Toronto’s International Festival of Authors (Oct. 19“30) is one of the country’s biggest literary events, and with 12 days of readings, interviews, parties, and round-table discussions to chose from, there are some tough decisions to be made. If you need a little help, here are 15 events where you’ll find Q&Q staff.

STUART WOODS, editor
Reading/interview: Brooke Gladstone (interviewed by Nora Young)
Douglas Coupland’s YouTube talk for the McLuhan 100 series is sure to get lots of attention, but if you can’t wait until next Wednesday to ponder the implications of the global village, Brooke Gladstone’s Saturday session is sure to be full of insight. Gladstone is the host of NPR’s On the Media, and her illustrated manifesto on the role of the press, The Influencing Machine, is one of the most original media analyses in recent memory. Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m., Studio Theatre

Koffler at the IFOA: David Bezmozgis and Gary Shteyngart
For sheer star power, you can’t beat Sunday’s pairing of David Bezmozgis and Gary Shteyngart, two rising novelists selected for The New Yorker’s 20 under 40 series of writers to watch. While both authors have written about the experiences of Russian Jews, Shteyngart tends toward satire while Bezmozgis is firmly rooted in realism. Prepare for an illuminating study in contrasts. Sunday, Oct. 23, 3:30 p.m., Lakeside Terrace

STEVEN BEATTIE, reviews editor
Man Booker round table: Patrick DeWitt, Esi Edugyan, Stephen Knelman, and Alison Pick (hosted by Claudia Dey)
Three authors who were shortlisted for this year’s Man Booker Prize and one (Pick) who was longlisted. I’m hoping for some interesting discussion of the debate about whether this year’s list was too populist and not highbrow enough. Saturday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre

Reading/interview: Guy Vanderhaeghe (interviewed by Justin Rutledge)
Vanderhaeghe’s novel, A Good Man, is one of my favourites from this year. Hearing him read from it and, one hopes, shed insight on his ideas about historical fiction in Canada, should be both enlightening and entertaining. Sunday, Oct. 30, 4 p.m., Brigantine Room

ALLISON MACLACHLAN, intern
McLuhan 100 reading/interview: Clay Shirky (Interviewed by Jesse Hirsh)
Jesse Hirsh’s conversation with American technology writer Clay Shirky, author of Cognitive Surplus, is sure to turn up creative insights about how new media is changing the way humans cooperate. Anyone familiar with Shirky’s TED Talk will know he’s an engaging speaker with timely ideas to share. Friday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre

Reading/interview: Michael Ondaatje (interviewed by Eleanor Watchtel)
Listening to CanLit king Michael Ondaatje read from The Cat’s Table tops my list. The novels feels meant to be read aloud, and Eleanor Wachtel’s interview might get to the bottom of how much of this book is autobiography. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m., Fleck Dance Theatre

Round Table: Fact vs. Fiction with Elizabeth Hay, Prue Leith, and Olive Senior (moderated by Sandra Martin)
Hearing from Elizabeth Hay, Prue Leith, and Olive Senior about the boundaries between fact and fiction promises to reveal some interesting career journeys. With past lives in radio broadcasting, food writing, and print journalism between them, this trio seems well suited to speak about writing on both sides of the line. Saturday, Oct. 29, 2 p.m., Lakeside Terrace

NATALIE SAMSON, staff writer
Roundtable on the individual in society with Bharati Mukherjee, Johan Harstad, Lauren B. Davis. Moderator: Carol Off
I’m a fan of Bharati Mukherjee’s work, and I’m interested to learn more about Norwegian multitalent Johan Harstad (who claims David Lynch as a strong influence). Throw in a cosmopolitan Canadian writer like Lauren B. Davis and this conversation about outsiders, belonging, and boundaries just got a little more interesting. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m., Lakeside Terrace

Canadian Storytellers: Douglas Gibson and Sylvia Tyson
I spent an afternoon in Doug Gibson’s living room chatting about this stage show for a profile that ran in Q&Q‘s September issue. Now that he’s got a few tour dates under his belt, I’m curious to see how the performance has come together. Saturday, Oct. 22, 2 p.m., Studio Theatre

Reading/interview with Kate Beaton and Patricia Marx (interviewed by Siri Argell)
There’s something really encouraging and exciting about three women who work in humour sharing a stage at an international literary festival. Plus, I can’t wait to see how Beaton pulls off a reading of her hilarious graphic novel, Hark! A Vagrant. Will there be role-play? Costumes? Voices? Probably not, but I can dream. Saturday, Oct. 29, 4 p.m., Brigantine Room

SUE CARTER FLINN, web editor
Conversation with Daniel Clowes and Seth.
Pairing two graphic novelists who have created some of the most maladjusted, awkward outsiders in contemporary comics is a stroke of genius. Friday, Oct. 21, 8 p.m., Brigantine Room

Reading/interview: Josh Ritter
U.S. singer-songwriter Josh Ritter is such a charismatic live performer, the reading for his first novel, Bright’s Passage, should make for an entertaining late Saturday afternoon stop-over before the night’s festivities. Plus, not many authors can boast having John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Michael Shannon, and Mary Louise Parker reading on their book trailer. Saturday, Oct. 22, 4 p.m., Brigantine Room

Found in translation round table: Russell Banks, Tom Perrotta, Marieke van der Pol (interviewed by Richard Crouse)
I’ll vote for any discussion on film adaptations that features Tom Perrotta, the author who created Election‘s Tracy Flick. Friday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. Lakeside Terrace

WHERE TO FIND Q&Q
Say hello to Stuart Woods, who is hosting a reading with Joseph Boyden, David A. Groulx, Lee Maracle, and Drew Hayden Taylor, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 8 p.m. at the Lakeside Terrace. Steven Beattie is moderating a round table discussion with Chad Harbach, Helen Oyeyemi, and Timothy Taylor, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2 p.m. at the Lakeside Terrace.