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Cocktails & Conversations

Tri-Cities Writers Festival

The Tri-Cities Writers Festival presents a cocktail reception and panel discussion at the Evergreen Cultural Centre. Registration required. For ages 16+.

Grab a friend (or two!) and enjoy delicious food and drink while meeting new people from your community during a cocktail reception.

A panel discussion will follow at 7:00 pm with local authors Bill Arnott, Gurjinder Basran, and Jen Sookfong Lee. The panel is moderated by local comedian and author Ryan Murphy, with a question and answer period to follow. 

• Cocktail Reception: 5:00 - 7:00 pm
• Panel Discussion: 7:00 - 8:30 pm.

To purchase alcoholic drinks, you must be 19+ and present valid government issued photo ID.

Tickets are $20.00 and include access to the reception, food, one drink of your choice, and the panel discussion. Further drinks will be available for purchase at the event. Proceeds will go toward Coquitlam Public Library's programs and services.

If you are only interested in attending the panel discussion, registration is free but still required. Doors open at 6:45.

Registration required.

For more information about this Tri-Cities Writers Festival event, email ask@coqlibrary.ca.

BILL ARNOTT has written for Canadian Geographic, the Vancouver Sun and Province, The Writers Union of Canada, magazines and trade journals in the US, UK, Europe, Asia and Australia, and he continues to create bestselling travelogue series, including Gone Viking, the Season memoirs, and A Perfect Day for a Walk.

GURJINDER BASRAN is the award-winning author of four novels: Everything Was Good-bye, Someone You Love is Gone, Help! I'm Alive and The Wedding.  Her groundbreaking debut novel, Everything Was Good-bye, was the winner of the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and her most recent Novel, The Wedding was featured as a favourite on many best book lists in 2024. Gurjinder lives in Delta, British Columbia.

JEN SOOKFONG LEE was born and raised in Vancouver’s East Side, and she now lives with her son in North Burnaby. Her books include Superfan, named a Best Book of 2023 by The Globe and Mail and Apple Books, The Conjoined, nominated for International Dublin Literary Award and a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, The Better Mother, a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The End of East, The Shadow List, and Finding Home. Her forthcoming literary horror novel, The Hunger We Pass Down, will be published in September 2026. Jen acquires and edits for ECW Press and co-hosts the literary podcast Can’t Lit.

RYAN MURPHY is an award-winning writer who has spun up creative content for some of the largest and most trusted brands in the world including Walt Disney, HBO, FOX, the Kentucky Derby, and many more.

His critically acclaimed short stories and columns have been published in 22 books and have been featured on more than 170 radio stations and 60 newspapers across North America. His latest book, My Life’s a Joke, is a laugh-out-loud account of the awkward encounters and spectacular failures that thickened his skin and led to a successful 15-year career as a stand-up comedian. www.ryanmurphywrites.com