BC Libraries Presents — John Vaillant: Our New Fire Weather [VIRTUAL]

After the most devastating wildfire season in British Columbia’s history, it begs the question of how these fires got so big, what we can learn from our current responses, and whether we are prepared for an ever-warming future.

John Vaillant’s book Fire Weather has become a de-facto guide on the new dangers posed by these fires supercharged by a warming planet. He’ll discuss his findings on the Fort McMurray fire 2016 to help us understand what’s at stake for our cities, towns, and ecosystems.

This talk will be moderated by Fatima Syed, climate reporter at The Narwhal.

John Vaillantis is the author of three bestselling, award-winning nonfiction books: The Golden Spruce, The Tiger, and Fire Weather. His debut novel, The Jaguar’s Children, was a finalist for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and the International Dublin Literary Award. Vaillant has received the Governor General’s Literary Award, British Columbia’s National Award for Canadian Nonfiction, the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize, and the Pearson Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and The Walrus.

Fatima Syed is an Ontario-based reporter for The Narwhal, the Canadian Association of Journalists vice-president, and the 2022 World Press Freedom Canada Award winner. She has worked for The Walrus, the Toronto Star, The Logic and Canada’s National Observer. She is a National Magazine Award nominee, a Digital Publishing Award winner, and has contributed chapters to two anthologies published by Coach House Books—Subdivided and House Divided.