Forward Thinking Speaker Series
The Forward Thinking Speaker Series reflects EPL’s rich history of taking risks, trying new things and redefining the modern library. EPL invites thought-leaders from a variety of industries to share their insights, ideas, experiences and viewpoints. Its purpose is to help build better organizations, neighborhoods and communities.
Wednesday, November 13 at 7 p.m.
Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Tickets are sold out.
In this moderated discussion, one of Canada's most celebrated authors will discuss freedom of expression and her accomplished body of work.
Margaret Atwood has long been a literary titan, and her words continue to resonate with every generation. Her landmark novel The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) was adapted into a fifteen-time Emmy Award-winning television series, and its sequel, The Testaments, won the 2019 Booker Prize. Her most recent short story collection, Old Babes in the Wood, is a powerful exploration of grief and loss described as “brilliant. She’s writing at the top of her considerable powers here,” by Publishers Weekly. With wit and humor, Atwood reveals hidden truths in our societies, inspiring you to speak out against injustice and preparing you for the battle ahead. Today, her sharp eye is more crucial—and prescient—than ever.
Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction. To date, Atwood’s body of work has been published in more than 40 languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. She has also won many international literary awards, including the prestigious Booker Prize, Arthur C. Clarke Award, Governor General’s Award, the PEN Pinter Prize, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book Critics Circle, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She was presented with the Companion of Honor award—given for achievements in the arts, literature, science, and politics—by Queen Elizabeth, making Atwood the third Canadian to receive the honor. Atwood is a founder of the Writers’ Trust of Canada and a founding trustee of the Griffin Poetry Prize. She is also a popular personality on Twitter, with over two million followers.
The Q&A at this event will be moderated by Dr. Toni Samek.
Thank you to our event sponsor, the University of Alberta.
About Dr. Toni Samek
School of Library and Information Studies, Faculty of Education, College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Alberta. She is Scholar-in-Residence 2024-2025 at the Centre for Free Expression (CFE), Toronto Metropolitan University. Toni co-founded the Association for Library and Information Science Education's Information Ethics Special Interest Group, twice convened the Canadian Library Association's Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom, served two terms on the Canadian Association of University Teachers' Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee, and served on the Canadian Federation of Library Associations' Intellectual Freedom Committee. She is on advisory boards for CFE and the International Center for Information Ethics and serves on CFE’s Working Group on Intellectual Freedom. Toni received the debut Library Journal Teaching Award in 2007, a Faculty of Education Graduate Teaching Award in 2008, and a 3M National Teaching Fellowship from the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education in 2012. Toni is recipient of the 2013 University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Library and Information Studies Distinguished Alumna Award and the 2017 Library Association of Alberta’s President’s Award. In 2022, Toni was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for service to the Alberta library community. Her scholarship appears in translation in international locations, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
Dr. Toni Samek is a Professor at theEvent Partners
Climate Hope Sprouts in Edmonton: Forward Thinking Speaker Series Kicks off with Chris Turner
The 2024 Forward Thinking Speaker Series (FTSS) bloomed with optimism as renowned climate change expert Chris Turner took center stage at Macewan’s Triffo Theatre on Tuesday, April 16. Turner's passionate presentation, packed with inspiring success stories, countered the usual climate doom and gloom, leaving the sold-out crowd feeling hopeful.
"We're at a turning point," Turner declared. "The tools to solve the climate crisis are finally within reach!"
Turner's message wasn't just about challenges; it was about the incredible progress being made towards a sustainable future. Renewable energy solutions, once seen as expensive luxuries, are rapidly becoming faster, cheaper, and more efficient. Turner highlighted the advancements in solar power, sharing stories of vast solar farms in Vietnam, sun-powered housing projects in Germany, and how Alberta is the leading jurisdiction of new installations of solar (and wind!) in Canada. The result? In just one year, our collective commitment to solar has added a staggering 444 gigawatts of clean energy to the global grid – that's more than all the world's nuclear power plants combined!
Conversations like these are essential. They ignite hope, rekindle interest, and spark curiosity. FTSS embodies EPL's vision of fostering a vibrant community for sharing ideas, and we are so fortunate to have event partners such as Gridworks, LitFest, and Edify, who help make it possible for us to create these gathering spaces. We eagerly await the upcoming speakers, who will bring their life experiences, stories, and unique perspectives to the series.
Want to learn more about this topic? Dive into Chris Turner's book, How to Be a Climate Optimist, available in branch and online. Plus, check out Chris’ recommendations with this fantastic booklist for a deeper exploration of the topic.
To all our library lovers and supporters, thank you for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you again on Wednesday, June 19 for a powerful discussion with Dr. Marie Wilson about Keeping Reconciliation Alive. Tickets are available Wednesday, May 8.