The Giller Foundation Launches the Giller Book Club, A Scotiabank Giller Prize First

December 7, 2020

December 7, 2020 (Toronto, ON) – The Giller Foundation is thrilled to announce the debut of The Giller Book Club, kicking off today. The debut author and book will be 2020 winner Souvankham Thammavongsa for her short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife. Winner of the 2016 Scotiabank Giller Prize and author of Do Not Say We Have Nothing, Madeleine Thien, will interview Thammavongsa virtually on January 4, 2021 as the inaugural interview.

The Book Club will run from December, the month after the Scotiabank Giller Prize winner is announced, until the following September. The featured books will be chosen from the longlist of the previous year; each month will highlight a different book or books. Participants will have between two and four weeks to read each book and will be invited to submit their comments, photos and questions about the book. Participants will also have the opportunity to contribute a 500-word essay/article/opinion piece that matches the theme of the month, which will be posted on our website. The author will be interviewed by another writer, a critic or a member of our jury and streamed live. Visit www.scotiabankgillerprize.ca/book-club for more information.

This full 2021 Giller Book Club line-up is:

Souvankham Thammavongsa for her short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife – Interviewed by Madeleine Thien on January 4, 2021
Gil Adamson, for her novel, Ridgerunner – Interviewed by Sarah MacLachlan on January 25, 2021
Shani Mootoo, for her novel, Polar Vortex – Interviewed by Claire Armitstead on February 8, 2021
Michelle Good, for her novel, Five Little Indians – Interviewed by Kamal Al-Solaylee on March 1, 2021
Annabel Lyon, for her novel, Consent – Interviewed by Ben McNally on March 15, 2021
Thomas King, for his novel, Indians On Vacation – Interviewed by Rosanna Deerchild on April 5, 2021
Eva Crocker, for her novel, All I Ask – Interviewed by Lisa Moore on April 26, 2021
David Bergen, for his short story collection, Here the Dark – Interviewed by Tom Rachman May 10, 2021
Kaie Kellough, for his short story collection, Dominoes At The Crossroads – Interviewed by David Chariandy on May 24, 2021
Lynn Coady, for her novel, Watching You Without Me – Interviewer and time TBD
Seth, for his graphic novel, Clyde Fans – Interviewer and time TBD
Emily St. John Mandel, for her novel, The Glass Hotel – Interviewed by Merilyn Simonds on July 5, 2020
Francesca Ekwuyasi, for her novel, Butter Honey Pig Bread – Interviewed by Donna Bailey Nurse on August 16, 2021
Emma Donoghue, for her novel, The Pull of the Stars – September 6, 2021. Interviewer TBD

Partnerships and Events

We’re also delighted to announce that First Book Canada will host five Scotiabank Giller Prize reading celebrations for senior students at high-needs secondary schools across Canada, featuring 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, Souvankham Thammavongsa.

The five schools chosen are: St. James Collegiate – Winnipeg, MB; Kwantlen Park Secondary School – Surrey, BC; Saint Lambert International High School – Saint Lambert, QC; Father Lacombe High School – Calgary, AB;, and Mount Royal Collegiate – Saskatoon, SK. Thammavongsa will visit each of the five schools virtually, where she will speak about her experience, inspiration and process of writing her award-winning collection. The students will have the opportunity to ask questions and reflect on the author’s stories. Each student will also receive a signed copy of How to Pronounce Knife to take home. The Scotiabank Giller Prize reading celebrations will be recorded and made available online beginning December 11, by First Book Canada to secondary schools across Canada. To find out more, visit: www.firstbookcanada.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

Daphna Rabinovitch
daphna@gillerprize.ca
416-525-3752