with the reader that is so specific. Each experience with the artform is so personal,” said Coles. “ No one reads the same piece the exact way. So for festivals like this, I love answering questions. It can be enlightening and insightful.”

She said the special thing about reading is that it can provide access to knowledge.

“You can read privately and really discover or encounter many different kinds of experiences in a safe way,” she said.

“You can try different books and stories, and you can engage with narrators who might be outside your own sphere. That's so important.”

Coles is used to virtual festivals at this point, but looks forward to a return to in-person.

“It's a bit odd this way. I do enjoy being in a room. It's special to the human experience to be present for these things. It's nice to have a collective social event,” she said.

“You can feel empowered and unified by coming together for these things. That's missing a little bit right now, and I look forward to audiences and authors interacting in person again.”

Coles will be bringing her poetry collection Satched to share during the festival, a debut in that art-form for her.

“This will be my first time speaking to poetry. Most readers in arts and culture are familiar with me for prose or as a playwright. This is so new, and was only published September 7,” she said.

“It will be an excited exercise to discuss this with other poets. I'm nervous but looking forward to it. Seeing reactions and having conversations is an amazing part of it.”

The Afterwords Literary Festival runs from September 28 to October 3, and is virtual. For more information, please visit afterwordsliteraryfestival.com.