On Sunday May 7th, from 6-8pm, join Massy Arts Society, Massy Books, and Freehand Books for the online launch of In the Defense of Liberty, the powerful new novel by Keith Maillard .

You are invited enjoy the power and urgency of this dynamic new novel from this experienced and celebrated author.

Register via eventbrite and receive a Zoom link before the event begins!

This project has been made possible by the Government of Canada. Ce projet a été rendu possible grâce au gouvernement du Canada. This event is supported by the British Columbia Arts Society.

Registration is free/by donation, open to all and required for attendance.

Purchase your copy of In the Defense of Liberty in advance or during the event.

Venue & Accessibility

The event will be hosted online.

About The Book:

In the Defense of Liberty (Freehand Books):

In the Defense of Liberty is a is a powerful, fast-paced novel exploring gender nonconformity and the reach of history. Set in Ohio in 1964, it follows Mason, a promising history undergraduate growing his hair long and questioning his gender identity as he becomes increasingly entangled with the personal dramas of a group of PhD students. He finds affinities in Lorianne and Jessie, his TA. Lorianne’s husband, Henry, has failed over and over again to complete his thesis, and the tense (and rising) sociopolitical climate of the decade boils up inside of him. As Linda Svendsen said, “Unforgettable characters navigate acceptance, intimacy, and regenesis. In the Defense of Liberty captures an in-real-time state of being for trans and gender-curious folks (and all of us who love them). It is brave. And it is breathtaking.”

About The Author

Keith Maillard is the author of fifteen novels, one collection of poetry, and two works of creative non-fiction. He has won the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Literary Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award. Keith was born and raised in West Virginia and now lives in Vancouver, where he has taught in the Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia for more than thirty years.