Event Info
Viral Reflections: Vocab and Culture in the New Normal
Presented by Kingston Writers Fest
2:00pm - 3:00pm
$19.61-$21.69
Event Description
Viral Reflections: Vocab and Culture in the New Normal
Wayne Grady
Reading and Conversation
Bellevue
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Join author Wayne Grady (Pandexicon: How the Language of the Pandemic Defined Our New Cultural Reality) and Trevor Campbell for a wide-ranging conversation on the ways that culture and language has evolved, adapted, and been forever changed by the emergence (and emergency) of COVID-19 and our pivot to the ‘new normal.’
Wayne Grady is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books for adults and young readers. He is also a Governor General’s Award-winning translator, journalist, editor, and creative writing instructor. His debut novel, Emancipation Day, won the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Other awards include four Science in Society Awards, the Governor General’s Award for English Translation, and the National Outdoor Book Award.
His latest title, Pandexicon: How the Language of the Pandemic Defined Our New Cultural Reality investigates the words and phrases that arose, or evolved, during the pandemic. From "uptick" and "pivot," to "quarantini" and "covexit," Wayne argues that, through this new vocabulary, we became more able to adapt to change, to domesticate it in a sense, and to reduce our fears. “This is so much more than a lexicon or dictionary,” says author David Waltner-Toews, “Grady has given us a travelogue documenting our journey through the rough seas of the pandemic, examining the words we have used to talk about the contradictory cross-currents of jokes, opinions, laboratory data, heart-breaking personal anecdotes, and political rants.”
Wayne lives in Kingston, Ontario, with his wife, novelist Merilyn Simonds.
Trevor Campbell is a writer, host and comedian who can regularly be heard on CBC Radio/Podcasts. His work has earned him two Canadian Podcast Awards and recommendations by Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Xtra and Yohomo. He is the host and creator of You Made Me Queer!, an accusatory podcast about queer origin stories for the Sonar Network, with past guests including Olympic gold medalist Mark Tewksbury, director Sook-Yin Lee, author Joshua Whitehead, drag legend Jinkx Monsoon, and The Kids in the Hall's Scott Thompson. In 2022, YMMQ! was selected as the opening act for Full Frontal Live! with Samantha Bee for the 2022 Hot Docs Podcast Festival. Though he's often told he has a face for radio, Trevor can be seen on stage as a host and moderator for major festivals including Buddies in Bad Times Queer Pride, Toronto Comicon, Fan Expo Canada and the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Thu. September 28th 2023
Holiday Inn Kingston-Waterfront, an IHG Hotel Kingston Ontario
In-Person Event
