Gryphons Read 2024: And Then She Fell, Alicia Elliott | College of Arts

Gryphons Read 2024: And Then She Fell, Alicia Elliott

Posted on Wednesday, June 26th, 2024

Cover of And Then She Fell, a novel by Alicia Elliott. Branches and insects encroaching on a face and leaves flying around. Gryphons Read logo.

Welcome to Gryphons Read!

Gryphons Read is a tradition at the University of Guelph, started by the well-known and well-loved author and U of G faculty, Lawrence Hill. Each year, a book that explores diverse identities and lived experiences, and is authored by a Canadian writer, is selected to be shared and read by the campus community. Gryphons Read hosts the author on campus for a few days in late September where they meet with students, staff, faculty, and community members in various classes and public events.

The 2024 Gryphons Read featured book is And Then She Fell, by Alicia Elliott. Alicia is a Mohawk writer and editor living in Brantford, Ontario, and is already well known for her far-reaching voice and contributions as a contemporary Indigenous thinker. Her first book of essays, A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, was a national bestseller in Canada and was nominated for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction, and won the Forest of Reading Evergreen Award.

Alicia Elliott's debut novel, And Then She Fell is described as "a mind-bending, gripping novel about Native life, motherhood, and mental health that follows a young Mohawk woman who discovers that the picture-perfect life she always hoped for may have horrifying consequences." And Then She Fell was named as the Globe and Mail and CBC Best Book of the Year for 2023, and longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction. Alicia is also the winner of the 48th annual Amazon Canada First Novel Award for 2024.

Ways to Get Involved in Gryphons Read:

  • Pick up a free copy of And Then She Fell between September 3-5, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. (while supplies last) at the Gryphons Read Tent by Raithby House in Branion Plaza. Bring your U of G ID card.
  • Students, would you like a chance to join us for an intimate dinner and facilitated discussion with Alicia Elliott on Monday, September 23, 5 - 7:30 p.m.? Information on how to sign up to participate in this limited event will be sent to students who register for Gryphons Read at the tent.
  • Come meet the author, in conversation with Carrianne Leung, on Tuesday September 24, at 7 p.m. in the McLaughlin Library Whitelaw Room. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be provided. Registration for this event will open in August.

Gryphons Read is made possible by generous funding from College of Arts, the Library, the Office of the Provost, and with support from the Experiential Learning Hub. Questions about the Gryphons Read program can be directed to gryphonsread@uoguelph.ca. Visit our website to check out last year's Gryphons Read selection!

Happy reading!