Margaret Atwood: 80th Birthday Celebration | LIVE from the NYPL

Canadian literary icon Margaret Atwood inaugurated a meeting room named in her honour at the Consulate General of Canada in New York, and briefly spoke with Consul General Yaffe about Indigenous languages and Global Affairs Canada’s commitment to the environment. The following night, the Consulate General partnered with the New York Public Library to celebrate Ms. Atwood’s life and legacy on the occasion of her 80th birthday. An audience of 300 literature fans gathered to hear readings from Atwood’s oeuvre, a performance from the opera version of The Handmaid’s Tale, and conversation. Immediately after the public event, the Consulate General hosted a networking reception attended by approximately 75 members of the publishing, financial, and literary communities. Consul General Yaffe welcomed the crowd—which included Atwood, Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, Zaib Shaikh, three Penguin Random House CEOs, and Scotiabank executives—with remarks that highlighted Canada’s contributions to the world of literature, and the significance of culture broadly to Canada’s trade and advocacy interests. Watch the recording on Vimeo here.