A Morning with Omar El Akkad & Lawrence Hill

A Morning with Omar El Akkad & Lawrence Hill

Hosted by Zain Velji

How glorious to be able to wake up to Omar El Akkad and Lawrence Hill in person! Omar El Akkad raised the roof this spring riding shotgun for Elamin Abdelmahmoud, hosting the author’s raucous book launch after an afternoon speaking truth to high-school students with his 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize-winning What Strange Paradise. Lawrence Hill is the internationally bestselling author of 11 books of fiction and non-fiction, two of which won Canada Reads. He is in Calgary this fall to inspire more than 700 middle school students for Wordfest’s Youth program (thanks to the generosity of our donors, we were able to donate a copy of Hill’s utterly charming Beatrice and Croc Harry to local junior high-schools). Always generous, they both agreed to this intimate morning show for the over-12 set.

This one-hour conversation, hosted by Zain Velji, includes an audience Q&A and book signing. To keep up with these two, you might want to ask for an extra shot at one of the local coffee shops participating in Wordfest’s Badge program.

This event is part of Wordfest’s Imaginairium festival, Sept. 29 – Oct. 6, 2022. Connect with 60+ of the world’s most generous writers, thinkers, activators and inspirers, gathered just for you in Calgary, Canada. For more info:wordfest.com