Margaret Atwood Launches her Newest Book with GW Students

Last Friday, the critically acclaimed novelist and poet Margaret Atwood introduced her newest science-fiction book, The Year Of The Flood, to the GW community. GW was the sixteenth stop on the book tour, which has travelled around the world and always uses local talent. Here in DC, the performances were by students from the university’s department of theatre and dance as well as the department of music.

Lisner Auditorium was packed with a diverse audience from the DC community. The night was a compilation of dramatic readings from the novel brought together with music. Atwood was the narrator and GW students were the musicians and actors. Atwood watched the students performing with a proud smile, nodding with every word and always applauding the loudest.



The Year of the Flood is a novel set in the undefined future focused on a group called the God’s Gardeners who attempt to reconcile religion, science, and nature. The story contains characters that are ‘strictly vegetarian unless they get really hungry,’ use ‘edible facial products’ and worship ‘St. Al Gore’ and ‘St David Suzuki.’ The writing is dark, intense, clever, and uncomfortably comical.  Atwood has authored over 40 books and is a two-time Booker prizewinner. When introducing the event she described herself as a “sinister but sweet old lady.” The Year of the Flood is genius and imaginative and a must-read.