Be bold.
Be hopeful.
Be outrageously optimistic.
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
5 p.m. PT | 6 p.m. MT | 8 p.m. ET | 9 p.m. AT
75 minutes
Get behind independent, fact-checked journalism and join us at the 2021 virtual edition of The Walrus Gala! On January 20, 2021, audiences from coast to coast to coast will enjoy an evening hosted by artists and storytellers who will inspire optimism for our collective future.
Trust, facts, and optimism are essential in a time of crisis. Supporting The Walrus Gala will help sustain our ability to continue to provide researched, reliable, and inspiring journalism that helps Canadians find answers to critical questions and shapes a better Canada.
Join us in outrageous optimism.
Our LineupAnnouncing the Lineup!
MARGARET ATWOOD, whose work has been published in more than forty-five countries, is the author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, critical essays, and graphic novels. Dearly, her first collection of poetry in over a decade, will be published in November 2020. Her latest novel, The Testaments, is a co-winner of the 2019 Booker Prize. It is the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, now an award-winning TV series. Her other works of fiction include Cat’s Eye, finalist for the 1989 Booker Prize; Alias Grace, which won the Giller Prize in Canada and the Premio Mondello in Italy; The Blind Assassin, winner of the 2000 Booker Prize; The MaddAddam Trilogy; and Hag-Seed. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade, the Franz Kafka International Literary Prize, the PEN Center USA Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Los Angeles Times Innovator’s Award. She lives in Toronto.
iskwē | ᐃᐢᑫᐧᐤ is, among many other things, an artist – a creator and communicator of music and of movement, of pictures, poetry and prose. And through it all, she’s a teller of stories that have impacted our past and will inform our future. acākosīk | ᐊᒐᑯᓯᐠ is the culmination of her creation and collaboration to this point. It’s a collection of seven sonic explorations that not only blur lines between sources and styles, but also between the actual and the ideal, the real and imagined. Building on the foundation of potent, cross-cultural electro-pop established on her self-titled 2013 debut and the Juno-nominated, Polaris Music Prize Long-Listed 2017 follow-up The Fight Within, acākosīk incorporates more intense and urgent tinges of alternative, post-rock, and even industrial. The cohesive-yet-combustible result tips a cap to modern innovators like Florence + The Machine and FKA twigs while simultaneously borrowing sounds accumulated over centuries by iskwē’s cree and Métis ancestors.
Ali Hassan is a Stand-up Comic and Actor who has performed for audiences across Canada and internationally. Ali is the host of CBC’s hit stand-up comedy show Laugh Out Loud, a frequent guest-host of CBC Radio’s national flagship arts and culture show “q”, and for the past four consecutive years, Ali has hosted Canada Reads – the annual battle of the books celebrating the best of Canadian literature. Previously, Ali was the lead comedy panelist on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, recording over 160 episodes with the show. Ali has appeared on the big screen in award-winning films – Breakaway, French Immersion, and as the memorable Lebanese ‘Uncle Stevie’ opposite Sean William Scott, Jay Baruchel, and Eugene Levy in the hockey hit Goon. In 2020, Ali can be seen in the films MySpy, Mafia Inc, and Tammy's Always Dying which had its World Premiere at TIFF 2019. His recent television roles include Blood & Treasure (CBS), Designated Survivor (ABC), Cardinal(CTV), Holiday Calendar (Netflix), Fubar: Age of Computer (VICE), Odd Squad (PBS Kids), Man Seeking Woman (FXX) and Game On (YTV).
Bif Naked is a celebrated and notorious international performer in music, TV, film,dance, is a best-selling author and poet, and a tireless advocate and Humanitarian. Orphaned in India, emancipated by punk rock, and empowered by surviving as a teenage-runaway, breast cancer, kidney failure, heart surgery, divorce, and succeeding as a Woman in The Entertainment Industry for over twenty-five years, Bif has transcended any and all obstacles placed in her path to become one of the world’s most unique, recognizable and beloved icons.
Shadrach Kabango (Shad) is a Rwandese-Canadian rapper and broadcaster. He has released six full-length studio albums, earning a Juno Award for Rap Recording Of The Year in 2011 and landing on the Polaris Music Prize shortlist 4 times (2008, 2010, 2014, 2019). Since the mid-2010's, Shad has been invited to perform other kinds of cultural work as well, including hosting CBC Radio's "q" in 2015/2016 and hosting Netflix's Peabody Award-winning series "Hip-Hop Evolution" from 2016 to present.
David Frum is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of ten books, most recently TRUMPOCALYPSE: Restoring American Democracy (HarperCollins, 2020). In 2001-2002, he served as speechwriter and special assistant to President George W. Bush. Frum holds a BA and MA in history from Yale and a law degree from Harvard, where he served as President of the Federalist Society. He and his wife, Danielle Crittenden Frum, live in Washington, DC, and Wellington, Ontario. They have three adult children.Tickets and Sponsorship Opportunities
You will receive a link to join the virtual event upon registration.
Individual and Corporate Sponsorships
$1,000 – $50,000
Sponsors and ticket buyers at the $1,000 level and up will receive a Guest Experience Package complete with a snack box as part of their own private cocktail reception. Catered by Daniel et Daniel, this snack box includes a cheese board, specialty cookies and chocolates, a Juice Concepts Beverage Trio for the cocktail or mocktail of your choice, and a special gift. A virtual networking party will be held for sponsors prior to kick-off!
Outrageous Optimists
$250
Outrageous Optimists will receive access to the event, their name listed on a dedicated web page, and a free subscription to The Walrus.
Sponsors
Live Arts Sponsor
Inspirational Sponsors
Ira Gluskin and Maxine Granovsky Gluskin
Legendary Sponsors
Janelle and Pierre Lassonde | Gillian and Paul Smith
Generously Supported By
Shelley Ambrose | Shari Austin | Jennifer Hollett | Shane Hollett | Alyssa Hussein | Donald K Johnson | Mark Polley | Irfhan Rawji | Tanya Sinha
The Walrus Gala Committee 2021
Chaired by Gillian and Paul Smith
Shari Austin
Gopal Bansal
Kim Berjian
Helen Burstyn
Jodi Butts
John Delacourt
Alyssa Hussein
Julia Johnston
Chethan Lakshman
Joe Lougheed and Vivian Kolias
Roxanne McCaig
Randi Rahamim
David Simmonds
Tanya Sinha
Jane Taber
Kim West
