The final evening of the Ottawa International Writers Festival (OIWF) begun as the house lights went down at the National Gallery of Canada on Oct. 30 and Johanna Schneller took the stage as host.
The 22nd year of the fall edition of the festival began on Oct. 25, and ran until Oct. 30th, ending with a panel of the authors nominated for this year’s Scotiabank Giller Prize.
The 2018 shortlisted authors include past finalist Patrick DeWitt for French Exit, and Eric Dupont for Songs of the Cold of Heart, translated from French by Peter McCambridge. Also competing are Esi Edugyan, who won the prize in 2011and is shortlisted this year for Washington Black, Sheila Heti for Motherhood, and Thea Lim for her novel An Ocean of Minutes.
Heti said the trickiest part of producing a book was sending the product to her publisher, because as soon as the manuscript is sent, “all of a sudden you know what’s wrong with it.”
Heti spoke on the the drive behind writing stories.
“People write because there is an emptiness inside them,” she said.
As DeWitt could not come to the event, Michael Redhill, winner of the 2017 Giller Prize came to fill his space.
“I couldn’t be more delighted for these five authors. Their books reflect the breadth and width of human experience, creativity and consciousness,” said Elana Rabinovitch, executive director of the Giller Prize, in a press release.
“The writers tour hasn’t always been something that has existed,” Srishti Kesar, a Carleton University student, said. ”It’s great to be able to hear readings from the shortlisted authors in person.”
Between the Pages began in 2013 as a chance to get inside the minds and creative lives of the writers who have made it onto the shortlist, one of who will walk away with the $100,000 prize on Nov. 19.
Lim finished the evening by talking about the importance of writing.
“Writing makes you conscious of your life,” she said.
“Writers get what actors fantasize about which is the real opportunity to live in another mind for awhile,” Redhill added.
“Between The Pages” continues its tour, with its next stop in Toronto on Nov. 5.
The winner of the 2018 Giller Prize will be announced on Nov. 19.
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