Writers Off the Page: From the TIFA Archives
A monthly podcast produced and curated by Toronto Public Library in celebration of the Toronto International Festival of Authors. Each episode draws from the TIFA archives and features recorded on-stage interviews, readings, and panel discussions with notable writers and thinkers. The series is hosted by novelist Randy Boyagoda. It offers listeners access to conversations and performances from some of the 20th century's best-known literary figures.
Episodes
Martha Gellhorn: The Face of War
In this electrifying episode of Writers Off the Page: From the TIFA Archives, travel back to October 1992 to hear Martha Gellhorn — novelist, journalist, and witness to nearly every major conflict of the twentieth century — read from the newly revised conclusion to her landmark book The Face of War, first published in 1959 and updated across five editions as Gellhorn found herself, again and again
Linda Gray Sexton: Anne Sexton's 45 Mercy Street
Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide. Listener discretion is advised. Please take care of yourself and seek support if needed.In this moving episode of Writers Off the Page: From the TIFA Archives, travel back to October 1994 to hear Linda Gray Sexton speak candidly about the complex legacy of being Anne Sexton's daughter. Her intimate presentation at Harbourfront, allows t
Seamus Heaney: Death of a Naturalist
In this captivating episode of Writers Off the Page: From the TIFA Archives, step back in time to 1990 Toronto and immerse yourself in the lyrical world of Nobel Prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney. The recording captures Heaney in an intimate reading at the Harbourfront Reading Series, where his distinctive Irish voice brings to life some of his most beloved poems, including "Digging," "Follower," a
Carlos Fuentes: From Illusion to Reality
This conversation between Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes and Bob Rae, recorded in 2000, offers a time capsule of North American relations at a pivotal moment. The interview captures Fuentes just after Mexico's historic election that ended the PRI party's 71-year rule—a seismic political shift that he explains with characteristic depth and nuance. While Fuentes delves into Mexican politics with a de
Ursula Le Guin: Don't Push the River
In October of 2000, Ursula K. Le Guin sat down with CBC's Marilyn Powell to discuss her novel, The Telling. Listening to their conversation now feels like opening a time capsule – one that paradoxically contains prescient observations about how we both preserve and erase our past. Le Guin speaks of editing with razor blades, of physically cutting away words from paper – a practice that feels almos
Saul Bellow: Wires not Roots
EPISODE SUMMARYListening to this 1988 conversation between Nobel-prize winning American writer, Saul Bellow, and former Canadian Governor General, Adrienne Clarkson, we possess the advantage of hindsight. In the midst of a US presidential election, Bellow bemoans the vapid discourse between candidates George H.W. Bush and Michael Dukakis—their language constrained by groupthink and moral rigidity
Jamaica Kincaid: Brothers, Mothers and Antigua
The best kinds of conversations should meander and detour, trip over delicate areas, double down when a point must be emphatically asserted. After all, the ostensible subject of this 1997 on-stage chat between Dionne Brand and Jamaica Kincaid is the release of Kincaid's memoir, My Brother. But this book gets only a brief nod early on and the subject is largely abandoned for other thoughts and digr
Mario Vargas Llosa: Literature Can Help People Live
In 1988, when Mario Vargas Llosa sat down on a Toronto stage with Adrienne Clarkson, he hadn't yet won his Nobel Prize for Literature (that came in 2010) so he wasn't yet a "central" figure in the world of writing. In this conversation, he teases out the hazy line between being an artist (who inhabits the world of the imagination), and being a professional politician (who inhabits the world of pra
Hilary Mantel: Experiments in Love
This audio recording of Hilary Mantel in conversation with Rosemary Sullivan was recorded on stage at Harbourfront Reading Series in 1997. It is used with the kind permission of the Toronto International Festival of Authors. Thanks to TIFA for allowing us access to their archives for this series. Find out more about the Festival and its annual festival along with many other activities at FestivalO
Umberto Eco: The Name of the Rose
Works by Umberto EcoThe Name of the RoseFoucault’s PendulumThe Prague CemeteryOn the Shoulders of Giants Other Related Books or MaterialsSigns and Secrets: the Worlds of Umberto Eco (2013 documentary)Always Narrating: The Making and Unmaking of Umberto Eco (link opens a 2020 Los Angeles Review of Book article)The Man Who Loved Books: Interview with Umberto Eco (link opens a 2020 Counterpunch artic
Austin Clarke: Sometimes, A Motherless Child
Works by Austin ClarkeIn This CityThey Never Told Me and Other StoriesThe Polished Hoe Other Related Books or MaterialsOdetta’s 1960 recording of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” (link opens a Youtube video)Austin Clarke’s Harlem (link opens part of a CBC audio documentary produced by Austin Clarke in 1963 about the Civil Rights Movement)Why Literary Critics Failed to Define and Understa
Doris Lessing: Homage to the New Man
Works by Doris LessingThe Golden NotebookStories by Doris LessingThe Grandmothers: Four Short NovelsThe Grass is Singing (ebook) Other Related Books or MaterialsDoris Lessing: A Biography by Carole KleinDoris Lessing: First Visit to Toronto (link opens a 1984 photo by Reg Innell, courtesy of Toronto Star Archives at Toronto Public Library)Doris Lessing, Author Who Swept Aside Convention (link open
Eduardo Galeano: Memory of Fire
Works by Eduardo GaleanoMemory of Fire Volume One: GenesisMemory of Fire Volume Two: Faces and MasksMemory of Fire Volume Three: Century of the WindChildren of the Days: A Calendar of Human History Soccer in Sun and ShadowLas venas abiertas de américa latina (ebook) Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Pan American: The World of Eduardo Galeano (link opens an August 2018 article from The Nation)Wom
Angela Carter: Nights at the Circus
Works by Angela CarterNights at the CircusThe Bloody Chamber, Wise Children, FireworksWriters Talk: Angela Carter with Lisa Appignanesi (evideo)The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman (ebook) Other Related Books or MaterialsAngela Carter: A Literary Life by Sarah GambleNights at the Circus is Feminist... (link opens an article from The Guardian from Feb 2017)Taking Flight with Angela Carter
Luisa Valenzuela: Love of Animals
Works by Luisa ValenzuelaThe Lizard’s Tail (print book)The Wanderer by Luisa Valenzuela, translated by Marguerite Feitlowitz (link opens a short story from The Brooklyn Rail's InTranslation)He Who Searches Latin American Literature Series (link opens Dalkey Archive Press site with two translated works - print on demand)Collections/Anthologies Containing Stories from Luisa ValenzuelaSudden Fiction
Richard Wagamese: A Quality of Light
Works by Richard WagameseA Quality of Light (ebook)One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet (all formats)One Drum: Stories and Ceremonies for a Planet (audiobook)Starlight (ebook)Indian Horse Other Related Books or MaterialsHonouring Richard Wagamese (link opens a 2017 article from Indian Horse)Richard Wagamese’s final novel ‘a captivating and ultimately uplifting read.’ (link opens a 2018 ar
John Irving: A Prayer for Owen Meany
Works by John IrvingA Prayer for Owen MeanyThe World According to Garp (book in various formats)The World According to Gary (1982 film starring Robin Williams, Glenn Close and John Lithgow)Avenue of MysteriesThe Cider House RulesLast Night in Twisted RiverOther Related Books or Materials13 Facts about A Prayer for Owen Meany (link opens an article from Mental Floss from Apr 2015)John Irving in 199
Bruce Chatwin: The Songlines
Note: given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. Read: Why are wait times on ebooks or audiobooks sometimes so long? Works by Bruce ChatwinThe SonglinesIn PatagoniaAnatomy of Restl
Lee Maracle: The Raven
Note: given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. Read: Why are wait times on ebooks or audiobooks sometimes so long?__Books by Lee MaracleMemory Serves (ebook)My Conversations with
Austin Clarke: Doing Right
Note: given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. Read: Why are wait times on ebooks or audiobooks sometimes so long?__Works by Austin ClarkeNine Men Who Laughed‘Membering (ebook)Th
Gloria Naylor: Mama Day
Note: Given the current temporary closure of TPL due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made our best efforts to offer suggestions below for materials which are part our online collections (indicated) and available at home to anyone with a current Toronto Library card. __ Works by Gloria NaylorThe Women of Brewster Place (ebook)The Novels of Gloria Naylor: Mama Day, Linden Hills, Bailey’s Café (ebo
Nikki Giovanni: Road Tripping
Works by Nikki GiovanniThe Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1969 - 1998The Sun Is So Quiet: PoemsRosa (a short video)Rosa (a kids biography)I Am Loved Other Related Books or MaterialsNikki Giovanni: In her Revolutionary Dream (link opens Los Angeles Review of Book article) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael
Grace Paley Saves the World
Works by Grace PaleyLater the Same DayJust As I ThoughtA Grace Paley ReaderThe Little Disturbances of Man Other Related Books or MaterialsGrace Paley, the Saint of Seeing by George Saunders (link opens a New Yorker article)Grace Paley’s Crowded World (link opens article in The Nation)The Value of Not Understanding Everything: Grace Paley’s Advice to Aspiring Writers (link opens Brain Pickings arti
Nikki Giovanni: Soothing the Longings
Works by Nikki GiovanniA Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and LaughterThe Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni, 1969-1998Lincoln and Douglass: an American FriendshipBicycles: Love PoemsRosaVacation Time: Poems for ChildrenNikki Giovanni: “Martin Had Faith in People” (link opens article from The Atlantic) About Nikki GiovanniNikki Giovanni: a Literary BiographyPoet Nikki Giovanni on the Darker Side
A Life of Activism: Larry Kramer in Conversation with June Callwood
Works by Larry KramerThe American People: Volume 1: The Search for My HeartThe American People: Volume 2: The Brutality of Fact: a NovelThe Normal HeartThe Destiny of Me: a Play in Three ActsLarry Kramer: What Pride Means to Me (link opens Salon.com article from June, 2019) About Larry KramerWe Must Love One Another or Die: the Life and Legacies of Larry KramerLarry Kramer: In Love & Anger (2015 d
Gwendolyn Brooks: The World Might Continue
Works by Gwendolyn BrooksThe Essential Gwendolyn BrooksSelected PoemsGwendolyn Brooks (Poetry Foundation article) Other Related Books or MaterialsGwendolyn BrooksConversations with Gwendolyn BrooksA Song for Gwendolyn BrooksThe Importance of Being Ordinary (New Republic article from July 2017)Jane Addams: Spirit in ActionOn Gwendolyn Brooks’ Birthday, a Statue of the Powerful Poet (Chicago Tribune
“Traveling” with Grace Paley
Works by Grace PaleyThe Collected StoriesA Grace Paley ReaderJust As I ThoughtFidelity: Poems Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Art and Activism of Grace Paley (link opens a New Yorker article from 2017)Margalit Fox’s 2007 obituary of Grace Paley (link opens New York Times article)Grace Paley: the Art of Fiction (link opens a Paris Review interview from 1992) About the HostNovelist Randy Boyagod
Gwendolyn Brooks: Poems That (Don't) Cough Lightly
Works by Gwendolyn BrooksThe Essential Gwendolyn BrooksSelected PoemsA Street in BronzevilleBronzeville Boys and Girls (children’s picture book by Brooks) Other Related Books or MaterialsA Surprised Queenhood in the Black Sun: the Life & Legacy of Gwendolyn BrooksConversations with Gwendolyn BrooksGwendolyn Books (Poetry Foundation article and poetry)Remembering the Great Poet, Gwendolyn Brooks, a
Jim Harrison: “Don’t Make Me Dirty, Darling”
Works by Jim HarrisonThe Road HomeLegends of the FallThe Essential PoemsThe River Swimmer: novellas Other Related Books or Materials“Alfresco” a poem by Merrill Gilfillan (Poetry Foundation)Grizzly Years by Doug PeacockCloudbursts: Collected and New Stories by Thomas McGuaneGallatin Canyon: Stories by Thomas McGuaneDriving on the Rim: a Novel by Thomas McGuaneThomas McGuane remembers his friend, J
Jim Harrison: “You’ve Made Quite a Living From Your Fibs”
Works by Jim HarrisonThe Road HomeLegends of the FallDalvaTrue North Works about Jim HarrisonOff to the Side: a MemoirJim Harrison, the Art of Fiction, No. 104 (Paris Review article, summer 1988)Jim Harrison, the Mozart of the Prairies (New Yorker article, March 2016) Other Related Books or MaterialsThe Raw and the Cooked: Cooking Your Life by Jim Harrison (Esquire article, June 1991)Wallace Steve
Susan Sontag: "Make Something Better"
Works by Susan SontagFrom AmericaThe Volcano LoverTuesday, and After: New Yorker Writers Respond to 9/11 (New Yorker article from Sep 2001)Regarding the Pain of OthersDebriefing: Collected Stories Works about Susan SontagSontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin MoserRobert Fulford: A Sojourn With Susan Sontag (National Post article from 2012)Susan Sontag: The Complete Rolling Stone InterviewSusan Son
Susan Sontag: “The Arts Give Humans Dignity”
Writers Off the Page is a biweekly podcast series produced by Toronto Public Library that presents the best of 40 years from the archives of the Toronto International Festival of Authors (formerly known as IFOA: International Festival of Authors). Between 10-20 minutes long, episodes feature interviews, readings and discussions with some of the 20th century's best-known writers. Works by Susan Son
Susan Sontag: “The Little Illness Book”
Books by Susan SontagThe BenefactorIllness as Metaphor/AIDS and Its MetaphorsFrom America Books about Susan SontagSontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin Moser Other Books or Materials MentionedGreat Expectations by Charles DickensFilm: David Lean’s 1946 version of Great Expectations (Criterion Collection)The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov About the Host:Novelist Randy Boyagoda is a profes
Susan Sontag: “This God-Damned Celebrity Culture”
Books by Susan Sontag:Illness as Metaphor/AIDS and Its MetaphorsIn America: A NovelFascinating Fascism: Susan Sontag on Leni Riefenstahl (The New York Review of Books)Notes on "Camp"Books about Susan Sontag:Sontag: Her Life and Work by Benjamin MoserAbout the Host:Novelist Randy Boyagoda is a professor of English at the University of Toronto and principal of St. Michael’s College, where he holds t
