34. Of Love and Lies

This is an in-person Youth Event. 

For full information about school group bookings, including subsidy information, please visit our Information for Teachers page.

For the free digital livestream version of this event, please visit our website. 

Why does love so often seem to be fraught with secrets, fakery, and lies? The protagonists of these coming-of-age novels navigate complicated relationships and false narratives, striving towards the truth in whom and how they love. Tanya Boteju’s Lake Life follows two teens who agree to fake-date for their own self-serving reasons, until their plan goes awry. In Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions, Ahmad Saber shares the tender and funny story of a gay Muslim teen wondering if he needs to choose between his faith and his queer identity. And a young man must confront a long-buried family secret, his tumultuous relationship with his father, and the girl who connects it all, in Aaron Cully Drake’s When the World Was Twice as Big. Hear how to depict difficult relationships on the page—and how to face them in real life. 

Moderated by Rachel Sargeant. 

Grades 8–12. 

Explore the full Festival line up on our website: writersfest.bc.ca

BOX OFFICE INFO

Please purchase enough tickets for your entire group, including all adults. 

Not booking for a school group? Please purchase a General admission ticket. All ages are welcome!

Complete Festival Box Office information can be found on our website: writersfest.bc.ca/box-office 

Need to talk to Box Office staff? Please reach out to boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca, or call 778-658-0426.

Having trouble completing your online order? Showpass support can be reached at 1 (844) 307-7469.

ACCESSIBILITY INFO

Complete Festival accessibility information can be found on our website: writersfest.bc.ca/accessibility

We do our best to make our events low-barrier, accessible experiences for our community. If you have accessibility needs, please reach out to boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca, or call 778-658-0426.