Uncivil Politics: I’m Right and You’re an Idiot – $20

[gdlr_button href="https://www.artscommons.ca/WhatsOn/ShowDetails.aspx?show_id=95689853-B245-4EDD-B6BD-388D70FA8026" target="_self" size="medium" background="#358CCB" color="#ffffff" border_color="#999999"]Buy Tickets[/gdlr_button] [gdlr_space height="20px"] Borrowing its title from James Hoggan's new book, this panel explores the possibility of reclaiming civil discourse in the increasingly divided public sphere. Jay Pitter is a university researcher and co-editor of the anthology, Subdivided: City-Building in an Age of Hyper-Diversity. Taras Grescoe is the author of Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile, while Edward Riche's Today I Learned It Was You is a satirical skewering of small-town government. Hosted by Corey Hogan. Sponsored by Northweather. [gdlr_divider type="solid" size="100%" ]

About the Panelists

Taras Grescoe

Taras Grescoe, a non-fiction specialist, writes essays, articles and books. His work has been translated into a half dozen languages, and has won national and international awards. An expert on transit and urbanism, he also gives keynotes on the theme of sustainable transportation. He is the author of six books, including Sacré Blues, The End of Elsewhere, The Devil's Picnic, Bottomfeeder, Straphanger and now Shanghai Grand: Forbidden Love and International Intrigue on the Eve of the Second World War. Born in Toronto, raised in Calgary and Vancouver, and schooled in flânerie in Paris, he now lives in Montreal.

James Hoggan

James Hoggan is president of the PR firm Hoggan & Associates and chair of the David Suzuki Foundation board. He has over three decades of experience in crisis and issues management for corporations, governments and public institutions such as universities and hospitals. A tireless advocate for ethics and integrity in public relations, he founded the influential website DeSmogBlog to expose misinformation campaigns that pollute public debate around climate change and the environment. Previous books include Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming and Do the Right Thing: PR Tips for a Skeptical Public. At Wordfest 2016, James Hoggan presents I’m Right and You’re an Idiot.

Jay Pitter

Jay Pitter established a career as a public funder and then a communications and public engagement director before earning a graduate degree at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies. Her passion for inclusive city-building informs her writing for Spacing, CBC Radio and the Toronto Star. Pitter has spearheaded noteworthy community-engagement projects with organizations such as the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Community Housing Corporation, Toronto Police Service, the City of Toronto and the Toronto District School Board, among others. At Wordfest 2016, Pitter presents Subdivided: City-Building in an Age of Hyper-Diversity.

Edward Riche

Edward Riche is an award-winning writer for page, stage and screen. His first novel, Rare Birds, was adapted into a major motion picture starring William Hurt and Molly Parker, and his second novel, The Nine Planets, was a Globe and Mail Best Book and won the Thomas Raddall Head Award. He is also the author of Easy to Like, which was a finalist for the Winterset Award and longlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Edward Riche's new novel Today I Learned It Was You skewers small-town government and modern identity politics. Riche lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland. [gdlr_divider type="solid" size="100%" ] [gdlr_button href="https://www.artscommons.ca/WhatsOn/ShowDetails.aspx?show_id=95689853-B245-4EDD-B6BD-388D70FA8026" target="_self" size="medium" background="#358CCB" color="#ffffff" border_color="#999999"]Buy Tickets[/gdlr_button]