Watch out for a war of words next weekend!

The County Library’s Authors Festival hails the coming of spring with some great events.

On Friday the 17th Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne will join Greg Sorbara and Councillor Bill Roberts on stage at St. Mary Magdalene for a discussion of his book, The Crisis of Canadian Democracy.

On the afternoon of Saturday the 18th Marianne Ackerman reads from her latest book, Oyster, which is set in the County. And CBC Radio’s Dr. Brian Goldman will talk with Dr Andrew Janikowski about his book Casino Shift, about life in hospital emergency departments.

But it is the launch of the festival at the County Reads Debate that generally steals the show. On Thursday April 16 five bellicose bookworms will declaim the work they believe to be essential reading this year.

Each contestant has five minutes to champion their book. A round of questions and lightning-fast final statements try to win over the audience, which makes the final choice.

This year’s moderator is Janet Kellough, known for her mystery series featuring mid-nineteenth-century Ontario preacher and detective Thaddeus Lewis, as well as works more local to the County, such as her most recent, Lorraine and Winnie’s Life of Crime. 

Once a County Reads contestant, “before the Flood,” as she puts it (research indicates this was in 2012), this will be her first time running the show. “It’s an interesting group of people,” she notes. “One of them I’ve known for ages, a couple I’ve known for quite a while and two of them are new to me. It’s kind of a nice representation of the diversity of the community.”

The competing books represent an equally diverse range of genres, from autobiography and autofiction to activism and, yes, a novel or two.

Margaret Atwood, as always, looms large. Shelagh Hurley defends Atwood’s memoir, Book of Lives, which, at over 600 pages, contains multitudes: “It’s ‘Atwood Unbound,’ really,” says Ms. Hurley. “She talks about herself. She talks about other people. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, it’s compassionate, it’s bitchy. It’s all sorts of wonderful stuff!”

Another entry also features Atwood. Dorothy Speirs volunteers Fourteen Days. “A pandemic novel, I guess you’d call it, but it’s a collaborative novel as well. Multiple authors are curated by Atwood and Douglas Preston. It’s absolutely fascinating.”

Blending memoir and fiction is Carlyn Moulton’s choice, Starry Starry Night, by Shani Mootoo, a County author. “It occupies a territory between autobiography and fiction,” observes. Ms. Moulton. “She explores complex narratives and themes through the voice of a very young girl in a way that is very interesting.”

Another novel that represents the politics of our current moment is Omar El Akkad’s Giller Prize winning What Strange Paradise. Judy Kent notes the political engagement of a reporter who knows what he’s talking about. “This is the way our world is right now,” says Ms. Kent. “It’s really about refugees, and how all of our cultures are changing to become anti-refugee, anti-immigrant.”

And from the global to the local, Penny Morris will argue for Doug Griffiths’ 13 Ways to Kill Your Community. “It goes along with my part-time volunteer work as a local activist and advocate. It should be required reading for everyone who is actually living in a community. It’s nonfiction, written in a creative, fun way.”

A new feature this year is a live broadcast of the event by 99.3 CountyFM. “A few years ago we helped County Reads pivot during the pandemic by first producing online then broadcasting a virtual edition of the debate,” notes General Manager Craig Mills. “This year we are very excited to broadcast the debate live from St. Mary Magdalene church. 

“It will be live on 99.3 FM and streaming around the world at www.993countyfm.ca.”

Attending in person has its advantages, however. In addition to the cookies, only those who are there can cast a vote! 

Tickets are available at the library, at the door or online.