The act of writing is not a stream of words; it is a path to power— the power to stimulate, to provoke and change. Through more than 50 books, Margaret Atwood has proved the power of words to spark global conversations about dystopian futures, women's rights, environments at risk. Just one of her novels, The Handmaid's Tale, remains emblematic of resistance against authoritarianism forty years after publication.
Famous for her acute, sometimes acerbic, observations, Margaret Atwood takes the Isabel stage for a profound, witty, and far-seeking conversation with award-winning novelist and poet Ian Williams, author of the 2024 Massey Lectures, What I Mean to Say: Remaking Conversation in our Time. Based on talks delivered across Canada last fall, Ian explores what makes a good conversation; how to connect with those you oppose; and when to use silence as a conversational gambit.
Kingston WritersFest 2025 takes its theme from Margaret Atwood herself: A Word After a Word After a Word is Power. What forged Canada's most notorious and beloved writer? She claims she isn't a seer, but her books are eerily prescient: what lies ahead for her, for us?
Join us for this Kingston WritersFest fundraiser that celebrates the author who launched the first WritersFest in 2009 and who, sixteen years later, is sparking its revival.
This event is sponsored by Professional Investments (Kingston) Inc.