Romance. We all want it. We all want to read about it and we all want to see it staged. Novelists Gurjinder Basran and Sonya Lalli share the stage with Hallmark director Christie Will Wolf to read, discuss, and share all things romantic on the page and screen.
Location: Room C400
Type: Reading, Fiction, TV
Presented by: Word Vancouver
Moderator: Kelly Duran
Readers: Gurjinder Basran, The Wedding: A Novel (Douglas & McIntyre) | Sonya Lalli, Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat (Penguin Random House) | Christie Will Wolf (Hallmark)
About The Moderator
Kelly Duran
Kelly Duran writes poignant and relatable stories about friendship, family and love. Her debut novel—Can't Take It Back—was released as an Audible Original in 2020 and in print and ebook in 2024. She loves writing, reading, drinking coffee and spending time with her family. Not always in that order. Keep up to date on her writing at kellyduran.com/subscribe.
About The Readers
Gurjinder Basran
Gurjinder Basran is the award-winning author of three previous works of fiction. Her debut novel Everything Was Good-bye was the recipient of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and her work regularly appears on must read lists. She lives in Delta, B.C. with her family.
Sonya Lalli
Sonya Lalli is the acclaimed author of five romance and women’s fiction novels, most recently A Holly Jolly Diwali and Jasmine and Jake Rock the Boat. Her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, NPR, The Washington Post, Glamour and more. Sonya’s debut psychological thriller Are You Sara?, which she published under S.C. Lalli, is a national bestseller and one of NPR and Apple’s Best Books of 2022. Her second thriller The Plus One publishes in August 2024. Sonya studied law in her hometown of Saskatoon, Canada, and at Columbia University in New York. She has worked in law, legal journalism and book publishing. Sonya lives in the Vancouver area with her family.
Christie Will Wolf
Having written upwards of 31 feature films, that have been broadcast internationally, Christie Will Wolf is one of North America’s most accomplished female filmmakers. March 2024 Christie Will Wolf is nominated for RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards presented by Women of Influence. 2023 Will was tapped to direct 'Ladies of the 80’s penned by writers Stan Zimmerman & James Berg (Gilmore Girls / Golden Girls) and starring 80’s icons Nicolette Sheridan, Loni Anderson, Donna Mills, Linda Grey and Morgan Fairchild; Will Wolf's direction was praised by critics, with the film receiving notable reviews in Vanity Fair, People, Good Morning America and more. 2022 Christie Will Wolf was selected as one of 5 new content creators for Royal Bank of Canada's "Series Fest" Best New Series Creator at The Toronto International Film Festival [Fishing For Men]. 2019 & 2022 saw Christie win Canadian Leo Awards for Best Screenwriting, in addition to garnering Best Director Nominations in 2020 & 2022. Other accolades include: Best Canadian Female Director, Best Director, Best Film, Best Female Forward Film & Best Sci-Fi Film in 2020 & 2021 [Her Coming]. In 2019 Will Wolf was awarded the BC Directors Guild of Canada's Legacy Award. Early in her career, Christie worked as Director/ Producer Peter Berg's assistant, and later segued into producing and directing films starring Saturday Night Live comedians Chris Kattan, David Spade, Norm McDonald, The Farley Brothers, Patrick Swayze, Tim Curry and more. Her first feature film Slightly Single in L.A. [Simon Rex, Lacey Chabert, Chris Kattan Jenna Dewan and Jonathan Bennett] was one of the first acquisitions for Netflix in their early days, and her second comedy "Boy Toy" [Dawn Oliveri, Mircea Monroe, Simon Rex, Morgan Fairchild] was bought by Lionsgate. Other achievements include: Christie received the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award in 1995, a MFA [University of British Columba] in addition to a BFA [Emerson College, College of Charleston].
