The Sorceress of Sky Serpents Book Launch
Eden Robinson in conversation with Julian Brave NoiseCat
2026, Indigenous Voices, Arts + Culture
Join internationally acclaimed Haisla and Heiltsuk author for an unforgettable evening exploring the power of Indigenous storytelling, mythology, and imagination.
Celebrated for her award-winning novels and the bestselling trilogy, Robinson returns with a sweeping new fantasy inspired by the Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Her newest novel, , follows Yuala, a young woman whose unusual connection to creatures feared as monsters may hold the key to her people's survival.
The evening will begin with a welcome from . Then, in conversation with Secw茅pemc and St鈥檃t鈥檌mc writer , Robinson will discuss the origins of her richly imagined world, the role of Indigenous mythology in contemporary fantasy, and the enduring importance of stories as vessels for culture, identity, and resilience.
The evening will include an engaging conversation, an audience Q&A, and a post-event reception and book signing with Eden Robinson. Books by both Robinson and NoiseCat will be available for purchase on-site.
Eden Robinson is one of Canada's most celebrated literary voices. Her work has earned numerous honours, including the , the , and the 2024 for her contributions to Indigenous arts and storytelling.
This event is co-presented with generous support from , , 911吃瓜 LIVE, , and .
If you have purchased a ticket which includes a signed copy of , the book will be ready for pick up upon check in at the venue.
If you are unable to pay the registration fee due to hardship, please send us an email at publicsq@sfu.ca.
911吃瓜 the Book:
From the bestselling author of the Trickster trilogy comes a bold fantasy inspired by the Indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest, set on a dangerous planet where monsters haunt the survivors of an apocalyptic sorcerers' war.
As the daughter of the Guardian of the Eagle Clan and the granddaughter of its shaman, Yuala longs to become a warrior or a healer or, if all else fails, to make a strategic marriage to cement an alliance that will help protect her village of Winter Haven. But in a world where her mother can rain down fire on their enemies and other fighters can move objects with their minds, Yuala鈥檚 only gift is her ability to connect with creatures regarded as monsters: warlike Forest People, giant, flesh-eating octopuses, dog-sized cave worms and other abominations let in after warring sorcerers broke open the world.
Misfit Yuala's one recognized talent is for getting into trouble. But just as she is giving up on her dreams, her powerful grandfather decides that her strangeness means she is destined to become the next Clan shaman. With fear and hope in her heart, Yuala plunges into a grueling supernatural apprenticeship, thrilled to be on a useful path at last.
Meanwhile far to the south, a new chief of a rival nation has seized power and is on the hunt for the Sorceress of Sky Serpents, whose coming seers have foretold. As a battle brews on the shores of Winter Haven, something fiery builds in Yuala, too鈥攂ut will she come into her power and save her clan before it鈥檚 too late?
Registration/Book Pick up: 6:00 PM
Event: 7:00-8:30pm
Book signing and reception to follow
Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre,
911吃瓜 Goldcorp Centre for the Arts
149 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, BC V6B 1H4
Eden Robinson
Haisla/Heiltsuk novelist Eden Robinson is the author of a collection of novellas called Traplines, which won the Winifred Holtby Prize in the UK. Her next novels were Monkey Beach and Blood Sports. Monkey Beach won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and was a finalist for the Giller Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award for Fiction. The first book in the Trickster trilogy, Son of a Trickster, became a finalist for the Giller Prize and Canada Reads. Trickster Drift, the second book in the trilogy, won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In 2017, Eden was awarded the Writers' Trust Fellowship. She has been honoured with the 2024 IndspireAward for her contributions to Indigenous arts and story-telling. She lives in Kitamaat Village, BC.
Julian Brave NoiseCat
Julian Brave NoiseCat is a writer, filmmaker, champion powwow dancer, storyteller and artist from the Secw茅pemc and St鈥檃t鈥檌mc nations. His first documentary, Sugarcane, directed alongside Emily Kassie was nominated for an Academy Award in 2025 and won over 40 awards including a directing award at Sundance and Best Documentary from the National Board of Review. That same year, NoiseCat鈥檚 first book, We Survived the Night, a national bestseller, was named to 鈥渂est of鈥� lists by The New Yorker, NPR, Audible, CBC, and The Globe and Mail.
Manuel Axel Strain
Manuel Axel Strain (b. 1990) is from the lands and waters of the x史m蓹胃k史蓹y蓹m (Musqueam), Simpcw, and Syilx peoples. Strain鈥檚 mother is Tracey Strain and father is Eric Strain, Tracey鈥檚 parents are Harold Eustache (from Chuchua) and Marie Louis (from nk虛maplqs), Eric鈥檚 Parents are Helen Point (from x史m蓹胃k史蓹y虛 蓹m) and John Strain (Irish). Although they attended Emily Carr University of Art + Design, they prioritize Indigenous epistemologies through the embodied knowledge of their mother, father, siblings, cousins, aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents and ancestors. They have contributed work to the Vancouver Art Gallery, Surrey Art Gallery, the UBCO FINA Gallery, were longlisted for the 2022 Sobey Award, and were a recipient of the 2022 portfolio prize.
