Frances Itani is the author of 16 books and the recipient of several awards, and she will be the featured guest during the Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series on Oct. 20 from 7 to 10pm at 206 Accolade West Building, Keele campus.
Itani will bring along her most recent novel, TELL, which continues the story of four characters from her earlier novel Deafening, and is set in 1919 in small-town Ontario. The novel looks at the effects of the First World War on the lives of those who served in it.
Her writing has received much acclaim, and Itani is the recipient of several awards for her work in novels, short stories, essays, reviews, poetry and children’s literature. Her recognitions include making the shortlist for the 2014 Giller Prize for TELL and winning Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best Book in 2004 for Deafening, which has also been optioned for a film. Among other distinctions, Itani is a three-time recipient of the CBC Literary Award for short stories and a member of the Order of Canada.
Born in Belleville, Ont., Itani moved with her family to a village in Quebec when she was four years old. In her adult years, she became a nurse and taught nursing, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in English literature. She currently resides in Ottawa.
The Canadian Writers in Person Lecture Series, presented by the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS), is bringing 11 Canadian writers to campus this year for an up-close and personal event.
More events in the series include:
- Nov. 3 – Greg Hollingshead, Act Normal
- Nov. 17 – Sean Michaels, Us Conductors
- Dec. 1 – Lee Maracle, Celia’s Song
- Jan. 12 – Heather O’Neill, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night
- Jan. 26 – Gregory Scofield, Louis: The Heretic Poems
- Feb. 9 – Colin McAdam, A Beautiful Truth
- March 1 – Sue Goyette, Ocean
- March 15 – Aisha Sasha John, Thou
For more information, email gailv@yorku.ca or leslie@yorku.ca.