Dinner With The Author - Harriet Alida Lye

For this new dinner party series, we’re sitting down with author Harriet Alida Lye, whose novel Motherclown takes readers from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Paris in a tender, funny, and searching exploration of identity, relationships, and finding your way back to yourself.

Hosted at Downtown Winery, this intimate evening will bring the world of Motherclown to life through conversation and wine. Guests will enjoy a curated dinner menu inspired by the places, themes, and journey of the novel, while Harriet shares the stories behind her creative practice, the making of Motherclown, and the ideas that shaped her characters.

Expect a lively, candid conversation about writing, love, place, identity, and the messy process of becoming yourself — with plenty of room for audience questions and conversation around the table.

Your evening includes:

• An intimate conversation with Harriet
• A themed food and drinks dinner menu inspired by Motherclown
• Stories and insights into Harriet’s creative practice and the making of the novel
• An opportunity to ask questions and connect with fellow readers and creatives

Dinner With… is a Fifth Edit series celebrating the people behind the work — one table, one conversation, and one creative practice at a time.

​Harriet Alida Lye is a Toronto-based, award-winning author of four books, including The Honey Farm, Natural Killer, and Let It Destroy You. Her latest novel, Motherclown, became a CBC Bestseller within a week of its release and was named one of Indigo's Most Anticipated Books of 2026. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, and more, and she teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto.