John Irving reads at IFOA 2009. Photographer Tom Bilenkey c readings.org
From John Irving to Margaret Atwood, Authors at Harbourfront Centre (AUTHORS) offers some of the most prominent literary programming in the world. 2009 alone saw Alice Munro, Seth, Hornby, Eoin Colfer, James Ellroy, Tash Aw and many more take the stage at the Toronto waterfront under the AUTHORS umbrella.
In 1974, the federal government bequeathed Harbourfront Centre to Toronto, envisioning a dynamic mixed-use space with parks, condominiums, and an arts centre. AUTHORS was part of the original programming, debuting its open stage reading series in June of that year. Today, AUTHORS is a literary monster. Over 800 authors from around the world take their stage yearly through any one of their programs: the weekly reading series, the annual International Festival of Authors (IFOA), and ALOUD: A Celebration for Young Readers with the Forest of Reading Festival of Trees.
With over 200,000 English language books published each year, AUTHORS director Geoffrey Taylor admits deciding which authors they want on stage each year isn’t easy. “First, we ask ourselves, is the book new?” he says. “Second, do they fit into our programming and are of interest to us? Third, how can we get them here?” If the book or author makes the cut, arrangements still need to be made to get them here, fit them into the programming, and ensure that both author and audience have a great time.
Whatever magic they’ve got going on to figure out the whos, whats, whens, wheres and hows of it all, it seems to work. AUTHORS consistently offers up on-trend, original, and unique programming. From Junior Authors Camp this past March to celebrating of This Ain’t the Rosedale Library’s 30th birthday in September to Jonathan Lethem being interview by the Walrus’s Jared Bland in November, there’s always something for everyone.
AUTHORS likes to mix it up and bring in authors who are rock stars across the pond but virtually unknown in Canada. Memorably, AUTHORS brought in Scandinavian crime writer Henning Mankell in 2007, reading for the first time ever on Canadian soil. “We aim to have an integration of local, national, and international, and of the lesser known with the better known,” Taylor explains. “That way we can introduce the audience to different authors.” The format highlights lesser known writers while still celebrating the big names that drew the crowds. At the 2009 IFOA, renowned authors Michael Turner and Giles Foden read alongside Ron Butlin, the poet laureate of Edinburgh and Eric Laurrent, a French author presenting his English-language debut. Laughter, tears, heartbreak— this evening had it all.
Programming is often planned around what’s already happening in Toronto. In May, AUTHORS will offer an architecture and design-themed evening to compliment Doors Open Toronto. A poetry reading night for late March or early April to celebrate National Poetry Month is in the works. Any poet with work in print is invited to step up to the open stage and show Toronto what they’ve got. It’s as much about the performance as it is about the quality of the written word. “How do they interpret their written word for the stage?” artistic associate Jen Tindall asks. “The experience as a whole is especially important for these kinds of readings.”
IFOA was one of the first mainstream international festivals to showcase graphic novels, doing so almost five years ago. Other festivals quickly followed suit, and it’s tough today to find a general festival excluding this genre. AUTHORS now offers comics programming regularly, and opened the Toronto Comics Arts Festival last year with a rousing reading and discussion between Seth, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, and Adrian Tomine. AUTHORS chalk up their ability to pick up on trends early to their adaptability and their ears-to-the-ground staff. They know what’s going on in the literary community and want to bring it to their stage. “It’s about being aware of what’s going on and what’s out there,” Taylor said.
As for the future of AUTHORS, Taylor is confident the series, the festival, and all their related programming will thrive. AUTHORS is an ongoing project, responding to readers, authors, and the overall literary scene. “We’re constantly changing. What were two years ago is not what we’re going to be next year,” Taylor says. “We’re in a world where the titles we present and the styles change and we’re part of that change.”
AUTHORS returns to its weekly Wednesday night slot on February 10, when Elizabeth Kostova, Rabindranath Maharaj, and Beth Powning read from their recent novels. Tickets are $8.00. You can see AUTHORS’ complete programming on its website.
