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Celebrate 15 Years with Read for the Cure

Raise money for cancer research while attending showcases of award-winning novelists and musicians.

Cancer Research Society 10 Aug 2022TheTyee.ca

Read for the Cure will be returning virtually — and to Vancouver — this fall in celebration of its 15th anniversary. An annual charity fundraiser by the Cancer Research Society, presented in partnership with Penguin Random House Canada, the initiative comprises a series of literary events with some of Canada’s bestselling authors.

Founded in 1945, the Cancer Research Society is a Canadian not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to fund research on all types of cancer. Read for the Cure events are held in support of the Cancer Research Society’s Environment-Cancer Fund, which backs research on the environmental links to cancer development. In 2021, the Cancer Research Society funded 80 new projects dedicated to cancer research, valued at $9.6 million — a record for the organization. These grants included projects investigating early detection for prostate cancer, innovations in treatment for ovarian and breast cancer, as well as biomarker and immunotherapy development for sarcomas and endocrine cancers.

Read for the Cure’s 2022 season will include three events, including one in-person gala in Vancouver and one virtual soirée for book lovers across B.C. and Canada. There is a third event in Toronto.

Vancouver: Monday, Oct. 24
7:30 – 9:30 p.m. PDT, in-person
Ft. Omar El-Akkad, Douglas Coupland and Jann Arden

Three national bestsellers take the stage at one of the city’s premiere social destinations, Vancouver Club.

Winner of the 2021 Scotiabank Giller Prize and a finalist for this year’s Canada Reads, Omar El-Akkad’s What Strange Paradise has been praised as “extraordinary” by the New York Times and “visceral” by the Washington Post. This novel portrays the global refugee crisis through the eyes of a child in beautiful, unrelentingly dramatic prose.

Fans of Vancouver visual artist and designer Douglas Coupland will delight over his newest collection of short stories, his first release since 2013. This instant national bestseller includes 60 short stories featuring a plethora of everyday characters, from dad dancers to people in the grip of unconscionable urges, written with Coupland’s signature humour and profundity.

Multi-award-winning Canadian singer and actress Jann Arden gets personal about her life, failure and aging in If I Knew Then, a memoir rich with hard-won truths, passion and pain. Arden’s story is a liberating and astounding tour de force the Toronto Star calls “abundantly and humorously generous.”

Local personality and CTV News Vancouver anchor Mi-Jung Lee will explore the powerful themes in each of these works and moderate for an intimate audience Q&A. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime conversation between three exceptional talents at Vancouver’s hottest social hub.

Get tickets to the Vancouver event on Oct. 24.

Virtual: Wednesday, Nov. 9
4:30 – 7:30 p.m. PDT, online access
Ft. Martha Wainwright, Elizabeth Strout and Sarah Weinman

Internationally bestselling authors join Read for the Cure’s virtual stage to discuss their blockbuster works in true crime, literary fiction and memoir.

Born into music royalty as the daughter of folk legends Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III — and sister to the highly acclaimed, genre-defying singer Rufus Wainwright — Martha Wainwright was always surrounded by legends, before she became one in her own right. In Stories I Might Regret Telling You, the singer-songwriter speaks intimately of her extraordinary experiences with love, loss, motherhood, divorce, the music industry and more.

Pulitzer Prize–winning, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout strikes gold with Lucy by the Sea, a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown — and the love, loss, despair and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart. With prose rich with empathy and emotion, Strout vividly captures feelings of isolation, as well as the peace and possibilities that long, quiet days can inspire.

One of the most anticipated books of 2022, Sarah Weinman’s Scoundrel is a shocking true-crime masterpiece on the wrongful exoneration of killer Edgar Smith and the many people who fell prey to his charm. Scoundrel, currently gracing must-read lists, showcases where crime and culture intersect and where the darkest of violent impulses meet literary ambition, human ego and hunger for fame.

Moderated by the incredible former CBC Host host and broadcaster Lucy van Oldenbarneveld and followed by an audience Q&A, this will be an evening exploring love, deception, isolation and the will to overcome.

Get tickets to the virtual event on Nov. 9.

Don’t miss out! Join Read for the Cure for these fascinating conversations and literary events.  [Tyee]

Read more: Media

This article is part of a Tyee Presents initiative. Tyee Presents is the special sponsored content section within The Tyee where we highlight contests, events and other initiatives that are either put on by us or by our select partners. The Tyee does not and cannot vouch for or endorse products advertised on The Tyee. We choose our partners carefully and consciously, to fit with The Tyee’s reputation as B.C.’s Home for News, Culture and Solutions. Learn more about Tyee Presents here.

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