No Arms in the Arts Book Club
No Arms in the Arts Book Club is a free, hybrid event series featuring the writers who have withdrawn from the Giller Prize — which is funded by Scotiabank, Indigo, and the Azrieli Foundation — as an act of solidarity with Palestine. Taking place within a growing movement of writers who refuse to let their work be used to artwash genocide, this conversation will ground readers in the aesthetic considerations, ethical commitments, and material consequences of a literature that is rooted in liberation.
Upcoming Events
No Arms in the Arts: Treaty Principles and Palestine
Join Chelsea Vowel and Jessica Johns for a discussion on the sacred promises of Treaty relationships, natural laws, and their connection to Palestinian solidarity. Delve into the principles of miyo-wîcêhtowin (good relations), wîtaskêwin (peaceful living together), and tâpwêwin (truth-telling), and explore how these teachings require us as writers and beings on this land to hold institutions accountable and speak out in the face of injustice. This is part of a series of Boycott Giller and No Arms in the Arts programming. Register here.
Past Events
Thea Lim with Farzana Doctor, Spencer Gordon, and more
For our final edition before the Giller gala—and our first in-person event—2018 Giller shortlisted author Thea Lim (An Ocean of Minutes) spoke with Farzana Doctor (The Beauty of Us), Spencer Gordon (A Horse at the Window), Daniel Sarah Karasik (Disobedience), Greg Rhyno (Who By Fire), and Sydney Hegele (Bird Suit) about their new releases and their commitment to withdrawing from the Giller Prize in solidarity with Palestine.
Omar El Akkad with Catherine Hernanez, Christina Cooke and more
For our third edition— on the evening before the shortlist was announced—2021 Giller winner Omar El Akkad (What Strange Paradise) spoke with Catherine Hernandez (Behind You), Christina Cooke (Broughtupsy), John Elizabeth Stinzi (Bad Houses ), and many more writers who withdrew their books from the Giller Prize in solidarity with Palestine. View a recording of the event here.
David Bergen and Kasia Van Schaik with Andre Forget
Writer and literary critic André Forget (In the City of Pigs, 2022 Giller longlist) hosted a reading and conversation with 2005 Giller-winner David Bergen and Kasia Van Schaik, whose novels Away from the Dead and We Have Never Lived On Earth (respectively) were longlisted for the 2023 Giller Prize. View a recording of the event here.
Sarah Bernstein and Erum Shazia Hasan with Jody Chan
For the inaugural edition, poet and CanLit Responds organizer Jody Chan spoke with 2023 Giller winner Sarah Bernstein (Study for Disobedience) and 2023 longlisted author Erum Shazia Hasan (We Meant Well). View a recording of the event here.