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House Hansard - 313

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 10, 2024 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 313 - May/10/24
Ms. Lisa Hepfner (Hamilton Mountain, Lib.)
  • May/10/24 11:17:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Hamilton Reads title for 2024 is Chrysalis, the first book by Hamilton Mountain's own Anuja Varghese. It won a Governor General's Literary Award, a Writers' Trust Award and several other honours. The dedication reads, “This book is for all the girls and women who don’t see themselves in most stories. You are worthy of reflection, despite what you have been told.” It is a really fun read. Anuja told me that she is always looking for ways to empower women and girls, and sometimes that means “you get to be a shape-shifter and eat your enemies”. She says fantasy fiction helps us let loose, wonder “what if?” and consider difficult subjects like racism, homophobia and misogyny in stories, rather than statistics. Anuja unleashed her inner writer when she moved to Hamilton and found the community that inspired her and the support that helped her flourish. I want to congratulate Anuja on her success, thank her for the delicious stories and tell her that Hamilton is very glad she now calls our city home.
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