Saturday, November 28th at Bannerman Brewing, St. John’s, NL
We are thrilled to welcome 2026 Giller Prize shortlisted author Tara Gereaux to discuss her novel Wild People Quiet with Michelle Porter.
Set in Saskatchewan in 1946, Wild People Quiet is a compelling, beautifully told story of Florence, a woman hiding her Métis identity from everyone in the small community of Torduvalle. Florence has a beautiful house, a job she is proud of, and a burgeouing friendship with her neighbour. But all that changes when a person from Florence’s past shows up with a request for her.
This novel examines the lengths Florence goes to in order to live as someone else — and what happens when that might not be feasible anymore. When she learns of the govenment’s plans for the Métis community living near Torduvalle, Florence must make a decision.
This is going to be an unforgettable night, and a real treat! Don’t miss it!
Featuring music by Kelly McMichael.
Saturday, November 28th at Bannerman Brewing in St. John’s, NL.
Books will be available for sale; cash bar.
Tickets: $10. Seats are limited!
Reserve yours today!
This event is supported and subsidized by the Canada Council for the Arts Public Outreach Program and in partnership with WritersNL.
**This event will feature ASL interpretation
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Tara Gereaux’s most recent novel, Wild People Quiet, has been longlisted for the 2026 Giller Prize and included in a list of best new historical fiction in The New York Times. Her previous writing’s been nominated for several Saskatchewan Book Awards and shortlisted for the 2022 ReLit Novel Award. From the Qu’Appelle Valley, Tara is a descendant of the Red River Métis (LaRose, Fleury and Pritchard families) and a citizen of Métis Nation-Saskatchewan.
Michelle Porter’s debut novel A Grandmother Begins the Story won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Atwood Gibson Fiction Prize. She has won numerous awards for her poetry and journalism and her work has been published in literary journals and magazines across the country. Currently she is teaching creative writing and Métis Literature at Memorial University. Her latest novel, A Glacier’s Guide to Dying, was published last month. She is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation and she lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Kelly McMichael is a fearless and magnetic songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Her bold, nostalgic, gritty and ethereal music has charted on alternative radio, landed nominations for the national Polaris Music Prize in 2022 and 2024, an East Coast Music Award in 2022, and multiple MusicNL awards, including Album of Year, in 2025. McMichael’s artistic voice is informed by an interdisciplinary DIY approach, a divergent feminist perspective and experience touring with acts like Sarah Harmer and Tim Baker. Originally from Peterborough Ontario, Kelly is honoured to represent Newfoundland while touring Canada and Europe, and she’s currently making a third album of joyous resistance rock.
