Margaret Atwood to speak at Kwantlen's Richmond campus

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Canadian literary giant Margaret Atwood is coming to Richmond next month.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University announced yesterday the prize-winning author will take part in a town hall discussion following the screening of the 2012 documentary Payback.

Jennifer Baichwal's film is based on Atwood's 2008 bestselling non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth, which examines how debt influences relationships, societies, governing structures and the fate of the planet.

Atwood, born in Ottawa, is winner of many international literary awards. She has authored more than 50 volumes of poetry, children's literature, fiction and non-fiction. She's best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman (1970), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996) and The Blind Assassin (2000), which won the prestigious Booker Prize.

Sheryl MacKay, host of the CBC radio program North by Northwest, will emcee the event, which also includes a keynote speech from Dr. William Rees. Rees is a University of B.C. professor, human ecologist and ecological economist.

Organizing the event is Kwantlen's Miss Representation Action Group, a group of faculty, staff, students and community members dedicated to sparking dialogue to create change.

All are welcome to register for the event, which takes place 4 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 16 at the Melville Centre for Dialogue at the Richmond campus. Tickets, $25 to $125, are available at kwantlen.ca/missrep