Get ready for the literary equivalent celebration of the Gatorade splash! We’re turning the spotlight on beloved Blue Jays sportscaster, Hazel Mae, to celebrate her new memoir, Before I Let You Go: My Life in Broadcasting, Baseball, and Beyond. Says Toronto legend Joe Carter, “When it comes to Major League Baseball, Canadian or U.S., Hazel Mae is a pre-eminent voice in baseball broadcasting.” From her early days in the Philippines to her arrival in Canada and her rise through the ranks of sports journalism, Mae offers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at her life on and off the field (where she’s the best-sourced and best-dressed journalist in the game).
The conversation, hosted by obsessive Blue Jays fan Shelley Youngblut, includes an audience Q&A and book signing, fuelled by Owl’s Nest Books. Want to be first in line to meet Hazel Mae post-show? Pre-order Before I Let You Go: My Life in Broadcasting, Baseball, and Beyond.
Shelley Youngblut
Lively Conversation
Libations Bar, with non-alcoholic options
Audience Q&A
Book Signing
75 minutes. No intermission
Hazel Mae is a key member of Sportsnet’s Blue Jays broadcasts, providing on-field reports, studio analysis, exclusive interviews, and pre-/post-game coverage. She is also widely recognized for her post-game walk-off interviews and in-depth player insights. With a wealth of broadcasting experience, Mae has one of the most trusted and respected voices in sports media today. In 2025, she was honoured with the prestigious Jack Graney Award from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of her significant contributions to baseball media in Canada. Mae is only the second woman to receive this prestigious award. On March 4, 2026, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television announced Mae as the recipient of the 2026 Gordon Sinclair Award for Broadcast Journalism.
Before I Let You Go: My Life in Broadcasting, Baseball, and Beyond is a candid and inspirational memoir by beloved sportscaster Hazel Mae. From her early days in the Philippines to her arrival in Canada and her rise through the ranks of sports journalism, Mae offers a candid, behind the scenes look at her life. With warmth and wit, she reflects on breaking into broadcasting, navigating the US sports media scene, returning home to cover the Toronto Blue Jays, and mastering the art of the post-game interview—often while dodging celebratory Gatorade showers. Open, honest, and insightful, Mae’s memoir offers a fresh, intimate glimpse into the life of one of Canada’s most recognizable broadcasters.
Shelley Youngblut
Lively Conversation
Libations Bar, with non-alcoholic options
Audience Q&A
Book Signing
75 minutes. No intermission
Shelley Youngblut is the CEO & Creative Ringleader of Wordfest. She was the recipient of the 2020 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the Arts and the 2018 Rozsa Award for Arts Leadership. She also won the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Western Magazine Awards. Youngblut was the founding editor of Calgary’s award-winning Swerve magazine and has created magazines for ESPN, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Nickelodeon, Western Living, and The Globe and Mail. A former pop-culture correspondent for ABC World News Now and Canada AM, she was also a frequent contributor to CBC Calgary’s The Eyeopener, The Homestretch, and Daybreak Alberta.
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