The Writer’s Chair: Maria Reva

Join us for the opening event of the 2026 Fraser River Literary Festival!

New Westminster’s own, Maria Reva, draws on her family background in Ukraine to craft novels and stories that explore connection, culture, climate, and the human condition. Her debut novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize and won the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the Aspen Words Literary Prize and the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. The Writer’s Chair highlights Maria’s work in conversation with JJ Lee.

Maria Reva writes fiction and opera libretti. She is the author of Good Citizens Need Not Fear, set in an apartment block in Ukraine, as well as the novel Endling (longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize, winner of the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize). Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, The Wall Street Journal, The Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere.

Maria’s opera libretti have been commissioned by organizations including City Opera Vancouver, Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Opera Roadshow, Ad Astra Music Festival (Russell, Kansas), Musique 3 Femmes, and most recently, Opéra de Montréal. Her musical works have been performed at venues such as Théâtre Maisonneuve in Montréal and Berlin’s ufaFabrik.

Maria was born in Ukraine and grew up in New Westminster.

Photo by Anya Chibis

Please note, this event is general admission in the Anvil Theatre. Tickets must be reserved through the registration below.