Author Claire Cameron discusses her book with Hamilton Review of Books founder Dana Hansen.

Attend a live reading and conversation with author Claire Cameron, who discusses their new book How to Survive a Bear Attack. 

The 45-minute conversation is followed by a 15-minute question and answer period. Check out the HPL catalogue to borrow the book before the event.

How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir is at once an intimate portrait of an extraordinary animal, a bracing chronicle of pain, obsession and love and a profoundly moving exploration of how we can understand and survive the wildness that lives inside us. 

Dana Hansen (she/her) is a professor of English literature, language and communications at Humber Polytechnic in Toronto. She is also a writer and book reviewer with work in a number of publications, a librarian-in-training, and the founding publisher and editor-in-chief of Hamilton Review of Books. She lives in Waterdown with her family.

Registration now open

STARFest Presents Claire Cameron

Date: Sunday, April 13, 2025

Time: 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Location: Forsyth Hall (Downtown Library - 5 St. Anne Street)

Registration open

How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir by Claire Cameron is a beautiful and powerful exploration of grief, family, cancer, the wilderness, animals and so much more. In this debut memoir from the bestselling author of The Bear and The Last Neanderthal, Claire Cameron confronts the rare genetic mutation that gave her cancer by investigating an equally rare and terrifying event - a predatory bear attack. Join Claire Cameron and Jana Pruden in conversation to discuss this deeply moving and profoundly researched book.

For National Poetry Month, the Spoken Word Youth Choir will perform a selection of Claire Cameron's poetry to open the evening. The Spoken Word Youth Choir (SWYC) is a professional spoken word troupe: part Greek chorus, part improvisers, part poets and hip hop artists. They are unique to Canada. SWYC Junior, Senior and Alumni are under the direction of creator, Gail Sidonie Sobat, and assistant director Lauren Seal.

If you can't make this date, make sure to check out Claire Cameron in Edmonton at LitFest on April 14th. 

In this debut memoir from the bestselling author of The Bear and The Last Neanderthal, Claire Cameron confronts the rare genetic mutation that gave her cancer by investigating an equally rare and terrifying event—a predatory bear attack.

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When Claire Cameron was nine years old, her father told her he was dying. In the years after he was gone, she overcame her grief among the rivers and lakes of Algonquin Park, a vast Canadian wilderness. Around that same time, in 1991, a couple was killed in a rare predatory black bear attack in the park—an event that shocked and haunted Claire.

Years later, with children of her own, Cameron was diagnosed with the same kind of deadly skin cancer as her father. Caught in a second wave of grief, she was told by her doctor, “the ideal exposure to UV light is none.” No longer able to venture into the wilderness as she once had, she again became obsessed with the bear attack in Algonquin Park. How could terror rip through such a beautiful place? Could she separate truth from fiction? She headed north to investigate.

Seamlessly weaving together nature writing with true crime investigation in this unflinching account of recovery, How to Survive a Bear Attack is at once an intimate portrait of an extraordinary animal, a bracing chronicle of pain, obsession, and love, and a profoundly moving exploration of how we can understand and survive the wildness that lives inside us.

Book signing to follow the event.

Pricing for this event is pay what you can - preset ticket prices for $5, $10 or by donation.

If you can't make this date, make sure to check out Claire Cameron in St. Albert at STARFest on April 13th.

Apr 15 @ 7 PM - 8:15 PM MT $25
Memorial Park Library, 2nd Floor
1221 2 St SW

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“True wilderness has no narrative. It is immediate, and visceral, beyond words at the time, and often beyond description later. So, it speaks to Claire Cameron’s courage and skill as a writer that she has triumphantly wrested such a compelling and profound story out of her journey, both into the wild heart of bear country, and into the terror-filled landscape of a devastating cancer diagnosis.” Trust acclaimed author Helen Humphreys to put into words why you simply can't miss this show with Claire Cameron, hosted by journalist Christina Frangou. They’ll be delving into Cameron’s astonishing memoir How to Survive a Bear Attack, her follow-up to The Last Neanderthal (a finalist for the 2017 Writers Trust Prize for Fiction). The conversation includes an audience Q & A and book signing, fuelled by Shelf Life Books. You can also place a pre-order for the book, as well as Cameron’s phenomenal backlist, here.

We are grateful to Penguin Random House Canada for making it possible to connect you with Claire Cameron.

About Host Christina Frangou

Christina Frangou is a Calgary journalist who writes about health and social issues. Her stories have appeared in The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Maclean's and The Guardian, among others, and cover topics like refugee health, domestic violence, loneliness and widowhood. Frangou has received a National Newspaper Award and multiple National Magazine Awards for feature writing. In 2022, she was awarded the Landsberg Award from the Canadian Women’s Foundation and Canadian Journalism Foundation for her work shedding light on gender injustice in Canada.

Website: christinafrangou.com
Bluesky: cfrangou.bsky.social
Instagram/Threads: @thatcmf

Stop by our cozy cafe/bar/bookstore, Flying Books at Neverland, for a chance to chat with Claire Cameron around the launch of her memoir, How to Survive a Bear Attack.

Her new memoir, How to Survive a Bear Attack, is out this month with Knopf Canada.

Admission is free, but please RSVP.

Ages 19+

Beer & Books with Claire Cameron Presented by Curiosity House Books and Creemore Springs Brewery

Event type: Ages 19+

Beer & Books with Claire Cameron

*Your ticket includes a pint of Creemore Springs Brewery draft beer, and snacks. 

*Audience Q & A and book signing will follow the talk. 

*Books will be available for purchase at the event. 

Join us for an evening with bestselling author Claire Cameron to discuss her new book, How to Survive a Bear Attack: A Memoir.

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In Conversation with Claire Cameron

Wednesday April 30th, 2025
6:30pm - 8:30 pm

Claire Cameron joins us at The Lobby for an intimate evening of discussion and exploration about her latest book "How to Survive a Bear Attack".

Claire will do a short reading, followed by a talk and q and a exploring themes in the book.

Register here

Event with Muskoka Authors Association - more soon.

An evening with CFUW - Sudbury. More details coming soon.

June 22, 2025 at 1:00pm

Join us for a captivating afternoon with Claire Cameron, as we celebrate her latest work, "HOW TO SURVIVE A BEAR ATTACK: A Memoir."

Hosted by CanHist & sponsored by multiple small-town organizations in Dufferin County, "Small Town Big Ideas" is a Speakers Series welcoming some of Canada's most provocative & innovative thinkers to Shelburne, Ontario.

Shelburne Public Library

FREE EVENT with book sales & Signing to follow.  

Reserve tickets