73. Short Stories from Here

Within their brief pages, short stories have an immense power to transform perspectives, capture essential truths, and introduce us to unforgettable characters. Enjoy a thought-provoking conversation and readings from three local authors of outstanding new collections. Set on an island in BC’s Salish Sea, Bill Gaston’s Tunnel Island follows characters striving to overcome pasts that often include a catastrophic error. The stories in Welcome to the Neighbourhood by Clea Young explore the labyrinthine inner lives of women, with a distinct Pacific Northwest flair. Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross incorporates elements of fable, surrealism, satire, art, and cultural criticism to deliver a wonderfully strange exploration of the creative process in The Longest Way to Eat a Melon. Moderated by Holly Flauto.

What masks do we wear to endure, and to connect? In Clea Young’s collection Welcome to the Neighbourhood, the women in these stories crave connection but often get in their own way of achieving it. Eddy Boudel Tan’s novel The Tiger and the Cosmonaut tells the story of a family whose members have long made themselves small and quiet and obedient—and what happens when the cycle is finally broken. Join moderator Antonio Michael Downing as he explores the theme of characters who camouflage, and those who desperately wish to connect with others—and themselves. This year’s fiction panel will be joined by the 2025 Winner of the Whistler Independent Book Award for fiction. 

Moderated by: Antonio Michael Downing 

Sponsored by: Capilano University