The ReWrite

Welcome to the second season of The ReWrite podcast from the Toronto International Festival of Authors. As the world continues to shift and adapt from the effects of COVID-19, we are back to revisit our thoughts about the pandemic and see how the expectations of authors, literary award organizers, booksellers and publishing professionals at the beginning of the pandemic, played out during the course of a very uncertain year. Tune in to hear a wide range of conversations exploring the power of community, taking risks and finding new ways of celebrating books.

2.6 Kids, Educators & the Power of the Arts 09/09/2021

2.6 Kids, Educators & the Power of the Arts What started out as a few weeks of schools being shut down in March 2020 suddenly turned into a long-term situation of juggling at-home schooling and trying to keep kids engaged. In this episode, we reached out to three individuals to hear about their experiences supporting kids and teachers, and the impact the arts had on creating connection for students during a confusing and isolating time. Tune in to hear from Tessa Eisenberg from First Book Canada, Tim Walker from Harbourfront Centre and William Wallace, a high school English teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Stephanie Fraser. Visit festivalofauthors.ca/TheReWrite to learn more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/20412233

2.5 Book Publishers & the Changing Industry 08/26/2021

2.5 Book Publishers & the Changing Industry Through the editing stage to organizing author appearances at festivals, readings and more, there are many people behind the scenes at publishing houses who work together to get books into a readers' hands. In this episode, hear from two publishing professionals, Cory Beatty at HarperCollins Canada and Jillian Levick at Simon and Schuster Canada, about their experiences in the last year and a half. From an online bookstore finder to virtual book launches, their teams have found exciting new ways to connect authors and readers. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Stephanie Fraser. Visit festivalofauthors.ca/TheReWrite to learn more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/20275349

2.4 Book Events & the Digital Landscape 08/19/2021

2.4 Book Events & the Digital Landscape In 2020, many organizations were faced with the impossible situation of determining how to proceed with their book events when Toronto was shut down to keep people at home. After months of planning, some were forced to cancel or postpone indefinitely, but many organizations took on the challenge to find new ways to reach audiences through online events. In this episode, we spoke with Gregory McCormick, the Manager of Cultural and Literary Programming at the Toronto Public Library; Tara Mora, an Executive Producer at CBC Books; Amanda Halfpenny, an Events and Program Coordinator at Canadian Children's Book Centre; and Daphna Rabinovitch, the Submissions and Marketing Manager of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, to learn more about their experiences last year. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Stephanie Fraser. Visit festivalofauthors.ca/TheReWrite to learn more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/20160371

2.3 Bookselling in a Digital World 08/05/2021

2.3 Bookselling in a Digital World The book industry has gone through many transformations within the past decade, but 2020 took those changes to a whole new level for booksellers. Readers were thrilled when their favourite independent bookstores extended beyond their local neighbourhood boundaries with the creation of online bookshops. And with ebooks and audiobooks available 24/7 at their fingertips, it was a book lover's world. In this episode, we spoke with Alex Snider, co-owner of Queen Books; Hannah White, Marketing Manager at the University of Toronto Bookstore; and Kobo's President & CEO Michael Tamblyn to learn more about their experiences last year. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Stephanie Fraser. Visit festivalofauthors.ca/TheReWrite to learn more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/20045612

2.2 Writers & Writing in the Pandemic 07/29/2021

2.2 Writers & Writing in the Pandemic From cancelled contracts to publishing a book during a lockdown, the pandemic has been challenging in different ways for writers. In this episode, we spoke with Canadian writers Omar Mouallem and Bridget Canning about their experiences during a year of isolation, virtual events and finding new ways to connect through writing. Tune in to hear how Omar became the Fake Dean of the Pandemic University School of Writing in 13 days and what it was like for Bridget to attend an in-person event in October 2020. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Stephanie Fraser. Visit festivalofauthors.ca/TheReWrite to learn more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/19969160

2.1 Toronto International Festival of Authors in 2020 07/22/2021

2.1 Toronto International Festival of Authors in 2020 Hear from staff at the Toronto International Festival of Authors about their experiences in 2020 and the process of planning a digital programme with over 200 events. In the first episode of the new season, our host Stephanie Fraser sat down with Roland Gulliver and Jamaal Azeez to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Festival and their favourite moments from the 41st edition. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/19874210

1.8 The Future of TIFA with Director Roland Gulliver 08/26/2020

1.8 The Future of TIFA with Director Roland Gulliver Director of the Toronto International Festival of Authors, Roland Gulliver, talks about how the organization has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, what his goals are for the upcoming 41st edition of the festival this fall, and more. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Ardo Omer. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15735857

1.7 Digital Events with The FOLD’s Jael Richardson and Amanda Leduc 08/19/2020

1.7 Digital Events with The FOLD’s Jael Richardson and Amanda Leduc The Festival of Literary Diversity (The FOLD)’s Founder and Artistic Director, Jael Richardson, and Communications and Development Coordinator, Amanda Leduc, discuss the experience of turning their physical festival into a digital one, what they learned about themselves during the process, and much more. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Ardo Omer. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15644711

1.6 The Community Bookstore with Alex Snider of Queen Books 08/12/2020

1.6 The Community Bookstore with Alex Snider of Queen Books Alex Snider of Toronto’s Queen Books talks about the experience of opening an online book shop, being able to reach beyond the shop’s local Leslieville neighbourhood, and more. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Ardo Omer. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15551150

1.5 Picture Books Unite! with Andrew Katz and Charlene Chua 08/05/2020

1.5 Picture Books Unite! with Andrew Katz and Charlene Chua Picture book creators Andrew Katz and Charlene Chua discuss their newly formed collective, Picture Books, Eh!, the response it’s garnered, and much more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15398777

1.4 Moving Pictures with Kevin Sylvester 07/29/2020

1.4 Moving Pictures with Kevin Sylvester Children’s author and illustrator Kevin Sylvester talks about the origins of his moving picture book, Oak and Maple, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected him as a creative, and more. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Ardo Omer. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15205181

1.3 (Book) Cover Girls with Terese Mason Pierre and Jenny Heijun Wills 07/22/2020

1.3 (Book) Cover Girls with Terese Mason Pierre and Jenny Heijun Wills Authors Terese Mason Pierre and Jenny Heijun Wills talk about their make-up looks inspired by book covers, the content they’ve been consuming to help get through the pandemic, and more. Produced by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and hosted by Ardo Omer. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15205124

1.2 Literary Stats with BookNet's Noah Genner 07/15/2020

1.2 Literary Stats with BookNet's Noah Genner BookNet’s CEO, Noah Genner, discusses recent changes to book sales, reader habits and more, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15116834

1.1 Daily Readings with Kenneth Oppel 07/08/2020

1.1 Daily Readings with Kenneth Oppel Bestselling and award-winning children’s author Kenneth Oppel talks about the daily readings he uploaded onto YouTube this past March, his latest book, Bloom, and more. /episode/index/show/therewrite/id/15026333

The ReWrite

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