Attendees in overflow seating will view Atwood’s main stage presentation via livestream. Atwood will visit briefly with overflow attendees in person prior to starting her Kirk Hall remarks. Overflow attendees will also be able to purchase pre-signed books.

In the event that seating becomes available in Kirk Hall, overflow attendees will be given an option to relocate to that space on a first come, first served basis.

Margaret Atwood is one of the few writers so prolific that her work can be ordered into a 101-item best-of listicle, starting with her iconic 1985 dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, also reimagined by MGM Studios into an award-winning television series. The list includes her poetry collections, essays, nonfiction, short stories, children’s books, and other genres, spanning her 54-year career.

The Canadian author and the Library’s Kaite Stover discuss Atwood’s work and life and why libraries are an essential community good in the grand finale of the Library’s four-part 150th anniversary speakers series.

Event will be livestreamed for home viewing, but will be password protected. Register for home viewing information here.

Atwood’s writing has won dozens of awards, including the Booker Prize (twice), the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, The Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award and, most recently, the 2024 Sun Valley Writers' Conference Writer in the World prize. She holds honorary degrees from universities around the world and has been awarded the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, the Order of the Companions of Honour, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature as well as the Royal Society of Canada.

A 6 p.m. reception precedes Atwood’s discussion offering food and drinks.