VancouverGREATER VANCOUVER EVENT
Coming of Age
A panel for Grades 8–12 explores young-adult novels about identity, faith, illness, intergenerational trauma and growing up.
- Date and time
- Location
- Revue Stage · 1601 Johnston Street · Vancouver · V6H 3R9
- Organizer
- Vancouver Writers Fest
About this event
Three young-adult novels offer stories of characters confronting life-altering surgery, intergenerational trauma and questions of faith. Their protagonists find ways to come of age with support from friends and family, and through the courage to live authentically.
In Salma Hussain’s It’s Not Over Yet, teenage film enthusiast Wali Khan prepares for brain surgery. Kim Spencer’s Here for a Good Time follows Morgan, an Indigenous girl navigating school and a new relationship when tragedy exposes difficult truths about her mother’s past. Ahmad Saber’s debut, Ramin Abbas Has MAJOR Questions, considers how a queer identity can coexist with Muslim faith.
Moderated by Tanya Boteju, the session is for Grades 8–12. Curriculum connections include English Language Arts for Grades 8–9, Literary Studies 11 and English First Peoples 12. Presented by Vancouver Writers Fest on Oct. 20, 2026, at 10:15 a.m. Admission is $12.
The in-person session at Revue Stage ends at 11:30 a.m. and costs CAD 12. The organizer lists a separate free digital livestream.
School-group purchases must include tickets for all accompanying adults. General admission welcomes all ages; the listed school grades are recommendations. Tickets are non-refundable. For box-office or access needs call 778-658-0462; Showpass order support 1-844-307-7469. See official festival accessibility information. Ordinary admission is CAD 12 including taxes and fees. CAD 0 and CAD 6 school-group options are deposits, with the balance still due. Contact: boxoffice@writersfest.bc.ca. Accessibility: https://writersfest.bc.ca/accessibility.