#BookTalk with Souvankham Thammavongsa, presented by Union Hotel x Giller Prize

Union Hotel x The Giller Prize Present: #BookTalk with Souvankham Thammavongsa

📅 Thursday, August 21, 2025

📍 The Lobby @ Union Hotel, Toronto

🎟️ Ticket includes: A pastry item & hot beverage, a glass of wine, a copy of How To Pronounce Knife, audience Q&A, a mix & mingle with the author (and the opportunity to get your book signed!

Join Union Hotel and the Giller Prize for the third-ever session of #BookTalk, an intimate new literary series celebrating Canadian literature in a fresh, community-focused way.

Continuing the series is Souvankham Thammavongsa, a Giller Award-winning author, in conversation with Deepa Rajagopalan. Set in the cozy, storytelling-rich lobby of the Union Hotel, this live interview invites book lovers into a relaxed evening of meaningful dialogue, exploring Souvankham’s latest work and the power of CanLit today.

Whether you’re a lifelong reader or new to the scene, #BookTalk offers a modern take on the classic book club — it’s live, local, and literary. Tickets are limited for this exclusive & intmate event!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR, SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA:

SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA is the author of four poetry books and the short story collection, How to Pronounce Knife, winner of the 2020 Giller Prize and 2021 Trillium Book Award. Her stories have won an O. Henry Prize and appeared in The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, and Granta. Pick a Colour is her first novel.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR, DEEPA RAJAGOPALAN:

DEEPA RAJAGOPALAN is the author of the short story collection, Peacocks of Instagram, shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize. She won the 2021 PEN Canada New Voices Award for the title story of the collection. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. She has lived in many cities across India, the United States and Canada. Deepa works in the tech industry in Toronto.

Stay tuned for more upcoming #BookTalk sessions!