May 7 2026 - 7:30PM – 8:45PM - Revue Stage

Do the Right Thing: with Emily Austin, Y.M. Abdel-Magied and Sharon Bala

Join our host, author Jennifer Whiteford, for a conversation with three remarkable authors whose novels ask what it means to do the right thing, what drives us, and how do we know if we are making the right choice?

Emily Austin returns with Is This a Cry for Help? a luminous new novel following a librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries. Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself. 

Haunting, original, and as poetic as it is propulsive,  At Sea  by Y.M. Abdel-Magied, is a taut and gripping novel about principle, prejudice, and the capitalist endeavours that overlook the concerns of women—and of Mother Nature herself.  A female driller takes charge of an isolated offshore oil rig with an entirely male crew in this propulsive literary debut about ambition, greed and the deadly consequences of ignoring Mother Nature.

From Sharon Bala , the bestselling author of  The Boat People,  comes a page-turning moral drama about money, the dark side of philanthropy, and what happens when you try to change the world for all the wrong reasons. Claire Talbot is the publicist at Children of the World, an international aid charity. Moving between Children of the World’s headquarters in Toronto and their compound in Central America,  Good Guys  charts the charity’s rise and fall. Scathing yet compassionate, the novel is a thought-provoking exploration of power, philanthropy, and the lengths we go to for redemption. Emotionally engrossing, tightly paced, and sharply observed, it ultimately asks: Is it possible to do good in an imperfect world?

Also available to watch online.