Toronto International Festival of Authors

International Festival of Authors
Founded	1974
Type	Literary Arts
Location	235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Canada;
Key people	Director, Geoffrey E. Taylor; Board of Directors: ; A. Charles Baillie, President; Avie Bennett, President Emeritus; Harriet Lewis, Vice President & Secretary; Jeffrey Smyth, Treasurer; William Boyle; Rupert Duchesne; Karin Eaton; Beth Nowers
Website	ifoa.org

International Festival of Authors (IFOA), located on Toronto, Ontario's waterfront, plays an important role in the cultural life of Canada by presenting the finest international novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers and biographers in a wide range of literary arts events, while simultaneously providing Canadian writers with an internationally recognized forum in which to present their work.

History

Since its inception in 1974, the mission of IFOA programming is to promote interest and enthusiasm in writing and reading on both a local and international level; to showcase the excellence and variety of Canadian literature; to introduce young readers to the wonders, pleasures and possibilities of reading and writing; to provide Canadian and international authors with an opportunity to meet and to exchange ideas; and to offer programs and events for a wide range of communities and age groups that increase the awareness of all forms of literature.

Incorporated in 1986 as a non-profit organization with a mandate to ‘cultivate and advance the cause of literature,’ the organization operates year round, under the principal sponsorship of Harbourfront Centre, Toronto’s leading multidisciplinary centre for contemporary arts. IFOA is home to a weekly literary event series (September to June), the annual International Festival of Authors (IFOA) (October), and, for younger readers, YoungIFOA (October), ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers with Forest of Reading® Festival of Trees™ (May), presented with the Ontario Library Association.

The Festival and weekly series together have held readings, round table discussions, interviews and performances involving over 8,000 authors from more than 100 countries. In 2007, IFOA introduced its touring programme, IFOA Ontario, which now visits communities in numerous cities and towns across the province. More information about this programming can be found on litontour.com.

Programming

IFOA programming runs throughout the year with several different categories of programming. Each IFOA event is digitally recorded on photo, video and audio. Beginning in 2006, these recordings are sent to the holdings of the Library and Archives Canada. This not only allows researchers and documentary makers extensive use of the archives, but acts as a permanent documentation of IFOA’s extensive programming.

IFOA Weekly Event Series

Running from September to June, the weekly event series includes authors taking part in events like readings, round table discussions and interviews.

International Festival of Authors

The International Festival of Authors (IFOA), one of the most celebrated literary festivals in the world,^[1] was inaugurated in 1980 with a mandate to bring together the best writers of contemporary world literature. Like the weekly series, IFOA includes readings, interviews, round table discussions and talks, as well as public book signings and a festival bookstore. IFOA also continues to present readings by Scotiabank Giller Prize, Governor General’s Literary Award and Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize finalists, the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-fiction recipient, and the awarding of the $10,000 Harbourfront Festival Prize.

IFOA Ontario

Beginning in 2007, AUTHORS sought to grow their audience base by introducing the IFOA’s touring program, IFOA Ontario. This touring program visits communities in numerous cities and towns across Ontario. In 2010 IFOA Ontario featured 16 events in 14 towns and cities, from Windsor to Picton and Hamilton to Sudbury.^[2]

YoungIFOA

An integral part of the IFOA, YoungIFOA was born as a way to include a younger generation of readers in a festival of international repute.

ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers

ALOUD: a Celebration for Young Readers was also introduced in 2005, featuring some of the world’s leading authors for young people. In 2010, ALOUD was incorporated as part of the Forest of Reading Festival of Trees.

In May 2007, AUTHORS hosted the first annual Forest of Reading Festival of Trees on the 10-acre Harbourfront Centre site. Now Canada’s largest children’s literary event, attracting 8,000 audience members annually, this action-packed festival celebrates the shared experience of reading through award ceremonies, workshops and activities. The Festival of Trees is presented with the Ontario Library Association.

Harbourfront Festival Prize

Established in 1984, the Harbourfront Festival Prize ($10,000 CDN) is presented annually in recognition of an author's contribution to Canadian letters – based on the merits of their own published work and/or the time they have invested in nurturing the next generation of literary talent.

2010 Harbourfront Festival Prize

Peter Robinson was selected for the 2010 Harbourfront Festival Prize based on the merits of his own published work and his substantial contribution to the world of books. Robinson was selected by a jury comprising John van Driel (VP Programming & Operations, Classical 96.3 FM), Mark Medley (Journalist, National Post) and Geoffrey E. Taylor (Director, AUTHORS & IFOA).^[3]